My first love is ice dancing, but I cannot find a coach close by, I have a dance coach at 30-40 minute distance and my old coach at 1 to 1.5 hours distance. It is pretty time consuming to go and see either of them.Anyway, dance instruction is pretty specific so a half hour lesson per week is needed. It would help to have more instruction towards other skills, in the past I used to ask my old coach to coach moves in the fields, jumps and spins, only for choreography I went to a different person. I was very happy to find a coach at the close by rink (this is 10 minutes away from my house), she is a freestyle coach, so she can help on all things not dance, so then, I keep my dance lesson as pure dancing.
So! The lesson! For the first freestyle lesson we decided with the new coach to show her what I usually do for warm up and
exercises (excluding the dance) so she could build on
them. As the lesson progressed we decided to keep a list with what I would like to revise on the following lesson, I'll put a star on those exercises*
- slalom forward and backward, play with the rhythm ( 2 slow, 4 quick)
-
FI edges play with free leg and arms, free leg at ankle, front, and B
crossed*1 love this, and arms over head palms up, connected, or low at
the back
- BO edges, and many exercises going forward she said to keep the head calm, looking forward, she feels my extreme head turning
is messing my alignment and stability. She went into a variation with
the free leg going back, that is actually a swing roll, same note with
the head.
- BI edges, she didn't "hear" the power, she showed me
how to push just as I finished the previous edge, before shifting the
weigh to the next foot. I couldn't really do it, but I understood, I'll work on it.*2
- FI Twizzels:arms straight over the line, bring the
back arm but stop at the middle (I crossed over), in a ballet position
or straight forward grabbing fingers. Stay straight (I was forward).
Keep free foot close.*3
- I asked for the power 3-turns for the
preliminary test, the 3s were fine, but I released the free foot to
quickly, she wanted to hold it close and then to power push (the same
weight shift like for the BI edge), she also wanted me to hold the under
cross from the B xovers, longer, more stretched*4
- I tried the
dropped 3-turn for Tenfox, she doesn't do dance but, she said that I
rise too soon and I don't have enough pressure into the ice. I think
this is valid, I cannot wait to try working on them
- B xstrokes,
she said to hold the B edge longer to settle into the position (I'm
trying now to twist the upper body over the edge, not square) and we
worked on that position, back shoulder more back, head forward, free leg
over the circle*5
- I shared with hear that I don't always engage my core, and she suggested to stroke holding an elastic band slightly stretched, I loved that!
- I also asked for quick off ice exercise that would help the core engagement, and she suggested the plank (front and sides), because it engage core, shoulders, back, arms and even legs, and since I don't last long, it is really quick :)
- During the class, as I asked clarifications, she asked permission to film me so she can show exactly what to change. I love it so much, and I remember I used to film myself and it was helpful, I plan to do this again.
Guess what... I haven't skated Monday and Tuesday... as I was saying in the previous post, I lost my motivation as I don't feel I have a plan, I ended up exactly where I didn't want to be...working almost exclusively at the Tenfox 3-turn, getting bored if not frustrated... There is not gonna be ice Friday and Saturday, so this week looks like I'm gonna skate Wednesday, Thursday (public session) and maybe Sunday... I canceled my dance lesson for Thursday, I felt with so little skating I have noting to show. Plus, at the time I have this new lessons at south rink, there is traffic... 45 minutes instead of regular 20... I remind you that I'm taking lessons with this new dance coach because I cannot drive an hour and a half (because of construction on expressway) instead of 30-40 minutes regular traffic to see my old coach...
But, good news, I found a coach (freestyle not dance) at the rink that is close by me! A while ago when I was looking for coaches, I was talking with somebody from this rink, I've found out that a coach I knew from the previous rink, occasionally teaches here. I really like her lines and style, she could be the coach I was looking for to help skate for my own enjoyment... I called her and I felt she understood where I'm at (working hard for progress and losing motivation when that progress doesn't happen, and getting stuck with the same old exercises). I immediately planned for a lesson, for the next day! I specifically asked for her to give me new exercises and moves and to correct my posture, core and extension, to make me feel "pretty"
Wednesday I had a freestyle lesson, well more like skating skills... I haven't put any expectation into it, as I haven't skated since Saturday, and the new coach didn't know my skating level at all. We decided to show her what I usually do, excluding the dance stuff, and she would correct and build on it. Well, I was very happy! I will write a separate post about this, but I've got new exercise or variations involving, edges, B xstrokes, 3 turns, weight shift from BI push, Twizzles. I couldn't wait to go back skating.
Thursday there was a public session, it was reasonably crowded at first, I could skate the exercises (incorporating the lesson suggestions) using the whole length of the rink. I then went into Tenfox, 3-turn still scraped :( Then it got crowded, so I worked on smaller ice spots, on Twizzles, spins, 3-turns, brackets, 3-turns again. Then the ice got cleared but it was choppy. Knowing I won't skate until Sunday, but more probably Monday, so I'll have time to recover, I decided to go for muscle tiring exercises, those that require deep knee bend, like xovers, chasees, progressives. And then I did cool off exercises on 2 feet and deep knee bend to have stability, so I could add arms and breathing. It was a good day! The new exercises from the new freestyle coach invigorated my stale approach on them... exactly what I thought I needed for motivation and enjoyment.
I checked the ice schedule for the next week and I see Monday 6.30am (definitely not for me), Tuesday 7am (maybe?) and Wednesday 6pm (I don't know, I will probably be tired). I should have the dance lesson Thursday at 3pm, so I need some skating to prepare.
I don't usually skate on weekends, but, with the awareness of the lack of ice for next week, I decided to go skating on Sunday, . It was crowded but it was a freestyle session so at least it had some rules. The intention was mostly towards the TenFox that went just like before, so scraped and late 3-turn. But I had the new exercises from the new freestyle coach that I was able to figure out and develop. So I was happy about that!
I knew I’ll have a meeting on Monday so I decided to skate on Sunday. I never skate in the weekend because usually there is no ice, if there is, it is very crowded. Plus I formed the rhythm of skating during the week and resting in the weekend.
The minute I decided to skate on Sunday, I felt unhappy. As I tried to acknowledge my thoughts and feelings, I have found many... What set my negativity off, is that while looking for ice for Sunday, I had to face the fact that the ice schedule is gonna change for the summer, I'm gonna have fewer options for ice time and the ice is gonna be crowded. Then, I've realized that I am actually tired. I am physically tired from skating ( 5 times last week) but I'm also more tired because most of my free time goes into skating, I have less time to rest. I was then thinking again about goals, and, if I want to improve, I do need lessons and practice, so I do need to put in all these time, planning and work. I think, this will get better as I will find more clarity in how to balance the skating.
As for this particular Sunday, I found it difficult to decide what to work on, and it felt like I just didn't want to work on Sunday. So I decided to have a skating day for my own pleasure. That lifted the pressure and the unhappy feeling. At the rink, I started slowly and concentrate on feeling my breath, my posture and my extensions. I took the time to finish the exercises with a pose. I ended up actual working at lots of things!
So, note to myself, do occasionally slow down and smell the roses! I guess, this is, in fact, part of a balanced approached to skating...
Monday, no skating because of a business meeting. But... I have to acknowledge that I was very tired the whole day, unusually so, and it made me wonder if I may be skating too much?
Tuesday I was very busy and I still felt tired. Then I’ve realized there is a full moon coming, I never rest well when there is a full moon. In this circumstance, I’ve decided to not go skating, be gentle towards my body and schedule.
Wednesday. Tuesday night there was this huge beautiful strawberry moon, so of course I woke up at 5 and couldn't fall back asleep. I was even more tired than the previous days. In the past I would have definitely not gone skating. But I have planned a lesson on Thursday, so I felt I had to go. This is one of the benefits of having planned lessons, they make you commit. I didn't stay that long but I was pretty happy on how the Tenfox worked. I was careful ti alternate the work on the Tenfox with slower exercise.
Thursday, I had a dance lesson with my new coach. I woke up rested but I worked so hard to catch up on work, I felt distracted before leaving for skating. Then, I had traffic, it took me 40 minutes instead of 20-30. Then, this session was a Freeskate one, a bit busier that I'm used to. Anyway, these are my excuses for not doing well. The 3s in Tenfox were skidding all the time, every single time! I left very, very disappointed.
Friday. I went skating, it was very crowded, I mostly worked on the Tenfox 3s that didn't go much better than Thursday.
This week was rough, I was excessively tired following the very busy previous week. I kept the skating schedule and the lesson, and that is a win in itself. I got disappointed in the Tenfox 3 turns but I have to remember that progress is not linear, I was tired, or I was too much into my head... Otherwise skating felt in fact good! I think this is the perfect reminder that I have to skate for my own enjoyment and continue in organizing the skating weeks and months so they feel balanced between work for progress and enjoyment.
So... At the end of the last year I came to the resented conclusion that I won't "push" skating anymore. The boots were not working and I was out of ideas on what else to try, my coach was out of reach coaching at rinks too far away from me, my time was limited because of work, and overall I felt that the time and energy I was putting into skating was draining instead of uplifting or at least help as exercise. I was hopping I could redirect the time and effort I've put into skating into something else, some other exercising and some other hobbies.
The extra time I've had, didn't really go into other exercising, but I continued to do some yoga. I was looking into ballet but my former class series was not offered anymore, I couldn't find anything else interesting. As for other hobbies, I picked up painting again. Overall I felt I was resting more.
I skated for the first time this year in April. And... how I've missed it!
I had work to do near my old skating rink and I took the skates with me. In April and May I've got to skate two, three time per week. I didn't have a plan on how many days to skate, or what to work on, I just skated as one would skate on public ice, catching up with old skating friends, getting to know skaters that were newer.
I was very happily surprised that I've got some clarity in the boots situation. As I was using the skating specific muscles that were relaxed after this long break, I've realized that my left calf was chronically tight. The left boot is slightly too small, it was professionally stretched but it reversed. I occasionally stretched it myself by warming it up with a hair dryer and wear it in the house, but I didn't worry too much since I wasn't hurting. It seems though that my toes were crunched and that affected the calf. For sure it also affected the edge quality as I wasn't pressing uniformly into the ice. So, at the suggestion of a skating friend, I've bought a boot stretcher and now I always stretch my boots between skating days. This have made a huge difference in how I felt skating!
I skated mostly at my old home rink. If you remember I gave up on skating there because while usually would take my around 15 minutes to get there and up to half hour to come back, because the construction on the expressway, the drive time doubled. The traffic was lately better and I had work to do around the rink anyway. Skating there I've realized that I don't like the "feel" of the new rink I skated on last year. That may have been another reason I slowly gave up on skating.
So, I think I'm ready to work on bringing skating back into my life. Having the few moths break ended up being exactly what I needed. The lesson going forward is to be more trusting of how I feel (my body, my energy) and adjust the schedule as I need.
Starting June, the rinks schedules change as they offer camps for the kids. I won't even bother trying to plan and commit to a skating schedule. But I plan to use the summer to gather information so I can hopefully have a plan for fall.
I was finally able to work on the blades alignment. It feels waaaay better! In the past I always felt my right foot more unstable, but on these new boots, the left foot balance was terrible, it ended up I was right to request the blade to be moved forward, you can read all about the alignment here. Now the left foot feels good, the right just OK. I still want to try some things so I'm still on temporary mount (screws) for now.
And how did the actual skating go last month? Not bad... I was able to skate consistently twice a week. At the beginning of the month I was focused more on feeling the blade and building muscles, the last 2 weeks I decided to concentrate on reviewing skating skills.
I made a list with what I though to be doable exercises. It included my warm up, edges and the moves in the field up to what I tested, so nothing too challenging. I am trying to hold back for three reasons. Firstly, I am still not 100% aligned and safe on these boots, secondly I am eager, after 2 years of skating cautiously on my old boots, to go fast and that goes against the first point, so against safety. The third point is, I am still building muscles and stamina, I do feel out of breath when I skate faster.
I'll keep the same plan for this month. I was reviewing my blog and I've realized it took me exactly 2 years to find new boots. My skating feels like a comeback. I have to accept it is challenging, also my available time for skating is not the same as before. In the past my goal was training for progress, now I am committed to approach skating in a more balanced way. I feel I have to go methodically and slowish for a while, to build my
balance, muscle, stamina. And I think it is a sensible, safe,
challenging enough and rewarding enough plan, all things considering.
Adding to the balanced approach is the fact that I won't skate at all the fist week of March. I've decided I wanted to watch Shyncro Nationals, and I have to watch live as there is no replay and it runs at the same time as my own skating slot would be.
Now that I have boots! and my regular Monday to Friday noon/ lunch break ice starts this week, I feel antsy to look ahead. Well, the boots still need adjustments and this week the rink is closed on Monday for Labor day and I cannot skate on Friday so this week is a tease, but for the rest of the month the prognosis for the skating conditions looks good.
I think this month I want to gently and realistically asses where I'm at and where could I go.
After 2 years without proper boots, firstly, I'm 2 years older, getting close to the big 50. I think I'll have to accept that my physical abilities will slowly decline, and has declined already. Also, I fell my schedule has changed, I had to shift the focus that I had on skating into other activities. I suspect, it will be difficult to commit to skating the same amount of time I committed before. And there is that desire to progress... but is it realistic to expect progress? And if I wouldn't expect much progress, will I find motivation to put hard work in? If not, I will have to set my expectations on skating for pleasure.
My goals for this month are to finalize the boots adjustments, to work my muscles, and to watch my schedule to see how much time I can allocate to skating.
Last month I was skating regularly on my old boots. I cannot do much. And eventually I did get very frustrated. I also took some falls when I allowed myself to go faster. The blades just slips from underneath me. But... I don't feel I lost my skills. I feel like a intermediary skater.
AND... I missed it so badly. I hope the reworked boots will work. I think figuring out some supportive boots is the biggest problem of my life at this point. Skating makes me happy, period! But it is also the only exercising I can make myself do regularly. So when I'm not skating I'm not doing well physicly and mentally/emotionally.
Well... the fall to spring ice is coming to an end this wekend. In the summer the ice I can find is sparse and at inconsistent schedule. But summer will pass and I'll have ice in couple of months. Will I have new/ working boots?
I have the desire to skate but my old boots are collapsed and blade is not aligned, so I cannot hold edges at speed. I can co slower and forced those edged or I can go fast but straight. It is still something.
The MITF Adult Gold test requires double 3 turns and brackets. I can kind of do them. I'm telling myself I'm working at my body alignment awareness.
I haven't skated much in the winter months, just enough to keep in shape waiting for the custom boots. Now, it's few months when I haven't skated at all while trying to figure out if the custom boots fit me.
But with all these trips to the bootfiter for the custom boots fitting, I've got a deep, strong feeling of needing to skate. It must be the smell of the ice, as this skating shop is inside a skating rink building.
I still have my old boots, I decided to go, do what I can, enjoy, don't let the muscles get lazy. I will never, ever, take off the blade from these old boots...
The plan for last month was to skate more regularly and to pay attention to muscle conditioning while skating on my old boots but waiting for the new ones, or in preparation for when I'll get the new ones.
Well, it didn't go too well.
It made the skating feel like exercising so less enjoyable. I also felt pressured to have a schedule (needed in order to build muscles), and then guilty if I didn't respect the schedule. And there is also the pain. Firstly there is the ankle pain from still breaking in the old boots that were rebuilt and are now stiff. As I bend the knee more than when skating causally, I also bend the ankle more, plus I push harder... Then there is the muscle pain from working the muscles harder. I know I go through that pain while rebuilding the muscles, the problem is that if I don't skate on a regular schedule, I don't really gain much muscle strength anyway, so I go through this pain for nothing...
I was thinking of the potential problems for my skating "comeback" for when I'll have the new boots. I will have to build more muscle strength, readjust with the spinning dizziness and break in the boots. Now I see I will also have to readjust with the skating schedule. I'm hoping that the excitement of having new boots will help in approaching these problems.
For now, I'm reverting to casual skating for this month, go when I can, skate how I feel like... with some stroking and some spinning.
Last month I was back on my old boots, and as they didn't feel very secure I wasn't able to skate for progress. I'm grateful that I was still able to enjoy skating in the form of social skating, you know... skating around while talking to people, with some skating exercises forced in. Meanwhile, I kept researching how boots from different manufacturer fit. I closed in into Harlick and SP Teri. Harlick boots would have to be ordered and would take two months, while I found a bootfiter that has many SP Teri boots in stock, so I went to check them out, and we have a winner! Hopefully...
Plans for this month? I'm really really happy I'm able to enjoy skating without getting frustrated that I don't progress, and I cannot even work for progress.
But, being that I found new boots, and I'm feeling very anxious about breaking them in, and the possibility of them not fitting in the end. I thought I should try to put the Pre-Juvenile moves test together on my old boots, film it and submit it for virtual judging. It feels like a swan song... a last effort on unstable but familiar boots, before going into the unknown new boots. I videoed myself with the phone set on the boards and the test looked correct but timid. I'm thinking that the thought I'll test will give me motivation to work on that, well, to work on something, because as I said, lately I was mostly just skating around.
The rest of the month will be spent breaking in the new boots...
Just before the pandemic I used to skate 5 sessions per week, 1 private lesson, 3 training sessions and 1 slow and easy in the studio rink. After the pandemic I was able to get back to 4 session, 1 private and 3 training sessions. I had some interruptions and changes of rinks but I had a rhythm.
Now because of the buying and the returning the 2 pairs of boots after I put the pain to break each them for 2 weeks and I took a whole month off of skating, I've lost muscle and stamina, motivation and... hope.
I'm back on my old boots and they don't feel quite right. The blade on the left feels misaligned and I've changed the insole and it is too low in the heel. But I don't want to spend more on the old boots. I'm actively looking to buy new boots (and have these old boots transfer to roller skating).
For now, I'm finding myself trying to skate in my old boots. In an effort to motivate myself I put the cell phone on recording during doing the exercises to Pre Juvenile MITF test. I thought if the video looks good, I may try to test virtually. Yes... tests could be recorded (there are rules about it) and sent in to be judged. Anyway, while the video shows I do all the moves reasonably well, I just looked lethargic... beaten up... and I think that could translate as unconfined. This filming experience ended up cutting even more from my motivation.
Well, I still went skating and luckily more and more of my old skating friends showed up skating and we used the time to chat and skate a little and chat again and... it is all actually pleasant.
I do hope the time to skate for progress will come again, but I'm thinking it will come with the new boots, and I don't know when that is gonna happen...
I'll start at the beginning. This exhibition was a series of solo numbers on Nutcracker music. It was organized as some kind of replacement to the beloved annual "Nutcracker on Ice" production that this rink puts on each year, for 45 years! The production follows closely the actual ballet, with a huge number of skaters, and this year, because of covid situation, it was not possible to be put together.
I've told you how difficult my preparation was in the last few posts. As rinks, including this rink, have recently closed because of new covid restrictions, I thought that the exhibition will be canceled. I found out it will go on just two weeks before the show. I scrambled to fit my old Freestyle program on the Nutcracker music and to revive Freestyle elements that I don't regularly train. This was also, only the second time I ever performed a solo program, the
first time being when I tested for Pre-Bronze Freestyle, the same
program on different music. I just added some intro steps because the
Nutcracker music was a bit longer than my previous music.
I had two worries. One, to hold the performance together, don't fall, don't be totally awkward... Two, and maybe even more important, I was worried that I won't be able to enjoy, being that the program was prepared in such a short time and it was not muscle memory and I knew I'll have to think a lot during the performance. But, while it wasn't perfect, I've done it better in practice, but I've also done it worse, I think the performance was a fair display of my current abilities. And I did enjoy it!
And here is the video
And here are the thoughts running in my head during each step...
It was the first and only time I had the music played on the rink's speakers, I've only trained the program with music playing in one earbud, from my cell phone. I prepared to be overwhelmed, but I was perfectly happy, maybe the fact that I love the music a lot, helped.
I started a little after the music started, just as I usually did in practice, that made me have to rush a little to keep the first swing roll on 3 or even 2 counts, while allowing 4 counts for the next one. Then, I did a dropped 3-turn into a back 3-turn. When I practiced without music I held those edges a little shorter, but I had no problems in following the music and waiting to turn it, then holding the exit edge to put the next edge on music. There is a little lean forward after the 3-turn, that's just my current technical ability, no surprise there.
On the next two inside edges and the inside edge spread eagle I was able to let loose and really enjoy. I'm very happy to see in the video the improvement I made in the arm movement. The arms and especially the hands are way more fluid then in the old program.
I may have been so loose, that I've forgotten I have to slow down the 3-turns series. In the old program those were more toe picks turns, not 3-turns, they were done on a line, in front of the judges for the test, building to the hand pointing towards them (that was suppose to show confidence by interacting with the judges). On the Nutcracker waltzy music, I had to hold those turns longer, and being 3-turns they needed to go on a curve, that I actually liked. But... then, I had to be sure to control to finish facing towards the spectators. The first 3-turn was rushed, I had to adjust on the second one, to the point that I felt that the third one was late. That made my arm gesture towards the spectators rushed, it looks like I'm dismissing something, but I haven't realized that during the performance. I feel if I would have worked with a coach, or at least filmed a practice, I could have made more out of this hand movement, and the next gliding element. The gliding element felt better then it looks. The skating knee should be more bent, so it would be clear it is not spiral (bad spiral), or more stretched... and the free leg should be more stretched...
Next are a series of steps leading to a salcow jump and I had to control myself to do them slower than I would have enjoyed ( where the music was taking me). I had a hesitation on the first mohawk, is the "bad side", the harder one to control, but you cannot really see in in the video. Then, at some point I'm not on music... that was on purpose, as I learned from practice that if I let myself go on music there, I catch to much speed and excitement and I cannot do the salcow...
Ok... slacow was tiny, as the other two jumps yet to come. But, I'm training the jumps, basically... never. So I'm happy I was able to do it. Next is a matching 3-turn as with the one before the salcow and a gliding on a back edge, with extension, after which I've change the arm movement, from pushing away (that was originally choreographed), to a more balletic gesture. I've decided to do that just before the show, I've never trained it. And I'm mentioning it, so I can share the extent of how many thoughts I had to control for this performance. With more time to train, the majority of these thought become automatic gestures, body memory. I'm thinking now, that that dismissive arm movement could have been changed into a presenting one. I'll know better for the future...
Then, I have a chasse into a swing roll and two dropped 3-turns. When I practice I've tried different arm movements, both up, the inside up, the outside up... I haven't really had a plan for the show... I just didn't feel I had enough place in my mind to think about this too. But, I'm actually so very happy how they've turned out, they came from the inside, feeling and living the music.
The Waltz jump is immediately after one of this 3-turns (counting as a difficult entrance)... it was ok. Immediately after it is a Forward spin from an inside 3-turn. That is not my regular entrance, and I'm happy that it felt way more comfortable then when I tested the program on the other piece of music.
A chasse goes into the more difficult direction crossovers and into the spiral. I decided just before the performance, when I saw where the video camera is, to change the placement of the spiral, initially should have started exactly near the camera, going away from the camera...
Then I had a half flip, oh, how tiny... and entrance into the scratch spin. The plan was to hear the music while I spin and if there is extra time to continue the spin with a back pivot. I didn't expect the spin to happen, as I couldn't make it happen in the warm up. I expected that I'll bail out of the spin and I was prepared to have to improvise. But... the spin happened! Unfortunately I forgot about the back pivot... I change the weight to the other leg, and did some kind of pose... I'm quite sure I would never ever be able to repeat that end thingy I did.
So, there is was, done and done.
I ended up enjoying for the most part both the performance and the preparation... and I am so happy that it also brought joy to my family and friends. We are all ballet and Nutcracker lovers... and my performance was a nod to that...
And here is the video filmed from a little higher, through plexiglass, so not so clear, but this perspective catches the flow a little better.
The ice rink that hosts this holiday exhibition of solo numbers on Nutcracker music, announced us that we will have half hour practice time on Saturday, a day before the show. That took off the pressure from my Friday practice, that I thought would be my last one.
On Friday I firstly did a 10 minutes warm up because that's what I would have the day of the show, then the program. It went reasonably well. Then I worked a lot on my back spin. Firstly isolated, to get the good muscle memory of the technique. Then I did it with added steps and it was going well. Then I did the program several times. I was able to do the spin each time. BUT... I had to slow down a lot to be sure I'll be in control, and I felt it really took away from the overall program flow and speed. So... I scratched it. I am happy I've got this opportunity to be motivated to train it. I definitely improved it, and I feel motivated to keep working at it in the future. I've ran the program several times more with a forward spin in the middle and a forward scratch spin at the end. I was surprised that I had to concentrate to put the proper steps before those spins, I was already getting used with the steps for the other spins. But, overall, I was felling good enough.
On Saturday, at the exhibition rink, I was firstly hit by how different the ice felt. It is a colder rink, with harder ice, or put it differently, the rink I skate lately has very soft ice and is very warm. I honestly panicked a little, as I missed few salcows in a row (my edges slid as I jumped, I couldn't hook with the toe pick in the ice). Ready or not I started to ran the program, and I found myself hit with another bad surprise. I've got confused on where I faced when I started, so towards which end I should go at certain points. I also found myself improvising again. We were just two skater on the rink so, I played a little bit to push the layout towards the ends. The program was designed more in the center, as I didn't have the power and speed to push it to the ends, but now, with the little extra speed I have, I found myself running close to the board towards the spectators. It wouldn't be a problem, it' s just that they, won't be able to see me. I'm reminding you, I'm allowed to invite just two spectators, but the show will be live streamed. I've settled into a pattern and I worked a little more on how much oomph, performance and excitement I'm able to actually control and not miss the elements. I finished the practice quite content that the content of the program is properly showcasing my current abilities, while allowing to enjoy performing it. And I felt excited for the next day.
On Sunday, the day of the actual show, I was instructed to arrived at the rink with no more the 20 minutes
before my show time. I made it 25... to allow for the check in. That
didn't take any time, just a temperature check. I was then sent to the
second rink to warm up. I was supposed to have 10 minutes just before my
performance, but I had 20. That may have ultimately not been an
advantage because I skipped my short off ice warm up so I felt quite
stiff on ice. The ice was also terribly chopped. I did some warm up
crossovers and power pulls. I did the forward spin and the scratch spin.
Ups... the scratch spin totally disappeared on me. I've realized it was
because of the dress. I wore a dance length circle skirt that, as I was
starting to spin lifted, got into my peripheral vision and made me afraid to
cross my leg. I've let it go and did the jumps, they went ok on the
first try. So I let them be, and tried the scratch spin again... nope. I ran my program without music, then with
music from my phone, twice. The scratch spin still hasn't happen... And
I was all sweaty and worked up.
I moved to the main rink,
where I was allowed another 5 minutes warm up. I skated softly around the rink
just to feel the ice, tried the scratched spin again. I became quite
self aware of my skirt rising to the waist while spinning, and that the
"whole world" will see my panties during the live video stream, as the
camera man was at ice level. Before this, each show I was in, was filmed from above... I've
tried the scratch spins several more times and it only got worse, at least my confidence did... It
hit me that my spiral will have the most unflattering position as I
would skate away the camera, and I quickly tried a different layout on
ice so I would skate towards the camera while in the spiral position.
And then I was like... I'm as ready as I will be, let's go!
I'll tell you now, I was happy with how the performance went. I'll go over it in detail when I'll have the video to share.
The exhibition on Nutcracker music is going to be Sunday. And, I'm... not ready...
From when I've written the last post, I've skated 3 time. My biggest worry was if my old program was gonna fit to the music, and I think it kind of does. But I've never really get to skate the program to the end, that's not encouraging.
These are the problems I've countered. I'm skating faster then when the program was created, and I tested it. My skating skills are improved... That's great! Also, I enjoy the music a lot and I'm able to interpret and project emotion in a natural manner. That's great too! What it's not great is that I haven't improved the jumps and spins, as I haven't worked on them much, and I cannot do them with the extra speed and emotion. So I will have to calm down and go a little slower.
Trying to skate the program on the music, I found myself tempted to add a step here and there. I have no experience in improvising, and it confuses me... enough to make me hesitate on the next steps. The conclusion is that I'll stay with the choreography.
I wanted to challenge myself a little and do a back spin. I wanted to put it at the end but I found myself all worked out and without the patience to concentrate on it. It is also a very slow spin for me and the end is on a crescent rhythm, it just doesn't work. The new idea is to put in in the middle of the program... The bigger problem is that I've messed with this spin's entrance so much, I ended up not able to enter the spin at all, at points.
I'll skate again on Friday. After the warm up I'll have to immediately work at the quality of the jumps and spins by themselves, not in the program, with special attention to the back spin. I'll also work on in from the steps. Then put everything on music. I'm thinking I might have the time to do the back spin, AND a simple
forward spin immediately after in the middle of the program, then, at the end to do a scratch spin. Then, I'll work on the moves test, to clear my mind. Then I'll do the program again. If the back spin is not working I'll have the forward spin in the middle of the program and the scratch spin at the end. I'm rarely finding the scratch spin appropriate in programs 9to match the feeling of the music0, but, as I said this end of the music has a crescent feeling, so it works.
Hopefully, on Friday I'll have a clear plan on what I'll do for the actual exhibition. I mean I have to...
I write a post with this title at the beginning of each month... it is supposed to be a monthly review. I find it fitting that is has "adjustment" in the title, as that seams to be the main skating related effort I put in these days.
I'm happy to report that the covid cases dropped in my area. We are still under heavy restrictions waiting to see what will be the impact of the Thanksgiving travel and gatherings. So my home rink is still closed, but there are still rinks open for practice ice. Last month I went skating twice a week to the rink where I used to take private lessons. Last week I even added a lesson.
I'm putting as much effort as I can into MITF Pre-Juvenile test preparation. I'm trying to test this for more then a year, from last summer, when something went wrong with the registration, then I've hurt my hip, then the winter holiday season slowed me down, then covid happened, then I've got to get back the skills and confidence, then I had blade problems, now, the test sessions are scarce and they fill out the moment they are announced. I want to be ready to test, so when a test is announced I can register immediately.
Lately I've started each skating session with the "5 minutes warm up" for the test that I've described in my last post, and the test. Then I've worked on the test on the skills I've felt I needed improvement (mostly the 3-turns). Then I did something else (spins, the slow new skills I'm learning), then I went back to the 3-turns. I'll keep up the good work for this test, I'll continue starting with it each skating session.
What I'll add, is the Nutcracker exibition program. I stopped working at it two weeks ago, as the rink that organizes it closed, but it seams it's happening! The rink did close, but then they allowed private rentals, including private lessons. For the exhibition, the skaters will be staggered, in 10 minutes intervals. Each skater should come fully dressed, skates on, 20 minutes in advance her skating time, warm up for 10 minutes on the second rink, then move on the big rink, do her number (2 minutes), then leave. Each skater can have 2 people with her, and the coach. The event will be live streamed. It sounded a little weird at first, then, I thought that it's gonna actually be sweet, like a private moment for each skater and very immediate family or friends.
Going back to the program... I'm gonna do my old pre-bronze freestyle program, the only program I ever had, on Nutcracker music. I want to challenge myself and add a back spin at the end. My back spin is consistent at this point, but I do it on a line and with a slow entrance. I've had mixed results when I've tried it from steps, with a shorter and faster entrance. I also want to finish the spin with the free leg inside, so I can do a back pivot after, and I keep forgetting that. I'm used to the landing position exit. The rest of the program elements should be fine, but I haven't practice the program from when I tested it, so I hesitate at points, it takes me a second to remember what comes next. And I have other challenges... Firstly, the music it's a little longer, the rhythm it's a little faster, so I think I'll have to add some moves to fill the program. To complicate things, the music doesn't have strong sections, but it's kind of one tone, so it doesn't help me structure the program and look for points to check my timing. I'll have to try it many many times and see what I can fit in and what not. And... at the rink where I skate now, it is complicated to put music, I'll have to try earbuds... I'm planning to skate 4 session until the exhibition and I'll do my best.
I also want a new dress and if you remember, I sew them myself. I had a dream of a silver gray lace and mesh ethereal one, but besides the fact I won't have the time to make it as it's a bit complicated, I also think it may not be a good fit for the occasion. I've also wished for a very simple, like stark simple, white dress. I hope I can make that. If not, I'll use the old gold dress.
The goal for this Nutcracker exhibition was to get joy and I'm determined to let it be a joyful process even if the choreography, the skating elements and the dress won't be perfect...
The second part of this month should be mostly about moves. Plus, I'm gonna add it here as a goal, so I won't forget... I have to work on the loop jump consistently. I want eventually to be able to have Bronze Freestyle program and I need the loop jump for that.
My skating goes so well! Only good news in this post! Mmm wait... I'm pretty sure we will get another stay at home order soon...
Back to my skating... for now, I'm still skating Monday, Wednesday and Friday on my own at my rink and I'm having a lesson on Tuesday at another rink. I've missed one Friday and one lesson, but still, I feel I've got a good pace, a rhythm. The muscles feel good, the mask doesn't make it easy, but stamina is improving too.
Pre-Juvenile MITF: The only move that I was not 100% confident for testing was the 3-turns. And they count as two moves and two of the marks for the test, so they need to be confident. Looking back they started to get hesitant when my blades got very dull (I was skidding on some). Then, when the blades were too sharp and on a too deep radius, it was confusing. I wasn't sliding but whenever I wasn't perfectly align (and that is often, and that is ok because this is still a low level test) I would have a balance check and a scare. And a bad fall... yeap, on the bad hip... Also the backward circle eight hasn't gotten completely around on too sharp blades. Now, with the right sharpening, everything is back... The next testing session is December 15... And I'm very doubtful that that is gonna happen because of covid... So I'm not really pushing the moves but I do run them carefully, kind of eye-ing the testing.
Ice Dancing: I've got it in my head that the boots are not
supportive enough. When I push into my ankles, and in Ice Dancing
you push on every step, I get no resistance, it's uncomfortable, so I
don't feel I can go for speed and power. I do maintain the Ten Fox, but I'm not putting any heart
into it. I'm not particularly attracted to this dance and there is no
hope of testing partnered any time soon. I've considered testing solo
but I'm late on few steps, so not on music, and I feel that I would need
a little more power that I don't seam to be able to find. The Foxtrot and European Waltz
also don't work without speed and power, the pattern just doesn't goes where
it should go. So I don't do
much Ice dancing...
Slow new things: I'm spending most of my ice time on new
things that I can do slowly, no power and speed needed. The forward
inside brackets are getting really good. I'm not hesitating anymore on
the outside ones. Twizzles... I couldn't work on them with too sharp blades, so I
just started them again. They are confusing... The counter clockwise
sometimes gets 2 full rotations, yeiii, the key word being sometimes. I'm not
able to figure out what I do differently when they work. The clockwise
ones stop invariably after one rotation. I feel I'm leaning outside the
circle, I'm blocking myself with the right shoulder. Per my coach's
request I've made a list with the new thing I wanted to learn. And I
tried them on my own first... forward double 3-turns, backward power
3-turns, backward crossrolls that he explained to me and I'm ready for the next set of corrections. I'm also working on adding arm movement to some of the
edges.
Exhibition program on Nutcraker music: This gives me so much joy, as I expected. The music is a little longer then my old Freestyle program so I added some moves from the Freedance program I was working on. This exhibition also me to work on Freestyle, the spins and jumps that I planed to put in the program. I decided that I'll run the program each time I'm on ice to be sure I build the stamina even if I don't put on the music. I've put the music just once... it's complicated... Anyhow, I'm trying to not allow this program to take over all the skating time, I just work on it on the last 15 minutes on ice. Now, the bad news... The exhibition is suppose to be on December 13th, so probably it's not gonna happen...
Power and Speed: I'm getting into the habit of trying to push myself at the end of the session, if I'm not too tired. If I'm tired, I do breathing kind of edge lunges and contractions. When I feel good, I do power stroking, forward and backward crossovers, forward and backward chasses.
Sewing: I've finally sewn some soakers (absorbent covers) for my blades. I haven't really felt I needed them before, because after wiping the blades after skating I was putting them on a towel in my skating bag. But now, we are not allowed with the skating bags in the building and I'm using the plastic guards to transport the skates and those keep the blades wet. I've also sewn a new skating skirt. From when I've hurt my left hip, I'm always wearing a hip pad so I like to have a skirt over the leggings to cover the pad. I used to wear mostly black leggings and I have made two black skirts. Lately I've got into heather grays, as they don't show the cat hair so badly... so I needed a gray skirt!
I'm having a solo free dance program choreographed. I had only one program, freestyle adult pre-bronze, in my whole skating career, and it was a really good and motivating experience. I enjoyed both the process and the final result. It also made me work hard at the elements included in the program. So it was a win win, for both my goals of improving my skating and enjoying my skating. The only negative was that it did take time away from the other "training" I was doing (moves and pattern dances). I was actively looking for a period of time when the "training" was slowing down anyway to have a program choreographed. That would have been the summer... But the choreographer I worked with before was out of town. I have found somebody else that it actually specialized in ice dance, and I wanted a solo free dance program to test anyway. So I went for it. It's the first level for solo ice dancing Juvenile.
I will say the "but" here, and be done with any negativity and enjoy the process. "But" the summer is gone, and my old ice is back, uncrowded ice that fits my weekly schedule, so it would be ideal for "training" for progress and tests.
And now, let the fun begin... I had the first day of choreography and we went through all the elements required to be included:
- One edge element not to exceed 7 seconds. I demonstrated all my spirals and the best looking and most comfortable is the right forward inside
- One dance spin. I can do forward and backward upward spins. Combinations are not allowed at this level, and the forward spin is more stable then the backward spin.The choreographer suggested I do some change of position, because that is allowed. I'm super excited, because I've never done that before! She gave me some positions to work on and then we'll see which ones I can successfully combine with a classic or scratch forward spin.
- One step sequence. The choreographer suggested a midline and she gave me some steps to try, they may stay or may change... But what I have up to now is a LFO 3-turn into a wide power step LF mohawk that she was excited I made it look choctaw-ish, stay on the exit edge and continue with a RBI 3-turn, LF step and RFI 3-turn...
- One twizzle. I've never learned twizzles, so I'm excited again that I'll have something new to work on. And... I'm also not excited because they seem hard!
We didn't put anything on music, but we've also listen to the music and the choreographer pointed where the elements will be. From next week we'll start to fill in the steps, on music. I think... I will, of course fill you in....
I had a talk with my coach. Between other things we reviewed our work together. I first hired him just to partner me for tests for dances. But I liked his way of explaining, so I continued working on dances with him, then I added moves, then Freestyle, then figures. My goal was to progress and I was skating 7 to 9 sessions a week (4 on my own, 2 private lessons and one or 2 group lessons). I've got bursts of frustration when I couldn't train as I wanted because the ice was bad, it was too crowded, or I was tired, but I was generally satisfied.
Everything changed when hurt my left hip. I starting skating less to allow the hip to heal. But even when I skated I was holding back. I was hurting when I worked on extensions (and in dance everything has extensions), on 3-turns on that hip, etc. Then, I started saving stray cats and kittens, I had some orphaned kittens that needed to be feed by bottle including during the night, so I was tired for months. Looking back, it is clear that I couldn't progress in those conditions. I also couldn't enjoy skating while I was hurting, tired. And I also was having expectations about progress and not actually progressing, so I was getting frustreted... It is also clear that I couldn't see all these, then.
I was back on a good training pace before the quarantine, but then "that" (the quarantine) happened. Hopefully I can get back, from this week, on a good schedule and skating training (skating 3 times a week plus one lesson)... for progress....
But I also want to not forget the perspective I have now, about the time I couldn't "train" because I'm sure there will be times like that again. I want to be prepared to handle those kind of times better... The first challenge I see, is to be able to acknowledge when I cannot train. If it's short term I should just accept it, not push but hang in there don't give up on "training". If it's longer term, I should forget about progress for a while, anyway I saw that after 3 months of not being on ice, the skills were still there. So I should do something else, not the same exercises that I do for testing.
This summer, for example, I kind of knew... after quarantine... the available ice was all over the city, so I couldn't create a well paced schedule, plus I knew I'm gonna be distracted by life.... I had the intention to have program choreographed to break from the "training" just that my choreograph was out of town. I think that would have worked. With my regular coach I shifted the attention from the pattern dances and moves (that I knew I couldn't train) to freestyle. Unfortunately my ankles hurt for 2 weeks and also my "good" hip hurt after a fall. So I've ended up doing exactly what I didn't want to do... the same old exercises for dance and moves, that I do for 2 years now, that I knew I couldn't improve (skating just once or twice a week on bad or crowded Freestyle ice). I'm soo happy I'll have a program choreographed! I think I'll also have to ask for new things from my regular coach when I'll know I cannot "train".
I've heard that my rink is gonna have back on the schedule the adult figure skaters only, noon ice, from the second week of September. Before the covid interruption, it used to be offered Monday, Wednesday, Friday on the big rink and Tuesday and Thursday on the studio rink, except during the summer. It was usually quite empty ice, and if crowded, we were all adults, looking out for each other. I usually skated Monday, Wednesday, Friday on the main rink on that session, on Mondays I also had a private lesson later in the day on Freestyle Package Ice and just before the lockdown I was also skating Thursdays on the studio rink, mainly figures. That was my ice... I really really hope it's gonna be back. I haven't seen it yet on the schedule.
I feel so comfortable on that adult ice. And I was often spooked going for lessons on regular ice. To my coach's visible disappointment, I often aborted patterns even if (in his view that I bet was right) I was in absolutely no danger of collision... When I was a beginner, I was more confused and uncomfortable then afraid, but after I hurt my hip, I was afraid. The little kids are not looking and the big kids are soo fast, so of course I'm afraid. But you know that my goal is to progress into an intermediate-ish level skater, not an adult skater... and I test standard not adult track. Well, that ice is "standard", the adult ice is comfortable because is slow...
After the initial excitement of having my comfortable ice back, I've realized that I'm not that uncomfortable anymore on the Freestyle package ice! Yeap, I've grown, I'm a big kid now. I'm sure this is a result of me progressing. Sometimes I feel I hold myself back by not being confident. After the quarantine, we've first come back on ice with maximum 10 skaters, then 15, now 20. It was a progression that made me forgot to think if I'm afraid. I just thought to acknowledge this new skill and confidence, as I'll soon go to my slow ice. While I feel happy and hopeful for the easier ice conditions, I think I can also be hopeful for progress!
My other goal (beside progress) is to find a way to, occasionally, break away from training and to skate for my my own enjoyment. I've set up in the past to train and test as kids do, and lately it backfired. I had to reduce the time I've spent on ice not because I've got bored but I think mostly because my hip injury. Then I've wondered if it's even realistic to expect my aging body to train as kids do. I also wondered about motivation... I feel that kids have their skating buddies, syncro teams, shows, competitions to motivate them and make them enjoy. I do have skating friends, but I feel that for the majority of them skating is a social thing, so I don't get the motivation. I also have adult skating friends that compete and I feel that is a good vehicle for both motivation and enjoyment. What I see them doing, is skating twice a week and that much time on ice allows them to maintain the skills they have and have one or two programs choreographed per season. But I want progress... and I don't skate enough to both progress and prepare for competitions. The only thing is that if I get unmotivated it's not good for progress. So, I'm having a program choreographed, for testing but mostly for myself!
I've had in plan for a while to have another Freestyle program choreographed, because I enjoyed working on the previous one so much. But before the covid I was working on moves and dance for testing so I didn't want to take time away from that. Now, my choreographer is out of the city. I've decided to ask somebody else, and she is a dance coach, so she can choreograph both dance and Freestyle, while my previous choreographer can do only Freestyle. So I've decided to have Solo Free Dance choreographed instead of the Freestyle. We'll start working on it from September, we couldn't find ice for now.
I'll mention just shortly that this month as I skate just twice a week, I know I cannot progress. But my skating goes better compared with the last month when the schedule, ice quality and a little injury worked against me. I'll try from next week to have weekly lessons and from next month I think I'll be able to skate on my own 3 times a week, and then I think I can settle into a training rhythm.
