Monthly skating review: progress and goals adjustment

Just as I expected, there was not much ice available around holidays. I ended up skating during public sessions. 

But the goal for December was to think want I want to do in the future, since last year, concentrating only on ice dance didn't give me the progress I hoped for and also became boring. 

I realized that in average I skated probably twice a week, plus I had 2 weeks break with a slight ankle pain. So the first change I want in the future is to skate more. Then, besides getting bored and unmotivated by "grinding" at the dance, I'm thinking that different skating skills/ moves, would help my skating in general and support the dance. I feel have to try something else... this goes back to my very old problem on how to balance working for progress (and the frustration) with skating for my own enjoyment

I was very excited to hear that the rink that is 5-10 minutes driving distance to me (that is the training rink of the city's hockey team), added 2 more surfaces and one will serve (exclusively) figure skating. I always loved that rink, but lately it didn't have much ice for figure skating. I had a lesson at that rink with a Freestyle coach and I thought I could alternate the weekly lessons between her and the dance coach. The ice dance lesson is with a new coach that is closer than my old coach but it is still a 30-40 minutes drive, so having a coach at the close by rink would be very helpful. But this rink schedule is still not finalized and more than that, it seams they will not be allowing lessons with coaches that are not on their staff.

As the ice schedule went to the regular spot at my "home" rink (my old rink that is 15-to 20 minutes away) and I started to "train" I got very disappointed on how rusty I was... especially the Ten Fox. Plus, it looked like the plan I had to increase my skating time by skating and having lessons closer to my home was not gonna happen. I texted the Freestyle coach to ask if she wouldn't teach at my old rink, but she shared that she rents ice and teaches her private students twice a week at the old training rink of the city's hockey team that is also 5-10 minutes away from me. I was unexcited because the rink had the fame of being a hockey rink (like ruggedly). But the closeness won and I decided to give it a try.

So, the plan is to skate (hopefully) 3 time a week either at my old rink or hopefully soon at the new hockey rink (this would save some driving time) and have weekly lessons alternating between moves/ freestyle (this will save an hour of driving per week) and dance.