Here we go! My first program!

So, on Tuesday I went for my first skate since the kids broke up from school for six weeks. I knew, from previous experience that it would be chaos on the public session I normally skate on, so took a big decision. I would skate the early morning freestyle/patch session. 

Now, this is big, for a couple of reasons. Firstly, and this is the main one, I am not a morning person. When I say that, I mean that normally on a skating day, I will wake up around 8am, and be on the ice by 10.30. Patch ice meant I had to get a 7.30am bus to be on the ice for 8am. The session actually starts at 6am, but I am not crazy enough to do that! Besides, the bus to the rink doesn't run that early...

The other reason is the aforementioned bus. I know the time my regular bus leaves the stop, and I've gotten catching it down to an art. So I'd have to leave the house even earlier than I would otherwise, to make sure I definitely caught this new bus. Good thing I did too, unlike my normal bus which is always late, this one was right on time. 

OK, so onto the good stuff. The rink is planning a little exhibition/competition at some point in November, and I mentioned to my coach that I'd like to skate in it. She asked me to bring some music suggestions, so I did. We went through them and unfortunately, they were all too fast for me, so we looked at some stuff from her collection. We eventually agreed on a piece called Mexican Corn, which I really like. It has a little speed to it, it's bubbly and bouncy, a bit like me. Most importantly though, we can choreograph a routine to it. 

That's what Tuesday's lesson was spent doing - we're getting there but there are still some skills I need to be taught that will be put in, such as a 1 foot spin, backwards crossovers and 3 turns. At the moment my biggest struggle is the 2 bunny hops into a forward drag. The bunny hop still feels weird to me, although I guess with practice I'll get it. We're also going to put my current favourite move in - the waltz jump. 

Before my lesson I was practicing these, trying to be brave and not hold the barrier, whilst still actually jumping. I'm pleased to say, after a few mis-attempts, I did it! I still need to keep practicing as the jump is more of a step right now, and it's from a standstill, but I saw my coach working on them with another lady, so I know it's possible to get them from a glide. Just going to take time.

I also practiced my backwards 1 foot glides. These are getting better, and I can tell that myself now. I can tell when my weight is too far forward, which I couldn't before, and I can hold the glide for around 2 seconds on each foot. I think I need a 3 second glide or more to pass Level 5, so here's hoping my next skate on Tuesday will yield results.

What I did learn on Tuesday was that I enjoy seeing others succeed. The ladt who was working on waltz jumps, was also working on her 1 foot spins, and I was so pleased when she went from a travelling, one or two revolutions, to a nicely centred 6+ revolutions. It was just so nice to see her succeed, and it gave me some hope that eventually, I'll get these things too.

I also learnt that in the early morning, watch out for condensation bumps at my rink! I didn't fall on any, but there were quite a few. Curse this humid weather! Oh well, it looks like it'll be raining on Tuesday, so maybe the next session won't be as bad. 

After skating, I went out and got a red leotard to wear for the performance, and yesterday picked up a lovely black/red layered can-can style skirt, in mesh fabric. It's not too long and I should be able to skate in it. Plus I think it looks awesome! Can't wait to wear the outfit on the ice.

That's all for now, I'll report back when I've had my next lesson.

Dancing, Jumping, and possibly Competing? Really?

Well, as the title says, it's been a busy few weeks. Where on earth do I start? Hmm...

OK, I know. I'll start with the fact that I've still not passed those back 1 foot glides. I'm getting there, but it's a long, slow road. I'm not saying more than that because really, there's nothing else I can say haha. As long as I pass them eventually, I'm happy!

So, dancing then. I've attended 2 sessions so far, on a Tuesday lunchtime, and I'm really enjoying it. We're working on the Dutch Waltz and Prelim Foxtrot at the moment, and will be adding the Canasta Tango to the mix soon enough. I'm not great, and it's hard finding a partner that doesn't drag me round the ice, but it's all good fun. It doesn't help that my swing-tthroughs aren't that good yet, so going round corners is, erm, interesting. 

Another thing I've been learning, is how to do a waltz jump. Yep, can't do a backwards 1 foot glide, can jump on ice. Well, while holding on to the barrier, anyway! I thought I'd be too scared to jump, but it's actually not so bad. I'm hoping to move it away from the barrier next session, otherwise I foresee a bad case of barrier-itis coming on, and I don't want to deal with that!

I also need to get my spin working better - I can only get 1 revolution on 2 feet at the moment, and my coach needs me to get more so that I can work on turning it into a 1 foot spin. There is a reason I need these things, well, two reasons. One is we're hoping to do a Christmas show at the rink, and the other is...

I have made the conscious decision to aim to compete at the Impaired Skating competition at Dumfries in May 2014, assuming I meet the minimum level of impairment with my vision problems, and that I've finished all the levels I need to by then.

Here's hoping :)