Crossover Cowardice

The new term started today for the Skate UK classes. And how rubbish was I today? Very.

Backward Crossovers: Over the past few weeks, I have been doing the odd crossover "motion" near the barrier. With a nice deep knee bend, and really starting to be able to sit right down into it. Plonk me on a hockey circle and I have a complete mental block? Even worse, the coach held the fingertips of one hand and I could do a couple! She was hardly holding me up. Worse still, we ended up on the wonky circle today (with inbuilt mountains) so half the time you are going uphill and the other half, down. As I am not confident enough to do them on the flat, they are not going to happen on a slope for the time being!
Forward Inside 3-turns: Started off rubbish, but then the coach gave me some good tips. First was push the hip on the free leg forward before the turn and as I do on the FO3's, keep the free foot tight against the heel of my skating foot. Then I am rotating right against my hips, and then let the hips catch up. I think when I started these, I was practically doing the initial rotation from about my ankle! Secondly, is to make sure my weight is right over the skating foot - I have a tendency to let my weight fall into the curve on these. None have happened yet, but on my RFI's I can feel the potential. Funny how things on the right leg are always easier!
Continuous Curves: Outside edges went well. Inside edges need to be slightly more controlled I think.
Slaloming: Never had a problem with this, and as it is Level 6, the coach got me and the other Level 7 girl to have a go at doing this backwards. This was hysterical! No fear, just could not work out what to do with my legs! It felt a bit like doing that pat your head / rub your stomach kind of thing. I think I was trying to think too much about "knees that direction, curve that direction" when I should just concentrate on my legs and sod thinking about which way I will be moving!

I haven't skated much over the last couple of weeks, as I have been trying to avoid busy Easter Holiday public sessions (and I didn't get to patch last night as I had the blessing of cramps - yay, I love being a girl sometimes . . . ). But I really felt the lack of practice. No more - back to at least three sessions a week.

I have also decided to take Monday off work and have a "Skating Day" - well, three hours skating in the morning on a hopefully blissfully empty ring to get those backwards crossovers down, and at least part of the way to FI3's, and then a trip to the new Primark in Oxford Street in the afternoon. They do some really nice microfibre tights / knee highs to wear in my skates - only £1.00 for two pairs! Somewhat cheaper than Mondor or Danskin anyway and do the job for the time being.



PS. I said I would let you know four weeks later from my last weigh in how well the (now known as) "Skating Dress Diet" is going.

Ten pounds in the last four weeks!! Wish I'd weighed myself in the first two weeks now - must be at least a stone!