2022 Goal Post

 I didn't post about my practices last week. There wasn't much to report other than I made some progress on the Hickory and the Ten Fox. 

Let's talk about goals. I had set some pretty modest goals for 2021 so I guess it's no surprise that I achieved all of them. I wasn't sure what to expect this year with ice time availability so I wanted to go easy on myself. I'm proud that I didn't just achieve my original goals but I managed to achieve some others as well. My first goal was to get a LBO 3 turn. I had been working on it for a year and a half (my derpy ankle was to blame for not getting it sooner) but in February of this year, it finally happened! It was the main thing holding me back from taking my Silver Moves test so, once I had that, I was able to practice my ass off all spring and summer and take my Silver MITF in August. I passed on the first try! I must say I was NOT expecting that! While it wasn't a perfect test, I passed and I'm super proud of myself for accomplishing that. Not many people pass on their first go at it! My second goal was to learn and hopefully pass the first six ice dances and maybe get to the point where I could start to learn a solo free dance. This year, I passed the first six dances, all on the first try! Again, they weren't perfect but I got it done and I'm super excited that Christopher has given me his blessing to start working on my Juvenile Solo Free Dance! Yay! Finally, my third goal was to take more risks. There is still a lot I'm scared of but I think I have proven to myself that, even though I'm super anxious all of the time, I am still able to conquer many of those fears and get the job done anyway. Heck yeah! So yeah, it was a productive year! I passed 1 MITF test, 6 ice dances, and 2 ice dance levels. Not to mention winning gold in every Free Skate I've competed in this year! I'm tired...but I'm proud!

Goals for 2022

So that brings me to what I hope to accomplish next year! I plan on continuing to work hard and make myself and my coach proud. I plan on taking more risks and growing more as a skater. So, here we go: 

Goal 1 - Pass my next set of ice dances (Bronze). I've already learned the steps to the Hickory Hoedown and the Ten Fox so I just have the Willow Waltz to learn and then I can really buckle down and get some meaningful work done on these to get them to passing. They are hard! 

Goal 2 - Pass my Juvenile Solo Free Dance Test and possibly compete with it at next year's CSI. This is the next step for me in Ice Dance and I'm excited about the music I chose and the possibility of getting to compete with it!

Goal 3 - By this time next year, I want to be able to run through the entirety of the Gold Moves Brackets in the Field Sequence. This is the one move that I know I will struggle with the most so I know that means I have to work on it more than anything else. Right now, I'm still struggling with the turns themselves so I'm not able to run through the whole move from beginning to end. I have a year of working hard so I think I can get it done. 

So there you have it! Some "Think Big" goals since last year's goals were pretty tame. I feel stronger then I ever have in my life and I'm more determined than ever to be the best I can be. I'm doing more off-ice fitness. Pilates especially has contributed to better spins and balance and overall greater confidence on the ice. I'm more flexible and I take more chances because I know I can recover faster if I fall. I highly recommend adding Pilates to your off-ice routine. I don't think I would have achieved many of these goals without it as my secret weapon. :)