Foray Into Adult Skating: ''Too Much New''

I'm back on the ice almost every day and am starting to feel it...in my hamstrings, my thighs, my ass, the cuts on my ankles from my boots and the black and blue marks on my hips.  It has been said that if you stop falling, you stop learning.  I must be learning a ton.

Today, I had my first lesson in almost seven weeks.  It was my seventh time back on the ice and I felt ready, but I am not jumping as of yet.  I believe that part of why I sprained my ankle must be due to my boots being loose, yet I can never seem to find a comfortable setting that I use every time.  It is time to get to work if I have any prayer of testing or performing this year.  I've been working on getting my lobes, crossovers, mohawks and three-turns back.  The owner of the rink near my house commented on my work ethic on the ice, but I still feel tremendously behind and making up for lost time.

Muscle memory is a strange thing.  I couldn't remember all of the different steps I was working on with Natasha before I hurt my ankle.  I remember pieces...but is it an inside turn or an outside turn?  My good side or bad side?  Natasha certainly remembered what he did.  I get confused with which is right inside and outside.  There are times during my lesson where I just focusing on 'doing' and save the 'thinking' part for later.  If I'm yelled at enough, I will do it.  "Thees ees your meestake."  "You make meestake."  I make a lot of them.  I was able to do just about everything we did last time and then some once I was shown it again.  My brain really needs to get with the lingo, as I remember corrections and cues associated with steps more than whatever they are called.  My power three turns register in my head as "beeeg step" because of the part after the turn when one transfer their weight before doing the back crossovers connected to it.  Oh, an "more extension!"  There is never enough extension.  Ever.

Natasha got in touch with my inner diva today when she realized that I learn everything quicker if she gives me those grand Russian arm movements to do with anything.  I was having Johnny Weir moments on the ice.  Where is my glittery onesie?  The skintight under armour just isn't gay enough.  My inner Artur Dmitriev lives for the grand arm movements whenever possible.  I've even been able to get in position for my 'bad side' back crossovers as long as I can do something dramatic with my arms.  If you recall, I have different bad sides.  I am better at right front crossovers than backward right crossovers.  I'm working on forward right crossovers-Mohawk-back right crossovers-recovery.

Waltz-three turns have become my life.  Now I'm doing them with an extra 'recovery' and they are full of arm movements, more extension and bend the knee.  Just remember, there is no such thing as extension.  More extension is like extra strength Tylenol (which I always need a lot of with my ankle)...strength and extension just aren't cutting it.

I've been doing my waltz jumps and just need to cut Schindler's List.  I've been working on the program and doing crossovers during the parts that I'm going to cut out.  I do it three times a session, which is working on getting my sorry ass into shape.  I've worked salchows and have temporarily changed my entrance from a three-turn to a mohawk until my ankle is strong enough to handle checking the three turn.  I haven't been doing many a day, as the force from the takeoff has a way of jarring my ankle.  I also live for the salchow falls...especially when they get all swingy and off balance.  Those always teach you to check a bit harder.

At the end of my lesson, Natasha was ready to teach me some cray-cray looking thing she refers to as the 'drunk step.'  Ay dios mio, my head was spinning already and I asked if we could review everything we worked on.  "Oh, oh..too much new."  Natasha taught at the rink where Natalia Mishkutenok and Navka trained.  Somehow I think my learning curve is a bit slower.  Let's see if I can remember anything tomorrow