2012 Accomplishments, 2013 Hopes

It's hard not to look back and look forward at New Years. And of course, this year's skating is one thing I've reflected on quite a bit in my pondering. Here's a recap.

• A few days before New Years last year, I got the good news from my orthopedist that my broken ankle was finally healing.
• In January of 2012, I began physical therapy.
• On April 1st, I was allowed to return to the ice.  (I actually had my first skate on March 31st--I know, I'm a rebel.) I started skating once a week, starting with stroking, crossovers, swing rolls, mohawks, 3 turns and a little bit of ice dance.
• In May, I resumed lessons with my coach, working on pre-bronze moves, which I had been about to test when I got injured.
• In July, I switched to working on ice dance with a male coach, so that he could also partner me. My primary coach challenged me to pick up bronze moves for the August test session.
• In August, I tested and passed pre-bronze moves, bronze moves, and all three preliminary dances. I also started jumping again.
• In September, I started a spins class, because I decided I needed a new perspective on this element that's been particularly tough for me.
• In November, I actually began to spin.
• In December, I passed my pre-bronze free skate and I performed with the spins class in a rink holiday recital.

Somewhere, between August and December, I also started my sit spin, loop, flip and lutz, as well as silver moves. I put together a video summary of some of my best examples caught on tape this year and have included it at the bottom of this post.

As for 2013, I have some official goals, and some secret hopes. My official goals are more related to tests and competitions. I've gone over these with my coach(es):

• Skate in two local competitions (March and September) and give a good showing
• Test silver moves and pre-bronze dances in April (and pass!)
• Test bronze free skate, probably in the October - December time frame (and pass!)

And my hopes are element goals I have, things which I can't resolve to do, but can aim to work on.

• Start axel and double salchow (and land them--haha! But this is my number one hope.)
• 15 revolution scratch spin (double my current revs. I have no clue if that's realistic.)
• Bronze dances
• improve back spin and sit spin
• 3 revolutions on camel spin and maybe layback spin
• CCW outside spreadeagle

That ought to keep my busy. Here's to happy and healthy skating in 2013!

Spread Eagle

I am very close to getting an outside spread eagle.

I set one foot, bend my knees and set the other one, then slowly straighten my knees. By the end, I'm travelling in a straight line, very very slowly.

Spins coach saw me practicing it during a public session. "Now, do a waltz jump out of it!" she challenged me.

But... I'm going the wrong way! Clockwise, instead of counterclockwise. I'm nowhere close to an outside spread eagle going counter clockwise.

When I first returned to the ice after my broken ankle, I couldn't jump. I couldn't do a left shoot the duck. I couldn't do a lunge on either side, because my left leg wasn't strong enough to bend and stand back up and it was too painful to drag it on the ice behind me. I've gotten back to being able to do all those things, but every once in a while, I find some aspect of strength or flexibility I still haven't gotten back, and left foot leading spread eagles and bauers are one of those things.

Since I can more or less get into the position for a spread eagle with my right foot leading, I don't think it's that I can't get my left foot into the correct position. But when I try to lead with the left foot, I can't keep my body in the right position over my foot to place the right one on the ice. It seems to be a strength issue. I'll keep working on it, as I don't know another way to strengthen those muscles!

Now I also achieved the spread eagle position flat on my back after my first try at backwards power circles, but that's another story!

I'm Afraid It's Worse Than I'd Feared

Um, excuse me, skating school recital director.... Where is my supplementary tutu? I am not 12!

Practicing some new things

Unfortunately, my test on Saturday morning interfered with my weekly lesson, but I was able to get in some nice practice time. I only intended to skate one session, but I was enjoying myself so much I stayed for a second. This video shows some of the moves I've just started working on, like flip, sit spin, camel spin and falling leaf. Hopefully one day it'll make for some nice "before" footage. 

In which I'm more worried about my skirt than my salchow

Two days until my test. What to wear, what to wear.

On the bottom: I bought a Chloe Noel skirt about two months ago, but I finally decided that it doesn't fit. The briefs fit great, but the actual skirt part pulls slightly so it bunches a little in the front. I could always go back to the ballet skirt I got for my MITF test, but that one is actually a little too big and I'd prefer something a little shorter for my freestyle test. I think I've pretty much decided on a swingy pull-on black skirt I've skated in before. The problem with that one is that the back is actually a little shorter than the front, unless I wear it backwards and then the pockets are on my butt....

The top: I ordered a leotard online earlier this week. If it gets here by tomorrow and it fits, it will be in the running. Otherwise, I have a plethora of black tops to choose from, none of which quite suit my liking with my skirt options. They're either too long, or too baggy, or not really in great enough shape for a test setting. And the top candidate is in the laundry basket. Oh well, that part's fixable.

It's kind of funny that the thing I'm most caught up on about my upcoming test is what I'm going to wear. I'm mostly excited for my test. I'm a little bummed that it's going to be double or triple paneled. I guess I'm also a little worried that I might have a bad spinning day, but I don't feel like there's anything I can do about that. I had a good spinning day in spins class yesterday, and my spins seem to at least hang around for a few days, so I'm hoping that bodes well for Saturday.

And so... is it test day yet? Is it? Is it?

Pre-Bronze Practice

I've been working on the elements for my pre-bronze free skate test for a long time, but I haven't really been working on them as if for a test. With the test session coming up in less than two weeks, I thought it would be a good time to run through the elements like they'll be for the test. Also, I needed to make sure to squeeze in some skating before Thanksgiving.

Here's my practice:

Unexpected Lutz, Part 2

I don't normally tell my coach about my skating dreams, firstly because I'd rather tell her about my actual practices. Secondly, unlike in real life, where she's supportive, positive and often just as giddy about my skating successes as I am, in my dreams my coach is often an oppressive, demanding, hot-headed monster. In this one, she was only nonchalant and inattentive, so I told her about it when I stopped to retie my skates.

 I've been doing half-flip and half-lutz for a while and Coach has had me start on some additional exercises to prepare for the full rotation jumps. "Feeling brave?" she asked after a few half-flips. "Sure, why not?" I replied and went for the single flip. I managed to get up and around and land on one foot, so not a bad result. Then on to half-lutz. I did a couple of those and she posed the same question: "Feeling brave?" and I gave her the same answer. "Sure, why not?" this time with a bit more hesitation. "After all," she called out as I set up for the jump, "it's your dream!"

 And it was the same result as the flip, up and around and landed on one foot. Was it my dream? I'd essentially just landed my first lutz! On my first try! Perhaps I should have been more excited. But it was under-rotated. And I'd already done it in my dream. Or maybe I was still dreaming.

My brain, like McKayla Maroney, was not impressed.

But now that I've gotten over my first time, real or dream, I'm hoping my brain can be in the moment when I go out and try it again, because I think I... I... I actually landed my first lutz!

Unexpected Lutz

Last night, I landed my first lutz.

And then I woke up.

Well, it didn't go quite like that. In my dream, I was in a lesson and we were running through my jumps. We got to half lutz and while I was setting up, I just decided I wanted to try a full rotation and *bam* I landed it. Coach was non-chalant. "Okay, do it again." Had she even seen it? I skated back out, set up and again *bam* single lutz. "Okay," coach said without feeling and instructed me to do the next element.

"This must be a dream," I thought in my dream, because there's no way my coach would send me out to do a half lutz, watch me land a single which I'd never attempted before and not even show any emotion. Still, I woke up with a feeling of accomplishment that stuck with me the rest of the day. I landed my first single lutz! (Note to self: it was a dream, remember?)