End of month updates

Ok... Everything has gotten a little better!

Firstly, my whole body hurts a little after each skating session but I feel I do more and more on ice each time, so I think it is just that my body is getting stronger. I was especially worried about my left hip muscles as I was hurt before, and they were hurting a little more then the right side, but up to now they recovered immediately. I think the left hip muscles may be weaker so I'm hurting more as I am building strength. I also do off ice core exercise regularly, that's gonna help too.

And how did my skating go? Well enough! But I haven't put any pressure on myself, and I'm always enjoying more when I skate relaxed. I was also late getting there, almost every single time, as I skate at a rink 30-40 minutes away from where I live...

From when I got back on ice, I've had three lessons. As I wasn't sure I was going to be able to see my coach again until fall (as I couldn't find ice at the rinks he's at), I've strategized a little and asked in the lessons I had, to be helped on many things, so I can work on all those things until I see him next. It's always fun when I don't stay and work again and again and again on something that it's not getting much better anyway. On the first two lessons we reviewed what I was working on before the quarantine, Pre-Juvenile MITF, that I told you about here, the Ten Fox, dropped 3-turns and I've asked to be started on the European Waltz, that I told you about here. On the last lesson I asked to work on the Figures, and Foxtrot, and skills that are needed for those new dances (edges, rolls, the Foxtrot mohawk,). Next week I'll skate on my own and I plan work a little on everything.

For MITF everything from the test itself feels good, but I feel slow at points. I think I'll need to fell physically stronger and then I'll need a little push from my coach to get it where it has to be for testing. I plan to start working on the "5 minutes  warm up", that is the time that I would have for warm up on test day.

Ten Fox, the 3-turns are correct on more and more days. But there are days when they are scratched/ skidded and the problem is that nothing I do, including with my coach's help, corrects them. My theory is that I'm skidding them when I'm tired, and my body is slower to respond on what I'm asking it to do, and the mind thinks it is doing it... I'll have to learn to overcome this. The rest feels fine, but I still remember after I finish a pattern that I didn't do something. So, I can work on it more. With Ten Fox, the real work it's gonna be the partnering...

On the European Waltz and Foxtrot I'm still learning the steps... Well I know the steps, but at points I loose focus and forget something. I also feel that I have to go into both of them quite fast, otherwise the pattern is not getting where it is has to be. And when I go fast, if I miss something I usually cannot readjust, I have to stop and start over. I'm also not quite sure yet where certain steps go on the exact spots on the rink so I always start from the beginning. I can use some time on my own to work on learning the steps...

Figures... I imagine how boring they must have been for kids. But for me, they are soothing and a safe skill to work on whenever I feel tired.

I didn't ask my coach for help with Freestyle yet. But on my own, the jumps feel right were I had them before quarantine. The Back spin is better then before, the Forward spin is not. I don't think it's worst, it's just not very pleasant. I think I get dizzy very quickly and I'm cautious to commit to the spin. I work on it a little each time, so I'm sure I'll feel more comfortable at some point.

So I think I'll be able to make it work for a while without my coach, I can work on many things on my own. But hopefully as more and more ice is gonna be available, I will be able to add some lessons soon.