Monday, September 8, 2014

Monday MIF

Newly sharpened blades + a weekend off the ice enjoying the last dog days of summer = Splat !

Had a great fall today doing backward crossovers during my warm up.  The camera didn't catch the fall, but got me in the belly slide backwards!  Such talent.

Coach showed up unexpectedly today.  She was giving a guy a private lesson.  You will see him in the background (or foreground) of my videos today!  More entertaining than my warm up and MIF lesson... that's for sure.

So far all we are working on is the Power Circles.  They are so much harder than I thought they would be.  Staying on the pattern and especially holding a good edge for the first 4 strokes is hard.

Video didn't upload right... some funny pixel things .. sorry


4 comments:

  1. Funny - when I first starting working on the power circles, I thought that they would be the easiest move (of all the Gold ones). Boy was I wrong! These are impossible to practice during public session, and the judges are really looking for you to go super fast around the 10th crossover. The goal, of course, is to make both sides look equally strong, which is easier said than done!

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  2. I know it's crazy how much more difficult it is than it looks. We don't spend enough time going against the grain skating in the opposite direction. I found an interesting publication online yesterday from 2002 where USFS talks about each MIF and why they were created.

    Forward Power Circles
    Reasons for Development:

    Introduces ability to change the tempo, style and pace of crossovers in a program, as well as the ability to keep angles of knees and acute pressure of ankles to the ice consistent as tempo (speed of beat) of stroke increases. Ability to vary speed prepares skater to skate at a pace in accordance with the tempo of the music—a component of the second mark in a free skating program. Early development of quick knee action.
    

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  3. Got frustrated again today with the evil mohawk after practicing the test multiple times, so I decided to work on the power circles since the ice is better (low humidity) and I had the ice to myself. I totally agree with you about not spending enough time skating against the grain in the opposite direction. Perhaps that is why my coach is showing me this now...

    Also-check page 66 of the latest USFS Skating magazine. They have taken out some language in the rules for the adult Gold MIF testing. While it may not change the basic premise of the reasoning behind power circles, and what the judges will be looking for..they have taken out the bit with regards to true edges, smooth turns, posture, and "effortless flow".

    Flames are lit. :)

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  4. I also had freshly sharpened blades and a weekend off! No dramatic falls, but it was sure hard to stop! Since I skate lefty I have to go my opposite way a lot because the usual flow around an ice rink is counterclockwise. I think that's helped my crossover directions be more even. Actually my clockwise, which should be easier for me as a lefty, is not quite as good as my counter-clockwise. You are already making good progress at getting that snail pattern in the middle that the judges want.

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Good 1 Hour Lesson

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