May 4, 2006

5:43p

May 4. Skating last night was the first class that I didn’t come home feeling great. Granted, I went feeling awful. My shoulders have been bothering me since Saturday (and I got to hear “relax your shoulders” - my most frequent correction- even more often than normal). I guess I figured skating (heh- figure skating) would make me feel better because I enjoy it- like Pilates did the night before. I was horrible, and hard, but when I went home I felt good. However, I think my dull blades prevented me from getting the “feel good” aspect of skating. It seems like it is toon soon for dull blades- about 9 hours of skating- but I don’t always wear my blade guards. So I left my skates at the rink to be sharpened. All you blade-care advocates, stop your shouting. These skates, with the blades attached cost about $70 in 1994. I don’t think the blade is worth much more than a rink sharpening, and at my level it doesn’t really matter. But I really cannot wait to get new skates. Anyhow I couldn’t hold my edges for more than a 1/2 circle and I was slipping like crazy on forward 1/2 swizzles so there was definitely a blade problem, but it still made me feel like crap during the lesson. Nothing went horribly, and I was still one of the best of my very mixed level class but I was not skating up to my standards I also started a new skill which threw me off. Usually I fly around the circle with back 1/2 swizzles but that comfort move was taken away and instead of swizzling to the heel I am to start swizzling to the toe in preparation for cross cuts. Wow did that throw me off! I almost fell a few times but didn’t. (A small tangent- I still haven’t fallen. I’m so scared too now.) I really need to get my “first fall” out of the way. I should have known it was going to be a bad lesson when I caught my toepick and stumbled on our warm up stroking. My toepicks aren’t even that big. We also only ever do warm-up stroking CCW. I wish we would do it CW too so I can work on my forward crossovers at speed on both sides. So the highlights (or this week on skating forums “Bank Holiday” which amuses me): Right back snowplow stops actually work. Not at a real speed, but at a non-snail pace. My back stroking is actually coming along too. My instructor complimented me, but I’m not sure if it was a “your doing a good job” or a “I have to tell someone they are doing a good job, and that’s the best I got.” But I feel better about my stroking so let’s pretend she meant it. I still feeling ridiculous skating with my arms out and with a deep knee bend because no one else does, but I know I have to learn it now so I can skate well later. I am also concentrating on pointing my toe and extending my leg and that was complimented during my fwd crossovers! I need to learn to flex my foot and set it right down on next to my supporting side, rather than swinging it over- but they are getting better. The bad- I did a few three turns on both sides! Yes, even my left side- that was new! So why is this in the bad? I cannot figure out which way to go and have to abort most of my attempts because I try to turn the wrong way, and get befuddled before I even turn. (So is what I’m trying to do an inside 3-turn, when I’m meaning to do an outside one?) I also tried a few 2 footed spins and neither direction went well. I couldn’t keep my balance. Guess I got to keep doing Pilates and work up some core muscles :) No move by move analysis this week, so some stuff got left out. I am going skating on Friday, we have our last class next week and then the rink closes. I am hoping to take lessons in Troy this summer.