Wednesday, November 14, 2018

Borrowed Ice ... in Fairfax VA

I’m here in Virginia visiting my son and grandson  for Thanksgiving.  Had some free time today so I signed up online for a 45 minute freestyle session at 10:15 am at the Fairfax Ice Arena.

I was fortunate there were only 2 other skaters on the ice.  Nice rink.  Soft ice and with a little overhead heat too.  Wish I had skated better.  I’m working on ice dance a lot but I don’t usually record that ... it’s so far away and the corners get missed. (Plus I am not looking too good!)


Wednesday, November 7, 2018

Coffee Club and Ice Dance Lesson

Today I started with coffe club with coach Kim. then stayed for public session with Hank (previous post) and skated part of a club session for an ice dance lesson.  We worked on the Willow Waltz today.


He’s Back ... for a Surprise Practice!

After coffee club Hank showed up to skate public session.  He probably wasn’t counting on me being there .. but he was sweet to oblige me and skate together!  He told me he has only skated 2 times since April.  Not bad.  I felt terrible while I was skating, but I think we did ok for not skating together for months.


Wednesday, October 10, 2018

Something Old, Something New

Started the day with Coffee Club.  Sadly only two of us showed up.  I hope attendance improves or we will lose this great program.  I felt pretty wobbly after being away for another 3 weeks from home ice.  I did get to skate a couple of times in Tahoe . But there’s no place like “home ice”.  So I brought my scribe and decided to stay quiet and practice some figures during coffee club.

Later that day I returned to the rink for my ice dance lesson with Kendall Tupper LeClaire.  We are working on lots of basics.  Warm up patterns, edges (dance style) and a little pattern work for the Hickory Hoedown.









Wednesday, October 3, 2018

I Have Aclimated!

Back for our second week in Tahoe.  My 59th birthday was Wednesday Oct 3.  Today was the first day we saw clouds and rain .. and hail!  But I managed to squeeze in another hour at the South Lake Tahoe Ice Arena for a short skate doing the thing I love most - on my birthday!  Happy Birthday to me!

Wish I had skated better.  I was more out of breath than I was the first time I was here.  I spent most of the hour doing edges, swing rolls, practicing the dance exercises my dance coach gave me and trying to do the Hickory Hoedown alone (ps I am not a solo ice dancer) .... as always I break out into freestyle cause I get bored doing the ice dancing .. (I hope that changes someday).


Friday, September 21, 2018

I Must Have Alititude Sickness

So I am here in Lake Tahoe enjoying a beautiful fall vacation.  Kayaking, hiking, golfing and today I even got to skate for an hour at a public session at South Lake Tahoe Ice Arena.

I always wanted to skate here.  They have a great adult skating camp every May and I just haven’t made it here yet.

I had the ice entirely to myself.  They asked me what music I wanted to play or if I just wanted to plug in my own during the empty pubic session.  So nice.

Stupidly I set the camera on the boards facing the wrong way and I can only see a few glimpses of my skating in the reflection of the glass panal when I happen to pass by it .. doing something.  Oh well.  I will be back in 2 weeks and hopefully remember to turn the camera in the right direction.


Wednesday, September 12, 2018

For Old Times Sake

I got to skate with Hank a bit during and after coffee club.  We couldn’t do much, but it was fun trying.  At least we didn’t fall down!


Wednesday, September 5, 2018

Easing My Way Back On The Ice - Dance Lesson

Well - I’m back.  Sort of.  Skated a few times in the past 2 weeks.  I have a lot of lost muscle memory and a pair of really sore feet.  My boots really hurt after a long summer and travel season in flip flops and my arches are barking from how unfamiliar it feels to wear my boots.

That aside this week two great things happened.

1. Adult Drop In Coffee Club restarted with a new regular coach - which will free me from needing to be there each week and the worry of trying to find a coach each week.  Plus our rink is going to let the Coffee Club skaters stay for free on the public session right afterward.

2. I had my first ice dance lesson with Kendall Tupper-LeClaire.  She is our rinks’ only ice dance coach and she left a few years ago to take a break and start a family.  I’m so excited that she is back (even if only part time) as I felt I just could not make any headway with ice dance without a regular coach.

So here’s a few snippets of both!

Tuesday, August 28, 2018

So Hard To Get Back On The Ice

Forced myself to attend a public session after (?) months off the ice.  I managed not to fall, but my joints hurt and my feet were so sore and cramping up in my boots ...


Friday, June 1, 2018

2nd Attempt to Skate after a Long Break ..

At today’s coffee club ... It was all I could do to just stay on my blades.  Nothing felt right, nothing really worked.  It’s going to be a long road back to being in any kind of skating fitness.


Friday, May 11, 2018

...... I’m Back on Solid Ground ... and Ice

Had an amazing vacay with hubby to Hawaii, across the Pacific, down the coast of Mexico and Central America, through the Panama Canal and even a stop in the port of Havana, Cuba.  Price of all that .... and a camping trip for our anniversary on the heels of the cruise..... 1 1/2 months without skating.

That is the longest break I have had since I got back on the ice at age 52 (I’m now 58).

First impressions:  RINKS ARE COLD
Second impression:  MY FEET HURT
Third impression: THIS FEELS WEIRD AND UNNATURAL

But ... the hour went well.  I vowed not to fall and I tried everything I felt I could handle for day 1.

I feel good about it.


Tuesday, March 20, 2018

Wednesday, February 28, 2018

10 Minutes of Freestyle!

I had my last lesson today ... for a few months.  Taking time off the ice to travel.
Got in a little freestyle at the end of my MIF lesson.  Had to psych myself out to work on my jumps!


Friday, February 23, 2018

Adult Drop In Coffee Club 2-23-18 with Heather Martin

We had such fun today with a nice 3 boy 3 girl split on skaters.  Flocking was the order of the day!
Heather does an amazing job of getting everyone doing something .. together .. in 30 minutes!  And the catch-up pinwheel at the end was a 1st for me!


Friday Lesson MIF

Good lesson with Randy Clark today on MIF.  We are going with my preferred foot position on the double three turns  - I watched a test yesterday and got convinced I need to do what’s comfortable.  Putting the foot in front going from LBI to LFO was not happening without doubling me over.  No matter how hard I tried I could not get the weight over my blade with the foot in front.  And a surprise at the end of a short 15-20 minute lesson was him asking me to demonstrate my backspin.
What?  Ok... happy to get off moves for 5 minutes.  I need to be softer in the skating knee and close my hips ... )(*^&*&% damn hips ... a problem everywhere!


Tuesday, February 20, 2018

Tuesday Lesson Pair-ody

Our session was a little crowded so I had to improvise with my camera placement.. it didn’t work out too well today.   On the positive side, we learned a new sequence today (the steps at least) and are working on a new pair spin position,


Tuesday, February 13, 2018

A Pair of Aging Adults!

I am just struggling on all aspects of my skating—- trying hard not to throw in the towel


Monday, February 12, 2018

Monday Freestyle

I headed to the rink to work on moves in the field - which I did.  But at the end of the session I wanted to “feel good” about something .. so I spend about 15 minutes trying to do a few spins and jumps.


Friday, February 9, 2018

Going For Gold

Working on the Gold MIF is going to be a longer process than I anticipated when I started this year.  I really don’t want to fail the test when I take it.  Thus far, I have not failed a test so I will continue to work on these moves until I am good and ready.  Today was my first lesson with my new coach Randy Clark on the power circles and the brackets in the field.


Coffee Club with Randy Clark

Nothing makes me happier than to see 10 grown adults on a sheet of ice enjoying themselves and trying to improve their skills.  We had a great session today with 10 skaters including a newcomer who is just learning to skate and 3 skaters from Coeur d’ alene who came to skate with us AFTER skating their early morning session at their rink.

Randy Clark was our guest coach.  He is my new personal coach as well and while I have to say it’s always an adjustment getting used to each other, new styles and techniques, etc.  I think I will make some progress if I stick to it.



Tuesday, February 6, 2018

Pairs Lesson ..

Meh....   I wish this showed more progress than remedial skating....


Friday, February 2, 2018

Three Turn Hell

Another lesson with my new coach Randy Clark.  I feel like I am in THREE TURN HELL.
I have done this pattern and thought.. oh I can clean this up in no time.  NOT.

I am relearning how to do my edges and three turns.  Hopefully when I am done it will have some effect on my jump entries as well.


Monday, January 29, 2018

Ice Dance Lessons with Chris Obzansky

I had an opportunity to fly to Seattle and take 2 one hour lessons with Chris Obzansky.  We worked on all three of the Bronze Ice Dances.  Chris is a great coach.  Very easy to learn with .. patient and makes very good use of lesson time.  Can’t wait for the next lesson tomorrow.




And here is lesson #2


Friday, January 26, 2018

Busy Friday - Lesson - Pairs - Coffee Club

I’ll put these up as they are finished editing.

1) Short pairs practice on Coffee Club ice before the group lesson


2) Coffee Club

3) Lesson on Moves in the Field

Thursday, January 25, 2018

Three Turn Dilemma

It seems just about every aspect of my skating is going through a rocky period.  I’m not sure how to get back on track except to keep skating, taking lessons and following the advice of my coach.

I went out today alone to practice moves in the field but the three turn lesson I had last Friday has me over-thinking everything and feeling as though I am starting anew.

After a bit I just took off my skates and swapped them out for my figure skates - with figure blades to try and force myself to get on the edges while keeping on top of my blade.. You’ll see the result!


Tuesday, January 23, 2018

Pairs ... Practice ... sort of

Hank and I had a short practice before a lesson .. which didn’t go so well today, so I didn’t capture it.
We are struggling to continue skating together for a myriad of reason right now.

Here’s what we did do...




Friday, January 19, 2018

First Lesson New Coach

My coach for the past five years has taken on a “regular” job and is spending less and less time at the rink.  So now I am in the awkward position of looking for a new singles and moves in the field coach.

... and the winner is:  Randy Clark.  Randy is one of our most senior coaches at the club and coaches everything from learn to skate through senior level skaters, many of which he has taken to Sectionals and Nationals and I believe even Jr. Worlds ... don’t fact check me.

Today’s first lesson was only 15 minutes but right away I can see I will have my work cut out for me.
Trying to teach this old dog new tricks .. or really OLD TRICKS done properly!

First on the long list of things needing fixing before I can .. move on are my Three Turns.  If you look at the ice to see my tracing ... it’s a three turn.... but my tense upper body is keeping them from being smooth turns.   After this first lesson, here is my bullet list of things to work on:


  1. Staying on blended knee but not rising and falling in each turn (or hopping)
  2. Not bending or breaking at the waist after the turn 
  3. Keeping my foot toe to heel to start
  4. Learning and remembering the sequence of 
    1. checking the arms after the turn
    2. passing the arms close to the body
    3. then turning head while passing the free foot through
  5. Checking with free hand in line with opposite hip
Something tells me this means I won’t be testing my Gold Moves In The Field .. any time soon!


Thursday, January 18, 2018

Easing Back Into Pairs

After Tuesdays lesson we tried to practice a few of the new things we worked on during the lesson.
It’s going to be a slow climb back ....  Still loving it.


Saturday, January 13, 2018

A Good Start to the New Year

With no competition looming this year (so far) I am free to just regain some lost skills and conditioning.

 Due to a snowstorm there was nobody on the ice with me and I just put on whatever music I wanted to for the entire time!  La La Land is one of my favorite new soundtracks.  From the moment I saw the movie I wanted to skate to it, but one of our more senior young skaters in our club had already chosen it for her skating season and it's kind of frowned upon to have the same music within in the club for two different skaters.  Even if I'm an adult and she is standard track ... it's kind of hard on the ears to have too much La La Land!

Now that the season is over - and I don't plan on competing any time soon, I am toying with the idea of using it for pairs.  First I would have to talk my pairs partner into it!

It made a fun background for my practice today.


Friday, January 12, 2018

Good Friday!

... and after the freestyle session there was Coffee Club!

Our coach Johnnie Bevan got the lesson time confused so he arrived late, in street shoes!
He still came down to the ringside and even stepped onto the ice to give us our lesson in shoes!


Friday, January 5, 2018

Happy New Year 2018 - Resolutions and Goals.

Life is good.  This past year has been full of adventure for me.  Hubby retired in November of 2016 so most of 2017 was spent enjoying our new full time life together!  Prior to his retirement he was away from home 1/2 the month flying for Fedex.

Along with lots of traveling and fun in 2017 - came a lot more meals, eating out and a lot less skating. Sadly I gained back every pound I lost when I first started to skate pairs with Hank.  We did not compete whatsoever in 2017 - only a Holiday pairs program in December which we prepared without our regular coach in a little over 2 weeks time.

My new life (post husband retirement) is going to limit my ability to skate at Adult Nationals once again in 2018.  We planned a big cruise at the end of March which takes up all of April as well.  While we were on vacation in Mexico during Christmas I did a lot of thinking about how to get back on the ice and feel some sense of accomplishment and goal setting for the coming year.

Obviously - weight loss is at the top of my goals.  At 145 lbs I make a terrible pairs partner.  My landing knee which is already 98% without cartilage really feels it when I try to jump with that extra weight.  The throw jumps put more pressure on the landing knee than my singles jumps.  Lifts are next to impossible.  Not just for poor Hank, but my upper body strength can’t handle supporting my own weight in the Axel lift - You get the picture.

Going for the gold this year.  Not atop a podium, but I hope to pass the Adult Gold Moves in the Field test.  I think if I put everything into it, I may be able to attempt a test session on March 2, 2018.


Other goals I have in mind for 2018 are to do the next set of Bronze Ice Dances (The Hickory Hoedown, The Willow Waltz and the Ten Fox.  Yet without an ice dance coach this will be difficult.

In pairs - I would like to make some sort of progress with our skating.  Perhaps we can compete at the ISU competition in Vancouver if they have it again this September.  I will be here for Pacific Coast Adult Sectionals in March, but I don’t see the reason to go through that if I am not going to Nationals.


Im on my last legs here…

 I just can’t turn the corner on these dances.  One pattern looks about as good as I can do it, but two patterns I make too many mistakes. M...