Give it a chance to grow

Lesson today and I was just starting on Silver Moves when Christopher got on the ice so, of course, that's what we started with.

3 Turnz - It's not a surprise that I'm still struggling with placing my 3 turns at the top of the lobe. I seem to have issues with visualization. I have a hard time keeping track of an axis and I'm hella bad at estimating where the top of a lobe is. If I turn too late then I try to fix it and turn too early. Oof. Part of my problem on the forward turns is my arms. I was leading with the wrong arm making the forward 3 turns more difficult than they needed to be. Once this was fixed, I was able to do the turns easier and maintain the edge a bit better on the backside. The backward turns are happening but they are still forced. But hey, I was able to do both BI 3s so there's that! Again, he told me to keep the free foot out in front and a bit crossed going into the turn. I start out that way but then as soon as the turn happens, instant flamingo! This is tough but I'm getting better each time I do them. Imagine how lovely these will be a year from now.

Cross Strokez - We started with the forward strokes and I seem to be on the right track with these. I still need more of a slide-cross on my left side but at least I know that they are not entirely wrong. The backward strokes are much improved but still have a ways to go. Same thing with the left side. I need to hold the free leg out in front a bit longer before putting it back on the outside edge. He appreciated that I wasn't quick-stepping these so I got one good comment from him! I really need to focus on feeling that outside edge though and holding it out longer. Still lots of work to be done.

Power Pullz - We worked a bit on the forward pulls which are just not really happening for me yet. When I do them, I feel like I'm too much on my heel and it's going to slip out from under me. So, I need to be down in my knees more and have a strong core. These are exhausting! I feel like every muscle in my body is working hard to make even the slightest movement happen (and that's just on my good leg, my left leg pulls are just non-existent). He told me, for now, I should do two forward slaloms followed by two one-foot pulls and keep doing that until I get the flow down consistently on one leg. That should help. We moved on to backward pulls and these were at least recognizable as power pulls but he would still like to see my free leg closer to my skating leg and not sticking out in back as much. My right leg power pulls are okay but when I switch to my left, things get tricky. He held my hands as I attempted these just so I could get a better feel for it. The thing is, I need soft ankles and my left ankle still feels like it's made of concrete. I'll just have to double up on the ankle stretching on this side. I can't see any other way it will work unless I loosen things up a bit more. This is one of those moves that people do and it looks effortless but it takes so much coordination! Sigh.

Spinz - We talked ever so briefly about Bronze Compulsories and he determined that, although I have my choice of spin, at this level, I really should be doing a nice sit spin. So I reeled off a few mediocre sit spins for him. I just feel like I've lost control of these. I need to spend more time on them in my practices to get them back to a place where they are centered, controlled, and low. I feel like lately I can only get one of those three things to happen at any given time. I need to see if I can make all three work in harmony.

So, it was a good lesson and I'm making progress but I feel like I'm in this transition period where I'm going to look pretty inept for while until I get the hang of things. It's all part of learning and growing. I have a tendency to rush through everything because my mind is ready to do these things but my body hasn't caught up yet. I just finished reading "Watership Down" (now in my top 3 novels of all time!) and there's a quote that seems particularly apt to my situation:

“You're trying to eat grass that isn't there. Why don't you give it a chance to grow?”

Hello, LBI

Due to the Broadmoor Open this week, our rink has drop-in sessions during my Thursday skate so I won't be going to practice on Thursday morning. To make up for missing that practice, I went to a freestyle session at the Sport Stable today. I saw some familiar faces including an upper level skater from my club and another adult skater that occasionally skates at my rink for practice. With the exception of the one skater who planted herself in one of the lutz corners and didn't bother moving for anyone, it was a lovely session with decent ice and courteous skaters.

Turnz - I decided a couple of weeks ago that if I make it a goal to get back one backward 3 turn each week, then in four weeks I'll have all of my backward 3 turns. The first week, I got my RBO and last week I got my RBI. Time to work on my left leg. Ugh. Again, I started with two foot turns and then went over in my head the things that Christopher told me during our last lesson. After some time attempting them and putting my foot down after each turn, I was finally able to do the full thing! For the first time in 13 years, I did an LBI! Exciting stuff! It didn't came back as easily as the RBI and I was only successful in about 50% of my attempts, but they happened! Do you know why this is such a big deal?? Ok, two reasons! Reason the first: I got over the fear barrier with these and was brave enough to just do them! Reason the second: since BI 3 turns are part of the Bronze Compulsory moves for the Adult Competition Series, I now feel comfortable registering for the ACS and competing as a Bronze level skater for this upcoming season! Of course, I still need to pass my Bronze Free Skate test next month to be officially Bronze'd but once I do that, I'll feel a bit more like I am able to compete at this higher level. The BI 3 turns have really been stressing me out for this reason. So, I'll keep plugging away at these and next week I'll work on the last of the four backward 3 turns, the LBO.

Movez - I touched on each of the 6 patterns but felt like I really made some progress on the 8 step mohawk. It definitely feels better going clockwise so I didn't spend too much time on that but instead worked on the counter-clockwise direction and that damn outside mohawk. I was able to speed things up a bit but I'm still not able to do the full pattern. For now, I'm just working around the center hockey circle. It will get there though and eventually I'll be able to make it bigger. The cross strokes are feeling a bit better than they have been but I would still like Christopher to look at them to make sure I'm on the right track. I know they are still not entirely correct but I have a better feel for them at least. The 3 turn patterns got worked on as much as I could given the fact that my back 3 turns are still kind of raw at this point but the fear is mostly gone so that's progress. I'm still not placing them at the top of each lobe but I'm doing them and that's more than what I was able to do a few weeks ago. Power pulls are still not happening going forward but I made some progress with the backward pulls because I was able to do some weak ones with my left leg. The right leg feels more comfortable too. Finally, spirals. I'm feeling a bit more confident bringing my chest down parallel to the ice but I've been having some hamstring pain lately on my right leg that isn't getting better and I feel like it's hindering progress. It's been going on for a couple of months now and I should really go to the physical therapy clinic attached to my rink but, honestly, I'm scared of what they will say. It's not getting better and sometimes it hurts pretty badly. I can't avoid it forever, though. I'll get it checked eventually.

Jumpz & Spinz - Same old routine. I ran through everything but worked my salchows the most. My attitude spins are looking better these days as are my sit spins. My husband was at my practice and he has confirmed that it's a good bit lower than the last time he saw it. Yay! All of the tortuous ankle stretching is paying off finally!

Programz - I really wanted to run the full program with music but other skaters were running theirs and I felt pretty inadequate compared to them. I let my fear of embarrassment get in the way once more. I really need to fix this. I should be testing this program in four weeks and I haven't skated the full thing with the new footwork to music yet. I need to get on it. Without music, though, I'm feeling okay with things but as you know, music changes everything. I'll do it on Tuesday to music if I can manage to get my CD in the queue somewhere in between all of the little kids running their programs. They aren't embarrassed. Why should I be, right? Right.

Cross Training

Practice today. Crowded as usual but I have lots of work to get done so I was determined to make progress on something today. That progress came in the form of backward cross strokes.

Forward & Backward Cross Strokez - I think I'm starting to get a feel for these. I know they are still a long way from where they need to be but compared to a couple of weeks ago when I started them, they are much improved. On the forward strokes I'm trying to spend more time on the outside edge before I cross my free leg over and I'm trying my best to slide the free leg across rather than to step it over (at least I think that's what I remember from my lesson). Doing it this way feels better and, because I'm getting on that deep outside edge, I'm hearing a nice rip to my edges which is always so satisfying. Once I got the hang of these, I moved on to the backward cross strokes. I've really been struggling with these but today something clicked! I had one of those eureka moments where I realized that if I tweek my hips a bit to get on the outside edge of my skating foot, I can put my free foot down behind on an edge as well (hard to describe but I remember how it feels). I think once I can get on ice that isn't as crowded, I might be able to focus on the technique of this more without having to look everywhere around me to make sure I'm not about to run into someone or vice versa. So, yeah, I think I understand how to do these better now but there is still a lot of work to be done. I haven't had an "aha" moment since I fixed my toe loops so it was nice to get one today.

Remembering Christopher's little pep talk from Tuesday, I skated today with a positive energy that screamed "I can do this!" It might take time but I know I have it in me to be a better skater than I was yesterday. No excuses, no negative self talk, and no worries if I fall because I can always get back up and try again. I felt capable today even when I was struggling on some things but I know I'll get this stuff as long as I keep plugging away at it. Onward and upward!

Coach-ly support

Lesson today! Freestyle ice was teeming with little people as per tradition so, again, it was difficult to move around the ice and get anything meaningful done. I basically did what I could in whatever clear patch of ice I could find. I'm really looking forward to when summer ends and I can have nearly unoccupied ice once more.

Warm-upz - Laps and edges mostly. I really want to keep working on the Circle 8 because it has really improved my forward edges but I know I also need to start worrying about getting my backward edges solid. When I first started working on the forward Circle 8 (before I had control over it), I would just choose a hockey circle and try to hold either an outside or inside edge on whatever foot I was working on. I've started doing this for my backward edges and things are getting a bit more stable. Holding the edge is one thing but I know I need to get a good push as well. This is a challenge because I have a tendency to get up on my toe picks so I'm glad this is something I'm including in my warm-ups now. This will take a while.

Jumpz & Spinz - I ran through all of my jumps spending extra time on slowing the salchow down. I have some that feel slower and then others that I rush so things are still not consistent with these yet. Loops felt icky today because I kept skidding off the edge on the entry. Time for a sharpening, I suppose. I did some other jumps before moving on to spins. I had one really good sit spin where I know it was the lowest I've gone! I wish I would have recorded it to know for sure, though. But it felt different! I tried to replicate it with little success. As I forced myself lower, I lost control of the spin. Alas. The spin gods giveth and the spin gods taketh away.

Silver Movez - Since it was nearly time for my lesson and I realized I hadn't touched Silver MIF yet, I got to work on those. The RBO and RBI 3 turns were still there (thankfully) but still nothing on my left foot. After back 3s, I picked a hockey circle and started in with the 8 step in both directions. That stupid outside mohawk felt less stupid going clockwise for some reason. This whole move is goofy. I dabbled in some backward power pulls before returning to back 3s.

Lessonz - I told Christopher that I made some headway on the RBI so he asked to see. I did the LFO-RBI pattern on the blue line and it was okay but when I skated back to him he said said he would like me to take the pattern down the length of the rink as it should be. Skating it on the blue line, while it helps with staying true to the axis, creates really small lobes that are actually more difficult to do. Doing the full pattern down the length of the rink will force me to do bigger lobes and make things a smidge easier. So I tried it and I put my foot down after every RBI. Aghgghg, it feels like I'm starting from scratch! But, I'll get used to it I guess. He determined that six lobes would fit nicely so that's what I should practice. Then, he wanted to see the other side! Gulp! I don't have an LBI 3 turn yet!!! So, I did the pattern but did a two foot turn in the place of the LBI. Once I got to the other end of the rink, he just had me do the LBI in isolation. Terrifying! Perhaps he could sense my panic so he offered to hold my hands while I do them. I was able to do a couple with him holding on to me but when I tried on my own, I was back to being a mess. He gave me a few important things to remember: keep the free leg in front instead of flamingo'd, turn my head along with my torso going into the turn, and BEND my damn knees. I'm actually making it more difficult than it needs to be (typical Mandi). He asked for a sit spin to finish off our lesson and, while I got lower, it was out of control again. It's still a work in progress. Finally, in addition to the physical support he gave me earlier, he gave me some moral support. He talked to me about thinking positively and not letting fear control me. I'm strong and capable but I'm holding myself back. I have to do better about the negative self talk. I know I'm guilty of it so, along with the physical practice, I should probably include some more positive thinking into my sessions. I'm not a Debbie Downer by any means, but I doubt myself a lot. Imagine the progress I could make if I got rid of some of that!

Hello, RBI

Last week was National Pairs Camp and our rink was hosting it so, instead of being able to attend my regularly scheduled contract sessions, the rink scheduled drop-in sessions for the whole week. I used the last punch in my punch card for Tuesday's lesson so I planned to skip Thursday's practice and skate today at the Sport Stable during a public session. The ice was really bad since they have a habit of not running the zamboni between sessions but I was there so I was determined to make some progress despite the crap ice.

Although I worked on some free skate stuff (jumps, spins, program, etc), I mostly focused on Silver Moves, particularly backward three turns.

8 Step Mohawk - I just did the CCW side and I did things slooooowly, taking my time on each step to get a better feel for things. The outside mohawk is feeling a bit better but I still cannot add speed to it yet without feeling like I might topple over. I'll work on the CW side next time.

Forward & Backward Cross Strokes - I think my forward cross strokes have slightly improved once I put Christoper's corrections into place but I'm still not sure if they are quite right yet. They feel different than how I was doing them before but who knows. The backwards cross strokes still feel impossible. All I'm able to do is step backwards onto my toe pick instead of my edge. I'm sure the answer to this is bend my knees more but ugh, this feels alien.

FO-BI 3 Turns - Breakthrough! I haven't done a back inside 3 turn in 13 years but today I was determined to do one! Per Christopher's suggestion, I started with some back 2-foot turns and then transitioned into doing it on one foot. Since my right leg/ankle/foot is stronger than my left, I only worked on the RBI. At first, I was putting my foot down after the turn but after a few minutes IT HAPPENED! What?! YASSS! And then my muscle memory kicked in from 13 years ago and I was able to do the RBI turns with no problem! My husband took a video of me doing the LFO-RBI 3 turns and I've posted it below as proof that I did them! wOOt!

FI-BO 3 Turns - I just worked on the LFI-RBO 3 turns today because I still don't have an LBO yet but I focused on placing the 3 turns better on each lobe. These feel unstable and shaky but they are getting worked on so no complaints.

Consecutive Outside & Inside Spirals - I feel like I'm getting more comfortable doing these in the full pattern but my left leg is still so unstable that I'm having a hard time extending my right leg above hip height. This is just one of those things that the more I do it the more confident in them I'll become so I have to make a point to work on them each time I practice. This is the only one of the Silver Moves that I can do in its entirety. Sigh.

Forward & Backward Power Pulls - Although I tried the forward power pulls, I can't seem to get enough power or pull to make them happen. I tried doing slaloms and then lifting one leg but I was unsuccessful. I have a better feel for the backward pulls but they tend to fizzle out the farther I go down the rink.

So progress was made today! I know my backward 3 turns are in me somewhere, I just have to pull them out. I imagine once I get over the fear hurdle, they will come back to me pretty quickly like they did today with the RBI 3 turns. It's funny how I wasn't terribly frightened of them 13 years ago. I struggled a bit with them but they didn't terrify me. Now, it's all about fear. I just feel more fragile now, especially after coming back from an injury. But staying in my comfort zone will prevent me from moving forward and progressing as a skater. It might take a while but I'll get my backward 3 turns back. ALL of them! I mean, I've already managed to get my RBO and my RBI turns back so I'm already halfway there, right? 😁

Well, it's a start

Lesson today and we got right to work on Silver Moves. I'm really glad we aren't wasting any time getting to work on these because I can already tell this is going to take me a looooong time to get anywhere close to where these need to be. But, they will get there!

FI-BO 3 Turns in the Field - We started with these because I had posted a video of me attempting these on Facebook and he noticed a lot that needs correcting. One of the main things is that I am not placing the 3 turn at the top of the lobe but, instead, I'm getting about 3/4 of the way through before attempting the turn. I'm also not checking properly and need to remember to keep my free foot close to my skating foot. No extensions! After all that, we worked on the backward 3 turns in isolation. I'm able to do an RBO but the other three haven't been attempted in quite some time. Lot's of anxiety working on these with him today! I really just need to put my big girl panties on and do it. I've done them before a long time ago so I know I can do them. I just need to get myself to try. Hey, I have padded pants. If I fall, I fall. It's all part of learning. Anyway, they need to get worked on because they are part of Bronze Compulsories (both BI 3 turns) so I need to get on it if I'm going to possibly skate at the Bronze level for the Colorado Springs Invitational in September.

Eight Step Mohawk Sequence - We looked at the required steps and we talked about arms for a hot second. I should be switching arms on the 3rd and 6th step. We chose one of the hockey circles and began counter-clockwise and just kind of went through it slowly (I mean, it's not like I have any other choice but to go slow at this point). The struggle was real! This whole thing just feels unnatural. This will take a lot of work.

Forward and Backward Cross Strokes - I thought I at least could do the forward cross strokes but, as it turns out, I am totally not doing them correctly. I can't even wrap my brain around how to do them the right way. When he demonstrated it, it made sense. When I tried it again? Garbage. This is just one of those things I need to get a feel for, I guess. Don't even get me started on the backward cross strokes!

We ran out of time so we stopped there. He reminded me how much I struggled with the Circle 8 and how that ended up being one of my best moves on the test. I just need to be patient with myself and take my time with these. There is a lot to learn and much of it is a challenge for me. But...I like challenges! I can do this!

Feeling Unstable

I was so anxious to get started on Silver Moves after passing my test, that I went back to the Sport Stable for a public session. They actually ran the zamboni before the session began so the ice wasn't crap (for once!). Honesty, I have no idea what I'm doing with Silver Moves. I don't know how to do most of the elements on this test but I just kinda wanted to feel things out and get a baseline measurement of my capabilities. The baseline was low, ya'll. Oh, so very low!

Eight Step Mohawk Sequence - Well, I memorized the steps so I know how it's supposed to go but, oh man, this was bad! Particularly disgusting was the FO mohawk. This felt unnatural and kinda scary. Garbage.

Forward and Backward Cross Strokes - The forward cross strokes felt okay enough but the backward cross strokes felt very steppy. I was having a hard time finding my groove with this and I'm sure I looked laughable. Yuck.

FO-BI 3 Turns - Did not attempt at all because I haven't attempted a BI 3 turn in like 13 years. I might need someone to hold my hand on this. Awkward.

FI-BO 3 Turns - Only attempted on the LFI-RBO side and even then it looked unstable at best. Trash.

Consecutive Outside and Inside Spirals - I'm actually proud of myself for doing the full pattern! Spirals are scary and I'm by no means the best spiraler out there but I did the thing! Brave.

Forward and Backward Change of Edge Pulls - The backward power pulls seem easier than the forward ones but these were still awful looking. Rotten.

So yeah, these are a straight disaster. There is a lot of work to be done for sure. This test is such a step up in difficulty from Bronze so I know it's going to take a while to master. I'm giving myself a two year deadline but won't be hard on myself if it takes longer. This is tough!

Bronze Moves in the Field - Test Recap

Test Day!!!

I got to the rink early enough to skate on one of the early morning freestyle sessions. This really helped calm my nerves and get everything loose. I ran through the entirety of the test and everything felt as it should so I spent the rest of the time working on some jumps and footwork for my Star Wars program. When the session was over, I had about 15 minutes to wait around until it was time to get on test ice for my official warm-up. I spoke with Christopher for a bit and then it was 8:00am and time for our warm-up to begin except...the judges were running late! They had not arrived yet and the lady who had all of the test forms had also not arrived so, myself and the first tester actually had more than a 10 minute warm up. I think it might have been 15 minutes? During that time I ran through everything and we made some last minute adjustments. At this point, I just wanted to take the test and be done with it. The judges were finally ready and then I had to wait a bit more for the first tester to finish. Then...showtime! The video is below and I am putting each of the judges comments and scores in italics under the recap of each move.

Perimeter Power Stroking - There was one bobble (hello nerves!) on my second lobe but I quickly recovered and was able to finish out the rest of the move with no issues.
Judge Victoria - Forward stroking = pretty good power. Backward strong stroking. Score +1
Judge Lee Anne - *no comment* Score 0
Judge Karen - *no comment* Score +1

Forward Power 3 Turns - This went as planned. I have been working on improving the transition going into the second half so it has more power and doesn't look like I'm walking the steps. This gave my bad side more power so I was able to do 3 lobes on both sides with no problem. This has been my most troublesome move but the extra time I spent improving it made a difference!
Judge Victoria - Good flow and strength of turns. Score 0
Judge Lee Anne - *no comment* Score +1
Judge Karen - Excellent control throughout. Score +2

Alternating BX-BO Edges - Christopher told me to make it BIG so I took up the whole rink! One little bobble on the 4th lobe but nothing major. I thought this went well.
Judge Victoria - Nice flow. Good strength of strokes. Score +1
Judge Lee Anne - *no comment* Score +1
Judge Karen - Nice extension. Score +1

Forward Circle 8 - This is my best move out of the bunch so I really wanted to do it well to make up for any points lost elsewhere. This went exactly as practiced and felt pretty damn good!
Judge Victoria - Edges (unreadable) both inside and outside. Score +1
Judge Lee Anne - Excellent control. Score +2
Judge Karen - Very good edge quality. Score +2

Five Step Mohawk Sequence - At one time, I thought this was my best move. It ended up being my weakest. It was a bit scratchy as noted by one of the judges and I didn't feel like I had good flow. But, it was passable. I'll take the judges criticism to heart and work on some of these things. Of course, this is all stuff Christopher has told me to improve all along but I just haven't been able to. Back to the drawing board on this one.
Judge Victoria - An even softer skating knee would have been nicer. Score 0
Judge Lee Anne - Often stepped onto flats, not edges. Score 0
Judge Karen - Good bilateral ability. Some scratchiness. Score 0

Final Scores
Judge Victoria - Score = +3 Pass
Judge Lee Anne - Score = +4 Pass
Judge Karen - Score = +6 Pass with Honors (!!!)

Second Tester!

Ok, test day is tomorrow, ya'll! Yikes! I finally got my time slot for the test and it looks like I'm the second tester of the day. Another skater and I will get on the ice at 8:00am for our 10 minute warm-up and then I get off so she can skate her Junior Moves (adult). I am scheduled to go on right after her. I really wish they would have had me go first, though. I feel like, compared to her, I'm going to look like garbage no matter how well I do. I know I shouldn't feel that way...but I do. Sigh. I plan on dropping in for 45 minutes on the early morning session (7:00-7:45) so I can get properly warmed up and do some last minute spot checks. I didn't do that last year and I think it would have benefited me.

This morning's session was crowded as usual but it seems as though the Thursday session has just slightly fewer skaters on it so I was able to get some work done. I ran through all of my field moves for the test but after 30 minutes of that I really just wanted to work on other things. I'm ready to be done with Bronze moves! They are getting stale. I won't talk about the work I did with moves today only because it's pretty much where I left them last time. They are solid and I am ready for the test!

Jumpz - I spent a lot of time on the salchow today. Months ago, I was obsessed with fixing my toe loops and, since those are fine now, I really need to work on getting my salchow less spinny. I worked on making the 3 turn more straight and checking it better so I'm not relying on the momentum from that to get around on the jump. I also focused on making sure my free knee is up so that my free leg is in an h position. This all seemed to slow my salchow down a bit. Not a lot, but a bit. Progress. I also looked at my loop jumps today because I really want to get better at crossing my free leg in front on the second loop jump when I do it as a combo. Not much progress here but it got worked on. Finally, flip jumps. It's been a while since I've done any because I've been so consumed with the test. I'm happy to report that I'm still not scared to do them and, in fact, I think the time away from them was beneficial because they just felt better over all. Notably, I felt like I was launching a bit more from the toe pick instead of feeling like I'm taking off two-footed.

Spinz - I had some really good ones today! I started off by looking at my attitude spin coming out of the toe loop (aka the ending of my free skate program). The first one I did was perfectly centered so I just rode it out as long as I could. I don't know how many revolutions I got but I felt like I was spinning forever! Nice! I did some more attitude spins before moving on to sit spins. These were just okay today. I think part of the problem is that I stopped doing squats because 1). they are boring and 2). my right knee is crackling. As a result, my sit spins didn't feel as low as they have been lately but at least the spinning part is happening. I don't want to go back to doing as many squats as I was doing (I got up to 200+ a day!) but I think I should at least do 75 as part of my off ice warm up. It helps my ankle mobility at least. I dabbled in some backspins but was too afraid of doing camel spins on a crowded session.

Miscz - In the last 10 minutes or so, I wanted to just work on some new things. I tried my hand at the 8 step mohawk and miserably failed. I know the steps in my head but putting them to ice was a bit of a train wreck. Following that bit of suck, I added to it by trying backward cross strokes and I think I just looked silly so I moved on to BI 3 turns and botched them as well. Silver Moves are going to be hard! I am not good at this! lol.

It's all up to me now!

Today was my final lesson with Christopher before my test on Friday. It was another crowded session but he promised me he would skate along with me as I did my moves to keep me from running over children, or vice versa. Even still, it was nearly impossible to move around the rink with so many littles.

Power Perimeter Stroking - He seemed happy about me doing a better job staying true to the axis (I still have my moments, though!). I'm also consistently getting on the FI edge right after the crossover on the forward strokes so that's nice. He would like to see a bit more emphasis on the BI edge on the backward strokes, though. Other than that, things look fine here.

Power 3 Turns - He reminded me to count the steps in my head because I have a tendency to rush the back crossover. When I remember to count, things even out a bit more and I'm able to extend things out a bit.

BX-BO edges - Well, this just felt too dangerous to do as a whole but from the few lobes I was able to do, he seemed to like them enough. He pointed out that I'm extending for too long on the final step. Extend enough to return to the axis, then step forward, then present.

Circle 8 - We couldn't do this in the middle because it was a right proper zoo over there so we did them at the end of the rink using the middle part between hockey circles as my starting point. I did two circles and as I was returning to center, a little girl appeared out of nowhere and stood.right.there! I skated over and stood next to Christopher and we just kinda stared at her and had to laugh a little at how impossible these sessions are. Once she moved, I started again. According to him, this is by far my strongest move so, if I botch things up elsewhere in the test, I might be able to make up some points here. Let's hope anyway. At least I won't have little girls standing in the center of my pattern!

Five Step Mohawks - We spent a bit of time on this. I think my flow was off today (probably because it was so distracting) because some lobes were stronger than others. I just need to remember to count, keep my feet together on each step, twist my body properly on the 3rd step (I either twist too much or not enough), and don't cheat my lobes. You know, details.

At the end of our lesson, he mentioned that he thinks I'm much more prepared for this test than I was for my Pre-Bronze test a year ago. I think I've grown a lot as a skater in this past year and I'm much stronger and confident now so that makes a difference. He reminded me to stay calm, trust myself, and exude confidence. I know what to do, I've trained for it, now I just need to go out there and show the judges what I'm made of :)

Feeling Stable

My test is this Friday and I need some extra time on the ice so I found a freestyle session at the Sport Stable. Initially, I thought I would only be able to make the 4:00pm public session but, as luck would have it, my schedule opened up and I was able to attend the 2:00pm freestyle. Cool!

After my off-ice warm up, I met another adult skater in the lobby who belongs to one of our neighboring clubs (and she recognized me from Sectionals!). It was nice to know that I would be sharing the ice with another adult skater. Can I just say what a rare luxury this is? It was so nice to skate with someone who respects space and is observant of their surroundings. I've been skating with small children for so long that I forgot how much I can accomplish when I don't have to spend most of my time dodging kids who don't look where they are going. Lovely!

Before getting on the ice, though, I was quickly reminded once again why I rarely come here. The ice is dangerous! They didn't seem like they were planning to zam the ice before my session and, when the zamboni guy saw me waiting by the boards to get on the ice, he approached me and said that the zamboni was leaking hydraulic fluid and he can zam the ice if I want but there will be oil on the ice. Ok, so, it's not really a choice then? I either skate on uncut ice or skate on oily ice? I'll take my chance with the torn up ice, thank you. So, yeah, the ice was rough and snowy but it was better than skating on an oil slick. This place is so beyond terrible. Just when I think they can't disappoint me more than they did the last time, they outdo themselves. Bravo!

Anyway, I took this as a challenge. If I can perform my test moves on crap ice, I can certainly do well on test day with decent ice, right? After my on-ice warm up, I started with the Circle 8. As rough as the ice was, I was able to do several rounds that I think would be passable. The ice was so bad that there were a few moments where I barely made it back to center but, I did. Seriously, if I can make this move happen on terrible ice, I'll be fine for the test! I ran through the whole test several times just as I would on test day and everything feels fine. I'm feeling pretty good about possibly passing.

Since the session was nearly two hours, I had plenty of time to work on some other things as well. I did a few complete run throughs of my program and then I did some work on cleaning up sections of the program. I dabbled in some alternating 3 turns on the blue line (the 4th move from the Preliminary mif) and those were pretty terrifying but it's a good exercise to get the feeling of the twist your upper body needs to do to return to the axis. I think this helped my power 3 turns a smidge! I also started work on a couple of the Silver moves, namely the FI-BO 3 turns, forward cross strokes, and consecutive outside spirals (I didn't do the inside spirals). I feel like Silver moves will be the death of me. Sigh.

One thing I did today that was pretty amazing (and I didn't even realize it until I got home) was that I did loop jumps on this ice! The last time I did a loop jump at the Sport Stable, my leg broke in two places but today, I just...did them. I did so many and I didn't even think about what happened last time I did them here! I really feel like that's progress!

But seriously, readers, if you live in the Denver metro area and you are tempted to skate at the Sport Stable for whatever reason, stay away! You'll probably die here (or at the very least break bones). This has been a public service announcement :)