5 Month Skate-versary

I’ve been skating for five months, wahhhh???? Here’s what I’ve been working on:

1. My Program: Most of my practice time has been spent working on the elements in my program and stringing them together more smoothly.
1. Emotion - I really like to look at the ice as most beginner skaters do and I look glum during my performance. I need to work on looking up more and showing the judges that I am excited for my performance.
2. Grand Arm Gestures - I have been working on arm movements and making them more grand (noticeable from afar). I can do this by breathing in with each movement  and lifting up my head instead of looking towards the ground.
3. Forward Crossovers - Taking a stronger push and holding the cross instead of flicking my foot (I joke and call it a “swish and flick” now, Harry Potter reference).
4. 3 Turns - Holding the turn in the beginning and end instead of doing it very quickly and barely making it back to the lines.
5. 1 Foot Turn - Remembering to check out after my one foot spin
2. Pre-Bronze Elements - This is the warm up to all my practices and lessons now. I don’t want to rush into the test because I do want to pass it on my first try. So, I have decided to just make it my warm up for the next two months, then I can perfect the moves slowly and not worry about rushing it.
3. Jumps
1. Bunny Hop - Right one is okay, I can do 4-5 in a row if I’m really into it. Left foot barely exists and I hate it with a passion, but I make myself do it because I need to get used to using my left toe pick for the half flip.
2. Waltz Jump - This one is getting fun! I have been doing it consistently from backwards crossovers, it’s higher now and I get more distance than before. I have also taught myself to do two in a row with a side toe hop in between.
3. Toe - Loop - I am not a chicken anymore! I think that this jump - though small and inconsistent has made the most progress in the last month mostly because I have let go of the fear. During learn to skate this last session one of the other adult skaters broke it down for me and it just clicked.
4. Swing Rolls - Since I told Coach T (who is primarily a dance coach) that I wanted to learn a couple dances in the fall, she has worked with me more on swing rolls. This month I learned how to do inside swing rolls and I just started backwards swing rolls as well.
5. Power pulls - These actually have some pull to them now, they began as swiggly lines and have evolved to swiggly lines with a few real pulls in between. While listening to She, by Zayn, one day during practice I began doing backwards power pulls without even realizing it. I showed them to Coach T and we began working on them more seriously.  
6. Cross rolls - Are non-existent, a couple months ago I asked Coach T to show me these a because I saw some figure skaters doing them and thought they were really pretty. She started me off with a grapevine exercise where I weave my skates in and out of crosses, it was practically impossible, but I started practicing the exercise a couple weeks ago and was capable of doing it (It’s crazy how a time elapse will make a skill easier without actually working on it). A few practices later I began doing “cross rolls”, basically alternating crossovers without the push in between - this is apparently NOT  a cross roll. So naturally coach had me doing the right ones, while I held onto her with my life. So, I know the correct way, but can’t do it on my own...yet!
7. Mohawk Crosses - I do mohawk crosses down the line, these have gotten smaller and a little more controlled with less toe-scratching.
8. Consecutive 3 Turns - Insides are very controlled and “pretty” (I still miss a LI3 here and there). Outside consecutive 3’s need work, I can do the 3 turns, but I don’t step forward properly because I am not doing a strong check - which I need to do to make them look better!
9. Spins
1. Two Foot Spin - I am slowly starting to lose this spin, most people say once you get used to spinning on one foot you have a hard time doing it on two feet. I can get up to five rotations on a really good spin.
2. One Foot Spin - This has gotten much better in the last month! When I am sick, it’s hard (I’ve been sick the last week and my competition is in a week, yikes!). On a good push I can get myself to do 4-5 rotations, but usually I just barely get 3. I still have not started crossing my legs during the spin, right now it’s just lifted up. I have been working on lifting my leg higher.

I am still working on some other skills like stroking and crossovers, but these are the skills that I have really been focusing on this last month. I am really looking forward to this summer, the next report I will post will likely be at the end of the summer, by then I hope I have learned a couple new jumps, some step sequences, and maybe even a combination jump! I will post my summer 2016 goals in a couple weeks once the school year is over and then I can “live” at the rink!