Lesson Report

Since LTS ended for the year, I've been having my lessons on public ice- I think Carson doesn't want to wake up for freestyle.  So I've had two of them now, and it sounds like he isn't teaching LTS anymore, so I'll continue with public lessons, which kind of sucks, but isn't too bad.  If I'm not using freestyle ice anymore I might stop LTS though.

The first wasn't too bad, just about 5 public skaters and 5 low/mid freestyle on the ice.  But yesterday was kind of crazy, about 50 skaters on the ice.  I am now skilled in the art of dodge dancing, though ironically I do much better at it with a partner than on my own.  (Carson has better instinct on when we can buzz by people and when we need to stop.  I see people and think STOP! STOP!)

So I didn't post about last week, so I'll let you know I learned part of the swing dance.  Just chasses and swing rolls and skating in waltz hold.  I love it so much!  It really feels like you are ice dancing and it is so fun to skate in waltz hold on those deep curves.

This week we worked on the end pattern.  This dance the man and the woman do all the same steps (Carson tells me once we get to dances with 'girl steps' he can't teach them- BOO), but not necessarily at the same time. There are two end patterns the "you were going forward" and the "you were going backward" one.  The "you were going backward" one is easy- step forward, a few steps and a slip step (that I can't get the timing of right, but in theory, should be easy).  When you step forward the hold changes, so I've heard some people don't like it because the step seems unsupported, but it wasn't a problem for me.  The problem for me is the "you were going forward" end pattern.  It has a mohawk in it.  A mohawk that is likely very easy for CCW skaters doing these low level dances but is the ultimate doom for me.  (I am so sided, I know dancers are supposed to not be sided, but then why are there no CW mohawks in the low level dances?  The steps in the pre-bronze level really favor CCW skaters).  So when we did it fairly slowly, I was able to do it and was thinking "okay, so we are in a looser hold, but I'm still holding onto Carson, I can totally do this!"  Then we did the dance at tempo and this time it was "OMG! OMG! I am not doing that mohawk!!! AHHH! Crazy talk!"  The third time (also at tempo) was similar to the second, but I did a two foot turn.  Not good for dance, but an improvement for me, since in synchro (wow, long time ago) most of the time I turned counter to the group because I couldn't even two foot turn.

Still, I'm glad we are working on this dance because I love the chasse/swing roll part of it.  The only problem- when I am skating forward, I can't see over Carson's shoulder, which makes it very hard to watch for the public skaters!  He skates looking backwards, it is nice to have  a coach as a partner, because if I was skating with someone equal to my ability, we'd both be dead.

I'm still skating...sort of

I haven't posted much, because not much has been going on.  I had 1 lesson in all of November, and it is looking more like that might be the case for December.  (My lesson this Saturday got canceled for a hockey tournament.)

I did have a lesson last Saturday.  If we ever find a test session, I am fairly ready to go on the first 4 dances.  Carson wants me to start learning the swing dance, so we'll be working on 5.  He also taught me the Golden Skater's waltz as something to 'add interest' (it isn't on a test)- but seriously, I have enough to remember, so I'm not sure I want interest!

Before my lesson I discovered if I start on the bad foot I can make the full rink of power pulls without losing speed!!!  And I was doing a lot better on my camel- about 3 revolutions and stand up to a scratch spin instead of 1 revolution and fall over.  Pretty exciting.  I got compliments on both during my lesson and also on my cross rolls! 

Sadly, 8-step mohawk is bad as ever :(   I don't think Silver moves is on the horizon, as I still can't do spirals.  I don't really understand why spirals hurt so bad when camels don't, but I must hold the leg differently. 

So nothing new on the horizon, and we haven't heard of a test session yet.  A coach said Omaha has one early February, but I'm not sure if a) they will since they are hosting nationals late January and b) if I really want to drive to Nebraska in the middle of the winter.