loop d'loop

I've decided that I'm tired of not being able to jump. I skate really well, I just can't jump. So yesterday I started serious work on my loop again (even though this should probably wait until I have new skates since the ones I'm currently skating in don't fit perfectly...but whatever...I digress). So I have been focusing too much on trying to land on one foot, but I haven't really been able to get the height and rotation. I've decided to change my philosophy and work on the takeoff, getting height, and getting around. I figure once I make it all the way around it should be easy(ish) to land on one foot. So yesterday I did about a billion. I am seeing progress, I am getting more comfortable with the process of taking off. I switched my entry to a mohawk which i'm feeling better about as well. So hopefully in a few weeks I'll have a loop. Once I get that it's onto the flip.

Slow it down!!!

Well, I spent 3 hours at the rink last night. Although probably an hour of that was spent eating dinner waiting for the crazies to leave. My sister taught me my compulsory routine for Houston (posted below). Overall last night went decent. My scratch spins are going okay (certainly not great). My salchow is okay as well. I'm still way too timid on my toe-loop and half the time I barely even use my toepick.
My biggest problem with my skating is that I'm way too powerful for my own good. When I enter my scratch spins and salchows at the speed I feel comfortable at, the elements fall apart. When I slow down and enter them carefully, they are usually pretty decent. So...now that I know my compulsory routine, my plan is to practice practice practice, but mainly practice slowing it down.
I'm still waiting in anticipation for my new boots. I can't wait to get them. Reidell told my fitter that they should ship the last week in july or the first week in August. She says the usually tell her longer than they actually take, but this is the last week in July and they're still not here. :( I'm really hoping I can get them broken in before Houston.

Compulsory routine:
Stroking towards my right, CCW forward crossovers into left, outside edge spiral. Mohawk, CCW backwards crossovers to landing position. Step onto left forward outside edge, check, salchow. Step onto left forward outside edge, stroke, 3-turn into half-flip. Forward CCW crossovers, mohawk, backward CCW crossovers, switch to CW crossovers into scratch spin.
(sorry these notes suck...this is my first time to write program notes out!)

4 hours of skating!

So I skated for 4 hours on saturday. Let's just say my body was very tired by the time I left. Ever since I switched skates my scratch spin and my salchow have been really off (not that they were that great to start with). So my sister and I worked on those. Turns out I'm leaning too far over in my salchow entrance. I need to keep my upper-body more upright and I can land them alot better. I also need to make sure I check before jumping. For my scratch spin I'm also leaning too much with this, I need to keep my upper body upright in the preparation, then when I step into the spin, I need to concentrate on not dipping my left arm. I also need to kick myself of my spotting habits. I tend to spot the first couple rotations and not the rest. *bad jacki*

I don't know if I posted, but I finally splurged and ordered a pair of silver star boots. I have a pair of proffessional blades that I'm going to put on them. I also registered for the Houston Invitational which is Labor day weekend. I'm hoping I'll have my new skates broken in (I'm hoping to get them by the end of this month) and can wear them for that. I'm also hoping to start learning my program this week. I'm skating to the Days of Thunder theme, and I'm pretty excited. Of course I think figure skating is going to be difficult for me because I am a compulsive counter of music (thanks to my dance background). So I really think everything should have an exact count, and I know it's not that way in skating. *sigh*

In other news, I got a teaching job! I'm going to be teaching pre-cal and algebra I at a local high school. I'm pretty nervous, but excited too.

Well...today I did it. I shelled out half-a-grand on figure skating. I ordered a pair of Riedell Silver Stars. I'm pretty nervous about the arch issues I've had, but I'm hoping that havig a good-fitting boot will solve some of those problems. I also registered for the Houston Invitational. My first competition. Eek! Hopefully Riedell will have my boots in stock and I can get them this week. Otherwise I don't know what I'm going to do about skating.
I went skating today, and I've been working on my power-3's, and have them pretty good. I've got my waltz 3's to the left pretty decent, but my right leave something to be desired. This of course means my waltz 8's also leave something to be desired. My spins have been very off, I can't even get one revolution since I switched skates. I'm trying to not worry too much about it until I get in my new skates.

Okay, well I've skated twice in my new skates. The first time I just skated in them as is. That didn't work...at...all. Ow...arches...achey. :( The second time I bought some insoles. That made a slight improvement, but the arches are still hurting me something fierce. I'm also still having a heel slipping problem, which I know is very not good. Also, I still have these old blades that have barely any toepick on them, so I am scared to jump. So halfway through skating I decided my feet hurt and I wanted to jump. So I go back and put on my old skates...I step on the ice and almost fall on my face. Those blades (Ultima IV) are TERRIBLE, they are so much slower than whatever these ones I have on the new skates are. I was expecting to go somewhere and i just felt like it was slow motion. So I force myself to make one lap around the rink, get off, and put the new skates back on. So I knew these old blades sucked, but I had no idea exactly how bad they were. I really want to make my sister put them on just so she can feel my pain. :) No wonder I had such a hard time with that damn loop. :-p
So now for my third try in the new skates. I have two insoles in there, this made them fit nice and snugly (I've decided that these are still a 1/2 size too big), seems to take the edge off the arches, and seems to fix the heel problem. We'll see. I'm going to skate in them this weekend. Hopefully they'll work out for now. I'm pretty sure that within a few months, I'm going to have to get new boots. But my first priority right now is new blades. Hmmm...proffesional or phantom...I just don't know what to do.