Toe Loop

Shiny Rink and the Sherwood FSC are hosting a John Nicks seminar today and tomorrow, so the FS schedule was a little altered. I wound up skating 7:45 - 8:45 today, with only about 6 skaters on the session.

Today's lesson:

• LFI3 -- still plugging away on this, but I told Sonya that we'd continue to give it extra time until my trip at the end of April. We worked these from the line and then also on the hockey circle. These are coming along. Doing them on the hockey circle is harder but a lot more like the APB pattern I'll have to pass, and like "real life" (if skating is ever like real life!). I tend to rush these and when I do my upper body is usually not ready, so I need to just remember to take my time and set things up correctly.
  
• APB 3-Turn pattern -- it was pretty natural to segue into these next. After some false starts we did a complete pattern, starting with the bad side (LFI3 - RFO3). I got just a little dizzy after the first side; Sonya says I'm looking down too much. Sonya always says to finish strong, and leaving the RFI3-LFO3 for the last certainly is that. I was really pleased just to have done the whole pattern! Now I really need to start practicing it that way all the time.
  
• Toe Loop -- Sonya had wanted to work on these for a while now. She had given me some exercises to do at the wall for these, so we started off revisiting this and working them on the wall, then went on to work on the jump away from the wall. We made some really good progress! It seems a lot easier than the Salchow. I almost got one! I at least felt like I had a feeling for how the jump should feel and what the timing is like. I was really pleased with this.
  
• BO pivot -- we finished with this; Sonya said practicing these would help with the takeoff for the toe loop. I can't quite get into this, I keep wanting to open the hip up. I'll have to keep at it.
  

I had newly-sharpened skates to work with, but it wasn't much of a hindrance. Only two more skates in these boots!