Back on the Ice

Well I haven't done a ton of skating in the last 6 weeks, hence the lapse in blogging.

• Primarily this is due to the closing of the public rinks for spring/summer, and because I experienced an injury to my neck and I wasn't able to jump or spin for a while.
  
• This week I had terrible luck and tweaked my neck again so I had to miss a session and then two other sessions were canceled for an ice show.
  
• That would not have been so bad if they had at least let us know that the sessions were canceled, but it was a surprise to everyone even my coaches.
• I've skated 3 times with the Adult synchro team. Now I see why it was called 'Precision' in the past. It's really hard! But it's so cool to skate with other Adults and they even talk to me.
• My skills have not taken too much of a hit and I think my spins have even gotten better. I've been working on more attack in all of them and I recently started putting more work into a layback spin and a sideways leaning spin. Camel spins are still inconsistent but because they've gotten a little wild as I try to make them faster. OK, my jumps have probably gotten worse, they barely leave the ground. But, I'm doing better at bracket turns and pivots.
• I got to play a couple of playoff games with my hockey team and we even made it to the final! We lost in the final, but whatever. For the spring I am playing in a league that plays on a day that works better for me, but so far it's very disorganized. The first game was ok but in the second game we only had 6 players and nobody arrived to give us jerseys or pucks. Eventually we procured jerseys and a couple of subs but double-shifts are not my favourite way to play hockey. Fortunately the other team was not too skilled and I had a lot of chances to breathe. Had a couple shots on goal too, not bad for a defender.
• I got both sets of skates sharpened and it made a huge difference. Duh!

Here's a video of my new layback spin. My parents watched one of my practices recently and brought their camera! OK so it doesn't look like Alissa Czisny's layback spin, but it sure feels like I am bent back until my body is parallel to the ice. The camera really has a way of shattering my internal perceptions ;)

I passed my Jr. Bronze Skills test!

I have been devoting a decent piece of each practice to my Jr. Bronze skills ever since my skills coach convinced me to test them. It paid off yesterday when I passed my test! I didn't skate them perfectly (had a few wobbles) but I thought they were pretty good considering the circumstances. Apparently they were good enough to pass but only with 'Satisfactory' ratings. The judge told me that one of my 3-turns was flat which I completely did not believe because my coach always tells me my turns are too curvy. She has spent all this time with me trying to get the 3-turn into my flip more flat and it ALWAYS curves. I also felt that I had strong edges and good control thoughout the patterns and figured I should have had at least one 'Good' rating....but you never can tell with judges, maybe she was picking up on those wobbles that I had. No comments on the wobbles though.

Today was the last day of our club ice and we had our year-end show. All the skaters in all the levels got to skate and there were a couple of solos from our higher-level skaters. It was fun! There were awards given out at the end and I didn't get one but I privately felt that if there were a 'Most Improved' award, I would have earned it. In July when I stepped on the ice I could hardly even skate. I couldn't do a crossover or a 3-turn. Now I have won a competition and passed two tests. I'm learning stroking and skills at the Sr. Bronze level and sometimes I have a fierce camel spin. I learned how to do jumps all over again. Except for the Lutz, I think all my elements are better than they were when I was a child and I've even learned some new ones. So I don't want to sound stuck-up but I think it is a big progression in only 8 months and even if nobody else have noticed, I have noticed, and I feel proud :)

I am sorry to see the end of the season but I will still be able to skate on Mondays and Saturdays at private rinks at least for the spring. Then we will have to see what the summer holds.

Today I picked up some fabric to make practice outfits. I think I am entitled to indulge myself!

Back to Reality

I had an amazing weekend at the Canadian Championships! There were disappointments, surprises, and sensational thrills all around! I got to high-five the pairs medallists and got my picture taken with Asher Hill. I watched Weaver and Poje do a program run-through in their track pants. I saw Amelie Lacoste an Myriane Samson watch the first flight of their events from the stands. Most of the events delivered in the excitement category and it finished with thrilling back-to-back performances from Shawn Sawyer and Patrick Chan.

Yesterday it was back to reality for me as I came home and got back on the ice, only to recall that I can't skate nearly as well as the skaters I was admiring all weekend. Sigh.

With the Christmas holidays and the preparation for Canadians, I haven't done much blogging about my own skating. It's been up and down. I didn't get to skate much during the holiday and although the break was good for my joints it wasn't terribly good for my jumps and spins. I had some real inability to do camel spins and back sit spins there for a while, but they seem to have returned somewhat. I've been building back up my confidence in my jumps and working on better speed and technique. My spirals are not too bad and I can do pretty good leg pulls on forward or backward edges. My three turns are still a bit wobbly especially backward insides (I hate those ones). I started learning Jr. Bronze Skills and the coach teaches it a bit different than the pattern posted on the Skate Canada website.

My program is coming together although it has been a month since my coach cut the music and we still haven't finished choreographing it! 2:39 is actually a lot of time to fill. I'm registered in a competition in just under a month so I would like to get it finished. Although, I just found out there's only one other woman in my category so that's kind of taking the excitement out of it for me. I'm sewing my own dress and I just have to make some small tweaks here and there, then put some decorations on it and it will be done.

I signed up for an adult ballet class thinking it would be good for my posture and flexibility, but I hurt my foot in the second class and I'm not really enjoying it as much as I hoped I would. Good thing the instructor is a childhood friend of mine and such a good teacher, that I will stick it out. Plus I want my money's worth :P

On Thursday we are having a competition simulation that I will attend. It should be interesting because my dress and program are not finished! I hope it is not too embarrassing!