Another Ice Dance Class and then A FS Choreography Lesson

My camera didn't focus on the the ice dancing portion, so I just skipped posting a video.  We just went over the pattern and especially the end pattern of the Dutch Waltz today.  It was 7:00 am.  That is WAY TO EARLY for me to skate.

Right after that session was over I met with Noreen, my choreographer to help me "clean up" my arms and footwork in my Silver Test program.  I was pretty pooped, but I got through 2 + runs.

My camel spin was awful today and my sit spin went on a hiatus.... old reliable .... I couldn't believe it.

First Pairs Wipeout

Sorry you will have to wait till the end of the reel.   For those of you born in this millennium ..that's a film reel.

We had a fun pairs practice and even put together a sequence of steps, a jump, a spin and more steps. It took all session, but it was pretty fun.  At the end of the session we attempted some pivot-spiral moves .. which ... resulted in our first wipeout.  No elderly people were harmed in the making of this movie!

Saturday Practice...

You know I am serious when I get up on a Saturday morning to go skate.  Forget that it's over 100° outside.  We are having a hottest June on record in the Spokane area.  Tomorrow it's supposed to break today's record.

I worked on my program components today as well as trying a few run throughs.  The ice was crowded during those so I didn't put them in my video.  Trust me .. even I am getting sick of my program music.  That is a problem.  When you choose new music.. at first you love it.  Then you have parts that are hard and exhausting and you hate it.   I rarely skate to my music on public sessions they play Sirius "the Blend" and I just dub over when I get home.

Anyway.  Today was a good practice.  I did all my jumps and really worked on the camel spin.

Timing is Everything

That is the hardest thing about skating pairs so far.  Trying to get the timing down - especially for spins.  I always know if I got "about" 4-5-6 revolutions in a spin, but never precisely.  In pairs you have to be more aware of each revolution and how fast or slow you are going in comparison to your partner.  Also .. exiting a spin facing a certain direction has never been my forté.  We'll get it eventually.

Learned a pair spin today.  Very simple, side by side, yet a pair spin.  Also learned how to enter a pair spin of any kind from opposite sides of a circle and the basic throw loop entry.  Excited about learning more things in the days to come.

Next week we hope to have a lesson on Thursday !!

A Day of Firsts

I hate to post when I don't have any video to back up my comments, but today was one of those days -

In my quest to skate better, improve my skills, improve my stamina and lose weight I signed up to take weekly ice dance group classes with our resident ice dance coach Kendell LeClaire.

The class was great.  She taught us Swing Rolls and Progressives (although for the sake of a beginning class she just referred to them as crossovers)  and the pattern of the Dutch Waltz
which I already knew the basics, but had never been taught the count.

Unfortunately we held this class during a freestyle session with 24 skaters.  It was chaos to say the least.  I honestly don't know how these kids become great skaters with the ice so crowded.  I spend 1/2 my session just skating around in circles looking for a "hole" to execute a jump or spin.  Unless I am in a lesson I usually don't attend the freestyle sessions.

Following the dance class I took a summer skating school "Power Stroking Class".  We have Hi-Power and Lo-Power intended for different skill levels and age/size seems to be a factor too.  One little girl in Lo-Power could do an Axel ... but most were all still on their single jumps.  This 30 minute class totally kicked my butt.  Stroking, pumping, load changes, push ups, crunchies, wall squats, explosive jumps at the end of the rink and racing to the other end to do it again... stamina builders, lunges.  It was more than enough for me to be in the Lo-Power Class.

Alas.. I had my camera but forgot to put it on the rail before the class started.  Next week I will remember.

Ice Show .... Check

Ok I can knock another thing off my bucket list.  The ice show is over.  Overall I will say I had fun.
Whether or not I will do another remains to be seen....

Now that the show is over I need to concentrate on my upcoming test in 2 weeks and my new favorite hobby .... pairs skating with Hank.

Here are a few snippets of our practice today and of course ... a rinkside seat for our number in the show.

Quick Run Before Show Rehearsal

Limited practice hours this week due to our show.  I did a low energy run through, but video from opposite side of the rink for another perspective.  Too busy today for babble...

Eat Your Vegetables

You remember.  Dreading the peas or carrots or brussel sprouts and not being able to indulge in dessert unless you ate your vegetables......

... Well somedays due to fear, fatigue or failed previous attempts - the thought of warming up and executing all my jumps, at least once can seem like the dreaded vegetables.

Today was a crowded public session (for my rink) and all those jumps felt like vegetables.  I got on the ice without a camera because there were so many "wall huggers" I knew my camera would not survive.  After a while it thinned out a bit and I set up my camera.  Nothing went well today, but alas... I did finish my vegetables!

No Sleep - Monday Practice

I had a great weekend with friends in Seattle this past weekend, but that means a food and drink fest and very little sleep for the weary traveler on Amtrak.

But the show must go on right?  So I headed to practice today.  No lesson today due to the production of the show this weekend.  It's "tech week" for you theatre types.  No rehearsals today so I just worked on my program.  The more runs I do - the better my chances of passing that test will be in 3 weeks.

Silver Test Date Looming..

With less than a month before my test it's time to kick it into high gear.  No more days off the ice (except the weekends) and after the show is over next weekend I will start going to some free style sessions to actually run my program on club ice to skate to the music.

Our adult number for the show is making progress as well.  It's definitely not my vision of what a polished program should look like the week before the show and by request (you know who you are) I won't be posting any more rehearsals on my blog.  Hopefully there will be a video of some kind that I can post from the show under the lights, in costume.

Day 3 of Pairs Practice

I had a chance to get in 1 of my recommended 3 runs per day of my upcoming test program.  It wasn't clean but I am finding ways during the program to conserve energy through breathing.... and stronger edges vs harding pushing during transitions.

When Hank got to the rink we worked on stroking, crossover and some jumps and spins.  Today it seems we spent more time talking than skating.  It requires so much coordination to figure out .. not only what jump or spin we will do, but exactly step-for-step how we enter each one - We both have different techniques for spin entries for example - and some of our jump preparations too.  But as always .. I had a blast and really enjoy the process.  It makes me work harder because I don't want to let him down.  I know my knees are feeling it.

First my program run

Then our pairs practice

Ok Now Were Getting Serious....

So test date is approximately 1 month away.  I really want and need to pass my Silver Free Skate Test if I want to skate up at next years Adult Nationals and if I want to skate Silver Pairs with Hank .. if we get that far.

I had practice today plus a lesson after I already ran the program 2 x - I felt beat to a pulp when I was done but it's good feeling afterwards to know you have pushed yourself.

Today my lesson focused on my stamina.  Not working on any one part of my program but ALL of it - only broken down into 3 sections.  We would run part 1, then I would rest for about 15 seconds then continue .. like interval training.  Maybe it will work.  Maybe not.

Ice Show Practice

This is week 5 of working on this adult number for our upcoming ice show in 2 weeks.
The problem is .. we only practice it 1x per week.  I don't know how often the rest of the
skaters practice, but I don't see them at the sessions I go to.  Everyone is busy - so we are
doing pretty good considering we have really only had about 5 practices all together.

Skating under spotlight is going to be completely new for me.  I had the chance to attend National Showcase last year because of my placement at Adult Nationals in my Dramatic and Light Entertainment events, but I was too "chicken" to attend - oh well.

So today I got a short warm up done and then popped off all my jumps once before we got into the rehearsal.  I only taped the last run of the number - for sanity sake!

Adult Pairs Day 2

Wednesday is my ladies golf league day so I was late to the rink.  We managed to pop off a few "experiments" as we get to know each other and learn to trust each other.  I think it's gotta be easier for Hank because he has been to the rodeo twice before with other partners.  I am so grateful and happy to let him take the reins and teach me how to do this stuff.

Today we tried side by side jumps:  Waltz, Salchow, Toe Loops, Loop Jumps, Flip Jumps and a Split-Flip - and some spirals.  Also Hank introduced me to the wonderful world of the Throw-Waltz Jump.
(I probably acquired my first of many to come .. bruise)  I was full of questions.. "how do you do this?  how do you do that? ...

We laughed at the end of the session.  "Well" we said... "So far so good" ... "no fights and no injuries"

Ok, Someone Pinch Me ....

... I feel like I just got invited to prom.

My skating friend Hank Landis who is a member of my club asked me today if I would like to team up with him and skate Adult Pairs.  WHAT?  I thought you would never ask.

Actually I offered a long time ago, but the time wasn't right for him and I gave up on the idea and didn't want to push it.

I was elated today when he said "So do you still want to skate pairs" ... I said like YES YES YES ...
no hesitation.  On the car ride home I started thinking about things like Death Spirals and Split Twists ... and my stomach rumbled.

So for now  we are just going to take it one day at a time and see where it leads.  But that's enough to motivate me to try harder and to GO ON A DIET ... I promised I would lose 10 pounds and get stronger.

Now I need to rifle through the rules book and figure out how we do this.