9-4-2007

9:05p
Loving the group lessons
I LOVE group lessons with Andy. They are my favorite part of the week.

Today went really well- we started with crossovers- I have got to bend my knees more. He was working with the other gals and started to skate towards me, so I bent further down, and then he skated away. Yeah- if I know the correction, I just gotta do it!

Then we did consecutive edges, including back edges. He has us bend the entire edge- very different from Burton, but I had a lot more control of the back inside (my weak edge). I think it's good to try another way, but I'll have to keep practicing both. I wish I could do the way that works better for me, but for the most part Burton prefers his ways- so I just use the other ways to help guide me in getting Burton's way (like Jessi's backspin tip- Burton was not a big fan, even though I think I prefer it)

Then we worked on spins. I'm not centering well, but definetly crossng my leg better. I need to hold the 3-turn longer, but I can't seem to NOT turn. I always scare myself though because when I get my leg crossed tight I feel like I'm going SO fast.

We worked on waltz jumps again- I have GOT to look UP! But the pulling the arms back for the prep and the knee up is going better.

Then we worked on half-loops. I was able to do them in both directions and only got told "good" so I guess they are okay for now. My half jumps are all so tenative. They are such stupid jumps until you start making them into leaps.

Then we did half lutz- I also do these both ways, so they just confuse the heck out of me of which way I'm supposed to go. Of the half toe jumps, this one is my worst. I just don't get of the ground. It's more of a step than a jump.

Then we did half flips. I worked on half flips in stag leap position and in an open position. They aren't as good as they sound- but this is the half jump that I get the most height on, but only since my last lesson with Burton. I want to work on this from a mohawk, as I only do it from a 3 turn or backwards crossovers right now. I haven't done mohawks in a long time- they are hard and I don't like them.

I didn't skate tonight. The session was infested with incredible numbers of hockey skaters who were just going way to fast and in unpredicatable patterns and figure skaters who were trying really hard to practice in between them- I had one little girl run straight into me going backwards doing power crossovers without even attempting to look- neither of us fell, thankfully, and she just seemed very startled and apologetic.

I need to work on 2 foot spins- as that's my weakest element for the test- I just never do them, so now that I am, I'm traveling like crazy (if I skate into them). I really wish Burton would let me just do it from a wind up.

Tomorrows lesson however is going to focus on learning things for synchro- tango stop, backward chasses, and reviewing brackets (though Brianna says it's just one to change direction, not footwork to change and then come back- which is what I have trouble with).