Divine Intervention

I was finally able to make it to the rink this week. Work kept conflicting. But I spent 2 hours skating today - and now I'm exhausted. I worked on a variety of things

FXO's/BXO's: FXOs are much improved compared to my old skates. BXOs...I think I've regressed - just need more knee bend. CW better than CCW as usual. Great strides today.

Mohawks: not too bad other than nearly stepping on my blades. That would have been a lovely faceplant.

FO3s: I can't believe how easy these are now. L better than R. No longer need arms for LFO3. It's amazing that I could pretty much fold my arm with this and still make it work leading with my shoulders.

FI3s: Happening, but slowly. R is lagging but becoming more consistent.

Spins: I absolutely love being able to spin on one foot. Most are traveling at this point, but I did get a few really good centered spins. I just have to think to myself "be stiff as a board!" so that I don't travel. These are all from a t-stop or pivot. Attemping the wind up from BXOs, but definitely not happening at this point.

Jumps: On the back burner until I get more instruction. I can do the dreadful bunny hop....

So...I was feeling really bummed about not being able to afford private lessons at the moment, and bummed about my crazy insane inconsistent work schedule that has me working 12 hour days and nights in the same week, as well as mandatory on call shifts and blah blah blah that make it difficult to schedule lessons even if I had the money.

Then I saw it...

A flyer for the upcoming Learn to Skate session entitled "Adult Advance". It is for adult skaters who have passed Adult 4, held on Wedesday nights - 15 minute warmup, 30 minute class, then a 2 hour public skating session to follow. All for $50!!! And here's the best part: My work schedule may extremely variable...but have ALL Wednesday nights off, just for skating.

I couldn't be more elated about this. My Hubby and I may not have a ton of extra money right now, but we have agreed I need to take this class. It must have been divine intervention. :) It's definitely put some excitement into my skating.

Progress

So I've been skating in my new skates for the past week. I must say, I'm very impressed! I can actually spin on one foot now, and 3-turns are effortless. The boots are soooo stiff, but I'm glad to have the support. Now I just need the guts to attempt waltz jumps again. I can't believe how nice it is to have new boots and blades, but trusting them will come with practice.

As for breaking in the new boots, I got them heat molded, and have laced and unlaced them many times to help soften the leather a bit. I leave the top hook undone to all for good knee bend. I tried lacing up all the way today, and felt like Frankenstein!! Anyone else have tips on breaking them in? The only problem I seem to have is the tongue on the boot shifts out of place and rubs against my skin, leading to blood spots on the socks. How do I keep that tongue centered and away from digging into my skin?

Here they are!!!

I picked up my skates today. They're all ready to go, heat-molded, and about to be sno-sealed. I tested them out for about 20 minutes on the ice, and for the most part, I'm very pleased! They offer great support and didn't make my feet hurt much. My toes are very happy not being squished in the boot. The only thing that bothered me was my super sharp blades. They should dull up to my liking in the next few sessions. I would on the outdoor rink with hard ice, but I'm afraid I'd ruin my blades!

Here are some pics. My skates have an ENORMOUS toe-pick! And by some sort of miracle, I don't recall tripping over them, other than being on a nice LFO edge, catching the toe-pick and losing my edge. The first pic is of my pretty new Jackson Competitors. The second pic a comparison between my new skates (right) and old skates, Jackson Glacier recreation skates(left).

Merry Late Christmas!

Holy Cow! It's been about a month since I've posted anything. I hope people still read this blog!

I FINALLY got my skates! I tried the boots on today and they feel great!! Super stiff, but great! I'm quite pleased with the qualtiy of the skates. I'll post pics of my new Jackson Competitors in a few days. I left them at the rink so that the blades could be mounted, and then I'll have them once and for all on Friday.

As for the past month, I've just been working on moves and dodging hockey munchkins on the ice. One just about nailed me and took me down...so, yeah I yelled at him to watch out.

My forward 3 turns are very consistent, and somehow my RFI mohawks are improving too. As my blades get duller, I can actually spin. I can't wait to see what these new blades will do...