SOS Ice Time Needed

I have failed on so many levels. I apologize to my readers. I haven't posted in ages. I stopped skating like a used to. Summer was heavenly, I skated multiple times a week for an average of 10-15 hours a week. Now I consider myself lucky if I get more than 5 hours on the ice per week. My skills have been lagging. I can barely get a complete bronze test in without completely botching at least one of the skills. It's my sad reality. Now that I am back to teaching full time it is nearly impossible to get cheap ice time. Public ice isn't an option any more on the weekends, Christmas is just around the corner and for most that means a trip to the rink for skating. I can't wait for break at this point. I am just about dying for more ice time. I have several competitions early in the year and I plan on testing my pre-bronze freestyle and bronze moves in addition to my first two dances. Without proper ice time I expect to fail in every category. Fun times.

Figure Skaters Are Insane

"Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results”

Figure skaters are insane, they do the same thing over and over again while expecting different results. Some may call me insane on the ice it’s because I spend way too many hours practicing, I am not insane by that definition. In fact I like to think of my work on the ice as progress through and through. I don’t fail, I definitely don’t give up on a skill, I just find several ways that a move doesn’t work before I find the one that does.

Many of my fellow skaters comment on the speed that I’ve picked up skills. A couple weeks ago, one came up to me and exclaimed, “You’re working on brackets?! Those are gold moves!.” Just a couple days ago another skater came up to me and asked, “did you just do a back 3 turn, it takes adults ages to learn them, how did you get those?” I swear I am not trying to brag here, a close friend of mine would definitely argue against that statement. But this is my blog and I say I’m not bragging. I have learned how to learn on the ice. As a teacher, I feel like the nature of my career really helps me to succeed on the ice. I wouldn’t give up on a student, so why in the world would I give up on myself?

I wouldn’t suggest a student do the same math problem over and over again incorrectly, I’d point out the step of the problem that they are missing. I think back 3 turns are a great example of my work ethic on the ice. Back 3 turns are difficult, I won’t lie, but I managed to do each about 5 times consistently on the ice after about two weeks of solid practice. What is solid practice? Doing different things over and over to “get” a move. I believe that when attempting to work on a new move without a coach present, you must act as your coach.

While working on back three’s and brackets after being introduced to them by my coach, I taught myself to analyze each step of the move. Whenever I couldn’t make the turn I would decide to change something before trying it again. For example, often times when doing a back 3, my arms would literally get in the way of my body, so I learned to check my arms and hold them in position. They start off hugging the circle, then move into position before I turn my foot. On my inside back 3’s I found that my free foot was always getting in the way of my turn, so I remembered that my coach had suggested I keep my free foot ahead of my other skating foot. The last thing I changed in the process is a bent knee. This one I learned when I challenged myself by doing double back 3’s. I noticed that in order to do several 3 turns in a row (forward to back, forward to back) I had to keep my knees flexible, moving up and down with every turn.

I know that the reason I get bored with specific moves on the ice is because I work them to death when I am first introduced to them. Coach shows me a new skill at a lesson, you know I’m about to work on it for an hour straight until I get it. It won’t be consistent by the end of that first practice, but I’m going to come as close as I possibly can at the level that I’m at.

If you’re a skater and you’re working on a difficult move, give this practice method a try. I hope that it finds you well on your way to perfecting something you’ve dreamed of. Happy Skating!

Practice, Practice, Practice.

In the last 4 days I have been on the ice a total of 12 hours. I’d like to say that I’ve made a ton of progress, but that’s not exactly what has happened. Practice has been repetitive. I’ve made no insane strides of progress. I’ve fallen several times. My knees have taken one too many hits. I’ve pulled a muscle in my arm from catching a fall. I’ve taken a 2 hour nap after every session. It has been quite a week. To share a little bit about my experiences, below I will list what a two hour practice looks like for me. Forewarning. It’s insane.  I don’t really take breaks in between skills unless the Zamboni is cutting the ice.

1. Pre-Bronze Moves
2. Bronze Moves
3. Speed Stroking (5 laps)
4. Speed Chasses (3 half rink laps)
5. Speed Forward Crossovers (no arms for balance)
6. Speed Backwards Crossovers
7. Backwards Crossovers w/ Graceful Arms
8. Forward & Backward Cross Rolls (at least one lap each)
9. Forward Power Pulls in Silver Pattern
10. Crossovers, Hold Edge, Touch Ice (2 in each direction)
11. Backward Power Pulls
12. Checkouts/Landing Position Down the Ice
13. 10+ Consecutive Waltz Jumps
14. Scratch Spin w/ Entry (5+)
15. Outside & Inside Three Turns Down the Line (4)
16. Mohawk Crosses Down the Line (2)
17. Brackets (2 Left Foot, 1 Right down the line)
18. Back 3’s (at least 5 of each)
19. Back 3’s Pattern On Circle ( FXO, 3 Turn, BXO, back 3 Turn, Repeat)
20. All Swing Rolls (one lap each)
21. Dutch Waltz Dance Pattern
22. Rhythm Blues Dance Pattern
23. Consecutive 3 Turns on Circle -> Twizzles
24. Waltz Jump from BXOs
25. Salchow from BXOs
26. Toe Loop w/ Entry
27. Half-Lutz from BXOs
28. Half-Flip from Mohawk
29. Challenge: Loop Jump
30. Challenge: Backspin
31. Challenge: Waltz Jump to Back Spin

Let’s Get Technical

The last couple weeks of summer got really technical very quickly. Now that I have been doing my bronze moves test in practice for two months, my coach has started to pick them apart. I wanted to test them in October and if I work hard I know that I can pass, but the moves need a lot of attention.

At two consecutive lessons Coach T has spent a grand total of 15 minutes explaining things to me. For example, my scratch spin that didn’t even exist a week ago needs a better entry point. Right now I am on the left outside edge, as I begin the spin it shows as a 3 turn on the ice, I drift off for about a foot and then begin spinning. Apparently I am “choosing” when to spin as opposed to letting it happen on its own. Annoyance.

My five step mohawk has also been picked apart. Every time I “think” I have a skill, I’ll practice it a few times when I get on the ice and then let it be, because it’s “good.” A week ago, Coach T said I was practicing it incorrectly, that my leg had to be straight the entire time, not bent. After spending a week working on it, we have begun tearing it apart again. I now need to work on bringing my feet together after each step before moving to the next.

Skating practice has now evolved and I’m not quite sure how I feel about it. I recently ran out of space to write in my small practice notebook so I decided to stop writing what I do at every practice. Instead I created a “reminders” skating list on my iphone with all the skills I am working on to remind myself to practice those things. Though I don’t believe it’s really working. If my lessons are getting more technical than my practices need to also get technical. I need to get back to writing everything down so that I can focus on small details of my skating.

The days of just doing a skill over and over again have passed. It’s time for me go nit pick. I am not nit picky nor am I a perfectionist, but in this sport you are always working towards perfection. So, I need to become a perfectionist. Sure I do this for fun, but if I want to compete nationally this winter I need to get more technical so that I will present myself as a real competitor even though I’ve only been on the ice for a year.

Happy Skating!

The End of Summer As I Know It

10 weeks of summer contract ice have officially come and gone. I’m so glad to get back to my normal job and have actual money again, but with that I lose my daily skating time. It won’t come as much of a shock to you that I will continue to skate for an average of 10 hours a week. Half of my week's’ ice time will happen on Wednesdays, by winter I will probably be exhausted and irritable, but it will be worth it. That is, until I manage to break myself.

These last two weeks on the ice have been incredible. It seems like my basic skills are improving because my coaches have decided to introduce me to some new skills and speed/power drills. I’ve been introduced to a new dance pattern, the Rhythm Blues, twizzles, back 3’s, a back 3’s pattern (forward crossover, forward outside 3 turn, backward crossover, back 3 - around the circle), brackets, back power pulls, back cross rolls, the half-flip from a mohawk, and “the Jenkin” (a death glide where you do a crossover, hold the cross, bend down to the side, and touch the ice with your fingers).

At every practice in these last two weeks I’ve challenged myself with moves that I am incredibly uncomfortable with. First and foremost, the scratch spin that caused the scar on my forehead. At first I was apprehensive about doing with without my coach, but after a few slow and controlled tries I would give it a rest and resume the next day. With every practice I became more comfortable with the entry. It’s not a full “scratch spin” yet, but I think I’ll have it in a couple weeks. I’ve challenged myself with the brackets and back cross rolls that I could barely do in lesson with my coach. I worked on “the Jenkin” that terrified me on day 1. I had it day 2 of working it (after doing it off-ice several times at home of course). Determined to do things that challenge me? Yes.

Summer is over and I am really pleased with my progress. I am happy to say that I met each of my on ice skating goals. My off-ice goals were not met, those included taking yoga and ballet classes, but I look forward to beginning both of those this fall.

Finally, some new skills!

I’m learning new things!!!! Finally today during my lesson I felt like I couldn’t do the moves my coach wanted me to do, and it felt great! Have you ever been so challenged you were happy? I used to hate working on things I couldn’t do during my lessons, I quickly learned that lessons are for working on new things and challenging yourself. Only not when there’s a test or competition coming up. For the last couple months, my coaches have been working on jumps, spins, and repetitive pre-bronze and bronze moves.

I spend between 3-4 hours on the ice when I have skating days (usually 4 days a week). How on earth am I supposed to enjoy my practices by doing the same moves over and over again? It is torture. But torture no more, in the last two lessons with the amazing Coach T I have been introduced to several new skills and exercises that will definitely be kicking my butt for at least a month.

Coach T is now working with me on speed and power. We spent the first 15 minutes of my lesson on stroking very quickly, using my arms to help push my body forward by swinging them back and forth as I skated. We worked on very quick, short, and choppy crossovers, forward and back. Later in the day I learned that this kind of 3 count crossovers is called Russian stroking. Damn Russians making skating difficult. Next we did chasse’s with speed. Coach T clapped to the beat of my steps and clapped faster and faster as I went on. We did a couple other exercises similar to the ones I described before moving on to some other moves.

My bronze moves are starting to come together, exactly one month after starting them. At every practice we usually focus on one or two of them, today we did the figure 8 edges and forward crossovers to the landing position. In the next 40 minutes we spent a slew of time learning new skills. She had me doing backwards crossovers while attempting to touch the ground as I held the cross (I need this exercise because my hips are super weak). She asked me to do consecutive 3 turns, forward and back, as an introduction to twizzles. I was introduced to backwards cross rolls (aka cross strokes) even though my forward cross rolls are nearly non existent. I learned inside brackets, a new dance - the Rhythm Blues, and all back 3’s.

Talk about an exciting lesson! I don’t think I’ve ever felt the need to be this challenged, but I have been longing for it over the past two months. I thought that summer was going to come and go without acquiring new skills, but alas they are here. The best thing about feeling this challenged is knowing that in just a week of practice I am going to have some of these skills down, and in a month, I’ll have more of them down, and in about 3 months I’ll have them down consistently, with speed and power. I’ve been doing these for 7 months now, and it’s a clear trend. And I LOVE it.

I tend to be very timid on the ice and a lot of it comes from fear on the ice. Though I’ve let go of a lot of the fear, and my fellow adult skaters can attest to that, you can still see that I’m somewhat uncomfortable on the ice, my shoulders are often raised and sometimes I hunch over. So on my hand I wrote, “Everything you’ve ever wanted is on the other side of fear.” I think it got me through this lesson. Fellow skaters, I always suggest looking at some motivating quotes before hitting the ice. It almost always makes my skating sessions more productive and enjoyable. Here are some examples below:

“The difference between champions and skaters who didn’t place is how they handle fear”

“Stop thinking you’re not ready, life happens beyond your comfort zone”

Figure Skaters Are Insane - “Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results”

“Great skaters are not made up of their technique but by their passion and love for the sport”

“Failure is simply a cost you have to pay on the path to being right”

Summer's Almost Gone!

Why is summer flying by? I’m not quite ready to be back on my normal work schedule, because it means less skating. On the bright side I’ve upped my summer skating hours. Sure, it means I’m spending more of my weekends and evenings icing, but the end is near and I need to reach my summer goals. I’m hoping that in these last two weeks I can start to pull together some of the skills that I had on my summer goals list.

My lessons in the past couple weeks have been somewhat repetitive. Most of the skills I’ve been working on with my coaches are older, things that I was introduced to in the last few months. So, even though I’m working hard during my lessons to improve, I’ve been getting more bored by the week. I desperately need something to spice up my practices. Argh!