Barre-ing it all: 3 months of skating

First off, I apologize for my long hiatus.  As work and skating ramped up, life got a little hectic.  But I am proud to say that today is my 3 month skating anniversary!  I ought to be given stock in IcyHot, seeing as I've probably bought the company out by now.  

This past week, I started taking some beginning ballet classes as a compliment to my ice time.  Many of the movements are quite similar to figure skating, and I'm hoping to gain some grace and musicality out of the deal as well.  I have committed to doing my first competition in August and have three months to buckle down!

 Thrills: 3 turns, mohawks, waltz-eights, forward spirals, two foot spins, waltz jump, salchow, half flip

Spills: Flip jump, loop jump, one foot spin (50% success rate), sit spin    

Adult Skating Essentials

This week I took my first power/edge class.  I was wholly unprepared for this, stopping (a vital skill that I lack) is important to this class).  What it became was unpadded ice-hockey with masochistic self-checking into the boards, an effective momentum-killer. 

Regardless, what I have uncovered is the single most important, barring skates, item to keep in a skating bag. And purse. And car.  Really anywhere.  Drumroll please..... ICY HOT! 

To all my coworkers, I apologize for the menthylated fumes wafting from my desk.   

Spill: Every time I had to stop.  Hello boards, sheet of ice, really anything I could throw my body against

Thrill: nothing beats the feeling of speed and power that comes from wind sprints across the rink

Lumps and bumps

Week 9 is upon us! Finally I have a consistent two-foot spin and am working my way towards a solid one-foot upright spin.  Waltz jumps are bringing a bit more control and distance and my Salchow is.... well.... mechanically there. 

Next week my instructor is going to help me start to put together my first program!! I am so excited to get the show on the road, so to speak.  I am, however, going to take just a moment to vent about the choice of competition dresses.  In my search, everything seems to be cut for either a 12-year old girl or an 80-year old woman.  

While I love the look of professional skating dresses, wearing 1600 rhinestones and then going out and performing a waltz jump just looks silly. As an adult skater, the difficulty lies in finding age and skill appropriate outfits.  With no sewing ability and little cash, I am neither going to D.I.Y. nor custom design a dress.  For now, I am going to live in my Under Armour compression tights and continue to shop the interwebs for something appropriate while taking up a diet.  I'm going to need it to squeeze into that dress.

Frustration level rising

This week has just been awful.  My three-turns which looked beautiful last week are looking terrible this week.  I was introduced to the Salchow on Monday and what should have been clean edges were noisy, clunky and scratchy. 

Spinning work continues.  This morning, Coach K thought moving to a one foot spin would make more sense.  Well, it's awful! I'm gyroscoping all over the place. I know what I'm supposed to do, my body just isn't doing it.  So frustrated I just wanted to cry! Debating whether or not a spinner aid is worth it, or just continuing to practice on-ice. 


Please chime in- how do you avoid the frustration that comes from feeling like you're not progressing or not grasping an element?

Life on the Edge

I'm ashamed to admit this, but for the past six weeks I had never fully comprehended what 'edges' were or why they were so important.  After a public skating session yesterday, it finally clicked.  Inside edges are the ones by your big toe. Outside edges the ones by your pinky toes.  Why it hadn't up to this point, I couldn't tell you, but with this 'aha' moment both inside and outside 3-turns got cleaned up quickly.  I'm hoping that with this discovery, my spinning will come along because it currently is atrocious. 

In light of my skating educational deficiencies, I have actually enrolled in two concurrent sessions of lessons, as well as a special class entitled "Power Edges".  So, here's to hoping 1.5 hours of group lessons per week plus additional private each week will clean up some of those technical issues that may hold my progress back.

Daily thrill: Edges; hello well-checked 3-turn!
Daily spill: Spinning; Lucinda Ruh- teach me your ways!

Cashmere and Rental Skates

As an ice rookie and a notorious tightwad with my cash (looking back, entering one of the most expensive sports known to mankind may have been a silly choice), I vowed to stay with rental skates through the end of my first Learn to Skate session.  This was not an easy task considering I was lacing my feet into a veritable petri dish each week, but alas I made it through and last weekend bit the bullet to purchase new skates.

Upon the recommendation of my Learn to Skate instructor, I set up an appointment for a fitting at the local skate shop.  Inevitably, the question of "what have you been skating in," came up and I proudly displayed my fuzzy pink cashmere socks- the same pair one might lounge, watching TV in when no one else is at home.  Apparently "these and rental skates," was not the correct answer.  Thankfully Skate Man did not go into cardiac arrest, but rather commenced sizing me for a boot.  I nearly fell off the bench when he told me I was a size 5.5- not the size 7 I had previously been wearing.  I consider not breaking an ankle these last few weeks to be perhaps the largest accomplishment of my skating (though just in case, my insurance card always is in gear bag).   

I walked out with a shiny white pair of Riedell 229 TS skates and even splurged on the fancy inserts to stop my high arches from pronating to the inside edge.  Marketed for upper-level basic skills students and early freestyle levels, the price point ($229 for the boot and blade set) seemed reasonable and after one session on them I pleased as punch- I hadn't realized quite how snug the skates ought to fit or what a difference a sharp blade makes.  Moral of the story: trust the professional and keep the cashmere socks at home for 'Golden Girls' re-runs.

First pair of skates: Riedell 229 TS, sold as a set with Eclipse Astra blades
Total cost: $289 (skates, inserts, soakers and hard blade guards)





  

Sochi 2014... Or Basic 8 (whichever comes first)

Six weeks ago marked my foray into the world of figure skating.  The product of a quarter life crisis, I decided to debunk the “can’t teach an old dog new tricks” cliché.  At 21, I am by no means 'old,' but lining up for class amongst students half my height certainly took the ego down a notch.  Walking into the rink, I see the quizzical expression from parents wondering why on earth I am skating next to their children, most of whom are half my age.      

I certainly have not mastered much of anything, other than falling, and even that lacks the grace of a skater.  I prefer the kamikaze approach, either thrusting my body into the boards or hoping that the extra 80 pounds I have on the young tikes will cushion the fall a bit.  After the first session of lessons, I have a very basic knowledge of 3-turns, Mohawks, waltz jumps and a horrendous two foot spin.

While I am keenly aware that I will never skate like Sasha Cohen, nor will the US Olympic Committee be sending my tickets to Sochi anytime soon, I am determined to learn something new and get out of my comfort zone.  Last week after class, a mother approached me and remarked, “you look like you are having so much fun,” and that was the truth- I haven’t had this much fun in a long time! Hearing that beats any 6.0 from a judge. 

Time on ice: 6 weeks
Beginning skill level: Bambi on ice
Ending skill level: Basic 8/ Freestyle 1