Figure skating (and you!)

Argh, it comes to the time of my annual, “Do I want to keep skating?” crisis. 

My one and only rink option in town continues to be basically impossible to skate at.

There was a time in 2011 when the rink was operating two facilities and I could skate four days a week, Wednesday/Thursdays and Saturday/Sunday. The practice time helped me to improve steadily, keeping me happy and challenged and feeling accomplished. For various reasons the rink shut down their larger facility, and hockey and lessons took over about 80% of the available ice time.

The rink does have morning free style sessions that are, I believe, anywhere from $15 to $20 dollars per session. I think a punch card drops the price down to $13. I have been skating at public sessions for two and a half years at roughly $4-$6 a pop. Freestyle sessions are mostly offered butt early in the morning, and hardly at all in the evening.

By skating public sessions I manage about 1 - 3 days of practice, Saturday and/or Sunday, and if I’m feeling particularly full of gumption I’ll go skate for about 25-30 minutes during my lunch break one weekday. At the very end of 2012 I learned the loop jump. 

It’s 2013 and I still haven’t landed it. This is partly my fault, I’ve stopped being diligent about off-ice exercising and have not strengthened my core/back. And it’s also partly the fact that I never practice it because I have very little time to practice now. I randomly developed a problem with my scratch spin in the summer and it took me ages to get the problem fixed. The stagnation makes skating a lot more frustrating. 

So one option is, obviously, spend the money and go to freestyles more often. Which would be a lot more of an option if I had lots of money, and if the money I didn’t have didn’t want to get spent on other things like vacations to visit friends in London. Or, idk, getting married since I think that’s on the horizon. 

The other option is stop skating and pay half the price to go to an all access gym that’s open all the time and take up running again. I could always come back, but coming back means starting from scratch and starting from scratch is literally the most depressing thought to me. But maybe I shouldn’t come back since it’s not like I’m ever going to master this thing anyway? But then why do I even have my sexy awesome skates if I’m not going to skate? 

::DEEP BREATH::

I’m going to skate for the first time since mid-December this weekend and we’ll see if my problem is just too much time away from the ice.

(Perhaps entirely unrelated is the fact that I just didn’t really enjoy this season. It’s the weird year before the Olympic season, yeah, but Johnny’s comeback fizzle, the breaking up of two fave senior pairs, the lack of some of the faves I picked on personality to get it together, every time Brian Joubert takes his knees out on the ice, IDK. It just hasn’t been much fun and I’m terrible at suspense and stress and the Olympic season is basically going to absolutely nothing but suspense and stress and blergh.)

Blisters, Skating Watch Parties, and the Freaking Loop

Despite not spending a ton of time on this weekend, I still managed to practice pretty seriously, I think. I skated Thursday but not with a ton of strength, had a lesson Saturday and stayed a while after, and then skated for a straight hour today, not taking any breaks, just practicing what I knew I needed to get done. The result is blisters, yeah, but also a sense of pride for going for it.

I am still not landing the loop, and despite promising myself two weeks ago that I would practice it with intent, I still avoided it. I was doing some off ice jump rotations every other day, a couple attempts in practice, but everything I was doing was basically that famous definition of insanity, ie-

The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.

Saturday my coach and I went over the jump again and practically everything was the same, rushing the timing, a very low, jump lacking power, arms that did nothing to help the jump, a half rotation and then a little skip hop to cheat into a landing position.

So my coach took me off the jump and put me on the circle to do right back outside three turns so that I could learn to open up while on that back outside edge instead of hunching and hugging the circle. We didn’t have enough time for me to really get the turn, but he told me to practice it.

Today I did practice that several minutes, just back outside edge, open up outside the circle, three turn, mohawk, crossover, repeat. Since I’m not great at back threes, I have to take my time and make sure I’m on the right part of the blade. That hesitation before the turn, to make sure that I do it right, really helped me to calm to down.

After that I spent fifteen or twenty minutes just doing maybe thirty or forty loop attempts. I think it was the longest I ever went without getting frustrated and quitting (even though another girl was doing double loops not ten feet away).

The result wasn’t a landed jump, but I FINALLY stopped trying to do the same thing over and over again. I stopped thinking about the jump and how angry it made me, and started thinking about keeping my back up, my arms strong. I started thinking about not rushing the timing and really feeling the curve of the edge before I went for the jump. I thought about how I needed to bring my arm up to meet the other.

The result was a more confident entry, better timing and higher jump up that covered a little more ground. I still can’t get a full rotation out of it, but by the end of the day I was landing forward and not immediately shifting over to the left foot. I landed forward on the right foot, and just accepted it instead of doing any unnecessary skip-hops to trying make it look like a full rotation jump. I think if I can just work on my rotation, I might start landing on my right foot going the right direction.

We’ll see. My god, I can’t wait to move on from this jump.

Amidst of the skating I was actually doing, I was also watching Skate America! Not exactly a show stopper of a grand prix, but still inspiring. And best yet, I got together with my friends from the rink and we watched the highlights together with good food, and good drinks, and bitched about rink politics for hours. We all talked about how hard it is to skate in a city with no program, but we all agreed we’d never want to take up any other sport.

End result, even with blisters and not landing that stupid jump, I’m feeling good about where my skating might go this winter.

Practice Update

Typical. With the start of the figure skating season, Nebelhorn last weekend, Finlandia, Japan Open, Ondrej Nepela, and French Masters (and JGP Croatia, but I cut my losses there and haven’t watched anything from that), I suddenly felt the need to rededicate myself to practice. 

For the first time in a long time, I’ve come away from my weekend practices with bruises, blisters, and a sore backside from falls. Yet, I couldn’t be more pleased.

Everything is going right with my toe loops. I adore doing them, and they’re finally getting height. I’m going to see if I can get some video, but I’ll probably be disappointed to actually SEE them and not just feel them.

Salchows and waltz jumps are fine. I can see how far they’ve come and I can see where they need to go. Did some footwork today, too, including some fun steps I’d sort of forgotten and found that I’m more confident with them.

I got off one or two good back spins, and I’m insanely pleased to announce that as of today my scratch spin has finally gotten back to where it was before it suddenly fell apart over the summer. I can find the sweet spot more easily, be more patient with pulling in my arms, and hold it for six or seven revolutions. Sometimes they’re even centered. What I still cannot do, unfortunately, is get my leg in the right position to cross over. I’m going to have to work on that.

Today as I practiced I kept this quote in my head:

“I fear not the man who has practiced ten thousand kicks once. But I fear the man who has practiced one kick ten thousand times.” - Bruce Lee

Seems like in figure skating, you’ve got to practice ten thousand things ten thousand times, but oh well. Nothing is going to improve if I don’t practice. If I have to do seven scratch spins that make me feel like the worst skater, to get to one half decent one, fine. If I have to do a hundred spins that fall apart because I can’t stop opening up my hip, fine.

I took a break from the loop this week, but next week it is all loop, all the time. (Along with the other 9,999 things.)

Did a lunch break skate

Clear ice to practice all the edge work my coach always surprises me with in lessons. I did some things I really liked, nice big lobes on the consecutive crossovers (back and forward) and the weight transfer felt right. My RF0 3 turn is finally symmetrical. Forward consecutive edges are clearer of the little bobbles at the end on the weak foot. My weakest edges are still back inside consecutive edges, and inside three turns. Although I can dothem which is at least something to start with.

Moved on to some jumps and was disappointed that my legs weren’t feeling crazy strong on the waltz jumps. Sometimes I feel like I can really go for the jump, other time it’s like my thighs doubt that they can actually get me in the air. Still I got off three decent waltz jumps in succession, something my coach wanted last week but didn’t get. Salchows are still whippy, but I can control them enough to add a toe loop for a combination. The highlight of the practice is that my toe loops felt bigger than ever. I don’t know why, but everything about that jump makes sense to me, in a way that few other jumps do.

Feeling pretty good about myself I moved on to spins.

And then promptly stopped feeling good about myself.

I’ve been trying to improve my core, I’ve been working on my arms, I’m practicing them more, but it is like hell waiting for the breakthrough. My scratch spins are better than they were went they COMPLETELY FELL APART over the summer, and my backspins are now stronger than my scratch spins, but I can’t quite get out of them yet. Not without putting my foot down anyway. I can’t believe how long it’s taking me to understand spins. I can’t believe how regularly I bust myself back to go into them from a stand still.

I swear if I don’t get them by this winter I’m just… I don’t even know.

Bleh

Some friends from work and I have been exercising in a park not too far from our office. It’s a wide open park, not at all wooded, where families and dog owners go for walks. There’s a professionally run boot camp that uses a field.  The girls and I all pool our workout resources, sharing free weights and kettlebells and yoga mats. We do routines we find online and encourage each other.

We’ve been going two times a week for almost a month, and it’s been pretty great. It’s helped me finally start doing my off-ice exercises more consistently. Jump rotations are a lot more fun with someone to talk to.

Today, midway through our work out the man who runs the boot camp walked passed us and said, “Just so you know, someone is taking your picture.” He then pointed to a truck where two guys were sitting, one with a camera which was then lowered to his lap. 

We stared at the guys in shock and confusion. They did not stare back. But they didn’t leave either. Not knowing what else to do, we just picked up our workout gear and moved to an area that would be harder to see from the parking lot. We completed the workout, looking over our shoulders frequently and discussing what we could do, what we wanted to do. We couldn’t really come to a consensus.

Thankfully the men left before we all walked back to the parking lot together.

It’s pretty staggeringly unfair that our bodies, our images were considered open season to two strangers for no other reason than we were women in a free access, public space. Not that it matters, but none of us were dressed provocatively. I don’t personally see the appeal of taking pictures of women in loose shorts, tank tops, and pony tails, but maybe the thrill for those guys was that we weren’t aware.

There’s no point at all to this entry except to get out how frustrating it is to try get fit, improve yourself, be body positive only to have someone rudely undercut that by treating you like a peep show.

Did I miss something?

Today on the ice I couldn’t turn in any direction without seeing fluorescent practice gear. Fluorescent orange, fluorescent blue, fluorescent pink, fluorescent yellow. Did they send out a memo that you have to look like you glow in the dark if you wanna be a skater?

Practice 6/16/12

Woke up feeling good but also with a text from my best friend saying she would be skipping out on today’s practice.

I thought, ever so briefly about skipping practice, since no one would know, but I’m glad I did.

My jumps today were very, very satisfying. Waltz, salchow, toe, waltz-side-toe-hop-waltz, waltz-toe, salchow-toe. They all felt bit and effortless and the landings were smooth and extended. I cannot wait to show my coach where these jumps are. I thiiiiiiiiink I might even try to have someone video them for me to see if they’re worth putting up on the blog. We’ll see how embarrassed I am by the footage.

Without someone there to say “practice your loops” I admit I did about fifteen and stopped bothering. There’s a little more rotation, but I just can’t keep my back straight. Something to think about tomorrow. Back spins are getting consistent though, which is nice.

The best news overall is I have figured out what’s holding me back with my scratch spin. As is so often the case I’ve been sabotaging myself with my free leg. I thought it was because I was scared of getting it into the right position but no, I’ve just trailing it behind me like a big giant sail or something when I should be keeping it tighter to my body.

I still can’t get 100% into the right position, but if I think about that free leg and keeping my upper body strong, I can get closer which is at least something to work with.

In other news I have 300 followers which is AMAZING. I wish I was better at tumblr so I could give you all a gift.

Practice Log: The Weekend

I promised myself I was going to post more about my skating and I’m going to even though I feel like I have absolutely nothing new to report. Bet y’all didn’t know just getting really frustrated about an element doesn’t equal progress.

I went skating both Saturday and Sunday. Both days found me exploring the same problems with the loop and scratch spin as I did on Wednesday. The same elements that felt great on Wednesday, waltz jumps, toe loops, salchows, and back spins felt great this weekend. The only difference is that Saturday I was hungover and Sunday I felt pretty good.

The only difference was how angry I got when I didn’t see improvement. Which would be something if that meant I went for bigger attempts, risked more. But I did the same stuff and just got angrier when it didn’t work. At the same time it felt silly because it’s one thing to watch a twelve year old get frustrated off that she can’t land her axel or double jumps. It’s another thing to be an adult trying to land a mid-difficulty jump. I gotta keep that in mind next time I’m on the ice.

IDK it’s another week. I’m going to try to really put some time in off ice and I have a few more practices to show my coach something he hasn’t seen before. 

Practice Log 6/6/12

I went for a short practice yesterday, but didn’t feel like inundating people’s dashboards with two doses of My Adventures in Mediocre Skating in one day.

In brief-

Loop: Ugh, whatever this jump. It’s like my body has no idea on what on earth it’s trying to do. I try to add power from my skating ankle, and end up doing a broadway or can-can kick with my free leg. I try to get any rotation at all and end up pre-rotating, landing on two feet and spinning on the ice. IDK, IDK. My coach has taught me two entries, one from a stand still, one in combination with a waltz jump. Working the two together has worked to add a little height and distance, but I can’t make my arms work to get me around for a full rotation. Best I manage is a really haphazard forward landing 25% of the time. I’ve got two more weeks to get some sort of progress under my belt before we’re in lessons again. I’d like to at least work on DIFFERENT MISTAKES.

Toe Loop: In our last lesson my coach forced me to start adding speed into these and they are suddenly SO BIG. I’m in love. I would do the toe loop forever if I could. I don’t even care that I’m not impressing anyone but myself.

Scratch Spin: I’m still struggling with getting my leg in the right position. If I enter from a wind-up I can’t stop myself from opening up my hip and putting the leg out to the side, instead of keeping it closed and putting my leg out front. I can manage it when starting from a standstill, but adding much more momentum than that and I suddenly can’t make myself even try. I got off a really good (for me) spin yesterday, though, so that gives me hope. Another thing I want to improve before I get back with my coach.

Backspin: These are pretty stagnant. Better than they were this time last year, but not by much. I did discover having my best friend shout “BEND YOUR KNEE!” at me as I go into it helps, though. Thanks, best friend.

Summer Time Blues

I haven’t been as active as of late, either in practice logs or reblogging mostly because this is the first time I’ve had to deal with a summer slump. I started skating in summer of ‘10, so obviously I was very excited about starting something new. In summer of ‘11 I had just started working one-on-one with my coach, and was completely enthralled with the quick progress I was starting to make in coaching sessions versus classes.

This summer is proving to be a new, not-fun challenge. I’m still skating, though not as regularly as I was before. This is partly due to the reduction in available ice time, and partly because I find myself reluctant to spend more than an hour and a half on the ice when there’s so much sun and swimming and hanging out to do. I guess some of the novelty has worn off, and I’m more and more reluctant to give up the chance to get out and do something for the chance to practice.

There’s also my continued discouragement with the loop jump. I’ve got such a mental block on it that I’m sabotaging myself by not working hard enough on the off ice training that will help me get it. Intellectually, I know that working harder will probably yield better results, but emotionally, I’m like, “Why bother?” I imagine what it would feel like, landing one, and I know it would make everything worth it, but it’s been a long time, and I guess I’m losing hope?

In a way I also feel like I’m missing a goal. I don’t have any current plans to test or compete. I love the skills I’ve learned, I want to learn more, but there’s no deadline, no number I’m working towards. It’s somehow not as satisfying when all you’re thinking about is one jump, and one spin.

Anyway, not sure how to fix this yet, but I am going to try and start keeping practice logs again to see if I can get my pride back in my skating.