Competition Update

Since I posted here about my plans and prep for the July Center Ice Arena ISI Open, I figured I should update you all on how it went. 

I competed in Delta with my Pirates of the Caribbean program and placed first!

I also competed in Delta complulsory; which included left inside 3-turn, Bunny hop, and lunge. I cleanly skated each element but then fell on a t-stop at the end. I placed 3rd. 

Competition Prep

The Center Ice Arena ISI Open is next weekend!

Since I was injured in June (not skating related, I tripped over a curb!), I missed a little over 2 weeks of preparation and practice. This is a brand new program and the loss of practice time has really had an impact. I don't feel competition ready at all!

The program, which I love (Thank you Trista!) will be skated to Up is Down by Hans Zimmer from the Pirates of the Caribbean At Worlds End.


I am competing at the ISI Delta level which requires; a Left Inside 3-turn, Right Inside 3-turn, Forward Outside and Inside edges, and a Lunge (or Shoot the Duck). Give or take a few minor adjustments, here is my program;

My new competition dress is a custom dress from Icexquisite. I love it!

 

So I've got the program, and the dress now all I need is the ice time to practice......

I am an USFS Basic Skills Member

Today at Home Rink, I received my official USFS membership packet and my membership card should be there next week.   

The packet included a record book, with all the USFS levels and elements listed in order, a sheet of gold star stickers, that can be placed in the book as each element is learned, a basic skills program patch and year patch. 

I am trying to decide where to put my patches; on my skating sweater, or on my skate bag, or somewhere else entirely? Any suggestions?

It was also our first day of Basic Skills lessons. It is just myself and one other skater in the Adult 4 class. Coach M is coaching Adult 4. I was sort of disappointed, the lesson plan didn't seem much different than it had been. I was expecting to work specifically on the list of Adult 4 elements, but we didn't. We spent more than three quarters of the lesson doing crossovers, then rushed through some forward outside 3-turns. Which actually brings up another frustration I have, Coach M teaches the arm position for 3-turns opposite of all my other coaches, I don't want to blatantly say he teaches "wrong", but it seems that way!

Private coach and I worked on spirals today. It was fun.... kinda. I am much more flexible on my right side, but more stable on my left, it is weird.  

Frabjous Day!

Lessons last weekend consisted mostly of evaluating students for placement into the USFS Basic Skills program. In the adult group lesson, I was first to be evaluated.

Things went really well at first. Until Coach M, asked me to do an forward inside three turn. I had been working on these, but had not been able to get them yet. I didn't want to give up and just not try, so I decided to just go for it.

And..... it was perfect! I have no idea how I did it, but I did!

So while I was warming up for my private lesson, I tried to do it again and couldn't. It was very frustrating.
I told Private Coach, about my miracle and the subsequent defeat, she suggested I try it again. I went for it and ..... It was perfect!

Right now about 3 out of every 5 of my inside 3 turns is good, they will only get better.

Since I was high on confidence, Private coach suggested trying bunny hops again. I've been struggling with a mental block on bunny hops for a while now. Magically, I did it! It didn't have much height, nor was it graceful, but both feet did leave the ice!

I am so happy! To celebrate this I blinged out my blades.

Movin' on up

I am ready to test ISI Gamma!

It was like one day my left forward outside three turn, just happened. One minute I couldn't do it, then I could! That was the only element holding me back in Gamma.

Private coach and I have been working on Delta elements. I've had a good (passable) lunge since January, we'e worked on consecutive forward edges. My inside edges are really good, outside are wobbly, but passable. That leaves bunny hops and forward inside three turns to work on before I can test Delta. 

Unfortunately, I will not be able to take weeknight lessons at The Other Rink for the next 8 weeks, because of school. I have classes every night. So my hope is that I can continue to work with Private Coach on the Delta elements, that way when I do go back to lessons at The Other Rink in June, I will be able to sign up for Freestyle 1. 

I am so excited! 

Making Progress

I've struggled with forward outside 3-turns since September. My problem is two-fold; I keep opening my hips, and my weight is not centered over the blade, but is shifted towards the toe pick instead, both of which cause me to put my free foot down.

Over my last two lessons I've finally been able to consistently complete right forward outside 3 turns, but I continue to struggle on the left side. Interestingly enough, the left side is my weaker side on forward crossovers, so I'm thinking I have issues with the left forward outside edge.

Which is why this weeks skating homework includes forward outside edges in addition to lunges, FO3's, and FI3's.