Monthly skating review: progress and goals adjustment

I'm happy with how my skating went last month. And then, as I haven't skated for almost a week because of the Thanksgiving, it all went back to me being cautious and stiff on ice. But this should be a very short set back, few sessions on ice should bring me back.

So, last month I was able to skate 3 times a week plus one half hour private lesson, plus one group lesson. At the beginning of the month I was accepting that I cannot progress if I skate without focusing on pushing forward any of the elements. I also wasn't finding the motivation and maybe even the confidence that it will make a difference, to make me skate focused. Before these last few months, I found motivation in testing, and I trusted that my skating skills will get better during the process of learning for tests. Now, I almost got to think the opposite...  not concentrating on the process of skating I've started to concentrate on my skating skills, and on all of them, not just the ones for the tests, and they felt not as strong as I wanted. I think this awareness made it a vicious circle because it made me feel I'm not ready to test...

I was telling a little about this to my coach and he said that the moves are right there, all I need is to decide to test them. Then, on the following week, while working on the Ten Fox and stopping during the dance to ask a correction, he said, well if you want to test it mid December  you have to go for it, don't stop the dance. I wasn't planning to test it mid December, in fact I cannot, because the test date is the same with one of the Nutcracker performances. But the fact that my coach thought that both the dance and moves are ready for testing, gave me quite a bust of confidence.

But more than my coach's opinion, is me feeling stronger, more stable, more fluid on ice. And that is progress. At this point I really feel I can build on it.

So, the plan for this month is to get both the Ice Dancing Ten Fox and the Pre-Juvenile Moves ready to test on mid January. At this point, the dance is good enough for this level, in the lessons we mostly do partnering. And while I still work on it on my own, I have plenty of time to work at the moves too. My club doesn't always have dance tests. I may have to test the dance on another club, where they have a whole session just for dance, and that may be for the best, get it done, and only then focus just on moves.

Freestyle I'll just maintain. My group lessons session ended, and I won't  register again for it, for now at least. It was a kids group and we did a strong warm up, that I was grateful for, but then we mostly worked on spins, because the kids had already have the jumps for this level. I'm grateful for working at spins too. I've learned two big adjustments. But I'm mostly grateful that I saw clearly that I have to stay half hour on the spins and not rush and take it methodically, in order to make a difference. Anyway, my goal was to get my Loop jump back in order to have  another program choreographed for Adult Bronze level, and we haven't work on jumps. I'll have to work at the Loop with my private coach, but maybe only after I test the dance and the moves.

I'm a little worried if my rink ice schedule and my schedule will allow enough skating time this month. My skating schedule is now Monday when I have my private lesson but as an extra session, Wednesday, Friday, no more Saturday group class. This week I'm not sure I can skate on Friday, and at my rink there is no convenient ice on the weekend. Then, next week, I'm gonna have 4 Nutcracker rehearsals and 5 performances, so I don't know how much I'll be able to skate on my own. I feel that some days I will be stuck at the Nutcracker rink, from noon to evening as the few hours break wouldn't be enough to come home and go back. I'm also wondering how tired will I get and how cold. Hopefully I will not catch a cold... And quick update, the rehearsals, up to now, went very smoothly. Then, around Christmas, the rinks schedules will be different, with less ice time for skating in general, plus the practice ice will be full of kids as they are off from schools. I'll have to keep focused when on ice because surely I'll skate less then I normally do.