Fishing for Flips

 Lesson today! 

We started with Flip jumps because that's a never ending project. Once again, I'm rushing the entry and forcing the jump. I confessed that I'm scared to launch myself off the toe pick so to combat that he wanted to put me in the pole harness. I really didn't love being in the harness a couple of years ago when I was getting over my loop jump fears but this is a different harness. The one I was in before was a pulley harness that was attached to the ceiling. This harness is the kind that's like a fishing pole with me as the bait so to speak. I was skeptical and told him that I was more anxious about being in the harness than I was about the jump takeoff. He assured me I would be fine. I trust him. He's my coach after all. 

He got me all strapped in and instructed me to start with some easier jumps to get the feel of the harness. I did a waltz, salchow, and loop jump before I felt comfortable enough to start working on some flip preps. It's weird. Unlike the ceiling harness, this doesn't really feel like I'm in a harness at all except for the fact that he strapped me in pretty tightly so I could obviously feel that I was in a harness. I think it was because of this that I didn't really feel any more daring or confident while doing the flip jumps. I know it must have helped a little because later in my practice when I was working on flips by myself I had one singular flip jump that was like...whoa! That's what it's supposed to feel like?! I actually launched off of the toe pick! I looked around and of course Christopher's back was turned so he didn't see it but it felt amazing! I tried to do another one and couldn't. But I now know what it should feel like. Basically, if it doesn't feel like flying, I'm doing it wrong. I asked him if my flip jumps at least look recognizable as flips and he said they are. We just need to take some of the wildness out of the them.

I got the chance to run my program. It felt good but I botched both spins and turned them both into basic one-foot spins. Not good. I spent some time working on the combo spin and the scratch spin just to make things right again. My spins are the thing I'm most worried about with this program. I'm landing the jumps every time (even the flip) so I'm not so concerned for those but the spins have a tendency to go so very wrong. I've never been the best spinner and the combo spin especially is tricky for me. I have two more weeks to get a little bit more consistency on these before the competition and that really feels like not enough time. Sigh. 

I know this is a pretty program. I feel pretty skating it and I even got a compliment from a fellow adult skater saying that she thinks it's beautiful. I really want to do it justice and skate a clean program where all of the elements hit. It's just so disappointing when I mess up the spins and it takes away from the beauty of this program. I guess I just have to keep putting in the work. It will sort itself out eventually (hopefully in less than two weeks).

Blades so Sharp

 I went to see my sharpener today since it's three weeks before the competition and I want to perform at my best. I also wanted him to look at my right boot, specifically in the inside ankle area. I have a permanent bruise from where that part of the boot is pressing really hard on my ankle and I wanted to see if he could possibly punch it out. He wasn't able to do a punch since it's right where the hooks are but he did another heat molding to see if that would provide a little relief. Worst case scenario, he may be able to 3D print a tiny heel shiv to raise my foot up a bit so my foot isn't resting in that area as much. I love these boots but I think I might get a different Jackson model next time. The over abundance of hooks provides a lot of various lacing patterns but it also causes problems for sensitive ankles like mine. The heat molding did provide some relief but I'm also going to have to tie that skate a bit looser than my left so I'm not in constant pain. Alas. 

Lesson today! We started with the 8 Step Mohawk to see if there has been any improvement. The progress is slight but I'm getting there. I just have to keep at it to get it consistent. We then looked at the Cross Strokes. He didn't have anything to say about the forward strokes so I think those might be okay. He did, however, have quite a bit to say about the backward cross strokes. Mostly, I really need to lean back a bit, rotate my shoulders, and keep my feet a lot closer together on the strokes. He showed me a figures move called a Schafer Push (not easy!) and would like for me to try my best to make my feet as close to this as possible. Just when I thought I had it all figured (heh) out, he adds difficulty. After all of that, it was time to run my program. Things went okay but he made a small adjustment to the arm position in my mini spread eagle leading to the spiral. Per my request, we spent the remainder of our lesson time looking at my flip jump. When I focus on picking in way behind me, I get a better glide into the jump and it looks better overall. This jump, man. It haunts me. I can land it but figuring out the technique to get it just right is eluding me. This is such a easy jump for me to rush through but I really need to take my time with it, not overthink, and definitely not try so hard to rotate it. RELAX! 

The schedule was released for CSI and I know who my competitors are! There are five of us and it's a mix of people I've skated with before and some new faces as well. I'm excited and feel pretty ready (unlike last year at this time when I was pure panic and burnt out). I'm sad that, due to COVID, I will have to leave immediately after I skate. That means I can't watch some of my skate buddies who are competing in other events. I'm also sad that the whole competition experience will be weird. No crowding around the results together to see how we did, no hugs, no podium shots. Half the fun of competitions is to cheer on and support your friends and enjoy the experience together. But hey, at least we get to be there at all. There are so few comps going on this season so I feel lucky that I can at least be at this one.

Stronger than my fears

What a wonky week! It started with a one hour drive up to Fort Collins on Saturday for some extra practice (because my rink doesn't offer Saturday sessions anymore). I got all the way up there to discover that the rink was closed due to an ammonia leak. Sigh. No Saturday skating for me. Then, Christopher informed me that there were no Monday slots available for our lesson (because my rink drastically reduced ice time for figure skaters but gives plenty to hockey...I'm a little bitter) so we had to move our lessons to Wednesday and Thursday. 

Braveryz - I needed to get some practice in so I did a thing: I went to the dreaded Sport Stable. As I've mentioned many times in this blog, the Sport Stable is a cursed place for me. It's where I broke my leg three years ago and it's just not figure skater friendly. Their main focus is hockey and the ice shows it with deep ruts everywhere (a likely contributor to my broken bones). When I checked in, I was told I would be skating on the East rink. This is the very same sheet of ice where I broke my leg and I haven't skated on it since that day. I usually skate on the West rink when I go there for practice. So, I had a little bit of a PTSD/panic attack but then I pulled myself together and got on the ice. I must say, the ice was actually nice! I guess because they use that sheet of ice for curling they have to? It was so smooth! After spending 45 minutes on just Silver Moves, I moved on to jumps, spins, and program practice. Toward the end of my practice there was one thing I really needed to do. I wanted to land the jump that broke my leg in the spot where it happened. For closure. I lined up a loop jump and landed it and it was beautiful. Now I feel like I can finally move on. That was the last thing to mark off on my fear checklist. Achievement Unlocked. 

Wednesday Lessonz - We spent most of the lesson working on the camel/squat combo spin and then we worked on the flip jump. Both of these elements are back-to-back in my program and they are the most difficult elements I'm skating so I'm glad we spent a chunk of time looking at them. We fiddled around with my arms on the camel and that seemed to help a bit. With the flip jump, I'm still pre-rotating and forcing the jump. It's getting landed but damn, it's not pretty. I'm really just scared to vault off of my toe-pick which is exactly why edge jumps are easier for me. I need to fix this because we've been starting to work on the lutz jump and if I can't get a flip down with proper technique, there is no hope for a lutz in my future. At the end of the lesson, we ran the program and all went well until I got to the flip jump into the combo spin. I ended up doing a half flip and then the spin flopped. Ugh. The rest of the program was lovely besides that. I have three weeks left to polish this up and get it consistent. 

Thursday Lessonz - We spent the entirety of the lesson working on field moves so it was a nice break from jumping and spinning. He caught me working on the Spirals so that's what we started with. The outside spirals actually look pretty good. He said they were passable. The inside spirals need work. I'm having stability issues on these. I can do them with control but I'm taking my time getting that leg up. It needs some more time to improve for sure. After that we looked at the Cross Strokes for a bit to clean them up before moving on to the 8 Step Mohawks. My good side is nice and has good flow. The bad side is a different story. Mostly, the outside mohawk on my bad side is still a bit rushed. He gave me the pole part of his pole harness to hold onto while doing it in an effort to keep my arms from moving around too much. This seemed to help a bit as my outside mohawks improved slightly after that. Lastly, we looked at Power Pulls. Again with the "stability bar." He had me hold on to it and focus on how my upper body and shoulders are supposed to move in relation to my bottom half. Tricky.

The Reformer

 Lesson today! I didn't have any time to practice some of the changes that were made last week so I tried to cram as much into the time before my lesson as I could. Mostly, it's the spin that is causing me grief. I was able to practice it on the floor at home to get the change of positions right with the music and it all seemed easy enough but it didn't translate well to the ice at all. If I fall out of my camel, there is no way to get into the "Fourspin" position (that's what my husband is insisting I call it, lol). This will take a lot of getting used to. 

Lessonz - We started out by looking at the spin combo. It's kind of a disaster. My leg is still not high enough on the camel so I keep falling out of it and the fourspin is still gross (okay, no, I can't keep calling it that. I feel dirty). Foursquat? Is that better? With Christopher's help, I discovered that if I look into the direction of the spin instead of straight ahead, I seem to have better control over things. Also, it really helps to center the spin from the get go. Once we were done looking at spins, we took a brief look at the flip jump. It's looking better but still needs some sprucing up. Finally, we ran the program. I think I'm feeling more relaxed with it overall but it still has moments where my flow doesn't...flow. I have a little over four weeks to get it together and, honestly, I think it will be okay for the competition. I just need to put in some work and "get good." Oddly, the thing I thought I would worry about the most in this program, the flip jump, doesn't worry me at all. I've been landing it consistently and I'm not getting anxious over it. I feel like I've come such a long way with this. A couple of years ago, I was just terrified of it and now it's in my program and I'm not worried about it. That's progress! But that spin combo, tho! That worries me. 

Pilatez - Christopher suggested that I look into Pilates for strengthening my core. He knows best. He can see what I can't. So if he says Pilates will help, it's worth looking into. I signed up for a free trial class at a Pilates place near where I live and it was basically a one-on-one introduction to Pilates with me and one of the instructors. I walked in and there were all kinds of crazy looking torture devices! Like, I knew about the Reformer but I didn't know there were all these other contraptions! She had me try each one to get a feel for things. It was a lot. And it was hard! So, I became a member and now I'll be going every Sunday for a "Reformer Flow" class. I better get some abs out of this or I'm quitting, lol.

The Program is a Growing Organism

Just as soon as you get used to doing something one way, it will change. That's not a bad thing. It means your coach is trying to highlight your strengths and fix your weaknesses. However appreciative I am, my brain explodes every time something changes. 

We started our lesson today looking at jumps in isolation. Since I open the program with a toe loop-loop combo, that's what I did. After looking at it a bit, he decided to switch the jumps around so that I am doing a loop-toe loop. It seems as though when I put the loop first (it being my strongest jump), my toe loop is better too. Hey, no big deal. That's a change I can manage. 

Then we talked about the combo spin for a bit and he wanted me to try doing a camel and then bring my free leg around for an upright variation (or maybe it's a sit variation?) where I squat and rest my free leg on my skating knee. I don't know what that particular position is called but I imagine I look like the number 4. I tried it and it's not awful. I'll still need to work on it to get it stable and I need to figure out what to do with my arms. Christopher said I can keep them out to the side for now but eventually I can get fancy and do a twist or put them behind my back. I don't think I'm ready for fancy yet. 

We ran the program and it was messy. He suggested doing the step sequence on more of a diagonal and having more emotion at the end. Everything also just needs more flow. It's a lot to remember. I'll keep plugging away at it though because CSI is in like, what? Five weeks? Aghggh!

Feeling Lutzy

Agh, it's been a week since I updated this blog. I've been super busy and just haven't had a lot of time but I'll try to recap a week's worth of activity here.

Compz - I just registered for the 2020 Colorado Springs Invitational! Woo! I'm not sure what this competition will be like this year. Most of my adult friends that I usually compete with either don't have a program ready, haven't had ice time to practice a program, or are just plain scared to compete this year due to COVID. As sad as I am that they won't be there skating with me, I understand. I've been fortunate to be on the ice as much as I have but even with that, those months spent off the ice have taken their toll and I don't feel as strong as I did before the pandemic. I can only imagine how they feel only skating once every other week or so, if that. Maybe things will get better and there will be more opportunities for us to compete with each other again. Anyway, since the ACS changed their rules again, I no longer have to skate compulsories. I'm only registered for the freeskate and I'm really okay with that.

Movez - Things are starting to shape up. My forward power pulls are seeing the most noticeable progress but still have a long way to go before they are testable. Backward 3 turns are getting slightly better as well but the LBO is still not making it around. I'll keep working on it but it's super frustrating that it's not happening yet. All the other moves are keeping steady.

Spinz - Camels are becoming more consistent but still need more work. The camel-upright-change foot-backspin is coming along. I'm really happy that this spin is in my program because I have never done so many camels or backspins in my life! It's really helping.

Jumpz - All of my jumps are okay. My flip jump is getting better but I still need to work on technique on the pick & draw part of the jump. Back in January or February, Christopher talked to me about learning a lutz so we started with working on the entry using just a half lutz. I haven't really touched it since then so today when Christopher had me start working on these again, I was a bit apprehensive. My entry was good enough that he asked me to try a full lutz (*gulp*). I tried it and I didn't fall but I'm sure it was gross looking and most likely flutzed. BUT!!!! I did the thing! There was so much fear associated with the flip jump when I was first learning it but I didn't experience that at all with the lutz! I haven't landed a new jump since 2017 so this is exciting. I kept working on it in practice and it's still meh but hey, I'm making attempts and that's neat! My goal of "Axel by 50" is getting closer!

Programz - I have done some full run throughs of my freeskate without the music but today was the first time I've run it from beginning to end with the music! I made it through without any falls and I ended on time but there were some spots that were hella sloppy. My step sequence was very icky and I lunged in the wrong direction at the end before the final spin (in my defense, I've been skating on four different sheets of ice lately and I have a hard time orienting everything to where the judges would sit at each rink if they were there. It gets confusing). I have five more weeks until CSI so I think I'll have plenty of time to iron out some of these wrinkles. My goal for this competition is the same as always: stay upright and skate well enough to not be embarrassed to show the video to people. LOL

Dressz - I finished stoning my freeskate dress a couple of weeks ago and WOW! It's so damn pretty! It sparkles so hard! I had some problems with the glue bottles and was not able to stone the skirt but I'm happy for it because I think it would have been overkill. And now I have extra crystals for a future project so yay! As much as I stress out about stoning dresses, I love that I'm saving so much money by doing it myself. Also, I like to feel that with every crystal I lovingly glue onto that dress I'm putting extra love and luck into the thing :)