I'm back from Wyoming! Ugh, it's always so windy there. It was a good time and I got to skate with my Unicorn Sisters (and meet a new one!). Most of the Unicorns were in Colorado Springs volunteering with 4 Continents so I didn't have too many people to compete with. Here's how it all went down.
Morning Practice Session - I was placed into a "high" practice session and by "high" I think they just meant "old" since it was just the adult competitors. It was nice though because there were only 6 of us on the ice and I didn't have to dodge the Snowplow Sam skaters who rarely look out for other people. Because of this, it was a really productive practice session. Despite the ice being insanely hard, I managed all of my spins and jumps. In fact, my husband said one of the sit spins I did was really nice. So yeah, it was a good session and I felt confident going into my two events.
Solo Free Dance - There were only two of us competing in this event and we both skated well. I ended up placing second behind Angie and I'm really okay with that. She skated beautifully! I got first place ordinals from one judge so I can be proud that at least one judge thought I did well.
Silver Free Skate - There were three of us competing in this event (one lady had the flu and withdrew). So it was me, Angie, and Dawn. I knew what I was up against and so I expected my placement (I got third). I didn't skate a bad program, it just wasn't as good as theirs. They have really low sit spins and flawless combos so I get it. I have room to grow still.
Final Thoughts - I have so many thoughts about this weekend. The biggest of these is I really need to get my spins in shape. I'm just not the best spinner but I think I can at least get them better. At this level, I really need some spin combos. Trying to get by on just a Sit Spin, Scratch, and a Camel isn't going to cut it. Another thought is that the judges were absolutely fair in their placements. Angie and Dawn are on a whole different level. Basically, I was a big fish in a little pond while I was in Bronze and now I'm a tiny fish in a big pond in Silver. I just need to "get good." However humbling it is, I know it's good for me to be skating at this level. I need to be challenged and pushed and this is sure as hell doing that. Finally, I have to give myself some grace considering I just had surgery about 2.5 months ago and then I just jumped right back into competing. My lack of stamina comes through in the video playbacks (which I am not going to post, sorry). I just looked a little slow and cautious. I know I've been skating pretty guarded since I got back from surgery but I didn't realize how much until I watched the videos. Alas. It's all part of recovery. Anyway, it was a fun competition and it was run well. The medals were pretty snazzy too. First competition of 2023 is in the books!
No comments:
Post a Comment