Saturday Zoo

Back to my regular routine today, I went to yoga (first time in a month!) and then skated the afternoon public session. While it was crowded, it certainly was not as bad as it often is.

I worked pretty much the same old stuff. A lot of time on back crossovers, especially my weaker CCW ones. They are greatly improved. Worked the FI Mohawks, the LFI is coming along nicely. Worked on FO3s and FI3s. I worked on the problematic LFI3 a fair amount; I tried doing 2-footed 3s to see if that would help, and it did somewhat. Just before the end of the session I was able to at least attempt a couple. It's not a breakthrough, but it's a start. I realized part of the problem is that checking in that direction tends to hurt my shoulder if I'm not careful, which probably is a factor in my slow progress.

I didn't work on the 2-foot spin much, and I need to. I've not spent enough time on it and it has not particularly improved. I'm not sure what to think about that.

I spent some time on my RB glide, and it's improving too. I tend to fall off to an RBI edge pretty quickly, but I'm holding it a little straighter longer. I think the difference is trying to get more... (wait for it!) edge pressure. Yep, it's amazing what listening to your coach will do... in particular I'm thinking about this as pushing down firmly with my weight just behind the ball of my foot.

I spent just a little time on the bunny hop; it's still a bit of a problem. I guess I just need to work it more -- there's just so much to do! I realized today that my lesson next week marks about 2 months that I've been working with Anna. The time has really flown by. I've really come a long way, when I look at it. I still have a fair amount of work to do on fundamentals -- solidifying my 3s and Mohawks, getting solid back edges, firming up my crossovers. Still, when I look at the Basic 8 curriculum, I think in another month or two I'll have most of that stuff down except the jumps and spins, which I am still behind on. A long time ago I hoped I'd have a good waltz jump by August. So far that doesn't seem unreasonable. I had also hoped to test Adult Pre-Bronze Moves by October or maybe January, and that seems reasonable too. I suspect that the Adult Pre-Bronze freestyle stuff might be ready by January if I work very hard.