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.
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