Jump Theory, Jump Practice

I dropped in on a Friday morning session and it was lovely! A lot of the regulars weren't there (these are a few of the really little girls who lack situational awareness and always make me nervous). So, it was just myself and 4 other skaters and everyone was courteous and watched out for the people around them. It was refreshing!

After my off-ice and on-ice warm-ups, I started working hard on my free skate elements, particularly the toe loop-loop combo. I'm really excited for my sharpening tomorrow because these just feel downright dangerous to do on dull blades. I got through it, though, and there were even a couple that felt pretty good. The other element I'm really struggling with is the sit spin so I spent some time with that trying to get back the feel of it like I had a couple of months ago. Thirty minutes had passed and I felt like I was ready to run the program.

First Run Throughz - Ugh. That is pretty much all I can say about this. I flubbed the opening jump combo and it was all downhill from there. I missed almost all of my musical cues, the spins were crap and hardly a jump got landed. It was a straight disaster. I don't think I have skated that poorly in a long time. It was embarrassing. The music ended and I shamefully returned my sash. I spent the next 20 minutes working on elements in isolation and in larger chunks. I think missing that first jump combo was the catalyst for all of the suck. It had a domino effect on the rest of the program. Knowing this, I worked extra hard on that toe loop-loop combo to get it more consistent. Maybe it will have the opposite effect if I nail the opening combo. Maybe if I do that well, everything else will fall into place.

Second Run Throughz - My theory was correct! I landed the opening combo and the rest of the program was really nice (even the sit spin!). I felt in touch with the music and I hit every single element right where they were supposed to be! If I had skated this for the test, I think I would get a "pass."

So, now I know! I need to focus on that opening combo so I start my program off strong. That will give me the confidence I need to power through the rest. I did some more toe loop-loop combos before ending the session. I just wanted to leave on a high note so I told myself I wouldn't get off the ice until I landed one combo that was solid and had the free leg crossed. I finally got a really nice one so I left the session, proud of my accomplishments.

Yeah, I was proud of myself today! Lately, I've been really working hard on the ice, to the point where I'm sweaty after each session. I'm determined to do well on this test and work on my weakest elements the most so that they are strong enough to get me through the test. Speaking of the test, I registered for it yesterday afternoon so it's totally happening! Two weeks from today, I'll skate my heart out and show the judges the result of all of my hard work :)