2017 Skating Resolutions

[Hedwig]

I am coming back to skating as well. I always thought it was a 4 year break but it really was nearly 6 years. 

Before that I skated for 2 years (started with the ripe old age of 32... never skated as a kid)

So my goals are:
- get part of my skating back. WHen I left off I could do crossovers, all forward 3-turns and jumps up to single loop (although not great), some spins etc

Goals now:
- backward outside three-turn
- better edges
- get at least the waltz jump and salchow back (waltz jump already works)

I only have another 5 weeks of ice before all the rinks close but I will do a summer camp in the Czech Republic in June

for the off season (1st of April - 31.August):
- ballet class once a week as a beginner
- running at least twice a week
- off ice workout strength training

and lose at least 20 pounds...

[dlbritton]

1. Pass Pre-Bronze MITF
2. Start working on Dance

Keeping the list short and sweet.

I have signed up for private lessons starting next Monday to work on Pre-Bronze MITF.
There is a test July 23 (doubtful) and August 27 (my goal).

I need work on my back consecutive edges, particularly back inside.
I feel pretty good about everything else, but my coach may disagree.

[dlbritton]

Had my first private today. Very enjoyable. Working on pre-bronze MITF.

I am working with a new coach and she wanted to see where I stood so we started with perimeter stroking which she said was pretty good but wanted me to slow the pace a little.  We worked on the optional steps a bit, which I had not really gotten in Basic Skills.
Then we went to edges. She said my forward edges, outside and inside, were very good and controlled. Just a few tweaks for my inside edges.

Back outside were okay but I need to work on the initial push. Back inside were terrible as I knew. It is the push that gets me. I can glide on the BI edge once I am moving.

Next week we'll continue working on back edges and start with the crossovers in a figure 8 pattern.

There is a test late July but I don't think I'll be ready then. There may be a test late August which I am aiming for.

Probably going to go every other week but may bump to an hour rather than 1/2 hour.

[dlbritton]

Had my second private the other day. I will probably go for weekly lessons, but will miss the next 2 weeks because of her vacation and me a conference.

This week did stroking, spirals and waltz 8.
End crossovers on stroking were sloppy but it was crowded and I was avoiding ice tourists.
Spirals so-so but need more lift on free foot.
Waltz 8 brought out need to work on 3 turns, especially making shallower 3 turns and the positioning of my free foot.

A lot of the value of privates in prepping for the test will be the little things like the optional steps, transition between feet on spirals, what the judges really look for.

Heading to the rink in a few minutes to practice.

[dkd]

Mid year update! Let's see how 2017 has gone so far...

1. Pass Fiesta Tango. I finally passed Fiesta after three times in April. Thank goodness.
2. Pass Bronze dances. I also passed Hickory Hoedown in April. Hopefully I will be testing Willow and Tenfox in August.
3. Pass solo Juvenile free dance test. I managed this in February. It wasn't hard.
4. Compete solo dance at the Juvenile level. I competed the same program as my test in April with some improvements... and I got last. Oh well. I still did it.
5. Start Pre-Silver dances. I've learned some exercises to make learning the dances easier, but I haven't actually started them yet.
6. Pass pre-juv moves. Possibly juv as well. I feel pretty good about all the elements except for the back circle 8. I just learned it last week, so I think I have a while to figure it out (pun not intended). Not sure when I'll test it. Probably won't get to juvenile moves.
7. Get dance boots and blades. I got my SP Teri dance boots and Coronation Dance blades in March. They are amazing. My past two pairs of skates have given me so much trouble since the beginning,
but these are perfect. I love them.
8. Work on figures. If 7 works, out, I'd like to convert my freestyle boots into figure boots. Yeah, this probably won't happen.
9. Do monthly exercise challenges at least 6/12 months. I did half of one in January, another half in February, a full month in March, and I think that's it. I need to step it up.
10. Improve footwork and speed. I've been focusing a lot on twizzles, 3 turns, brackets, etc., and I feel like they are better but not sure how improved. I also don't know if I'm any faster. This one's kinda general.
11. Get a better back camel and back sit. And front sit for that matter. I've pretty much given up on sit spins. They aren't done very much in solo dance. But my back camel is starting to get really good,
and I've managed to get a Toller Cranston spin. Just not as consistent or pretty. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_286dtRydao (around 2:58))

Not too shabby.

[skategeek]

Midyear update!

1 a.  Skate more in 2017 than I did in 2016 (~184 hrs, 3.6 hrs/week).  Aim for average of 4 hrs/week On track so far, average 4.08 hrs/week (Lake Placid skate camp helped here).
1 b.  Spent at least 1/3 of practice time on backward skills Probably roughly on track here though I haven't kept careful track.  I suspect I'm overestimating.
2 a.  Pass Basic 4/Adult 4 Done!
2 b.  Pass Basic 5/Adult 5/Beta  Work in progress.  I need better back edges and a lot of this will click, I hope.
3 a.  Off ice training- XBX or other circuit training and stretching 4-5 days/week  Totally crashed and burned here so far.  Hardly any off ice work since about March.  No excuse.
3 b.  Off ice training- lunge/spiral/shoot-the-duck/spin positions (100 day challenges)  See above.
4 a.  Basic skills competition Not so far; maybe in the fall??
4 b.  Holiday show or other performance Group programs in two spring shows!  Hoping for a winter show, too.
5.  Stop whining about my skates, the ice, my ability, etc. and Just Skate!  Doing pretty good with this, I think.

[icepixie]

1. Get at least two revolutions on a back spin (scratch, sit, whatever, I don't care)

Not yet.  I suspect this may be on my goals list for several years.

2. Land a fully-rotated loop jump on one foot

Well...I'm closer than I was six months ago, I think...

3a. Back inside three turns on both feet

I've got the turn part now, but not really the runout back to the axis.

3b. If 3a accomplished in time, test and pass Silver moves

I think this will be a 2018 thing.  Maaaaaaybe December of this year.

4. Do a clean (figure) loop in any direction/on any edge without having to put the other foot down

I wound up focusing on other things.

5. Learn more interesting footwork, turns, half-jumps, etc. for use in programs

Success!  I have back brackets and rockers, and am working on forward and back counters.  I haven't yet put them into a program, but I also am sticking with the program we choreographed back in February for the rest of the year, so...

[LunarSkater]

General Skating:
1) Improve flow and speed Speed is good, flow is still a big work in progress.
2) Improve footwork Fight with it every time I'm on the ice/in class/running my program. A minimum of a half hour of practice time is now devoted to it.
3) Improve posture Working on it.

Jumps:
1) Work on height Apparently I have it?
2) Proper form Ties into my posture issues, so a work in progress
3) Continue working on the Axel Continuing to work on it
4) Start off- and on- ice doubles prep Yup. Usually jump-backspin, but if my coach is feeling adventurous, actual attempts.

Spins:
1) Centering Only if I'm not concentrating on this aspect! If I am, I'm off to the other side of the world.
2) 4+ revolutions on camel spin, both forward and back, in proper positions If I don't flub the entrance to the forward spin, yes. Back camel, not yet.
3) Work on layback Eh, still really awkward
4) Work on flying spin entries for camel and sit Not a focus right now, but some improvements
5) Work on transitions in both change-of-posistion and change-foot combinations  Still really, really bad. A work in progress.

Off-Ice:
1) A consistent work-out schedule that I'll have trouble pushing aside no matter how busy my life gets Ha. HAHAHAHAHA!
2) Stretching Fell off the bandwagon
3) Take the dance class that works with my schedule Never managed it
4) Continue working on anxiety issues with performing Getting better! I actually found something that is currently working for me. Got me through a competition and two shows.

[CarolineE]

Here's my mid-year update 

1. Find a coach that I like working with, and commit! Did this! I love my coach!
2. Skate at least 1x week Yes! Now I'm trying to skate 2x a week
3. Land axel Haha! This has not happened yet, but I feel more confident trying it on the ice.
4. Get spins back (scratch, sit, camel, combos, back spins) Yes! Spins are so much better.
5. Get single jumps back Working on this. Learned I have horrible technique for salchow and loop which has been fun (not) to correct.
6. Start working on doubles Not yet... hopefully I'll get my axel and be able to work on doubles.
6. Learn how to do a layback spin Learning how to do this, I am terrified of falling backwards.
7. Improve flexibility I've been lazy about this... need to do more off-ice stretching and yoga!
8. Figure out if I want to compete/test Not sure about competing but I will test Bronze FS and Silver MITF soon!

[AgnesNitt]

I wound up focusing on other things.

I'm going to use this line on my coach.

[davincisop]

Mid year update:

1. Get ice dance skates. (In progress, should happen by Christmas) WELL IT TOOK UNTIL APRIL TO GET THE DARN THINGS.
2. Pass Bronze dances. Testing Hickory in August. Maybe Willow. Just can't get my free foot to stay glued to my skating foot on three turns, it's a work in progress.
3. Start Pre-Silver dances.
4. Pass Pre-Juvenile MITF. Testing in August.
5. Pass Juvenile MITF.
6. Start Intermediate MITF.
7. Pass Adult Silver and Adult Gold MITF.  Maybe Adult Silver in August. Planning Gold in November.
8. Get the darn backspin. IT IS CLOSE. In the meantime I figured out how to do a waltz jump in dance skates and my scratch spin is solid.
9. Learn to sew my own skating dresses.

[FigureSpins]

I ordered custom skates after an in-person measuring visit in late May of last year. 

With holidays and vacation, let's call it June.
The first pair, which were way too big/wide, arrived in November.
The replacements arrived in January.

It was a long wait and I'm glad to have them, but I miss Klingbeil's six-week turnaround. (And the bagels.)

[davincisop]

End of year update:

1. Get ice dance skates. DONE.
2. Pass Bronze dances. Passed Willow and Hickory, testing TenFox in March 2018
3. Start Pre-Silver dances. Coach has started me on all three.
4. Pass Pre-Juvenile MITF. Testing in August. Passed in August.
5. Pass Juvenile MITF. Started, not tested yet.
6. Start Intermediate MITF. Nope.
7. Pass Adult Silver and Adult Gold MITF. Testing Adult Silver MITF in March 2018
8. Get the darn backspin. It's rotating now. Not consistent but it's ok.
9. Learn to sew my own skating dresses. Passing on this for next year.

[dkd]

1. Pass Fiesta Tango. I finally passed Fiesta after three times in April.
2. Pass Bronze dances. Achieved in August.
3. Pass solo Juvenile free dance test. I managed this in February. It wasn't hard.
4. Compete solo dance at the Juvenile level. I competed the same program as my test in April with some improvements... and I got last. Oh well. I still did it.
5. Start Pre-Silver dances. Currently working on Fourteenstep and European Waltz. I learned the Foxtrot then promptly forgot it due to lack of practicing recently.
6. Pass pre-juv moves. Possibly juv as well. Didn't get to either. Oh well.
7. Get dance boots and blades. I got my SP Teri dance boots and Coronation Dance blades in March. They are amazing. I love them.
8. Work on figures. If 7 works, out, I'd like to convert my freestyle boots into figure boots. Didn't happen. Those old boots are awful. I did some figures, but probably less than last year.
9. Do monthly exercise challenges at least 6/12 months. I did half of one in January, another half in February, a full month in March. From October through December, I've worked out other than skating pretty much every day. I'll count that. Monthly challenges don't really work for me. I need to do more than just a few squats and call it a day. I'll count this one.
10. Improve footwork and speed. I've been focusing a lot on twizzles, 3 turns, brackets, etc., and I feel more comfortable and a little faster doing them.
11. Get a better back camel and back sit. And front sit for that matter. I love back camels now, especially Toller Cranston style ones. I've pretty much given up on sit spins.

[LunarSkater]

End of year analysis:

General Skating:
1) Improve flow and speed Yes, definitely.
2) Improve footwork It's going to be one I'll be working on forever. I'm not choreographically minded aside from big picture stuff (jump here, footwork there), so I have a hard time stringing together elements during practice.
3) Improve posture Halfway there. I know a good chunk of why I have issues now. But I have managed to improve my knee and ankle bend.

Jumps:
1) Work on height Yes? Though recently I've felt they've lost height due to below.
2) Proper form Correlates to the posture issues, so a work in progress
3) Continue working on the Axel Still working on the Axel
4) Start off- and on- ice doubles prep Started working on it, then had to stop due to my cross-country move and lack of a coach for a few months

Spins:
1) Centering Work in progress still
2) 4+ revolutions on camel spin, both forward and back, in proper positions Forward, yes. Back? Not so much...
3) Work on layback Got this one!
4) Work on flying spin entries for camel and sit Stuttering attempts at this one
5) Work on transitions in both change-of-posistion and change-foot combinations Still working on them. The camel forward-back transition is near impossible at the moment. Change -of-posistion spins are much improved.

Off-Ice:
1) A consistent work-out schedule that I'll have trouble pushing aside no matter how busy my life gets Hahahaha, no. I failed at this one for many reasons.
2) Stretching Failed this one after my move
3) Take the dance class that works with my schedule Never managed to have the time/money, and then I moved. So no.
4) Continue working on anxiety issues with performing Getting better at this one. I've found a few routines that help.

[skategeek]

End of Year Report

1 a.  Skate more in 2017 than I did in 2016 (~184 hrs, 3.6 hrs/week).  Aim for average of 4 hrs/week.  Did great for the first half of the year, then not so great.  Made my goal, barely (~185 hrs plus whatever I manage tomorrow).
1 b.  Spend at least 1/3 of practice time on backward skills.  Didn't keep careful track; if I had to guess it was more like ¼ than ⅓, but I did put a lot more effort into practicing backward stuff. 
2 a.  Pass Basic 4/Adult 4 Done!
2 b.  Pass Basic 5/Adult 5/Beta  Still a work in progress.  Finally made some significant progress with solo back crossovers, though they still need a lot of work.  I need better back edges and a lot of this will click, I hope.
3 a.  Off ice training- XBX or other circuit training and stretching 4-5 days/week.  Did great for the first quarter of the year, then nothing.  Fail.
3 b.  Off ice training- lunge/spiral/shoot-the-duck/spin positions (100 day challenges).  See above.
4 a.  Basic skills competition Nope.
4 b.  Holiday show or other performance Group programs in two spring shows and a winter show.  Sort of makes up for 4a.
5.  Stop whining about my skates, the ice, my ability, etc. and Just Skate! I think I managed this. 

So that's four accomplished (1a, 2a, 4b, 5), progress toward two (1b, 2b), and three not done (3a, 3b, 4a).  Not bad overall.  Working on the plan for 2018 now!

[Meli]

1. Find a coach. (The quest is proving ridiculous.)
2. Get my current jumps back in the shape they were pre-boot debacle.
3. Master the toe loop.
4. Do a scratch spin in competition.
5. Start doing yoga.
6. Boots.

Well, I managed #1, and am working on #6--- they've been on order for 12 weeks (supposedly).

[CarolineE]

1. Find a coach that I like working with, and commit! Yup! Did this, love my coach.
2. Skate at least 1x week I generally skate once a week, would love to do more.
3. Land axel NOT YET! Put working on this to the side to focus on Adult Silver MIF and Bronze FS.
4. Get spins back (scratch, sit, camel, combos, back spins) Yes! My back camel and scratch are wacky but kind of existent.
5. Get single jumps back Yes! I had bad habits they my coach helped me get rid of.
6. Start working on doubles Not yet... still working on that dang axel 
6. Learn how to do a layback spin Yes! Working on this.
7. Improve flexibility Kind of... would love to work on this more.
8. Figure out if I want to compete/test Yes! Taking my first tests since childhood this month. I'm nervous!

[eonice]

• MITF through pre-juv
  Not yet. Pre-prelim/prelim done, but there weren't enough spots in December so I was forced to wait until the end of January.
• Freeskate pre-prelim
  No, and shelving freeskate for the foreseeable future.
• hit 4 revs on twizzles in both directions
  No...max 2 in each direction, forward inside/outside only. Also, the technique I was using originally was just wrong, so I'm having to relearn.
• stable and consistent backspin
  No...still struggling with staying off the heel but can squeeze out 3 revs when not being an idiot.
• start and keep an off-ice conditioning routine
  Start, yes. Keep, no.
• delusions of grandeur: find a partner and start up ice dance again
  YES! This I never expected but somehow lucked out.
• optional: switch to a less crappy club
  Out of necessity because my club simply didn't offer test sessions.

Actually, I worked my way up to learning Intermediate MITF, but virtually nothing off my list. And yet, I don't feel too disappointed, only curious to see what 2018 holds in store. Now that I have new boots and found out that my blades have been sharpened crookedly for the last two years, there's going to be a bit of an adjustment period.

[Isk8NYC]

Status updates?