July 2009

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2009-07-07 19:10:00
The fact that "flying" is part of the name should have clued me in...
If anyone is keeping a list of things I can't do, add flying camel to it. It's not even that I can't do the back camel required (though I can't)- I actually can't even figure out how to jump. We also worked on corkscrew sit spins, and mine isn't awful, but the leaning forward is where I get lost, and even more so the hand between the legs which loses all semblance of being able to catch yourself when you fall. Then we tried standing up into the "gun" upright position, and I have got to get a backspin, because my left leg doesn't have enough flexibility to even attempt that... Camel is getting a little bit better. Andy says the thing I need to fix it all is speed. I'm just not sure how to get that...
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2009-07-08 21:23:00
I sit like an adult...
The sit spin is getting SO close. I am almost low enough. But I don't know how I can get any lower... The second is the pancake variation I learned yesterday. I can get the leg across, but once i try to lay on it there spin disappears. The third is the corkscrew position from Motown Tango. Just laugh at that one. Moving my hand up like that completely throws off the spin. And apparently requires me to stand up. Short Lesson today on power pulls- getting better, but not much.
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2009-07-30 07:37:00
Update
So it's been awhile since I posted. Did I ever post that I can't do any spins anymore, at all? Well it turns out the source of my toe pick dragging on my spin entry has been identified- I do the spin entry completely wrong. I was taught to step back into the circle to go to wear I came from. I can remember asking "but elite skaters look like they are going the other way" and being told no, I should essentially retrace my edge. Well- elite skaters are right- and while they do step into their circle, they do NOT step back where they came from. So for 2 weeks I've been reworking the spin entry, and as a result can't spin at all, not even the way I used to. Last night I had my first private lesson since I lost my job (yay! new job!) and while I think skating was a mistake* we did spins for dummies, and I think I have a better grip on it. Although Andy figured out the mistake, and did a good job of explaining it, group lesson really doesn't have the time needed to step by step walk me through how the heck I am supposed to do it. Thankfully Courtney was perfect for that. The new entry is so much more confusing, and she is having me bring my arms together when I step so that my upper body stays in the right place during the spin. I think in the long run this will help, though it currently does a mix of helping and confusing the crap out of me. We did four or five toe-loops, but it hurt to much to land, so I moved on. Then we did some work on the 8 step mohawk. I need to do my backwards pushes differently- I've always pushed with my foot turned out so I'm pushing off on the outside edge, and she wants me to push with my toes turned in so I'm pushing off on the inside edge. Of course, during the 8-step I had just been pushing on the flat. Then we worked a bit on that mohawk, and talked about turning my toe inward, almost like I'm heading for an inside edge, but not, to help make the turn smoother. Before the lesson I skated on my own for 45 minutes and had a pretty good practice of moves. My three turns are doing much better than before, my spirals are still pretty bad, but maybe improving, my power pulls aren't horrible- and I can make it all the way across the rink on my right foot going forward and back- my cross rolls, well they exist, and my 8-step is awful. I did some backspins, and those aren't where they were before I stopped lessons, but they aren't horrible. No jumps, as landings hurt. *Here's the mistake: my hip has been nagging me for quite awhile- first it was hip flexor pain when I leaned my upper body down on inside edge spirals. Then it was hip flexor pain always. Tuesday it just generally hurt, and yesterday I got on the ice and thought "wow my hip hurts" but i skated anyway, because nothing really made it hurt worse, it just hurt in general. But when I landed that jump- holy moly- that made it worse. So I cut those off pretty quick. Well then when I got home I found out that my hip no longer wanted to be weight bearing. I would be fine walking but if I sat down and tried to stand up it would give out, and it would take me 4-5 steps to get steady. This morning that isn't happening anymore, but it is very sore. On a side note, my shoulder seems to be fine.
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