Return of the Skater

 Wow, it has been a while. 

Hard to believe I started this blog in 2012, at the same time as my skating journey began. Looking back at posts, I see that I stopped posting when full time work first became a thing for me, and a lot has happened since then. 

A pandemic, for one. 

Lots of skating, and lots of progress. 

Looking back at what I was working on when I stopped posting, is a reminder of how far I've come. At the moment I'm getting to grips with my loop and flip jumps, and my sit and camel spins. Back when I stopped posting, I wasn't even jumping. I was about to do my first competition with Inclusive Skating. I'm now competing, not only in Inclusive Skating events, but in British Ice Skating mainstream events. 

I completed my Skate UK passport. 

I competed with Inclusive Skating in Finland. 

I'm doing some work with British Ice Skating to make the mainstream side of the sport more accessible to those with disabilities. 

So much has changed, but my passion for skating is still burning strong. I'm not going to commit to a posting schedule, I work full time and study with the Open University, so I've got a lot on alongside skating. 

But I'm hoping to get back to some kind of regular posting, and will be looking to expand the blog and see where it takes me. 

So let's get started, shall we?

Getting Competitive

So, last post I mentioned I had a major piece of sharing news to share. Well today’s the day, I can officially say that I'm going to be competing in April!

I’m entering a competition run by a charity, Inclusive Skating. Go give them a like on Twitter by following @InclusiveSk8 and you’ll be able to follow the great work they’re doing. The charity runs competitions for skaters with an impairment, among other things, and they have a scoring system that means skaters with and without disabilities can compete together - I’m still learning how it works but it’s a great idea. Classified athletes get an impairment compensation added to their scores, and elements that normally wouldn’t be called by a technical panel now have a value.

Let me explain why I’m entering. My sight affects my safety on the ice as I don’t have full peripheral vision, and my balance and reaction times. So when I’m skating, if I, for example, do a 3 turn and get off balance, I’m more likely to hit the ice, as my eyes can’t get the message to my brain fast enough for me to correct. I find doing any rotational movements at speed harder, and it takes me longer to pick up skills because funnily enough, I’m not a visual learner! I’m also restricted in when I can skate as I don’t drive, and I’m not comfortable travelling to or from the rink at night, due to crossing roads etc.

So, in May last year, I entered our eink’s artistic competition. The winner from each category went on to a final event at another rink. I scored 18.5 out of 30, and came 5th out of 6 skaters. I believe the next skater scored around 23. The adults weren’t separated by level like the kids, so I was competing, with basic skills against people working on their Axel. For the first time at the rink, I noticed how my impairment affected skating. I noticed my disability, and felt different.

As an aside, I will say I skated in our rink’s group number at the final event - thank you amazing coaches for giving me that chance, and letting me tweak footwork slightly so I could keep up!

I wanted to compete but as an adult with an impairment I’m currently not at the right level to enter the same events my friends do. Inclusive Skating was on my radar, but I’m someone who tries not to let my eyesight issues define me, so I’d always said I’d see how I got on competing before I went down that road. After May, it became clear that actually, this was something that could really help me and give me the confidence to say, “yes I have a disability, but look what I can still do!” I spoke to my coach, and she agreed to help, although it’s all new to her, too!

Lots of my friends are entering another competition that runs the same week as the one I’m doing, and already I feel more a part of the community as I’ve got the same prep to do, the same nerves, and my friends are so supportive. They’re talking about trying to Skype before I skate, which just blows my mind. I was the kid no one wanted on their team in PE, and now I’ve got people who are cheering me on. One said, “we might not be able to be at the competition with you, but you’re not going alone, we’re there in spirit. You’ve got all of [rink name] behind you.” I skate at the best rink ever <3

Next week I’m going to a big rink to meet with a coach who will be attending the event, and once she’s had a look at my routine and clarified some things, the entry form will be sent off. This is really happening, isn’t it?!

It's been a rollercoaster of a year, but I'm glad I went along for the ride

So once again, I totally forgot to update my blog. Not great, I admit, but I'm back now, and there is much to share.

So when I last wrote, we were getting ready for Christmas Show 2016. That was Alice in Wonderland, and quite frankly was the best way to get back into skating regularly, and make new friends at the rink. After that, around this time last year, I found out we were going to do an Easter gala show, and began attending Saturday rehearsals. The coach was one I'd not worked with before, I was the oldest skater by around 5 years and the lowest level.

I really felt out of my depth and like I would drag the group down, but do you know what? A nice chat with the coach, who explained that I actually wasn't so far behind the others, and I felt better. He even did something I thought was a little crazy, and gave me a step-out solo in one routine. He made it so that we each had one, and although it was the most terrifying thing I'd done to date, it was super fun.

I still skate with that group, every Saturday morning. In a year, my skating has come on in leaps and bounds, and my confidence has grown. In May 2017 we had an in house artistic competition, and I skated a little routine to "Singin' in the Rain", and scored 18.5 out of 30, which I was really pleased with. I also took part in a large group number at an inter-rink event in July, which pushed me to my limit skating wise, but was a fabulous experience, and if the option is there this year, I'll be auditioning again.

After that event, it was time to get back in to Christmas show rehearsals, from September onwards. This time it was Around the World in 80 Days, and I decided to audition for a main role. I didn't get one, and was pretty sad about that, but with hindsight, I'm glad! The guys who did had so many rehearsals and routines, I wouldn't have coped with it, at all. I was in 2 routines, and had a great time with my friends.

Right now, we're about to kick into Easter rehearsal mode, but I've not got any real idea of what we're doing yet.

There is some other news I have to share, but I'm going to do that in a separate post, as it's quite a detailed story.

Big Update Post - Still here, still skating

OK, first of all I want to apologise for the lack of updates. Life just got completely crazy, and the blog fell by the wayside a little. I've had lots happen, and I'm proud to say I'm now back skating again. I'll get to that in a little bit though, because there's so much to talk about. 

So, I last updated in April 2014, in the July of that year I got a new job, after much searching, and was also studying part time and doing a voluntary placement. Skating took a back seat, and I really didn't skate at all apart from once in the November of 2014. So, the job hit issues in around February 2015, and I decided on a whim, to apply to Camp America - I didn't think I'd get in but I needed to do something to get out of my current work rut. 

Amazingly, on April 1st, 2015, I got an email from a camp offering me a position, after an initial Skype interview a couple of weeks before. I was amazed, things like this never happen to me, and the next few months were a blur, as I prepared to fly out on June 20th that year. 

I was in the States until the end of August, working for 7 weeks then travelling for 2, and I got to see some amazing places. Highlights include going whitewater rafting in Ocoee, Tennessee, partying all night in Nashville, visiting Memphis and Graceland, and spending a day at Universal Studios in Orlando, plus 4 days in NYC before flying home.

So, after that I embarked on more studying, and in January of this year, got a new job. It wasn't what I really wanted, but it was OK for earning money while studying. Unfortunately, when they learned I was looking for work related to my studies, the company and manager began making my life pretty unpleasant, and on October 26th this year, we parted company. I'm now looking for work again, but I'm going to register with various agencies to try and get temporary work as a teaching assistant (the thing I studied to do after coming back from America). So I'm not too worried. 

So now on to the skating part of the blog. While I was in the States, my coach left the rink, so back in August I started lessons with a new coach, who is awesome. Skating is about where it was in 2014, although my inside 3's and mohawks have gone MIA, so currently trying to get those back. The big news is...

I'm skating in the rink's Christmas show again! It's kind of bittersweet, as the last time I did a show, I was dealing with a major bereavement and that was my escape. Now I'm making lots of new memories, and I am in a much better place mentally now, than I was then. I have my costume, a gorgeous pink velvet dress from a company called Bunty Sportswear - go check them out, Ruth, the owner is amazing and will answer any questions you might have. The dress with me in it though, needs some work, so I'm on a major weight loss campaign - 6 weeks to show day! 

So, I'm gonna wrap up here, I'll post another update next week, after my next show rehearsals! Thanks for reading!å

Making the Right Decisions...

OK, firstly, apologies for the lack of updates, been kind of busy. So, updates first of all. The break in process for these new skates, has actually been OK! I've given up wearing them around the house, and just skate in them as I normally would, and they're now almost there. I also figured out why my laces were too short - I wasn't tightening them enough in other areas, once I started doing that, I could easily tie my bow. 

Skating wise, we're finally making progress on inside 3's! I can do them away from the wall, and now with very, very limited input from my coach. I need to keep practicing this, but she thinks another few weeks and they'll be passed. On Tuesday we started working on my landing position - holding a backwards outside edge, as this is part of Skate UK level 8, which I'll soon be working on. I can do this relatively well with a push away from the wall, just need to work on holding it from backwards crossovers. I need to do it on both feet, so that will be interesting on my non-dominant side. 

So, you might have noticed there was no talk of my upcoming competition in all of that. Well, the thing is... I pulled out. Due to no other adults skating the spin, jump, spiral category, I would've had to skate with the 11-15 year olds. My spin was basically non-existant, and in the new boots, so was my 3 jump. So I spoke to my coach, told her I didn't feel up to competing this time, and she was lovely, said we could work on getting all the elements really strong, and compete next time the rink holds a competition.

I did go along to watch, and take part in an exhibition number with the adult dance group (not my best skate, I wasn't able to make many rehearsals - lesson learnt there). It was really cool watching everyone, cheering and seeing how things worked. I will definitely be doing the next one, I may even be at the level where I can skate a program, which would be quite cool. I did make the right call about pulling out, though, as the other competitors were really good, with quite high jumps and good, solid spins. I would've looked a fool. 

Another really cool thing was, a couple of weeks ago, I met my skating friend for the first time since Christmas, and her 3 week old baby boy! He's adorable, and she's itching to get back on the ice. She's coming to the rink on Tuesday, as she's got a relative to watch her son, so it will be nice to skate with her again :)

Got my new skates... Let the Break In Commence!

As the title suggests, I finally took possession of my new skates. I got a phonecall early in the week to say they were ready, and my friend also got a call saying hers had come in, so off we went back to Sheffield to pick them up. 

We did one final check of the fit, and I was told I was on a permanent mount, so could spin and jump as much as I wanted - woohoo! I really didn't want a third trip, or to have to get out the cordless screwdriver to add more screws later. They'd sharpened them for me too, to a 3/8ths grind, which was cool. I also got myself some new soakers - tie-dye ones with a reinforced bottom. 

So, after we were done in the shop, we went out onto the ice to test out or new purchases. I absolutely loved my skates - there are some sore spots, but I'm not moving around in the boot anymore, and feel really secure. Only problem was, it was a busy public, with a lot of hockey skaters whizzing around so I daren't do anything more than some lemons (swizzles) crossovers and inside edges. They all felt great though, I didn't go over my toepicks and I didn't have any trouble adjusting to a shorter blade. 

I can't wait til Tuesday, when I'll be back on my home ice, and can REALLY start testing these babies out! 

But, of course, every silver lining has a cloud, and I've got to break them in first. I had a really easy time with my Jacksons, one sore spot where the boot cut into my calf, and some pinched toes, and that was it. Break in was a piece of cake. The Edeas actually fit me correctly, so I guess this will be my first REAL experience of breaking in figure skates. 

So far, after skating in them yesterday, I've been wearing them in the house for 15-20 minutes at a time. I really need some more skating tights, as they were what I wore to get fitted for the skates, and everything else I have is either too thick, or too thin. I have, however, found and ordered 2 pairs of skating knee-highs from Mondor, so that'll help me with things to wear.

I have heard all kinds of crazy ways to break in skates - heating them in the oven, using a hairdryer on them, among other things. I plan to simply wear them while watching TV, and skate in them as much as I can. It'll take time, but it's the only way I know. 

I do think I need longer laces though, I can barely tie a bow in these, and find it easier to simply tie off the ends in a double knot, but I'm not sure if that's OK? Anyone got any idea on that? I'll pick up some laces tonight when I go and watch the ice hockey, and try them out this week, just to be safe. 

Not much has happened skating wise, coach was away this week so I went for a practice and met up with a couple of skating friends. We had great fun holding hands and doing synchronised spirals (it was a quiet session). I also wore my skating dress on the ice for the first time, and it felt great. 

So that's my week, here's to an easy break in period for the skates and some skating progress! 

PS: To the girl doing waltz jumps on the busy public yesterday: not a good plan. You also nearly took me out by launching yourself backwards into a spin entry. Look, it's public. Save the spins for a patch session, alright?

Adventures in Skate Shopping

OK, so I've had a pretty exciting week, lots happening. Let's get the skating out of the way first, as the other stuff will take a little while to get through.

Waltz jump is coming along nicely, and I've actually done the entire entry and jump sequence a few times now, without holding my coach's hand - woohoo! There are still things that we need to fix, like the fact that I'm sometimes not landing on the back outside edge, and not really landing or taking off from my toe pick - have you seen the picks on a Jackson Mystique? They're very small - I find it hard to get onto them properly for anything!

The one foot spin is, at the moment, the problem child, the work in progress, call it what you will. It's the one element for this spin, jump, spiral competition that isn't where I want it to be. I can do the entry, and I feel really confident with the entry, but the actual spin? Not happening very well yet. I think it's being on one leg that's the scary part. Anyway, hopefully we'll get there before April 26th - competition day!!

The spiral, I actually really enjoy! I need a little bit more height, but my skating leg and free leg are both doing the right thing, so that's good. Inside 3's are still an issue, which is not so good, but I'm sure I'll get there. I will, of course, blog about the competition, and hopefully be posting photos or video, if I can get someone to take them of me. 

So, that's the skating, now the good stuff. A couple of months back, I noticed some space in my boots that wasn't there before - I've been losing weight so not too surprising some has come off my feet. Anyway, it got to the point where I no longer felt secure in my skates, and was wearing two pairs of socks to compensate. 

A friend of mine also needed new skates, and offered me the chance to go with her to a very reputable skate shop, who fitted her and her son for their skates from day one of them being on the ice. I jumped at the chance, and we headed there yesterday.

It's over an hour away, so I really hoped they could help. I called in advance and told them a little about myself, my level, what I was looking for etc. They were really helpful on the phone, so I was looking forward to the trip.

After the drive, we walked in, and WOW! Dresses as far as the eye could see, Zuca's all round the walls, a wall of gloves, another of guards and soakers. Boots everywhere, a blade cabinet, a little corner for hockey skates (the main hockey part of the shop was in another building) and lots of space to try things on and walk around. 

First I got them to check what sharpening was on my current blades - apparently I could easily drop down a couple of increments, so I might do that with the new blades. Then I said I needed some new skates, explained why, and the real fun began. The lovely man who was helping us looked at my boots and said that the Freestyles and other higher level skates I was thinking of were out - I had barely broken the ankles in on the Mystiques. He then took out my insoles and commented that the boots were way too big for me - I had a lot of space at the end of the insole. 

Now, this is where I found out some stuff - when I bought my skates, I asked for a UK size 6, my shoe size. The shop I went to, sold me this, as far as I was aware. No, they did not. They sold me a size 6 1/2, and while that may have fitted OK when I was my heaviest weight, as I shrunk, and my feet changed, they became worse. Nice skate fitter man commented that he was very surprised at the condition of my skates. Boots that are too big will apparently break down quickly, and can even lead to injury, so really, I've been quite lucky. 

So, we decided we'd start at a UK size 5, and go from there. I tried the Edea Overture, in boot only form, and it actually fit, right there and then, better than my Jacksons did. No painful bits - pressure, but not pain, particularly in the ankles and my little toes. I was asked to lace them up, and the fit was checked - you can barely get a finger down the back of the boots when they're laced, and they felt very supportive. I was told to keep them on while he helped my friend with her skate buying, and then we'd see if I wanted/needed to try anything else, although he said we'd be hard pressed to find a better fit than that. 

It took a LONG time to find skates for my friend - she's got very unusual feet. She doesn't care if her skates are ladies or mens, so in the end she got a pair of Jackson Marquis on order. 

I decided I was VERY happy with the fit of the Edeas, and chose to have them teamed up with some Coronation Ace blades. My blades will be 

Hey! What's going on?!

I know, I know, I've left you all for ages without an update again. I'm sorry! So, what's been happening in the wonderful world of skating? 

Well, two rather big things have happened. I've put my name down for a spin, jump, spiral competition at the rink. Yep, I couldn't believe it but I found the courage to fill out the forms and submit the entry fee to my coach. We are having two events: one is for people who are on Skate UK, like me, and working on the higher levels. We have to do a waltz jump (from backwards crossover entry), one foot spin (from proper entry) and spiral. Then for those who are on Skate UK Star, they can do a 1min 30 routine to music. It's going to be interesting to watch everyone, I'm really only doing it for fun, so don't mind where I place, if I'm honest. 

The only problem is, the entries have now closed, and I'm the only one around my age competing, so I suspect I'm going to have to skate up with the 30+ crowd. I don't mind that really, I'd rather skate with older adults than with the kids - they're seriously good and would wipe the floor with me!

So, the other big thing? I bought a dress :) Just a plain, keyhole back skating dress in kingfisher blue. I love it, and can't wait to wear it for the competition. The only dilemma I have is: over the boot, or footed tights? I have a pair of each. 

Alright, enough of that stuff, on to the skating. We've taken a break from inside 3 turns in my lessons, to focus on the competition elements. The spiral is going really well, only attempted for the first time on Tuesday, but my coach says it's great already, just needs a little more height. The one foot spin? Scary, scary times. I'm fine with the entry, but having only ever spun on two feet (not very well, either), I'm not 100% sure where my weight needs to be or how to stop myself. But again, coach isn't too worried, we've got time to work on it. The waltz jump is going well, starting to do more of the entry sequence without having my hand held. I got some new wrist guards yesterday so now feel better equipped to go and practice the jump without my coach. 

Our dance group is also going well, we're working on a routine for competition day to "Puttin' On the Ritz" and boy, is it fast! I'm pretty much OK with everything, except the box step, and the sheer speed of everything else! I will need to start attending Wednesday night dance again for a while, to work on it with all of the skaters present. Hopefully my friend who helped me out with getting home from rehearsals for the Christmas show, can help me out this time. I also need to find a 1920's Charleston dress, as that's our theme... 

So, until the next time I skate, I hope you all skate safe, enjoy your skating and have an awesome time on the ice :) 

When Things Click

Back on the ice today, as my foot is now all sorted. Didn't have a lesson, but got a lot of practice in and got to see my skating friends.

When I first got on the ice, there were about 3 kids on the rink, plus my coach, plus my two friends. A little busy, but doable. I did get some practice in, but it wasn't anything meaningful. One friend tried to help me with my forward inside 3 turns. I swear, I am never going to get these, they're impossible! I either just step round, or go round in a circle on my inside edge. Very annoying. 

But then, I said the same thing about the outside ones, and I seem to recall many a post on this blog about backwards one foot glides, which I can now do a little better (I passed them, after all!) So I WILL get the inside 3's, but it's gonna take time and practice. 

Anyway, we then had a coffee, and a chat before dance club. I love this group - we get to actually put our skating skills to use, which is good - I sometimes wish I hsad more moves so I could actually DO something! I can with dance, and that makes me happy. 

We ran through the Prelim Waltz, Prelim Foxtrot and Canasta Tango (which I finally got to learn properly - and really enjoy!) before moving onto our newest dance - the Cha Cha! This is one my coach has found for us, it's Pre-Bronze level, so nothing too overly complex. Well, just one little thing. Or two. Or, well, several.

1. It's so fast! I can't get all my chasse steps in! I get all confused and forget which leg is lifting up and it all goes a bit wrong. 
2. There's an evil, evil step-behind. I am so glad I'm learning this in hold first. It's not natural to put your foot behind you then pick up your front foot! 
3. Bizarre bending and then extension of the free leg - again I get a bit confused with this! You pick up your free leg, then bend your knee up, then extend back behind you. Except on the first part of the pattern where you extend forwards and cross over. 

Sigh. It's gonna take a while to get this dance! 

So, after dance club, I decided to stay and practice for a while. I wanted to work on my outside 3 turns. I've passed these, but they're not pretty. Well, something clicked!

I could lift my foot, flick my hips and then be going backwards. Normally, my free foot is straight down on the ice after the turn, and they're pathetically slow. These were quick and pretty-looking. I was very pleased, so showed my coach, and she was thrilled.

I'll get the inside 3's like this, eventually. 

Oh yes, I will. 

I also picked out the dress I'd like to buy when I've lost a little more weight. It's in my favourite colour, purple and looks lovely.

So, hopefully that dress will be mine very soon! 

Things I Learnt the Hard Way #628 - All About Laces

So, conversation over dinner this evening turns to plans for tomorrow. I say I might get another skate in, after a good practice yesterday, but I'm not sure as the weather looks like it might be pretty wet and windy here.

"Oh, I wouldn't, Vicki, I'd wait a bit for your foot to heal up more." Said my mother.

Woah, wait, pause! Wait til my foot heals?! What am I talking about, I hear you ask. Well, it's a little silly, really.  

Yesterday I went to the rink, and was practicing things like back crossovers, 3 turns and trying to get the basics of backwards edges and mohawks down before my next lesson, so we can get more stuff passed in my LTS program. 

After I got off the ice, I noticed a pain in my instep area on the right foot. I'd not fallen, so was a little confused. It only hurt when I walked on it. 

So, I get home, and my mum, who is a nurse asks a few questions. "You've probably strained a muscle or tendon or something. Nothing too serious." So, since I didn't fall, how could I have done that?

I'd noticed both heels were lifting in my boots a little during 3 turns that day, and mentioned this. "If your feet are lifting, your laces aren't tight enough" said my oh so wise mother.

Then it clicked. A couple of months back, I swapped laces, to some funky coloured ones. They're actually hockey laces, and when I tied them I had just enough lace to make a knot after lacing the hooks. 

I put my original laces in, and was shocked how much tighter I could get my skates. I've been JUMPING in skates that weren't tight enough! That could've been a serious accident or injury, fortunately I was only doing turns that session. 

What a FOOL I have been. And I've paid for it, in the form of a minor injury. As my mum said, "Next time you want to change the colour of your skates, just get more boot covers, OK Vic?"

I think I'll do just that! Lesson learnt, the hard way.

Still Here, Still Skating

Wow, it's been so long since I blogged last, I can't believe it! OK, the serious stuff out of the way first: The reason for my lack of posts is nothing more than real life and life outside skating getting crazy. I still skate, I am in good health, so there's absolutely nothing to worry about. I am fine.

The reason for the lack of posts is actually quite complex. At the start of August I was still looking for work, and applying for jobs. One of those applications led to an interview, which led to me starting work and having very little time to skate. Then, sadly I lost my grandfather at the end of September, and over the next few months had all of that to deal with. Things didn't work out with the job, and so earlier this month we parted company. 

In amongst all that - I did find time to skate. I went to rehearsals on a Wednesday night and skated in 3 group numbers in our first ever Christmas show. It was awesome on the day - everyone helping each other, supporting each other and helping out. 

I went to lunch with my fellow adult skaters before the first show, and that was great, we don't get to socialise much outside the rink, so it made a nice change. Then between shows i went for a coffee with some of my other adult skater friends. It was good to get out of the rink between shows, and again, catch up with people I don't see outside of skating. 

As for my personal skating, I finally passed Level 5, and then Level 6 was passed a little while later. So I am now working on Level 7 of 10, and have the joys of inside 3 turns, backwards crossovers and continuous inside and outside edges. It's all good fun though, just the 3 turns causing me problems, but the outside ones in Level 6 took me a while too. 

What else? Oh, my waltz jump/hop is now fully off the barrier, and I am starting to attack it from a slow glide now. 2 foot spin is getting better, consistently getting 1 and a half to 2 revolutions now. I did ask Santa for a better spin, and waltz jump for Christmas, it'll be Thursday morning before I get to find out if I got my wish :) 

Also, my best skating friend is expecting a baby! Due in April and we are already joking she'll have to wrap baby up warm and leave the carseat on the benches while we alternate skating and babysitting duties! We're kind of crazy like that haha!

The weight loss is still going well, almost 2 stone gone now. 

So, that's the round up of the last half of my year, here's hoping 2014 brings lots of good things to all my readers, wherever you are in the world! 

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 :) 

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 :) 

Back in the Swing of Things

So, it has been a while since I last posted, and for that, I apologise. You know how it is, life sometimes just gets in the way of the fun stuff. 

Yesterday I went down to the rink and had my first private lesson in what seems like forever, and I got to talk to some of my fellow skaters too, which was something I missed when I had to skate at weekends. So, a few of us got chatting, and had a coffee before my lesson.

I got to see one of my closer skating friends which rekindled the friendly competition between us (she's one level above me) I only have 2 more elements I need to pass before we're back on the same level. She had her lesson before me, so I skated around, practicing and getting used to the sharpening on my blades.

That's a funny story actually. I saw my regular sharpening guy was back at the rink before I got on the ice and asked him to sharpen my blades, and he took a look, saying he'd check with my coach. She was amazed I wasn't happy on the edges, as they looked OK. But, as it turned out, I'm one of these people who likes really sharp blades. So he did a tiny amount of sharpening, to bring my inside edges up to standard, and sent me on my way, saying if the blades were too sharp he could tone them done a bit. 

Only problem? I can't stop at the moment - good thing I skate on quiet days!

So, my lesson. We signed off my forwards crossovers and 2 foot spin, and worked on the backwards one foot glide that has been eluding me. I need to work on these still, but they're actually closer to passing than I thought, so that's good. We also did backwards snowplough stops, these should get signed off after I can stop on my blades again haha.

We also did some prep for 3 turns, getting the 2 foot turn spot on, and also worked on my spin entry which produced better spins than I'd been doing during my practices. 

Before my lesson, my coach ran through a "simple" step sequence with me and my friend, and demonstrated it. We're going to have to learn that when we get to Level 10 - I am scared. It seems really complicated to me, but as we'll be learning each individual element in the levels before, it should be OK. Eventually.

After my lesson, she was teaching another lady, and then had us both doing a simpler step sequence, the only thing I struggled with, because we've not been through it yet, was the bunny hop. It was nice to start stringing moves together - gave me a good feeling.

There's also talk of doing a Christmas skating gala, which I so want to be a part of, so putting things into routines is good practice for that. I am going to start exploring music possibilities in a few more weeks, just for a little programme of my own making. Myself and another skater were talking costumes for this gala, and we think we're going to get cheap leotards and skirts and just wear those. 

Sounds like a plan to me, and will give me some more motivation for my weight loss, which currently stands at 16lbs since February. 

Until next time - skate safe, have fun, and be happy :) 

Sometimes it's good to just... Skate

So, I'm still skating on weekend publics, and haven't had a lesson in a few weeks. I planned to have lessons, but then the session would be crazy busy come lesson time and y coach and I would both agree that it'd be impossible to get anything productive done. I'm still practicing everything though, so when I do finally have a lesson, hopefully I'll get some stuff signed off. 

So, anyway, before I get into yesterday's skating session, I thought I'd share something. I am currently on a mission to lose weight. I am following Slimming World and have decided that for every half stone (7lbs) I lose, I'm going to buy myself a skating related reward. I've lost 5.5lbs so far, so I'm getting close to reward #1. Only problem is, I don't know what that should be - I'm thinking some new soakers or colourful laces for my skates. I think when I hit my main target I'll be buying myself either some new boots and blades, or if I don't need them yet, maybe a Zuca bag (I carry a LOT of extra stuff, haha!). 

So, yesterday I went skating, and was going to meet a friend at some point during the session. I had planned to have a lesson, but again, it got crazy busy, lots of kids with penguins and no supervision having races all over the ice, coach and I just looked at the chaos and decided it'd be better to wait. 

My friend and her family arrived and we had a nice couple of hours just skating around, which I haven't done for a long while. In fact, this was the first time since our rink opened that I'd just skated around. I did do some practice before my friend arrived, and showed her my attempts at a spin, which she loved, she thinks it's awesome, even if it's not up to passing Skate UK yet. 

Sometimes it's just nice to relax on the ice and not worry about practicing :) 

I skated near enough 4 hours yesterday, and am very pleased that my boots are now comfy enough to allow that. My blades do need sharpening though, must get that done next week... 

Mental Blocks and Rink Karma

So, after a break of one week due to the wedding of two very good friends (which was an amazing day, by the way) I was back on the ice this week.

You know you've been skating too long when your first thought upon realising you have a Friday off is, "I can skate on quiet ice!" OK, it wasn't totally quiet with it being Good Friday, and the schools being closed, but it was better than it has been on Saturdays when I've had my lesson. With it being so busy, and not having my coach to spot for me, I just stuck to doing all forward facing moves, so lots of edge work, a few crossovers and gliding on a curve. It was just nice to be able to skate on a weekday again, I'll be honest. 

Saturday was my lesson and although progress is being made each week, it's painfully slow at the moment. It's all because a lot of the moves on Level 5 involve going backwards, and for some reason, I have issues with that. I'm sorry, humans were not meant to go backwards, it's scary and I'm not overly fond of it. But, as with everything else so far, I'll keep practicing and eventually it'll all fall into place. 

One thing we did work on, was getting my forward crossovers up to scratch. They're almost at Level 5 standard, so my coach began teaching me the figure 8 pattern I'd need to do them in at Level 10, in the hope we can sign that off nice and early. It's actually really fun, and she taught me how to push the free leg to the side so that there was less distance to cover when crossing over. You get up a serious amount of speed during this pattern, so I'll have to choose my practice times carefully for that! We did some work on my 2 foot spin too, again it's nearly there, just needs a little more work to consistently get the 1 revolution I need to pass.

We also had a go at improving my backwards skating, and backwards one foot glides. Coach pushed me backwards and got me to lift one foot, but I think I need to do this at my own speed, because the speed she had me going, just scared me, haha! This was when she discovered I make a high pitched "eeeee" sound when I'm scared. Apparently everyone makes different noises when the fear factor creeps in, so it's nothing to be ashamed of, good thing I don't really care what the public at the rink think of me!

What was weird, was at one point skating to an audience. Because I'm in a lesson, I'm allowed on the ice as soon as resurfacing is done, which is 15 minutes before the public. So as I'm in my lesson, working away, I spot lots of people who are getting their rental skates, or food from the concession stand watching me. It was actually kind of cool, and really didn't bother me. 

So, after my lesson I decided to practice on the public session for a bit. It was a pretty quiet session, for a Saturday, but there were still lots of people. We have rink guards, but they only have one even on a busy session, so they can't be everywhere. I was skating along and saw this little girl fall, she was only about 5 and was with another girl, either an older friend or big sister. She was on the ice crying, so I went over to try and help her up, I tried teaching her how to get up but I think she was too little to "get" it, but I was saved by the rink guard who was bigger and stronger than me, who pulled her onto her skates again. 

She was clinging to the boards, and was still upset, so I thought I'd try and cheer her up. "Wanna know a secret?" I said, which got me a nod. "Did you see the lady who was teaching me earlier? Well, even she falls sometimes. And you know what? Falling over just means you're trying really hard, so keep going." It got a smile out of her, she went off happier than when she fell. Made me feel really good too, I have to admit. Then I helped another lady and her daughter who had fallen.

Why do I do it? Well, I think those of us who can skate should look out for the beginners. We were all there once, and it leaves a lasting impression, that your rink is a really friendly place.  Another reason is I'm a believer in karma, you know, what goes around, comes around? So hopefully if I fall, which obviously, I will from time to time, someone will be kind and offer me a hand up, instead of skating by. 

So I'll leave you with that thought, until my next lesson, which will be 2 weeks from now, after the ice hockey Play Off weekend.

Dedicated Pupil, or Good Coaching?

Well, firstly, hello! Don't you just hate it when real life gets in the way of skating, and therefore blogging? I know I do.

I finally got back on the ice on Saturday, after 5 weeks away due to various reasons, and was welcomed back by my coach with open arms and stories about how all my skating friends were missing me and wondering where I was. I have to admit, it was nice to be missed, that's never happened to me before. 

So, I had a half hour lesson because I can't skate next week due to a wedding I'm attending. We did a recap of everything I've already had signed off, then worked on some stuff from my current level and the one above.

Including forward outside 3 turns. They are evil, I do not like them at the moment haha! I'm sure I'll get there with them, I have with everything else, even when I was filled with self doubt about that fact. 

Now, the title of this post relates to a little debate my coach and I were having. She told me that I've done really well building up my basic skills, because normally when she teaches someone for the first time after a break, she spends a lot of time almost re-teaching them things they've already covered. She didn't have to do that with me, and says it shows I've taken her teaching, practiced, and now have a very solid set of basic skating skills.

I maintain it's her excellent teaching, that's made skating fun, and something I want to practice and do well at, and that's how my skills have become so solid.

In reality, I think it's both of these things. You can't teach someone who isn't willing to learn, and you can't improve your skills unless you're willing to take on board what your coach is saying or suggesting. 

So, I wonder what the readership of this blog thinks? Even if you're not a skater, your experiences could relate to anything, or even to the experiences of a child in school. Is a "team ethos" important to good, solid progress and enjoyment of something, or is it simply one party or the other that makes it happen, in your view? 

Would love to hear from you in the comments section, so please get in touch! 

Life on the Ice

I know a place, where I'm happy to be,
A place where kindness does run free,
It's called the ice rink, my friends are all there,
Read on, and my story, I'll happily share.

Some skaters are young,
Some young at heart,
But all of these people,
Do play their part.

They support one another,
Through good times and bad,
And when goals are achieved,
They are grinning like mad

They pick you up when you fall,
Laugh at your poor old bruised hips
They pass on their knowledge,
About learning lutzes and flips

They spin, and they jump,
They dance and they twirl,
They make me realize,
I'm a very lucky girl

Because I know a place,
Where I'm happy to be,
It's a wonderful place
Where kindness runs free.

OK, I know bits of it don't scan, but I felt like writing a poem about skating and for something written off the top of my head, I think it's pretty good. I hope you like it. 

Learning New Things, Making New Friends

OK, first of all I'd like to apologize for my lack of posts over the last few weeks. As often happens real life got in the way and I let the blog slip under the radar, but I'm back now.

So, what have I been up to since the New Year? Well, I've so far had 3 lessons, and all have been good. The first one was while the schools were still off, so was a bit hectic, lots of dodging children. We recapped everything in that one, and I practiced a few things that I was struggling with.

The next one was good, on a Friday when lots of adults come to practice, and we worked on my outside edges on a curve, and began working on turning from forwards to backwards.

Today we continued work on those, and although I'm making small amounts of progress, neither is ready to be signed off yet. This is annoying, as up til now progress has been quite good, but I knew it'd slow down eventually. We also worked a little on my backwards skating, and that has progressed to the next stage, so that's good. 

Anyway, the really great thing is, I've been making friends at the rink, all different ages and abilities, and the atmosphere is great, especially on a Friday. Everyone encourages each other, we have a joke, but we get on with our practicing as well. The annoying thing is, I can only skate every other Friday due to commitments elsewhere, so I do miss out on that sometimes. Today I was lucky that one of my skating friends came for a lesson and we got to practice together, which was nice. 

So, my plans for this week are; wear socks on our tiled floors to practice certain elements off-ice, do stretches to help open my hips off-ice and hope that we don't get too much snow!

Yep, apparently we're in for up to 10cm of snow and I for one am not happy about it. Luckily today the roads to the rink were clear and the bus could get through, but my next lesson is next Friday, so I'm hoping the snow forecast to start tomorrow disappears by then!