Progress, and trying new things.

Well, another skating session is behind me, and I am loving being back on weekday ice. All my friends are here, and it's just seriously good fun. So, I went to the rink for another practice session and general good time, and am finally making some progress.

My blades are now at the point where I can stop again - phew! So, after a bit of practice, I grabbed my coach when she'd finished teaching for the morning and showed her my backwards snowploughs. Hooray, they were of a passable standard! So that means it\s just the elusive backwards 1 foot glides standing between me and passing Skate UK Level 5. 

It feels like I've been stuck on these forever, but talking to a few friends round the rink, Level 5 seems to be a sticking point for a lot of people. Anyway, I was practicing the backwards glides, but on a curve, and a friend commented that they were improving, so that's good. I'll just keep plugging away at them, and eventually they'll be at a standard where they can be signed off. I also had a go at a prep exercise for forward outside 3 turns, where I start off doing a 2 foot turn, then lift one leg halfway through the turn. I can kind of do it, so that'll be handy for next lesson.

My coach is starting a dance club, on a Monday night and Tuesday lunchtime. My lovely skating friend and I are going this Monday, as she's very kindly said she'll give me a lift home in exchange for some fuel money. This is absolutely wonderful of her, as buses stop running to my town stupidly early from the rink. 

I'm looking forward to it, I've experimented with bits of dance in my lessons and enjoyed it, so it'll be nice to learn in a social environment, and hopefully make some more new friends. Due to the aforementioned buses, I'm going to be at the rink early, and that means I get to do another new thing.

I'm going to practice on patch ice (freestyle to my US readers). I have never been on a session like this, and I'm kind of nervous - what if everyone else is working on seriously high level moves and I'm just constantly in the way? I'll feel so self conscious, but hopefully the other skaters are nice and I'll be fine. 

I'll let you know how things go, next week :)