Stable Practice

Yeah, I went to the Sport Stable again. The rinks are closed on Monday for Labor Day and I didn't want to miss a practice so I cancelled my Sunday morning Pilates class and went to skate at the Sport Stable instead. It was fun, actually, because so many people from my rink were there and I got to meet one of the lovely ladies I'll be competing with this weekend. 

I mostly spent my time focusing on two crucial elements - my camel combo spin and the flip jump. 

Camelz - When I make a conscious effort to remember all of the small details that go into this spin, it comes off really nicely. If I just wing it, however, disaster ensues. So, for each spin I made sure I lead with my left arm, held that entrance, and bent at the waist. I was able to get quite a few that were nice. 

Flipz - Again, when I channel my inner Christopher and remember all of the little details, I get a nice flip jump. The main thing to remember is to look at my left arm in front of me just before liftoff. This ensures I don't rotate prematurely and it kind of slows me down too. When I did this today, I had some decent flips. 

Programz - I felt weird running my program with my competition on the ice so I decided I would only run it if she ran hers first. I don't know why I felt weird about it but I did. Thankfully, she ran her program so I felt less weird about plugging my phone in and playing my music. All went well except the spin combo (of course). I actually got applause when I finished and a compliment from another adult skater that it was really pretty. That helped me feel a little better about the botched spin. Hopefully, I got all the suck out of my system and I'll get a nice spin on Saturday when it matters most. 

Competitionz - I got the schedule for Saturday and it's super detailed, like minute by minute detailed of where I need to be and when. Crazy. I also got my skating order - I'm second skater out of five. Not desirable but I'll make do. I can look at it this way: if I'm at the beginning of our group I have the opportunity to leave a great first impression and set the bar high. I have one more practice this coming Friday and it will be my dress rehearsal. I'll be without Christopher since he'll be down in Colorado Springs with his other students so I'll be on my own. My last lesson with him was a good one and as long as I just remember all of the things he told me, I'll be fine. I just need to trust my training :)