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.

hmm...

I'm not sure I have enough fodder left for a blog.  The first like six years I was excited to post about my practices because things were new and different.  Now it's the same stuff all the time.  I take three lessons a week, but it is rare that I post even once... 

I think I'm making progress on ice dance.  Carson wants me to get deeper edges and more power on the Dutch Waltz and Canasta Tango, but both are okay. For an "encouragement" test- I think they'd pass already.  We are at a weird point where I could skate with more power, but I can't move him, and trying to increase my power if he doesn't just means flying over my toepick, and he is afraid to push me past my comfort zone, so we just need to communicate better. I told him to just skate the dances properly, and I'll keep up.  I do understand he is afraid of taking an edge that is going to take me out.

The Rhythm Blues are also making progress.  I still do not skate the end pattern when doing the dance by myself, but I am no longer holding the wall to practice step behinds.  We are doing the steps of the end pattern now when we partner the dance, but not in the right place- we have not yet started trying to flatten out the progressive so the steps go around the rink, instead we pretty much head them right at the wall, and then recover on the exit progressive to get back on pattern.  Not sure when we'll change that.  I'm about 50/50 for hitting the first step behind, the other two I get every time now.  When we first ran the dance, Carson didn't do the steps, but just held me, but the other times he did them.   I'd like to start flattening the pattern out, but we'll need to do it on a day that Taylor doesn't have a harness lesson.  The corner of the rink was cratered like the moon...


Last night I had my second "Starter Package" rowing lesson- this time on sweep rowing in the tank.  I don't like sweep as much as sculling, but it went well.  I think I have better form than learn to row, because my back is not killing me.  My wrist does hurt though- the feathering motion is very hard on my right wrist, but when I row starboard side my left wrist just sucks and I end up using my right when I'm not supposed to.  I don't think I did too badly though as she increased the speed of the water in the tank because my slow water technique was good.  My faster water technique, less good.  I need to loose a few pounds if I want to race (also, because I'm overweight right now).  I am just at the lightweight cut-off for some races and about 5 pounds above for others.  I will be much more successful racing if I am a lightweight, because even for a lightweight I am SHORT, for an open class rower- I am miniscule.  (Did you see pictures of the Women's Olympic rowing team? They just won another gold medal.  In the pictures they have one tiny girl with them; their coxswain.  Well the coxswain is 3 inches taller than me.  And about 30 pounds lighter...about the same as I weighed in college.)  See why even against recreational rowers, I can't be open class :)

Next week I have my final private lesson- on the erg.  Then I can start rowing at 5:30 in the morning with the community group.  They have afternoon times too, but as long as I keep skating, I can't do that or I'll never be home to see my husband!  Adult Nats were just announced for Scottsdale, AZ, where I have family and a skating friend, so it is definitely the goal to go, and I'd like to test at least the first 6 dances in the next year or two, so I'm not giving up skating for afternoon rowing.  Kevin and I are also looking at a new house, and sadly it is going to lengthen my commute.  When I have to drive 15 minutes instead of 10, I'm not sure how 5:30 is going to look- haha!