December 2004
December 1- 4, 2004
Beautiful New Boots
On Wednesday, I wore my new boots for the first time. The previous weekend, my former coach, Geoff, mounted and sharpened the blades. He also sharpened the blades on my old, battered skates. Geoff recommended I wear the old ones for teaching, as squatting down with children and carrying tots around the rink takes its toll on a pair of boots. So, I purged unnecessary extras from my case to make room for both sets of skates.
This is the third pair of custom boots I have had made from the same pattern. The first two were the most heavenly boots imaginable. Even during the first wearing and break-in period, they never hurt my feet or rubbed a blister. I did not need pads, ankle sleeves, gels, or any of the accoutrements associated with the crippling misery of new skates. I bragged about my custom boots and swore to never buy anything else. Well, apparently I need an updated fitting. While these new boots did not cause discomfort where one might expect, on my feet specifically, the top edge of the boot seems to curve in ever so slightly; enough to abrade my ankles into damnation. Of course, I skated aggressively in the things after several exploratory laps of adjustment, more to the pristine radius of a brand new rocker than the cement galoshes themselves. My ankles ached almost immediately, but I sucked it up and started spinning.
By the time I left the ice, my ankles looked like pieces of raw meat. That evening, blisters had risen above the damaged flesh. On Saturday morning, the blisters had subsided, so I crammed my feet back into the beautiful new skates and circled the ice a few times trying not to wince. I am not a wimp. I skate through pain all of the time; I work through stiffness and shake off bad falls. However, this persistent stinging annoyed me. It was not the kind of dull muscle ache that will go away with continued stretching. This kind of agony cannot be worked out. It only gets worse as the unrelenting leather grinds its way though epidermal tissue exposing hypersensitive nerve endings. I removed the boots, shoved them back into their cloth storage bags and gently inserted my paws into familiar footwear. The cliché about broken-in ice skating shoes feeling as comfortable as bedroom slippers is absolutely true. These boots did not cause the slightest twinge, even to the lesions that had been torn freshly open on my ankles.
A friend unlaced her boot to show me a sleeve she wears around her ankle. I examined the dressing in dismay. I hate those things. I once owned a pair of boots that was so hellish, I had to wrap my ankles with Ace bandages. I never wanted to carry that kind of crap in my case again; and thanks to this miraculous custom work I had enjoyed, I doubted I ever would. I plan to try to bend the tops of the boots to a more favorable conformation but will not dare wear them until I order those pathetic ankle protectors.
My gorgeous new suede boots now serve as a temporary piece of modern art in our dining room.
Read about when my old boots were new.
Week of December 5, 2004
Sharing the Wealth
One of the best things about the Internet age is being able to meet fellow adult skaters from all over the world and share experiences, technical suggestions, and camaraderie. Of course, I also like shopping without driving through insane holiday traffic, fighting crowds, and setting foot in a mall. But back to the skating bit. I have been keeping this online journal for well over five years and spent plenty of time surfing newsgroups, web sites, and bulletin boards for several years before that. My web site has resulted in an entirely new type of friendship. Over the years, I have corresponded regularly with readers, some of whom I now consider friends. Though I have never personally met a reader, I have talked to one over the telephone. Interestingly, this person is from my beloved hometown.
I recently shared advice with her regarding a skating move that I perform with considerable competence. When I first learned the change-edge forward spiral, I took some pretty horrible falls, among them a very painful nosedive into the ice that knocked the wind out of me. At the time, I was clearly not ready for a challenge of this magnitude. I lacked the speed and control to complete this skill. After that fateful tumble, I did not attempt the coveted change-edge again for at least two years. When I finally did master it, I had become a much stronger skater under the watchful eye of my former coach, Geoff. In fact, my body automatically found this element once it was ready. Like several of the other tricks in my repertoire, it just happened one day. Geoff polished it and worked it into a program back when I was interested in that type of thing. His knowledge and my tinkering were passed along to my internet skating friend, who said the advice was helpful to her. Now that I am an honest-to-goodness skating instructor, I feel immensely gratified when my input benefits someone.
A couple of weeks ago, I was on the receiving end of the absolute best skating tip I have ever gotten online. I cannot remember how long I have lusted after a back spiral that spontaneously becomes a back camel. I could never come close to fulfilling my latent desire. I asked Eileen for help, but unfortunately, she never did this particular spin as a competitor. Certainly, she comprehends the mechanics of the sport well enough to make some suggestions, but I continued to ride the outside edge unable to transform it into a spin. I posted my predicament on a bulletin board. Actually, this move seemed so obscure to me, I almost decided not to post. Another skater responded and mentioned that she learned it as a pairs skill. Her reply also unlocked the secret of a spin that has eluded and frustrated me.
The trick is to practice an exercise that develops the flicking action necessary to cut a very deep edge that can meld into a spin. She said I should skate a backward inside spiral on the opposite foot and step down into a back camel. Since I am a clockwise spinner, I execute back spins on my left foot; therefore, I did the spiral on my right, placed my left foot next to it about shoulder width apart, and pushed with a powerful stroke into a back camel. The stroke itself is almost identical to the transitional push utilized for a forward to backward camel spin combination. This method yields a perfectly centered back spin. It can be done from any series of steps or footwork that places the skater on a backward inside edge. The spin may be initiated with a push or a pivot. The resulting spin may be any backward variation. They all drill into the ice with great precision. It also instantly improves the camel-change-camel.
I was so satisfied with these results, I shared my little secret with a rink buddy who is struggling with her upright back spin, a common malady among adult skaters. After fooling around with this new exercise for ten minutes, I struck a very deep-edged back spiral and pulled into a camel. It worked on the first try! I only achieved one revolution, but it felt like a triumph. A fell several times, and did a couple of modest camels.
Experimenting during later sessions, I devised a new version of this valuable technique that mirrors the classic backward crossover spin entrance. Most people learn to perform forward spins from backward crossovers in the opposite direction, then step into the circle to begin the spin. Personally, I advocate the forward inside three-turn approach, but I can do both. A back spin can be initiated similarly with backward crossovers; however, they must be in the same direction as the intended spin. For example, the counterclockwise skater will execute backward crossovers in a counterclockwise direction, culminating in a sweeping understroke of the right foot. Then he will step into the circle with the right foot, placing it on the ice to begin the spin. The left foot sweeps and pushes as though transitioning from a forward to backward camel. The free leg rises, and the skater assumes the desired position.
I strongly recommend this method to those developing back spins or combinations. It works wonderfully. As adult skaters we all have unique strengths and understanding of our sport. Being able to share that wealth with others is a joy and a privilege.
Week of December 12, 2004
Adult Lesson
Even though enrollment in groups is still low, I have begun to teach sporadically during the week either as a substitute or when a child shows up who does not fit neatly into a pre-existing class. This week, I taught an adult class for the first time. The word “class” is a bit of a stretch because the class consisted of a single student. I actually met this woman last summer, though I could not remember her name. This made the experience more awkward than it might have been if the adult were someone I had never encountered before. So, I greeted my acquaintance and told her I would be substituting for her usual instructor. She felt comfortable with me and was happy to gain another perspective on her stroking disabilities.
Of course, my sample population is small (one mature student), but I noticed stereotypical differences between her on-lesson behavior and that of a child. She approached every task very analytically and wanted to thoroughly discuss each action before trying anything. She simply would not bend her knees until I made her laugh with a crude comment. I wonder if some adult females feel awkward bending deeply because they may subconsciously feel unladylike. Making her giggle got her past any misconstrued modesty. We both squatted shamelessly bending our knees in an exaggerated pose. We looked like two women condemned to urinate in a filthy gas station restroom.
I honestly do not know if I taught her anything. She seemed very tentative and cautious. I encouraged her to savagely dig her blades into the ice. We stood side-by-side at the barrier and I demonstrated how to grip the ice with an edge. Pushing that edge creates motion, and lots of it. Just skimming the edge on the ice does not get a body moving. Female skaters are supposed to look graceful and pretty, but we have to be powerful athletes to build the speed we desire. Sure, smile superficially like a beauty queen, but inside grunt like a tough sonofabitch.
It has been years since a coach told me I “skate on top of the ice”. I learned to cut into the surface and extract power from it with my former coach, Geoff. I love to push a sharp edge into the frozen stuff. I relish the ripping sound of blades doing what they were designed to do. I adore stroking strongly across the ice creating a wind storm around myself. It is a learned skill; the transition from timid to brazen. It comes from security on skates, willingness to explore, and lots of lessons. A certain amount of brass doesn’t hurt either.
Week of December 12, 2004 Part Two
Spin Nazi
Since I began teaching group skating lessons, I have developed a style of instruction and personal philosophies. I guess these philosophies have been kicking around in my head for a while but have had no outlet. Now I can apply my ideas to actual teaching situations. In lower level classes, I have children practice step spins in both directions. At higher levels, I show kids how to turn both ways then ask them how they feel more comfortable. Meanwhile, I make my own evaluation. I teach introductory freestyle elements including spirals, bunny hops, and lunges on both legs; fostering student awareness that balance and control should be developed symmetrically.
Occasionally, I will encounter a student with a knack for skating, one who is obviously superior to his or her peers. I have one such child in a basic skills class. The kid pulled off a beautiful two-foot spin well beyond passing the test level of the highest group class. I congratulated him and returned my attention the struggling majority. Donna, the skating director, also saw the boy’s brilliant spin and approached me. I smiled happily. I have a talented pupil! Aren’t I lucky? “Make sure all of the children are spinning counterclockwise,” she began. “They will have to spin counterclockwise if they continue into freestyle lessons.” She proceeded to take the child by the shoulders and rotate him in the desired direction. Although I completely disagree with the director, I was too shocked to argue. In fact, I prefer not to make a scene in front of my students while parents look on from the bleachers. I felt insulted, belittled, like a freshly excreted turd. Gee, Donna, thanks a lot, you insecure cow.
After putting on this display, she glided off. I was completely humiliated and left with a cluster of confused children who wanted to know why spinning the other way was not allowed and if nobody spins the other way. Plenty of people, including many great champions rotate “the wrong way”. Needless to say, I was between a rock and a hard place. Although I can demonstrate most fundamental footwork, spins, and jumps in both directions; we differ on this policy. Of course, I may be biased due to my ability to spin very well clockwise. Maybe I would have languished, become frustrated, and dropped out if someone had forced me against my natural inclinations. However, I work at this rink and must follow the rules. I do not have a huge skating resume behind me to justify my argument. Actually, I never knew specific guidelines governed teaching spin direction at this rink. By dictating clockwise rotation, the director and her minions may be allowing young athletes future flexibility as pair skaters, but these are the lowest level beginners. They are not well-trained skaters who fall short of elite competition. I think her policy is rather petty and foolish.
Since this incident, all kinds of crap has passed through my imagination. Why did Donna feel a need to make her wishes known in such a public forum? She could have talked to me privately. That would have been more professional by most anyone’s standard of decency. Does she feel a need to flex her muscles and keep the underlings in their places like many of the jackass superiors I knew in the corporate world? I do not know Donna well. I only work at the rink a few hours per week. Rarely do I have time to sit and chat (for that matter neither does she); but I would not consider our previous exchanges unpleasant. However, she has never given me any positive feedback. I receive that from my students and their parents. As a neophyte skating instructor, I expect input. I expect correction and constructive criticism. If I am to continue teaching skating, I want to learn and improve my techniques. But this spin direction conformity just feels wrong to me. As a classroom teacher, I could not justify the old fashioned practice of forcing a left-handed child to write with his right hand. Similarly, I doubt insisting a skating pupil spin according to majority rule could possibly benefit that individual. Maybe if his or her goal is to recruit a partner and form a pair skating team, spinning counterclockwise may improve the skater’s odds. Everyone knows about the critical shortage of male partners available for both pairs and dance. Good luck, ladies, finding a partner whether you rotate to the left, right, or spin on all fours.
So I am left wondering if there is more to this situation than meets the eye. Maybe Donna is just abrasive by nature and meant no harm. I find it difficult to believe she is intimidated by the uncredentialled likes of me. Honestly, I do not want her job. I just enjoying being able to teach skating. The extra money and free ice time doesn’t hurt either.
December 25-31, 2004
Geothermal Wonderland
We spent the holiday season at a hot spring resort outside Butte, Montana. Nothing could be more relaxing than soaking in naturally hot water after skating, provided there was someplace to skate nearby. The week was unseasonably warm with temperatures in the thirties and lower forties. One does not go to Montana in December for its mild climate. Only sparse sprinklings of snow powdered the landscape, even in the Rocky Mountains near the Continental Divide. We had planned to rent a snowmobile, obviously that did not happen. My husband does not ski anymore, though I would have liked to do some cross country skiing. We did not do that either. Most of the winter clothes we packed went unworn.
Early in our stay, we drove to the neighboring town of Anaconda, where a large rink was frozen in the town center. When I first gazed upon this ice sheet, I found it in a terrible state. The warm weather had wrought havoc on the rink. People had walked on it and fell through the thinned fragile surface to the grass below. It was lumpy from melted snow, rutted, and pitted. Just my luck. We came back later in the week after a colder snap. The rink had been repaired and people were skating. It seemed to have been plowed. It was not an indoor Zambonied surface, but it seemed to be a pleasant place to skate with a big Christmas tree in the middle. Unfortunately, this was our last day in Montana, and I did not return with my skates.
I did skate on this trip but on a speed skating track in Butte. This facility is known as a high altitude training center. It is maintained by a Zamboni and was in reasonable shape considering the unfavorable weather. The first time I skated there, the ice was a little bumpy and my shins trembled with each irregularity. People wearing speed skates seemed to have less trouble. Freestyle boots and blades simply are not made for typical outdoor surfaces. However, I skated for about an hour, fooling around with different movements and a few spins. We came back another day when the ice was in much better condition. It was a perfect day, about forty degrees. I skated without a hat, gloves, or jacket. I had a wonderful time doing moves in the field patterns down long stretches of ice. Patches of truly beautiful ice offered an opportunity for quality spins and some jumps. Although I never consciously look at anything when I spin, particularly in a layback or layover; I could not help but marvel at the clear blue sky as I spun in an inverted backward camel. It disturbed my balance, but the setting was so lovely, I was unable to block out the sights.
At over 5000 feet, the High Altitude Training Center is conveniently located off Interstate 94 on the east end of Butte. Mountains form a backdrop to the north. A large building provides a warming shelter complete with restrooms, benches, and a small office where snacks can be purchased. While exercising at the resort, I did not feel the effects of altitude. I only experienced it while spinning on the speed skating oval. Maybe I felt the altitude while skating the exaggerated length of the rink, but the straightaway of a speed skating track is so much longer than a traditional hockey rink, freestyle skaters rarely practice long stretches of field moves. Actually, it could be very good for a skater’s stamina.
After skating, I luxuriated in the outdoor hot pools. Heat sources deep within the earth’s crust heat subterranean water which reaches the surface as a hot spring. The resort pumps water from the ground at 180ºF and allows it to cool before channeling it into the pools. I hurried outside through the cold wearing only a bathing suit and descended quickly into the water. I ran back into the building even faster. One morning, I soaked in the hot pool then rolled in the snow and jumped back in. It was wonderful! Steam rises continuously from the water creating a cloud over the body of spring water. The pool was big enough that the opposite end vanished into the fog. Other swimmers seem deceptively far away. The effect was bizarre and comforting especially early in the morning when only a few adults enjoyed the pool. Noisy children throwing snowballs and playing tag broke the spell later in the day.
Moving my muscles against the resistance of warm water was very soothing after skating or gym exercise. I wish I had access to a pool all year. At home, I have to settle for a hot shower after skating in a brutally cold rink.
View pictures of me at the speed skating track in the Photo Gallery.
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