Four minutes in heaven

Saturday night, I was deliriously happy for four minutes. I had the ENTIRE rink to myself! It was at the end of a light public session, and everybody had left the ice. Four short, precious minutes before the Zamboni came on. I loved it.

I have never, ever skated on a full sheet of ice all to myself before. The best was maybe four people on the ice. I know in some skating-is-less-than-popular places, and at strange hours of the day, it might be quite common. But for me, this was a first.

It's really hard to describe the feeling I had. A mixture of elation and freedom and joy at being able to do whatever I want, wherever I want. I did all the elements I could do (which unfortunately does not include loop jumps and flip jumps any more), without stopping in between like I would normally do when just practicing. It was as if I was running through a program. I only wish I knew more transition things like footwork, instead, all I could do were stroking, crossovers, three-turns, mohawks, spirals and that was about it. I did have fun trying out backward spirals for the first time (I've been afraid to try in fear of killing someone).

Four minutes was so short... but to be honest, I was exhausted (albeit very fulfilled) after skating continuously like that. I can't imagine doing a long program!

The session overall was pretty light, even though it was Saturday night. Met two of my skating friends and chatted way too much. Fooled around with some different things and even tried a hydroblade for the first time. I've never understood the attraction that a few teenage girls at our rink had for this, but it was really fun! Don't know how much of the fun factor was because I'd always end up collapsed on the floor and giggling from the fall though. 

All in all, a great skate day. Oh, and I had a few itsy bitsy loops come back for a visit too! Hope they will stay and grow bigger!

Blisters

Ouch! I got my first (hopefully last?) blister from skating.

I had no knee/ankle bending problems with the new boots, so I assumed they were not too stiff. So when I felt the back of the left boot digging into the back of my leg, I convinced myself that I would just need to get used to it.

That is, until I became obsessed with practicing sit spins, a position that has the top back of the left boot digging in even more. So there I was, happily (trying) spinning away in my "squat" position, when the back of my leg started hurting more and more. Eventually I couldn't stand it any longer, went to take off my skate, peel off my sock, and lo and behold, there was a blister! It was actually already popped, so I'm not too sure if it even was a blister or if it was just rubbed raw. Anyway, it hurt quite a bit.

The very next day I went to the pro shop and got myself those silipose gel sleeves.

Tried them on Tuesday morning, they felt really comfortable! Definitely recommend them to any one with boot-digging-into-leg problems!

And now I can go back to practicing sit spins! It's becoming my favourite spin (which is not hard considering that I just don't like spins in general). Hopefully when my muscles are stronger I will be able to hold myself up and stop falling out of it every time. I like camel spins too except that I'm afraid that I'm going to a) topple forward and face plant; or b) kill someone with my blade stuck out swinging around in uneven circles. Nevertheless, I still have fun trying them out : )

Too close to the ice

I've spent an inordinate amount of time on the ice recently. By that, I don't just mean my feet and skates are on the ice, I mean that I fall down way too much.

Ever since I got back from my 3-week break, I've lost my jumps. The simplest ones, the waltz and toe loop are still okay, but the Salchow is iffy, and the loop is luck, but even when I do manage to jump, I don't land properly. I've been blaming it on the inadequate support and need-to-be-sharpened blades of the old skates, but now that I have new boots and fresh new blades, I've lost my excuse. Yet last night, I still could not jump. Now for someone who's first love in figure skating is jumping, that's devastating.

So I went for help the second we started jumping in class. Assis. coach A, as always, was tremendously helpful and after many disgruntling tries, she fixed my loop take off, and it felt like I was jumping again. So I went off to practice but found that even though I could jump now, I could not land, so I fell again and again and again. And again. I tried Salchows and flips and still fell, toe loop was the only safe one. Coach C came along to find out why I was spending so much time on the floor and what I kept falling on. I told her, everything. After watching me try again and fall yet again, she discovered the problem. I wasn't using my muscles, my core strength, to hold myself up. She said I was landing fine on one foot and even though I was leaning like the Tower of Pisa to the right, I could have totally held it up and not fall.

Well that explains everything. I have no core strength anymore, is the problem. For the past ten months that I've been skating for, my muscles have been building up to always match the level I'm jumping at. But not exercising for 3 weeks has killed them all, they are now almost non-existent. Coach C said that muscles deactivate (?) if you don't use them in as quickly as 72 hours. I didn't use them for 3 weeks. It's no surprise I can no longer hold up a landing if there's the slightest incorrect posture (ie. leaning), nor can I hold myself up in a sit spin and not just crash to the ice instead of lifting elegantly out of it.

Well, lesson learnt. Now it's time to do crunches and sit-ups and planks.

Scraaaaaaaatch

My first time on the new Ultima Legacy blades, I felt my spins improved a lot. Today in private lesson during freestyle session, I was back to square one of spinning. Can't spin. Not even a simple upright one-foot spin. Reason being - I scratched with the toe pick so much that I was completely put off and could not spin any more because I kept trying to not scratch.

Last time I skated was on a public session, so I couldn't hear myself over the crowd and the music. On the very quiet morning freestyle though (all the kids are gone, yay!), I'm sure the entire rink heard me trying to spin.

This is definitely a good thing as it's going to help me spin the correct way, ie. on the sweet spot, as opposed to having the toe pick drag on the ice the whole time as I used to. I scratch as I wind up, and I scraaaaaatch in the spin (I don't scratch crossovers though!). The larger and sharper toe picks on the new blades amplify this bad habit like ten times louder, so I can ignore it no longer.

It was awful. I was trying so hard to balance on the rocker that I could not balance myself to spin. Good thing I didn't know about this beforehand, so the very first spin I showed coach was very nice and centered, albeit loud, so coach knows that I do know how to spin. I was mortified with the deafening scratch and subsequently failed every attempt after that. I know it's necessary to do things correctly, but not being able to spin again after making some progress is so frustrating!

GAM Select's first outing

So I skated in them today and I luuuuuuurve the Ultima Legacy blades! The edges grabbed the ice so well I just felt really solid on the ice. It seemed to do the turns for me almost. The bigger toe picks still scare me a bit, so I'm a little timid of jumping, but they definitely help, I could feel it when doing my toe loop.
The GAM Select boots are still under observation, I don't have much thought on them except being happy that I don't have to lace so tight anymore.

The first time with the new boots on, I laced out of habit really tight like I used to on the breaking-down old skates. I went out to skate and the arches of both my feet hurt, and almost got cramps. After ten to fifteen minutes I couldn't stand it anymore and had to go sit down and take them off. I was about to cry at this point because I thought the boots were not wide enough, even though they are the exact same size/width/brand. After resting and retying more loosely, it was still a little sore but not to the point where it hurt, thankfully. So I guess it was just me lacing too tightly around the arch area! Phew!

Asides from this little problem, I had no trouble "breaking in" the boots. In fact, I don't think I was breaking them in at all. Asides from adjusting to the new blade, the boot didn't really feel much different, just a little stiffer and more supportive. I laced all the way to the top after fifteen minutes, and could bend my knees and ankles just fine, on jumps and even sit spins!

I hope this doesn't mean that I'll break them down in less than a year...



So equipment stuff aside, I have a bit of skating news.

I did a camel spin today!!! Only one revolution but definitely a camel spin!
And my sit spin has progressed to 3 revolutions, and it was actually right on the sweet spot too!!
The Ultima Legacy blade does wonders!

Goodbye GAM Horizon, Hello GAM Select

I skated for the very last time in my first real figure skates - GAM Horizon.

GAM Horizon: 2012 Jan - 2012 Sep

They lasted for nine months, which I was not expecting. All of a sudden I had to get new skates. They aren't really all that bad, they're hardly even dirty yet. It's that big crease at the ankle on the right foot (my jump landing foot), and the fact that they are only stiffness rating 25 that's the problem. I was starting to wobble occasionally on landing and had to always tighten the laces really tight, otherwise I wouldn't be able to do things like loop jumps. So it was time for new skates.

Had a very bad time deciding whether to get Jackson Freestyle or Jackson Premiere. Got lots of advice from the nice people at skatingforums, some for and some against. There were a few people who seemed to be around the same level as me who were in Premieres, so it seemed alright at the beginning to get something so stiff. Also the pro shop guy thinks at the rate I'm skating at, I'll break down the Freestyles in another nine months, so at first, I was really leaning towards the Premieres. But in the end I still went with the Freestyle level, reasons being:
1. I asked coach J what she would recommend had I not said I'd like my new skates to last for a while. She said considering my abilities now and where she thinks I'll be in a year, the Freestyles.
2. Even though apparently, coach J thinks I jump pretty high (yay!), she thinks that the skates should be able to last at least  a year. Hopefully she's right and the pro shop guy is proved wrong!
3. I'm getting new blades too, going from a Mark IV to an Ultima Legacy with scary toe picks. I feel like there's going to be enough to adjust to with blades, I should take it easy with the boots.
4. Even though a few others have Premieres, I think I'm the only one who's jumping from something so low level as the GAM Horizon up to Premiere. That's what worries me, is that the change will be too much. (Stiffness rating from 25 all the way to 65!)
5. I'll get to keep the Ultima Legacy blades whenever the new boots die (when I will probably get the Premiere), so overall, I'll have spent an extra $220, but for a lot more comfort and hopefully more progress for a year. That's not too bad.

So anyway, Premieres are postponed to the future boot. Right now, I got the GAM Select, which is the GAM equivalent of a Jackson Freestyle. The pro shop did not have Freestyle in my size in stock, and I had GAMs to start with which fit me very well, so why not stick with it.

I deliberated between Ultima Legacy blades and Ultima Matrix Legacy blades for a bit too, but in the end decided that the extra $80 was not worth it. Also saves me the dilemma of deciding whether or not I want pink blades! Plus the pro shop had Legacy blades in stock but not the Matrix Legacy blades and I didn't want to wait any longer. First time I've seen cross-cut toe picks up close, they're really cool!

So here it is - my brand new skates. Second pair as a figure skater.

GAM Select with Ultima Legacy blades: 2012 Oct - ?

I'll be skating in them starting tonight. Can't wait!

Back on the ice

I was off the ice for three whole weeks since I went home. Not skating and not even exercising at all for three weeks wasn't the best idea. I felt like noodles when I first got on the ice. Plus the fact that I had a headache for a week and jet lag, I felt more like overcooked noodles.

Last Thursday, public session + adult group class
I stepped on the ice for the first time and was like whoa, this feels weird. I had no strength, no edges and couldn't stop (not much of a problem really since I couldn't go fast in the first place!). Good thing most of it came back after a few laps around the rink. Crossovers and three turns were still okay, so I tried a waltz jump. Good, still there. Toe loops have always been the most stable and so were still good. Can't say the same for Salchow and loops though, they were iffy and I only landed half of them. I landed one flip and didn't even dare try a Lutz. I'd finally gotten more used to spinning and not getting so dizzy but that's all gone now! Sooooo dizzy when I tried the simplest one foot spin. And I got so tired so easily, it's like all the muscle and strength I've built up over months had disappeared in three weeks! I also had a massive fall on my butt and could not sit down without feeling pain for two days after.

Sunday, public session
Was a little bit better than the first time. Jumps were more stable, but I still didn't want to try flip or Lutz. Still got tired easily so I decided to just skate for an hour. The ice was getting resurfaced and because I could not resist the perfectly smooth ice, I hung around to skate for ten more minutes when it was done. Bad idea. I had not done a spiral since basically a month ago, and felt that smooth ice was the perfect time to try them out again. I guess I was over-excited about gliding over the ice and over I went as I tripped over my toe pick. Wham! Full body slam flat on the ice. (This is actually the second time I've done this...) Both my knees and one side of my hip bone really hurt (as was my dignity on making such a spectacular splat on a crowded session). The bruise on my right knee is now dark black/purple and even after four days, still hurt when I just  completely bend it.

Tuesday, private lesson
Was not planning on jumping since it would hurt when I land with that bruised right knee. I couldn't even walk up and down stairs without pain. Spent the session going over pre-bronze MITFs and coach deemed me fit to take the test at the end of November. Perimeter stroking and the two forward edges were already passable, and the rest she felt I will be able to polish up within two months. Finally learned the last element of the MITF, the Waltz-eight. Having learned the consecutive edges properly now has helped with this so much. I'd tried it myself ages ago (before starting my private lessons), and they were a joke! Hopefully it will all come together soon!