December 2005
Week of December 11, 2005
An Uncrowded Session
According to Microsoft Word, “uncrowded” is not a word. Well, it is when you are talking about ice rinks. Nobody wants a “crowded” session; everybody wants an “uncrowded” one. Anyway, skaters, you know what I mean. Since my previous visit to this rink, the population density dropped considerably. Maybe there was some truth to the conversations I overheard about this session being “empty”. Lucky me. By the way, “empty” and “uncrowded” are distinctly different concepts. This session was “uncrowded”, but that is good enough.
Two weeks had unfortunately past since my last hour of freestyle at my supposed new home rink. I did go last week only to find the session had been cancelled. Bummer. I had a pleasant conversation about crowding of public sessions and private lesson options with the woman in the main office. I noticed a name that stood out on the coach list and made me salivate slightly. However, I have not gone to a public at this rink yet and have been too busy to fit another skating day into my week. Hopefully after the holidays, things will calm down. Skating only an hour a week, lessons are a wasteful proposition. I barely have time to keep all of my basic skills in decent working order, much less learn something new. The coach would simply be correcting sloppiness due to lack of practice over the last several months. I know enough about this sport to do that myself.
So what was good, and what was bad? Well, nothing was really bad. Thanks to running, I am a stamina-packed powerhouse. My speed is great. I don’t get tired. Actually, I never got tired in one or two hours. It usually took three or more for me to feel sore. My loop jumps are very big and fast. The loop has always been a favorite. I love to skate at top speed into it and press off that edge. No jump feels better than a big floating loop, though I’d imaging a big floating axel does not exactly suck, but since I have never done one, I can hardly compare. My flip entrances are very straight and result in good jumps with soft landings. I use the Lussi rocker-like three-turn entrance method. My entrance edge actually changes from an outside to an inside, kind of like my lutz. (Stop laughing, that really isn’t funny.)
My forward camel has been a little off-center. This is the type of error that I can correct for myself by understanding proper technique and concentrating. And I fixed it. My back camels are especially good from a flying entrance. I have not had time to work on the interesting variations of the back sit that elite skaters have been performing since implementation of the Code of Points judging system. I have a good back sit, and given sufficient ice time, I know I can tweak it into a twisted position or a defined inside edge. Time is the issue. I need more of it.
I have been playing with a layover backward spiral as a treat skill. A little variety makes the basics more interesting. This sport is so limitless. There are a million things to work on, perfect, and improve.
Week of December 18, 2005
A Glimmer of My Former Self
Who do I think I’m kidding? I have only been skating an hour a week and rink hopping. There has been no consistency in my skating routine. Since September, I have skated at four different rinks, unable to find a home. I think I have finally settled on a place commutable from work with at least one decent hour of freestyle and several publics available during the week. In this situation, I can hardly maintain. I certain cannot improve. At best, I hope not to degenerate into a stereotypical “adult skater”. You know what I mean; the old “you’re good for an adult” load of crap. I have been struggling to overcome that for years, and finally did.
Even though I am strong, I have lost contact with the ice. My feet are no longer familiar with my boots. They have become strangers. I feel disconnected from the ice, unsure what to do with my muscles and how to transform my raw strength into skating movement. I like doing loops, and am usually good at them, even during periods of limited practice. However, I played with loops this week, and could not control my power. At least I have power to attempt to control. Trying to maintain a positive attitude is not easy when I looked down at my tracing, realized how big the jump could have been had I not popped open and landed forward. My loops were simply off. Damn.
Another adult skated a freestyle with me, a woman I had not met before. She was good. She skated for over ten years as a child. She worked on novice moves. I was impressed. She landed a double toe loop after several attempts, and I cheered for her. Her laybacks centered beautifully. She had a nice forward sit, though her combination sit was rather weak. Honestly, at my prime, I was a better spinner than her, and she was good. While she could center nicely, I had center plus precise technique that led to fast spins and intricate combinations. Those things are essentially gone. I felt like a pile of crap. As for novice moves in the field, I can keep dreaming.
She and I talked after the session as we unlaced our skates. I told her my tale of rinklessness, a pitiful soul drifting from rink to rink in search of decent ice time. I was making excuses for myself because I cannot skate the way I used to. Once upon a time, I could blow most adult skaters out of the water, especially in the spinning and single jumping department. Such fond memories. Dealing with this loss has been especially difficult. While skating, I wondered if any of that glorious former self showed through the awkwardness of insufficient practice. My new acquaintance glided up to me toward the end of the session and commented on my beautifully controlled spin center. That was nice of her. I must devote myself to getting more ice time, at least another session each week.
Week of December 25, 2005
Tiger Run
My husband and I spent the holidays on Mexico’s beautiful Pacific coast. Nothing like sun, surf, sand, and guacamole for Christmas! A taxi dropped us off at the resort, and we did not leave the compound until it was time to go home. We had no schedule, no obligatory site-seeing, just pure relaxation. Sometimes a vacation can be so hectic, trying to do everything in one week, I come home more exhausted than before I left. None of that nonsense this time. I read three books, got a tan, and did some running.
This resort has a wildlife preserve and breeds tigers and other exotic cats. As a confirmed cat-lover, nothing could be better than adding big felines to the pleasurable mix described above. Our room overlooked a Bengal tiger habitat. I could watch the female frolicking in her pool from our balcony. A cougar couple occupied a nearby habitat and their four-month old daughter had her own enclosure. By a stroke of supreme good fortune, I became the impromptu cougar mommy. I became friendly with the cat-keeper and asked to take the young cougar for a walk. I walked her regularly, always drawing a crowd. She was a lovely little girl, well-behaved, inquisitive, and friendly. She would have preferred no one ogling her, but she graciously accommodated her admirers.
At the grand entrance to the resort community, a large tiger habitat graced the Mayan-style archway. I asked the concierge how far the entrance was from the hotel. She guessed five miles. Though her estimate sounded high, I decided to jog to a closer goal, another habitat that had previously housed lions. Once arriving and finding a solitary leopard, I was not even breathing heavily. I followed another jogger through the traffic circle, assuming she must also be headed toward the tigers. She disappeared into the distance as did a young man who easily blew past me. Yes, I was irritated that I could not keep up with these people, but I am still new to running, having started last spring. Overall, I am pleased with my ability and have good stamina.
I ran diligently thinking about the newborn tiger cubs (I prefer to call them kittens) that I would see at the entrance habitat. I decided to pace myself so I could run all the way there. I did not pass the country club, a landmark on the way to the entrance to the resort. In fact, I could see the freeway. Where in the hell were the tigers? I must have taken the wrong spoke on the traffic circle. My goal evaporated, I suddenly felt exhausted, far more exhausted than I should have been. I had run at least two miles and had no idea where the tigers were. I stopped running and dragged my tired carcass down the road. To keep going, I needed a new goal. I would find the tigers. I would take another road and search until I found those newborn tigers. Then I saw the huge Mayan arch. The tigers! I started to run again and continued until I got to the tiger habitat.
The baby tigers were absolutely adorable and would have been worth a marathon run, but I can’t do a marathon right now, and don’t predict one in my future, so I am very glad that I only had to run a little over two miles to see them. I went back the next day to visit them again, this time following the proper route. These cats were so delightful, I ran all the way back to the hotel. I could have stopped at the country club or health spa to catch the shuttle if I felt too pooped, but I would have sooner walked than succumbed to sitting on a bus. Fortunately, I did not have to make that decision. I have come a long way since I started running in April.
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