Gradually making progress

Well, I finally did it. I skated a solo in an exhibition skate! This program was a whirlwind program that my coach and I put together in just a few weeks, and the program is mostly an FS 3 level.  I was really nervous about doing the program the night before, and my coach could see the panic in my face. It also didn't help that I took a hard fall right on my tush, and ended up on my back. My coach didn't see the fall itself, but heard the impact, and saw me on my back, which was enough to scare anyone.  I considered that skate my "rough skate," so I was just getting the jitters and the falls out of the way.  As a musician, I've had MANY times in which I would have a rough practice/rehearsal, and the performance would be fine.

As for the show itself, I'm super proud that I did it. I skated to Henry Mancini's "Love Theme" to Romeo and Juliet, and felt as pretty as Juliet on the ice in my lavender colored dress that I stoned myself.  I had never stoned a dress before, and to say that I learned a few things along the way is an understatement. Essentially, patience is key, along with using large enough stones (at least 12 to 16ss), and using a good glue. I had a bit of an adventure with stoning the dress because I bought crystals that were standard sized (ss) 8, 10, and 12.  The stones were MUCH smaller than I anticipated! Plus, I initially used "hot fix," swavorsky cyrstals, which required this special type of glue gun, which ended up not working at all.  I couldn't get the stones to stick to my dress to save my life, yet the glue gun almost burned a hole in my dress--YIKES!! I finally caved and bought "gem tac" glue from a craft store, but initially didn't use enough of it.  I eventually DID get the stones to stick, but I think I must've re-glued each stone about 4-5 times in the process.  Unfortunately, I am still finding some of the stones that I dropped along the way.  However, the dress was worth it, and I got a ton of compliments on it.  I do plan on using the dress for some future competitions this spring.

As for the exhibition itself, as I said, I'm very proud of what I was able to do.  It wasn't perfect by any means, but my biggest accomplishment was not panicking during the performance. I had a few instances when things didn't go right, but would just "Nope. You're not going to panic. Just keep going, and pretend that Romeo is dancing with you."  We had a really nice crowd, and it felt nice to get cheers from the audience for my routine. :)

Now that the show is over, I had been focusing on trying to get all of my elements down to pass my FS 3 test. I had initially thought I would test this coming week. However, a few days ago, I made the decision to not test as I'm honestly not ready for it.  It's mostly due to not having my change foot spin, which is just an awkward spin to do.  I had been stressing myself out over it, and finally came to the conclusion that I'm just not ready to test yet, and, THAT.IS.OKAY!  My coach is also totally cool with my decision, as I would much rather test when I'm confident on the elements, and get good scores, especially since they're the backbone to future elements that I will be working on.  I've decided that I will keep working on my FS 3 elements, but do the test at a later point...maybe in a month or two.

In the meantime, I've also decided to enter my first skating competition since competing at the Delta level a few years ago.  I'm planning on competing at the ISI Polar Classic in the Chicago area in January.  For this competition, I'm planning on doing compulsories and my FS 2 level solo.  Then, depending on how things are coming along for me FS 3 wise, I may do the Sweetheart Open competition, also in the Chicago area, in February, at the Open Bronze level.  Then, depending on when I decide to take my FS 3 test, I may skate at the FS 3 level or Open Bronze level for my rink's competition.  In addition, I will also be trying out for my rink's spring showcase (assuming that I will at least be in the adult number), and starting to work on USFS Pre-Bronze MITF this next semester.  So, although I'm not testing my FS 3 as I originally planned, I have enough on my plate to keep me challenged, and when I am ready to take that test, I'm determined to do well on it.

For your viewing pleasure, you see my program to the exhibition skate through this link below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1x60ZKB5gAY

Picture of my skating dress:

Don't look down, and keep on skating!
Janet

Back to it!

Yay! I've been able to get back onto the ice fairly regularly since our rink re-opened in late August.  I have to admit, it took me a while to get use to the feeling of being back on the ice (again), but I am beginning to feel that I've already been making progress.  I had my first lesson of the season with my coach this past Saturday, and it felt great to be working with him again. The main focus of the lesson was learning warm-up drills to really get my body warmed up, and even to get my mind focused to some degree, especially with doing things on both sides of the body.  We also spent some time working on a jumping pattern that he wants me to start incorporating.  The jump pattern is very hard for me at this point as I'm building a lot of speed (a good thing), but it makes the actual jump MUCH more difficult. 

The bonus feature of this lesson was putting my fear of falling aside (for the most part), and even allowing myself to fall throughout the lesson, and NOT feeling bad about it.  This especially came about as we worked on Salchows, and needless to say, I messed up my landings on more than one occasion.  However, I did manage to land a few of them, with one or two being fully rotated.  Plus, I continued to improve on the Salchow as a whole towards the end of the lesson.  My coach was very happy with this, and gave me a high 5. :) My coach is generally very easy going, and so it's not uncommon to hear him shout, "Yes!" throughout a lesson on occasion, but it felt really good to get that high 5 thrown in...definite confidence booster!

In addition, my coach picked out my program music, although he took our suggestions in consideration.  I must have sent him about 30 suggestions, but of course,  he came up with a piece that I had not even thought about.  It's an arrangement of Henry Mancini's "Love Theme" to Romeo and Juliet.  I do really like the piece, and have hopes for it to continue to grow on me, and to really develop the ability to make it artistic. 

For any of you that interested, here's the warm-up routine that I did the other day.  The first few are things that I normally do on my own, while the rest are what my coach threw in.

1. Forward Stroking
2. Forward and Backward Crossovers
3. Forward and Backward edges (Inside and Outside) on a line
4. Forward Inside/Outside 3-turns on a line

Stretching at the boards:
1. Spiral stretches
2. Spread eagle stretch, focusing on having the hips touch the wall/board, and bringing the legs closer together
3. Lunge on both legs
4. Drill (based off of what coach and I worked on)--lunge to spiral.  Start in a lunge position, then lift up and forward to a spiral position, without letting the the free leg touch the ground.  Do each side 5 times.

My coach's drills along the long axis of the rink:
1. Bunny hops, without letting the free foot touch the ground in between. Do one leg on one side, and the other leg on the other.
2. Bunny hop/lunge combo-same as the previous drill, but adding in the lunge.
3. 2 strokes, bunny hop, lunge--don't let the free foot touch the ground

Dip Drill
1. 2 strokes, bunny hop, dip as low as possible
(hands out in front, one grabbing the other. I was doing it with my left hand grabbing my right)
2. Shoot the duck.
Take several strokes to build speed, dip, and and extend out your free foot.  Since I'm a clockwise skater, I balance on my right foot, and kept my left foot out in front. My hand position was the same as above.  I was actually able to get pretty low with this, so my coach was happy about that. :)

When going through ALL of these drills yesterday, it took me about 30 minutes, but that was the main focus of my practice.  In most cases, I probably shouldn't be spending so much time on these, and will probably shoot to do most of these in about 15 minutes in the future. 

Jump pattern:
1. Left over right forward crossovers, starting at my edge circle.
2. Continue crossovers until 1 lap is completed, and head toward the top of the Lutz circle.
3. When in between circles, do an inside mohawk
4. Do backward crossovers about 1/2 away around the Lutz circle, then head towards the center circle, continuing with the backward crossovers to really build speed.
5. Once at the center circle, go into a two foot backward glide, and hold for a few counts (3-5)
6. Open up/Prep the jump
7. Jump

I am not sure if this jump pattern is meant specifically for edge jumps, but we did this with just trying a waltz jump.  As I said, it was SUPER hard because I was dealing with a lot more speed than what I'm use to, and it was more straight line.

As for work on doing a salchow, we worked on this drill using a hockey line:
1. Push into a forward outside three turn, hold the 3-turn straight back. You'll be on a slight inside edge
2. Check arms (left arm bent at the elbow if you're CCW, or right arm bent at the elbow if you're CW, opposite arm in back)
3. Swing your free around to gain momentum, crossing arms
4. Bunny hop at the end with landing position.

Since the jump is still technically a half rotation, the kick through/bunny hop is only used to help gain momentum with doing the actual jump. Of course, in the real jump itself, you won't be doing the bunny hop, but landing on the outside edge of the opposite foot.  However, DO NOT think that this jump is "just" a 3-turn with a waltz jump tacked on, as this is not the case. 

As for doing the jump off-ice it can be done two different ways. Naturally, one way is harder than the other, but they're both worth practicing when you're advanced enough to work on this jump.

Harder way:
1. Start in your take-off position, as if you had finished the 3-turn.  Your arms should be checked, with free leg straight, and skating leg well bent.
2. Kick the free leg through and around, so that you do a 1/2 rotation. Think of jumping up and out.
3. Land the jump on the opposite leg on one foot.
4. Hop as needed to complete the rotation and regain balance.
5. Finish in landing position

Easier way:
1. Start in your normal take off position
2. Hop around on your skating leg several times
3. On the last hop, kick the free leg through and around
4. Land on opposite foot. Hop around as needed for rotation and stability.
5. Finish in landing position

Feel free to try the above warm-up drills and adjust them to your needs.  As for the jumping, please do not attempt these until your coach says it's okay to do so.  I don't want anyone getting hurt for attempting a something that is way beyond your level. 

Happy skating, and feel free to check out the link to my program music (has yet to be edited) for this season. Of course, if you have any comments, please feel free to put them down below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9-fY0scV6K4

One of my favorite things

Happy Friday everyone! This may be very cheesy,but I saw posting today featuring Julie Andrews, who is one of my childhood idols, and now have "My Favorite Things" in my head. For anyone that could possibly use a cheesy skating "pick me up" of sorts, feel to read the following to the same tune.

Swizzles and twizzles and freestyle sessions
Axels and toe-loops make hard practice sessions
With a notebook at hand and goals to achieve
Skating is one of my favorite things.

Off-ice and On-ice and 6 a.m. sessions
Ice Skates and waltz 8's and some private lessons
While I may try camels, I may fall on my knees
Skating is one of my favorite things.

When my coach yells
When my skates stink
When I'm facing fears
I always remember what I can achieve, and then I don't feel... so bad.

White colored dresses with blue sequined splashes
Tights that won't stay up and many power classes
While dance makes our edges long and clean
Skating is one of my favorite things

When my coach yells
When my skates stink
When I'm facing fears
I always remember what I can achieve, and then I don't feel...so bad

----Just for a few more giggles----- :)

You might be a figure skater if:

You know a flying camel isn't an actual camel with wings

You get "caught" by people passing by doing your skating routine while waiting at a bus stop away from the ice arnea

You see cute member of the opposite sex, you don't think "Date!" Instead, you think "Dance/Pairs Partner!"

You do a move well when your coach isn't looking, and completely flub it up when they are

You consider ice as a food group, considering how many times you may "eat it" in a practice session

You are willing, at least occasionally, skate at an early morning freestyle session

You've spent more money on your skates and blades than your actual car 

You can hum the "Dutch Waltz" in your sleep

 

 

I can't wait for the fall semester!

So a few weeks have gone by, and I have gotten onto the ice ONCE this summer.  It was really nice, once I got use to the feeling of being on the ice again.  It took me about 10-15 minutes to get use to being on my edges, but shortly after that, I was back up to where I had left off at the end of the semester.  I could also feel that my edges were stronger, which means that my off-ice work really does help.  It may also been partially due to me having the "whatever happens, happens" attitude at the rink that day.  I didn't have high expectations knowing that it had been a while since I've been on the ice, and the first few times back are usually the most awkward. 

I've been keeping in close contact with my coach over the summer, and we're planning on starting my Pre-Bronze MITF this fall, which I'm really excited about.  He is totally confident that I will be able to pass the test, but we're still going to take our time with it.  I'm also wanting to take my Pre-Bronze FS test as well, as their requirements look very do-able. 

Since my 5K, I have officially "finished" my C25K program, but my distance needs a bit more work.  What I've decided since then is to work with a running program called, "Zombies, Run!" It's not a training program per se, but I am hoping to continue with improving my distance with the program, since each "mission" is about 30 minutes (still not quite getting the 3.1 miles...ugh!).  I'm still figuring out things with the program, so it may take me a bit to get use to.  However, this is a program that follows an audio story line, and you basically run during the whole program. 

Basically, a zombie apocalypse occurs in an area called "Abel Township," in only about 60 people survive.  They're in desperate need of supplies to help rebuild their area. Several runners had been sent out, but are killed by zombies, except for you.  So, as you are jogging, you get instructions from Abel Township "Base" commanders (so to speak) on where things are at for you to gather and take back to Abel.  The problem, of course, is the zombies, and they will "chase" you (as indicated by a beeping sound), and so you have to run like heck to get away from them.  This serves as an interval training like program, because you can actually lose items if the zombies catch you!  Once you have "finished" the mission, you can return the supplies to build up the "base," and then tackle the other "missions," to help continue to rebuild Abel Township.

I tried the program for the first time a few days ago, and overall really liked it. You can also use music from your ipod with this app, as two or three songs will play before you get the set of instructions.  I did run into a few kinks on my end, but I think that's just partially me figuring out how the app works.  My biggest bugger right now is figuring out when the mission actually "ends," because it seems to just continue on and on.  As much as I like it, I can only run for so long, and I did get attacked by one of the zombie mobs earlier as a result (rats). 

As for where to run in this program, I totally recommend doing the run in a fairly populated area (such as a university campus), as it makes it more fun, especially when there are people around. You can pretend much easier that way that they are zombies when that time comes! Plus, it's kinda cool if you're given a landmark (such as a hospital on the left), and there's a building that's big enough to be a hospital.  It just adds some visual interest.

I also don't know if this counts for off-ice training, but I also tried my hand at a climbing wall today in a local pool.  The climbing wall was in a 12 foot deep pool, and once you get to the top (or decide to stop), you "free fall" into the pool down below.  This was a first for me as I have never done a climbing wall before, and I have a fear of heights, when I don't feel totally secure. It's not a huge fear, but I felt the fear kicking in just slightly. I also pictured this wall as sort of like a vertical game of "Twister" because of the different colored knobs that were used ("Left hand, green! Right foot, blue!").

The climbing wall is a A LOT harder than it looks, especially when someone makes a huge splash from the slide just across the ropes.  You have to hold on fairly tight to the climbing knobs, be able to use your body weight to reach, pull, and balance yourself up there. However, despite my fear of heights, I gave it a go, and got between 1/2-3/4 way up the wall.  If I get the chance to do it again, I want to see how far I can push that fear aside (don't look down!), so that I can get higher, and maybe even reach the top.  :)

That's pretty much it for now.  More to come next month, so stay tuned!

First ever 5K-Mission Accomplished!

Well, tonight was the night....my first ever 5k!  It was a "pi/pie" run at a local food festival here in town, so the distance was 3.14 miles (*rimshot*). I have to admit that I'm going off an adrenaline rush, so to say that I really had a good time was an understatement.  I did not jog the whole time, but I did run for about 3/4 of it...not bad at all for a first time 5k if you ask me.  I felt really good about doing this, especially since I had a HARD fall on my run a few days beforehand.  I was running in a local park, where I tripped and fell flat on my front. I ended up getting bumps and bruises on my arms and elbows, and really jamming my left hand.  Considering that I'm a musician, and write left handed, that was a major blow.  Of course, I also know better than tell off Karma that I wans't going to trip (like I did on the run before THAT), because we all know that she is, and what she's capable of doing. 

So anyways, I found the whole run to be very fun,and much more entertaining than my usual runs.  Everyone was also super supportive, which was great, and it was so nice to hear cheers from the sidelines.  As I said, I did walk a few times throughout the race. I mostly walked at the water/pie stop areas (I did have one small slice of pie, as it was a "pie run"), and there was one point where I did get very tired towards the end of the second mile.  I allowed myself to walk a few blocks, but when I saw the volunteers towards the end of the race, I made myself jog again, and finished it out.  Plus, it also helped that I had a song on my ipod in which the lyrics were, "Don't stop. The party doesn't start until I walk in." (Ke$ha's "Tik Tok"), so those gave me the boost I needed to finish the race.

For those who have never done a 5k, and am considering it...or even just wondering what it's like...give it a shot!  I did find it helpful to train with a C25K program on my ipod by ZenLabs (freebie), but do whatever will get you going.  I also highly recommend doing an un-timed/fun race for your first time, or maybe first few races. With this race, I found those I was running with to be very supportive and encouraging. Some of the people went by themselves (like myself), and some had a few friends, or even their children.  There were a few runners in the front, with most people jogging, and some walkers in the back.  It is TOTALLY okay to walk if you need to! If you need to, run with your ipod, but I also found it great to wave at people as they watched us, and even thanking those who were helping direct traffic. This was because without them, the race wouldn't happen, nor be as safe for us. Whatever you do, run through the finish line, and pat yourself on the back for finishing!  Trust me, it will be totally worth it. :)

Off-ice work--it WILL pay off!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Wckn21Bc9chttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zC9p9vKwJ0
Since our rink closed in May for the summer, I've been working on skating-related skills off-ice, and just trying to make myself as healthy as possible.  A big accomplishment for me has been running, especially since I've decided to do my first 5K on June 22.  I've been using a freebie Couch to 5K app (C25K) from ZenLabs since mid-March. I started the program because I needed something to keep me motivated with running and to some extent, track my progress.  Before I started with the program, I tried running laps at the rink. I started off with just running a lap or two, then add on laps each week. However, I found that it wasn't really working for me, so it was hard for me to stick with it, especially since I didn't have a definite plan.  So I came across the app and gave it a go.  Although I didn't necessarily run every other day as the program recommends, or decided to repeat a day or two because I felt the need to do so, bad weather, schedule conflicts (like the ice show rehearsals), etc., I stuck it out.  Basically, I decided when I was ready to do the run on my own terms, but I did shoot for trying to run at least twice a week. I'm not going to lie, A LOT of those runs were really hard, but I also had some really good ones in there as well, and it was an awesome feeling to have that "I rock! I can do this!" feeling. 

That being said, I have one last day on my training program, and that's Day 3 of week 8.  I'm determined to make it through the full 30 minutes. I hope to make it to the three miles (or at least close), but if I don't, I want to at least be jogging the full time.  Unfortunately, now that it's summer, it won't be as cool for me to run in, so I will have to watch it with jogging in the warmer weather.  However, I am determined to do it, and actually have at the 5K.

The cool thing about the 5K is that that's a "fun" run/walk event, so if I need to walk, THAT IS FINE (have to remind myself of that).  It's a "pi/pie" run through our local park district, so at each of the main water stations throughout the race, there will be also pie served from local bakeries. At the end of the race, I'm choosing to run with "flying pies," which means I can have pies thrown at me as I cross the finish line.  I can choose to go "pie free." However, the former sounds a lot more fun!  Plus, this event is un-timed, which is PERFECT for a first time 5K jogger like myself.  A few weeks ago, if you were to ask me if I was ever going to do a 5K, my answer would've been a quick, "no!" I knew I should've kept my mouth shut with that one.... :)

When I'm not out running, I've been either doing off-ice stuff at home or at a local indoor track.  Since I live in an upstairs apartment, I refrain from working on jumping. so that I don't make my neighbor mad with all the thumping around.  However, I have been working on things like a "check in/check out" drill with weights, holding a plank position, tricep push-ups, modified and regular push-ups, rotating push-ups, sit-up/crunches and their variations, beginning sit spin positions (those are HARD), along with stretching.  Stretching wise, I pretty much have my left leg split, center is getting better, and right split still needs A LOT of work.  My right leg is much harder for me to get into that stretch, partially because it feels awkward.  Plus, I'm having to be careful with the hamstring area, as I've noticed that it just only wants to go so far, and I really just can't (and shouldn't) fight it. So, I'm doing what I can to work with it, and it will gradually get better. For those of you who may want a good stretching video on splits, feel free to check out https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JvEC3x603Gc&list=PL-foYRcy0Hoo8fr20gxZAC-dL7CnsZwQo. She has "follow along" videos that you can try to help leg strength and flexibility.  I will say that for the leg flexibility, please be aware you may be sore the next day, and your legs may feel like jello for a while afterwards.

When I am at the indoor track, I'm including more plyometric work (such as jumping or hopping off of benches), and recently started working on getting full rotations in the air while jumping.  It's still a MAJOR work in progress, I have been able to a full rotation jump in my normal clockwise direction, and in the counterclockwise direction.  Although I'm just on two feet now, my hope is to eventually do them on one foot, with good body poise and check-out.  If you want to see the clips that I have on them, you can see them on my youtube channel (jfluter). 

Last but not least, despite all this hard work that I know I'm putting in with my off-ice training, I sometimes ask myself, "Am I really getting better?  Will my hard work be noticeable when I get back to the rink?"  I think this is because I sometimes (okay, a lot), expect too much out of myself, even if I'm just a beginner at something.  For instance, I literally just working on the sit spin position a few days ago.  I know I have the flexibility to get down lower, but the strength is a totally different story, especially since I'm essentially balancing on my toe, trying to get my butt lower. I have to keep reminding myself that just because I'm not getting the full position now, doesn't mean I won't, and heck, that spin itself is at least one level higher than what I'm currently skating at, so it's going to take a lot of patience.  However, the OTHER things I've been doing (running, rotational jumps, push-ups, etc), there's NO WAY that I could've even done vast majority of those things for a full minute a few months ago, let alone do some things like a set of rotating push-ups, plank hold, and push-ups back to back for a minute each like a I did tonight.  Plus, on my "check in/check out" drill, I added a full pound wrist weight, in addition to my regular 5 pound weights that I've been using.  I'm even thinking of starting to include my balance disc for more balancing drills (maybe even the check in/check out one), so if that's not progress, someone please that questioning part of my brain because it needs to shut up!

 Stay strong and keep skating (off or on-ice)!

All good things sometimes have to come to an (temporary) end

My rink has closed for the summer, which means I may very likely be skating a lot less frequently.  Looking back on this year, I have to admit that I'm very happy with what I've been able to accomplish.  I do have hopes to skate at least a few times this summer, but it would be at a rink that's about a hour away.  My ability to skate will depend on my work schedule, and carpooling issues.  In the meantime, my hope is to continue with off-ice work by running, stretching, swimming (soon---yay!), and maybe take some other type of recreational class, such as a dance classes, pilates, or even yoga. I have yet to decide on all of this.  In addition, chances are that I will be working for a summer camp for youth with disabilities, so there will be physical activities involved with that as well. 

Since my last posting, I have passed FS 2 with good marks, and I'm looking forward to FS 3 in the fall.  In addition, I've decided to join USFS, and will be starting to work on the Adult Pre-Bronze level.  I also want to seriously learn ice dancing/MITF, and take as many other skating-related classes as possible.  I've come to realize that I actually don't like the idea of rushing through things, so my plan is to take things at my own speed and get things really consistent. Once that consistency is achieved, then my coach and I can discuss what to do next.  I know that I tend to be very ambitious (maybe a bit too much), so I have remind myself that there's nothing wrong with taking things slower if one wants to.  Even re-visiting previously worked on ideas isn't a bad idea because it helps refresh one's mind, yet allows for those ideas to move forward, as you're building upon those basic ideas.

For instance, as a musician, I've been trained/drilled scales and arpeggios, which are the basic compositional ideas for western classical music (Bb concert scale anyone?).   Even though I've been playing for many years, I STILL go back to those on a regular basis, using them as warm-ups in various ways,  and may even just practice those "basic" elements on a day when things are just out of whack.  It's the same thing, I think, with skating.  We all have elements to work on, and sometimes, it's just best for us to slow things down, so that we can get everything together. From there, a skater can build upon those ideas, which creates progress.  Sometimes, that progress seems slow, and sometimes, it seems to be fast. It's a totally individual thing.

Keep skating and have fun!

Spring Break!

This week, I am on Spring Break, as the high school I work at follows the university schedule pretty closely.  So, not only am I on break, but so is the ice arena.  Our arena is only open for part of the week, so I'll be making the most of that I can on the ice, as well as some extra off-ice training. 

That being said, skating has gone VERY well for me these past few days, and I met my goal of doing a salchow!  Jeremy and I started working on them on Wednesday morning, and I took a few spills in the process.  I also ended up with a big bruise on my left knee from my landing edge, but man, has it been worth it! I know this jump will take a lot of work for me to get down, but my coach was very happy with me just landing on a 3/4 rotation.  We also attempted a few toe loops, but I haven't worked on those much on ice yet, as I've been addicted to getting the salchow down.  I worked on salchows at the FS session the next day, and managed to take a video of them.  As I've said, I've got a lot of things to work on with this jump, but for doing them for only a day, I was pretty proud of myself.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qoMP0M1T1ME

Off-ice training
I've been making an effort to go our indoor track to practice off-ice several times a week.  I'll be honest, my most dreaded thing there is jogging/running.  I think it's partially being due to being inside, and feeling like being on that track is like a being in a hamster wheel. I'm hoping that once our weather warms up (I'm in Central-East Illinois), I'll be able to start running at a local park, or throughout my neighborhood.  In the meantime, in order to hopefully boost my interest in jogging/running is by using a "C25K" (couch to 5k) from my ipod.  I have absolutely NO interest in signing up for a 5k (which is approximinately 3 miles) at this point in time.  However, I am hoping that following the training program, which spreads over 9 weeks at 3 days per week, will help build my endurance. 

In addition to running, I can really use ideas for plyrometrics, as I'm really needing to work on power and rotation with my jumps.  Here's two things that I'm doing for anyone that's wanting some ideas:

Bench Jumps (use a bench that is fairly low, about mid-calf in height).
1. Start with feet facing forward
2. While still on the ground, bend your right knee, other knee up (arms are behind as if to prep for a jump)
3. Hop onto the bench with your free foot landing on the bench. (arms come forward)
4. Use your body weight to step up on to the bench with your left leg (arms begin to cross)
5. Hop with the left leg to change legs, so you land on your right leg. (arms are crossed)
6. Step off the bench with your left leg. (arms back down)

I've been doing these in about 2-3 sets of 10.  You can also switch the legs depending on what you need to work on, or whatever you feel like doing.

Stationary Jump
1. Stand with feet shoulder apart
2. Squat down as low as you can with arms behind you
3. Jump up as high as you can, bringing the arms forward and then crossing them.
4. Land on your feet with arms behind you.  Do 10 times.
4. On the last time, when you land, instead of landing on both feet, land in your landing position, and hold for 5 seconds.

Circular Jump
1. Repeat the steps from the stationary jump, but for each jump, you rotate 1/4 around.  If you want more of a challenge, then go 1/2 away. 

One last thing
With doing off-ice work, especially with jogging/running, I find it very helpful to listen to music with a beat, so for me, this means a lot of pop music. As much as I love classical music and other genres, pop music is generally the best for me when I need something with a strong beat.  If you're looking for a playlist, feel free to use these as suggestions:

Lady Gaga: Born this way, Judas, You and I, Edge of Glory, Scheibe, Just Dance, Paparazzi, Poker Face, Bad Romance

P!nk: Raise Your Glass, Try, Just Give Me A Reason

Shaikira: Waka Waka (This is Africa)

Madonna: Revolver (feat.Lil Wayne)

Adelle: Rolling in the Deep, Rumour has it

Kenny and the Scotts: I Would Walk 500 miles

Beyonce: Halo, Single Ladies

Kelly Clarkson: Stronger (What doesn't kill you)

Dynamite: Taio Cruz

Happy Skating!

I did it!!!

Last weekend, I know that I was very frustrated with my skating.  As a classically trained musician (flutist/piccoloist/singer), I know all too well that bad rehearsals often lead to excellent performances.  We just have to get that one or two really rough rehearsals out of the way.  In my experience, skating is the exact same way.  I had to get to get that one really discouraging skate out of the way so that I could skate well for my test.

So, back on Wednesday, I tested FS 1. I have to admit, I was very nervous during the FS session right beforehand.  I wasn't wasn't shaking from the nerves, but I definitely had the butterflies in my stomach.  Since this was an official test session at my rink, I skated in front of three judges, all of which are coaches at the rink.  First, they judged me on all of my elements (forward pivot, 2 foot spin, arabesque, backward edges, 1/2 flip jump, waltz jump).  During my arabesque, one of my former coaches who was judging me shouted, "That looks so much better!," which was really great for me to hear!  When I had worked with her, I could barely get my leg up to the required 90 degree angle, and now, I'm able to get it much higher as I've been working on my flexibility.  It was so nice to know all of that hard work on that spiral paid off!

As for my program itself, it went okay, although a few things didn't go as well as I would've liked, particularly with my two foot spin and my 1/2 flip jump. However, I don't think any program goes absolutely 100% perfect.  My pivot and spirals went fine, and for once in my life, I went for my waltz jump with more speed and courage.  My coach later told me that he had never seen me do that before with the waltz jump, which was a really good thing.  I ended my program with a T-stop, and was still standing on two feet.  :)

I was not asked to re-skate anything, and when I asked the judges if I passed, they said yes!  YAHOO!!  My scores ranged from mostly 5/6 from one judge (scores are based from 1-10, with 5 being a pass) who is known to be very tough, but I also got a good dose of 7s,8s, and even a few 9s thrown in for good measure. My 8s and 9s were mostly for my arabesque and pivot.  My program scores, in general were decent, but those also showed room for improvement, and I'm totally okay with that.  I was more concerned on getting through all of my elements rather than making it look totally pretty and stuff, so it was to be expected.  I did 10s for my program length, so I at least don't have to worry about that in the future.

Now that I'm officially in FS 2, I have a whole new set of things to master.  I've been working on the FS 2 dance step sequence for a while, but that needs a lot of cleaning up.  In addition, I've also been working on my 1 foot spin.  Like the dance step sequence, it needs a lot of cleaning up, but it's totally doable, and I hope to have 6 rotations down in just a few weeks.  In addition, I started working on a 1/2 lutz jump, ballet jump, and 1/2 toe wally.  My coach expects that I'll have these moves down really soon, which makes it that much more exciting for me.  This is because I have a huge goal of landing my first full rotation jump by the end of the semester.  Our rink closes in early May, so this is something that I'm going to do my best to work REALLY hard for.  If I don't do a single rotation jump by the end of the semester, it's not the end of the world, but I know that I'm getting closer and closer to doing it. :)

The good, the bad, and the ugly

Since I've started lessons with my new coach, I've been working really hard to improve my skating, both off and on the ice.  I'm even trying to eat healthier most of the time.  It's like I have this overwhelming need to please and prove to my coach that I AM working my tail off, and honestly trying to learn whatever he throws at me.  I know that I probably shouldn't feel this way, but I do.  However, today was a very frustrating skate, and I honestly felt like crying (wouldn't have been the first time), and I really felt like that I didn't have anything to show for all of my hard work that I've been doing.  As an adult skater, I know that I'm not the only one that has ever felt like this, but sometimes, it's so discouraging to see younger skaters at the rink who seemingly "get" the moves and jumps right away, and just fly through levels, while it's taking me a lot longer to do everything.

What's mostly been frustrating me is my waltz jump. I can, and have done the jump many times. However, my biggest bugger has been the kick through. I can never seem to get enough kick through to my jumps bigger. It's like I get to the point where I just sorta freeze because I'm afraid of falling flat on my face.This totally showed up today in my lesson, and at this point, especially with my test being on Wednesday (yes, I'm FINALLY testing then), I feel like that I should be over that hump by now.  I have done drills both off and on ice to work on the kick through, and what I did have to show for it today? Not.a.thing! For once in my skating life, I want to show my coach a really good, clean waltz jump that has some height and air time!  Right now, they're still tiny jumps, and its so incredibly frustrating!

We also did a run through of my program today, and I guess I shouldn't say it was all bad (since it wasn't), but I got majorly off in my music, which threw me off with everything else. This was mainly due to the rink being crowded, so there were a lot of people in the center circle, which blocked my way, even though I was wearing the "program" scarf that we wear when we are doing programs in busy sessions.  I felt that my performance was very scratchy, I totally missed one of my elements, didn't get all of my revolutions on my spin, my waltz jump was pitiful, and I struggled with my spiral.

After my program run through finished, my coach and I went to the boards, where I sat down on one of the benches behind it.  By this point, I was so frustrated that I wanted to cry and even chuck my skates across the ice.  I know that my coach could tell that I was majorly frustrated because the first thing he told me to do was breathe.  He then asked me about the good things on the program, and honestly, I really didn't want to answer him at that point.  I was just too frustrated at that point where I didn't even want to speak, and also had half a mind to tell him to back off and leave me alone.  However, knowing that he is doing a great job as a coach, I need to reciprocate by continuing to give him my attention and respect that he deserves.  So I answered him, although we both knew that I was treading on very thin ice emotionally at that point.  I took a few more breaths, and got back onto the ice.  Although my frustration was still very present, we had hoped to do a second run though.

I didn't get the chance for the second run through since FS was up for the day.  I don't know if the second run through would have done me any good or not.  However, knowing that a lot of skaters have a bad run through or two before a competition or test, I'm hoping this was the same for me. That way, I can focus on having a clean skate for my test on Wednesday.

New month: new adventures and new goals

It's a new month, which will hopefully mean some new adventures with my skating.  It's kinda hard to believe that just three years ago, I just passed my Pre-Alpha skating test as a 30 year old adult.  I even took the test in the rental skates that I was using at the time....wow.

The biggest challenge for me this month is that I will be taking my first ever FS test. I do have my music picked out (music from the soundtrack to "The Cider House Rules"), and a general routine.  I have skated through the routine now about 5 times on the ice, and many more times off-ice and inside my head.  I try to make it a point each day to listen to the music a few times, and at least mentally run through it. If I was on the ice tonight during the public skate, I probably would've even done a mini-run through in the center circle, if space would allow.

How do I feel about this test?  Honestly, I'm nervous about it, as this is my first "real" skating test.  The thought alone of having a judge watch me skate, looking at every stinking little thing (I think), makes me nerves.  However, in a way, this is a good thing, as I want my nerves to work for me. I'm shooting for keeping my nerves in check, and just skating as well as I can in that moment. I don't like messing with the "perfection' issue because it causes a lot of stress, and that can majorly mentally interfere with the performance itself.  Jeremy and I did skate through my program at my last lesson, and I did ask him if it was of passing quality.  He told me it was (phew), but he wants to shoot on making it better, which I totally agree with.  Although my elements were considered "passing," I was not happy with how I skated.  So, my goal for my test is to pass by skating well, keeping my nerves in check, and being confident with my abilities.

That being a said, I did have a HUGE confidence booster over the last weekend.  That was due to my best friend, Melissa, coming to visit.  Melissa and I go back 20+ years, and she also figure skates.  We had been talking for quite some time about getting together to skate, and we finally made it happen. :)  She generally skates at level or so higher than me, but is with the USFSA.  She's not much of a jumper or spinner, but really enjoys ice dancing, and I could totally tell with her edge work quality...wow!  Her edges were so nice and deep. Someday, I will have the confidence to go onto that deep of an edge, and I would even be interested in testing some of the dances once I'm good enough.  It was so great to skate with her as she was so positive and encouraging with my skating, and I got to help her with some of her skills as well. Plus, having cheesecake between skating sessions didn't hurt either. :)  It was actually hard to see her leave that afternoon, but we're hoping to skate together again sometime soon, as we both determined that this needs to happen again.  :)

That's the latest news for right now, but stay tuned......

New Coach!!!

One of the biggest challenges as an adult skater, I think, is finding a coach that is willing to stick it out. I've had a coach since I was in Alpha level, but my coaches haven't been able to stick around.  This is mostly due to my rink being on a major university campus, so many of the coaches are college students, and many of them leave every few years. Or, like with my last coach, she took on the position of being one of the LTS (Learn to Skate) coordinators at my rink, in addition to her internship that she is doing for her college degree.  As a result, I got dropped from her teaching schedule because she does not have room for me. In addition, I sometimes get the feeling that many of the coaches at the rink prefer to teach the younger kids rather us adults, so that only adds to my frustration.

That being said, I was on the hunt for a new coach these past few days, and was recommended to Jeremy by an adult skating friend of mine.  As it turned out, he had taught some of my LTS FS classes last semester, so he was already familiar with my skating.  I got in contact with him, as I was told that he was looking for students.  For what it's worth, when contacting a coach for, here's a few things that I include:

1. Current skating level
2. What direction I jump and spin in (if in FS)
3. How often I practice
4. Who recommended me to the coach
5. Short and long term goals, and stating willingness to compete and test

When I emailed him my general skating background, he replied shortly later, and seemed very excited to work with me.  He also gave me a bit of his skating background. For those of you who might be interested in coaching, a few things that you consider including are:

1. Skating levels willing to teach, and any special areas (ice dancing, adults, MITF, etc)
2. Highest level passed
3. Some of your available teaching times
4. General expectations for your students (especially with practicing, competing, and testing)
5. Best way to contact you
6. Have proof of insurance on file at the rink (often required in order to coach)

Based upon the few emails we've exchanged, and knowing that he had worked with me a bit in class, I decided to take one lesson with him today, just to see how things would go.  In short, the lesson was AMAZING!  Jeremy has passed his USFSA MITF, and is currently working on his FS (Freeskate), and man, it clearly shows that he knows what he is doing!

So, we got onto the ice, and he had me start off with some basic stroking.  Right away, I could tell that I really liked his energy and confidence in making me a better skater.  It didn't matter that I'm an adult. He challenged me with coming out of my "box" a bit, but not too much.  It was like he could sense that I needed, and was really for a challenge.  So challenge me did!  We started working on swing rolls and power pulls!  In addition, he had me working on this crossover serpentine sequence that had me on my outside edges the whole time.  The general route for this happened on the long axis of the rink.

1. Start in a T-position, and push onto an outside edge with your LEFT leg. Your right leg is your free leg.
2. Extend your right leg, then cross it over your left leg, and placing it on the outside edge.
3. The left leg is now the free leg.....extend that, then cross it over the right leg, onto the outside edge
4. Repeat steps 1-3 throughout the whole long axis of the rink.
5. One the short axis, do regular crossovers (bend those knees!!!)
6. If you're up to another challenge, do this going backwards!


 Although I'm sure I looked like a klutz, I really liked doing this drill.  It's also essential to REALLY bend my knees for this.  I can already tell that my coach is not going to let me pass these moves if my knees aren't bent enough.  Since I'm a tall skater (5'8-5'9), I'm really going to have to work on getting really low to the ground, and staying there. Phew!

 For those who are interested in power pulls, I was shown a drill, which we did work on, but I want to make sure that I have the steps right before I post it, so stay tuned! I know that it involved a line, and sorta looked like doing a continuous left outside edge (since I was working on left foot power pull), but not changing feet at the line.  I'll have to think through the drill more before I post it, as I don't want others practicing the wrong thing.

Onto jumping...Jeremy had work a few minutes on my waltz jump today. However, as a warm-up, he gave me a drill to do at the boards. Looking back at when I first started jumping, I think it would've been very beneficial to have started my jumps off-ice, rather than off the boards and told "give it a try." As an adult skater, the fear of falling is sometimes very daunting, and I think it would be better for a coach to work with a skater on the jump off-ice first.  Then, as the skater gains confidence with the jump off ice, they could move to doing the jump along the barrier.  After that, do the jump without the barriers, but with some assistance from the coach.  Once that is achieved, the student can start working on the jumps on their own.

So anyways, here's the wall drill that we worked on:
1. Face the barrier with your hands on
2. Bend your knees as if going into a squat
3. "Jump" by springing from your knees, and using your arms as support. Allow your back to be nice, wide, and long, with toes pointing.
4. Land back onto the ice, starting with the toe picks and rolling through your foot.


 After doing this a few times, we did it off of the boards, but using my arms in a pumping type of motion as I jumped.  I didn't think that I was getting that much height, but Jeremy told me that I was.  The hardest part was having the confidence with landing, because I felt myself slipping a bit.  I know that this will just take some practice to get use to.

As a whole, I felt VERY confident with my new coach!  Although I knew he was watching me, I felt very relaxed, and didn't have the "Uh oh...he's watching me!" feeling, so I was able to be my usual, easy going self at the rink.  In addition, he is totally confident that I can pass both FS 1 and FS 2 this semester, and starting tomorrow, we're going to work on choreographing my FS 1 test program, and even do some work off-ice! In addition, he told me to go ahead and register for FS 2 classes this semester! Yay!!!  I'm totally excited to be one of his new students, and I can only hope that we'll continue to work great together. :)

Questions to Ponder

In addition to my (hopefully) semi-annual blog posts, I'd like to post some questions that come to my mind. These questions will be for anyone to respond to, but keep in mind that some of the questions may be geared to a more particular skating audience.  Please keep in mind that I do have a skating coach, so I would like to have more particular answers than "talk to your coach," as I already do that on a regular basis. :)

So, here's a couple of questions to start things off:

1. If you wear glasses/contacts, do you wear them for practice and competitions? Do you find them to a major safety hazard, due to the risk of breakage from a fall?

2. Public Skate Sessions. Do you find those times beneficial as additional practice, or more of a hindrance?  Do you feel that the rink guards do a decent job in keeping a visual check on those in the center/figure skating circle? 

3. For clockwise skaters:
What is your biggest challenge with skating in the opposite direction?

4. Which side is your weaker side?   I find that my right leg is my non-dominant one, which is kinda a pain since I have to jump off of that leg.  However, I'd much rather take off on my weaker leg, than land on it!

5.  Falling. How does one conquer their fear of falling?  I admit that I'm sometimes a huge "scaredy cat" about this. Sometimes this fear stops me from trying to jump and do footwork with more speed.  I'd love to hear some tips about conquering this fear.

My first blog as an adult skater

First of all, I'm going to let you know that I cannot guarantee how often I will update this blog, but I will try my best to update it on a semi-regular basis.  I've tried keeping stuff like diaries in the past, and I would do alright for a while, but then would sorta forget about them as time went on. However, I will give this another whirl, and see what happens. :)

Let me introduce myself.  I'm Janet Slater, and I'm an adult figure skater, and am starting my third year in the sport.   I'm originally from the Southern Illinois area, and have a Bachelor of Music degree from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, focusing on Music Education and Flute Performance.  Yes, music is my main love--always has been, and always will be, but figure skating is something I've also grown to love as a hobby.  I'm currently living in Champaign-Urbana, am a certified Alexander Technique teacher, and I also am a full-time Teaching Assistant in the Special Education Department at one of the local high schools.

So, why did I pick up figure skating as an adult?  It's simply because I wanted to give it a try.  I had always enjoyed watching figure skating on T.V. growing up (Michelle Kwan being a favorite), and had even seen a "Stars on Ice" show back when I was in high school.  I had kinda forgotten about the university here (University of Illinois) had an ice rink on campus, so back in the fall of 2009, I decided to go to a couple of public skate sessions, just to give it a try.  I wore a pair of brown rental skates that were way too narrow for my feet, and hurt like the dickens, but I immediately loved being on the ice.  The most that I could do was march baby steps around the rink, but I absolutely loved it.  I went back a few more times, and worked up the courage to start trying some two foot glides, one foot glides, and some stroking.  I was enjoying it so much that when I finished my A.T. training that December, I would treat myself to a semester of skating classes, starting that January.  My rink is affiliated with the ISI (Ice Skating Institute), and I was able to take Pre-Alpha, Alpha, and Beta levels with other adults.  I passed the Pre-Alpha through Delta levels within a year (minus the summer, as my rink isn't open then), and am now skating at the ISI Freestyle 1 level.  I did my first ever competition last spring, at the Delta level, and I enjoyed my experience.

My goal for this year is to pass my Freestyle 1 test, and start working on the USFSA Pre-Bronze MITF (Moves in the Filed) test.  I also have hopes to start working on, and landing my first ever single rotation jump.  However, this will depend on my progress.

Now, some stats for those of you who may be extra nosy: :)
Clockwise or Counterclockwise Skater: Clockwise
Skates: Jackson Classiques with Ultima Mirage Blade
Current Program Music:  Cider House (main title theme) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q2H8p4uqCZ0
Height: between 5'8-5'9. I'm one of the tallest female skaters at my rink, and one of the very few adult skaters there as well.
First Competition ever done: Illini Ice Competition at the University of Illinois. I competed "against the book," and scored two first place finishes for the compulsories and Delta level program.
YouTube channel name: jfluter
Favorite Skaters (I admit, I'm not so familiar with most of the current skaters): Scott Hamilton, Todd Elderidge, Michelle Kwan, Evengi Plushenko, Kristi Yamaguchi, Nancy Kerrigan, Tonya Harding (for her jumps...holy axel batman!), Carolize Zhang, Johnny Weir, Brian Boitano, Elvis Stojko, Karolina Kostner (sp?), Midori Ito, Sasha Cohen (for spirals), Alissa Cziny, and I hope this list continues to grow....:)