Tuesday, February 17th, 2009

Time

Event

10:03a

Hmmm, well last I told you Ianded a loop and did a real toe loop. And then came the drama again (same stuff too) and then life is calm again. So here's last week. Tuesday was a fantastic skating day. I was done with the drama of the week before (see Feb. 3 entry), had ice monitored at Iowa Games and talked to Tanya about the ice dance number so that I'd be doing the willow waltz instead and learned it on Tuesday. I was relatively confident that with continued practice I'd have it no problem, as long as I was able to partner (which I made clear at Iowa Games when I talked to her about it). So Wednesday I have a lesson with Courtney, we continue working on the willow waltz, I feel relatively good about it. I have a great drop 3-turn, I mostly remember the steps (there is one progressive I always want to do a chasse) and I have a lesson planned with Tanya. I tell Tanya how I'm doing, that with a partner I'll be fine- she says "oh, but you'd have to do it solo, because all the partners are paired up and already practicing." I ask her if she just wants to run through it for kicks since I have the lesson scheduled but THANKFULLY Ryne wants to take the lesson so I'm not out almost $40. Then I go home and completly lose it. I'm FURIOUS. Twice now I've had this rug pulled out from under me. I want nothing to do with her at all. I am so unbelievably mad. Probably more so then I should be, but furious. Then I go to synchro and it goes mostly well. We have a bit of new choreography, and some of the run through isn't perfect, but not horrible. Then I come home and as I'm trying to go to sleep I start crying again, and violently shaking and I can't make it stop. I was up until about 3:30 that night. I emailed Andy basically telling him I want out of the show completely because I'm so upset about all this nonsense that I want nothing to do with it (but sort of want his okay, because I'd be quitting his number too) It is just easier to wipe the entire thing away then just confront this one issue because I am so furious with Tanya I don't even want to talk to her to tell her how ridiculous this is. While I'm doing all this I see Andy's facebook page has a message from Tanya "I need to teach you the willow waltz- you're still game for it, right" Partner's paired up and practicing already? BULL SHIT! Either way, if Tanya has a partner she could easily be the one to do it solo, not me. As a coach you should be the one to be flexible, not the skater in your number. Thursday Andy calls me with a "what the hell was that email about" sort of call. He probably stayed on the phone with me for 40 minutes during lunch and convinces me that while he thinks I'm justifably upset, Tanya probably has no idea what she's done. He also thinks I should stay in the numbers I'm enjoying- and talks to me about the "recasting" of his, which I understand was a time thing more than anything and I'm not mad at him, even though I was a bit and it did hurt me. So okay, I'll do the show, and decide on Sunday if I'm doing the adult number. I'm glad he called me. Saturday I go to Coralville freestyle and Danilo and I do the willow waltz a few times together. I have some timing and tracking issues (both things Courtney didn't really cover with me yet) but it really wasn't THAT bad. It would have been a stretch for me to get it, but I still think I could have! He also does the Dutch with me, and that's not so bad partnered, but I don't want to do it solo! Otherwise practice didn't go great- my blades are VERY dull from working on all the stops this month. Then I go up to Cedar Rapids for club ice. First off- I love the ice up there. I can actually do power pulls. My spins are FAST and usually centered. Man is that ice awesome. (Although I think jumping is harder up there). Then Andy's group was about as frustrating as it always is. Ryne has no sense of blocking or space and routinely cuts me off in intersecting lines. It's one thing when Brooklyn (a 7 year old) does it, but Ryne is old enough to know better. Of course, one of the times I got in Mark's way, because he skates so much faster than me and I couldn't tell if he was just going to cut me off, but he was trying to wait for me to go... oops. I apologized for it though. The footwork at the end I've finally connected is almost the same as our footwork in synchro- (we call them "brackets" but they aren't really) except on a curve and going REALLY fast. I can't do it. I also can't do the choctaw. :( But it went well. I thanked Andy for calming me down. Sunday was opening number rehearsal and I can point and gasp my mouth with the best of them. It's mostly just pantomime and skating from one place to another. No footwork. I've found that middle schoolers are just as catty as they were when I was there. (I'm a "fan" of the "celebrities" and there are 4 other girls who are "fans". They told me they were the "main fans"- and maybe I should be a "paparatzi" instead. Oh get over yourself. The high schoolers I skate with in the other group- and on freestyle ice- are much nicer) Then we did adult ice dance rehearsal. I decided if I'm going to do any of the show I need to do all of it. So I'm going to suck it up and do the dutch waltz. I found out another adult (a coach, actually) was also pretty pissed off with Tanya for reasons related to the willow waltz. So it's not just me who thinks she's being really selfish about this number. That coach was doing it solo, but Tim (a junior level skater) offered to learn the dance and do it with her, so she has a partner now. That was really nice of Tim. Anyhow- Andy told Tanya he would like to partner me for the Dutch Waltz (thanks Andy) so I'm much happier with the number. It's still just one lap around the rink, and kind of silly, but at least I feel like I'm doing something. The three adults (two ladies, one man) who are soloing are barely doing crossovers. Lisa was right that it was LOW level. Another adult who is working on her bronze dances is also doing the dutch, and Danilo is partnering her, but she is thinking she'd rather do it solo. Even if she does- I am NOT giving up my partner. Andy and I actually did it fairly well together (which is good, because that means I get out of having to pay for Dutch Waltz practice)- on the end pattern the swing roll that always gives me trouble continues to because his edge is SO deep I trip myself nearly every time. But regardless it will look good. It was kind of funny the first pattern we were on the third entry step when he asked me if I could call the steps because he didn't remember the dance. At the end of the pattern we kind of do an acting thing where he casts me aside for Tanya (and Danilo his partner for Lisa) and they go off and do the other dance. I'm just really glad Andy offered to do that. It makes doing this number much more fun. And then, just because while I'm much happier, and much calmer, I was quite happy that Tanya's rehearsal got a bit hijacked by Amy who was working on Lauren's solo and wants the adults to be background actors for it. So we spent a good amount of time practicing that while you could see Tanya get progressively more upset with Amy. Ha. I'll just be glad when this ice show is over. Unless I'm a better skater next year, I don't see myself doing it again.