Jumping for Joy

One of the wonderful aspects of skating is the element of surprise. And, thus this element grabbed Coach J and me during yesterday's lesson (at the end after we worked on Silver Moves) doing freestyle.

We started with some waltz jumps. I haven't jumped at all (I mean not one jump, I believe) since Worlds at the end of July. The first jump was pretty good (at least I thought it was), but Coach said she really wanted to see more glide going into the jump. O.K., I got it - more glide. Well, "Shut my mouth!" as some say in the southern part of our great nation, when I executed a near perfect waltz jump, replete with long glide and significant height.

I thought Coach was going to jump out of her boots. She looked at me with this wonderful look of pride and said, "That was great, Karen. That's exactly how this jump should be done." I teased her and said, "Well, if you had just told me this years ago, I would have done that." Of course, the reality is that she has told me this at least a thousand times, but yesterday I understood exactly what she was looking for and could execute it. Yay! The jump felt amazing, truly like flying. Coach then asked me to try it again. Bingo, same thing. A strong jump, well done. Ha! We were beyond "coincidence" status but certainly not into "pattern" land. Coach then requested two in a row. Yep, there they were. Lovely, flying, big (for a mature adult skater) jumps. Coach and I had these looks of complete glee on our faces. Then, there were high 5's all around.

O.K., now try to apply this to a salchow. First one - off the charts for me. OMG, I was so excited. Then we hit a small snag, but nothing I can't correct. On to a loop. Could it be that I could actually do the jump? Oh yes. Coach figured we should take advantage of the momentum and said, "Let's see your flip." I requested a half-flip first (which I thought was pretty darn good, if I do say so myself, as did Coach, who mentioned this being my best jump, except for my newly found correct waltz jumps). The jumping luck ended with the flip, so we drilled it, particularly the entry three-turn.

Time was now short as my dance lesson with Coach Chris was upon us. Coach requested a one foot spin. Did the first one; Coach was happy, so was I. Tried another, not quite as good as the first, but a respectable spin for me, as I am so not a spinner.

As Coach Chris came up to us, I said, "Perhaps this is what happens when you don't skate for 10 days." It was, all-in-all, a great lesson. The trick will be retaining the glide concept and continue to apply it to other jumps as appropriate. I believe I will be able to do this.

Then, on to dance. Had a productive, fun dance lesson. Focused entirely (except 7 minutes at the end) on the Ten Fox. We have now gotten over the "pause" problem before the outside Mohawk on the end pattern, which is definitely progress. Coach Chris told me to just relax, saying, "After all, it's the Ten Fox." On the last pattern, I did exactly that and had a good dance. It felt great.

Drilled the European three's for the EW. Coach C was happy with the turns, but asked me to envision that there was a million dollar bill between my thighs that I certainly would not want to lose it. This little trick helped greatly. He showed me the difference between my turns before and after his suggestion. The feet are definitely closer and much closer to the proper position.

Next weekend, my best skating buddy is testing her Ten Fox and European Waltz. I absolutely cannot wait to see her dances! I know she is going to pass without any doubt.

Lastly, the great thing about skating is just when you think you might be falling out of love with it, something happens that brings you back and you appreciate that you are making progress while having a glorious time. But I'm frustrated that I don't have my new boots and blades by now (it's been two months) which isn't helping any. I want to have time to break them in before the holiday show when the ensemble ladies are going to do our number. I am so hoping that my friends J and S will do solo performances for the show, although I think they should do the European Waltz in mirror image format. Would be so cool and they both do this dance beautifully.

Can't wait to get back to the rink next week and practice what I learned on Friday! Onward we skate.