A Fabulous Surprise

My favorite coach, second only to my own, surprised me with the most thoughtful gift today. She brought back from the Odenton meet a little note and autograph from Debra Blee, my heroine. She is many years my senior and took her Gold Medal dance test last year at Regionals. I was so inspired by her.

I have 16 years left to reach that goal by the same age.

Delighted by this happy turn of events, I plunged myself into the Siesta Tango today. The corner is the hardest part and at the moment it's about the size and speed of a figure circle. It can only get better from here. And it wasn't half as scary as learning the Denver Shuffle or a 3 turn which remain my current yardsticks of terror.

Onward!

Turning the tide.

It dawned on me that this is the longest consecutive period I have been able to skate since I started almost 3 years ago. The most recent ankle injury was healed enough to barely skate on it by last May. I was still struggling pretty ferociously with it at the invitational at the end of May and mostly had it under control by Regionals.

So, 10 months. A new record. I promised Ian I would help him read the dance diagram for the Siesta Tango today at practice. I realized that I was able to not only do the Mohawk turn on the corner but I could also count the steps at the same time for him while reading holding and reading the diagram.

It's time to "man up" so to speak. I have suspected for a few weeks that my stumbling block on my figure 7 is a lack of comfort changing direction with any kind of speed. I think the key here is to get myself used to turning and moving faster. It's a bit like how I got a handle on the Mohawk turns in figure 100 by learning an inside spread eagle in both directions.

So tomorrow is the day. Imagine all the trouble and fun I can get myself into working on those turn dances! That should be as much fun as hearing the shock of a snackbar parent last week when they saw me working on the third loop test backward serpentine trace. It's pretty awful right now but the only road to better leads right through the inevitable embarrassing period of the climb to reach something way outside your current skill level.

It's going to be some serious slow going getting started. But, it can't be any less hilarious than starting the Denver Shuffle. When I learned the cross in front cross behind steps I literally would skate the whole corner of the dance at speed then come to a complete halt going into the center, do those two steps and then speed back up. The comic relief quotient had to be off the chart.

I can hardly wait for tomorrow. :)

Hallford Family Test Center

Well, we took a boatload of tests this morning at the rink.

I passed my third dance test and second loop test.

J passed his second dance, second loop and fourth figure tests.

Ian passed his first loop and second dance tests.

Miss Lily passed her second loop and fifth figure tests.

Good job, team Hallford!

Made me think of Sam Biddle

You could have knocked me over with a feather. Boy did those peacock feathers seem familiar.

I do all my own stunts

Some might recall my fateful run in with the flying plywood on the freeway on the way to the airport two years ago.

Today was apparently my second test at stunt driving. I did better this time. All passengers AND the automobile survived and were no worse for the wear.

Imagine, if you will, happily driving along through the downtown merge onto I-5 toward the airport to pick up your ILs. You are on you merry way when suddenly a car hood from two cars ahead of you suddenly detaches, sails over the car behind it and crashes onto the pavement in front of you. Imagine that your kids and your mother are also in your car. Take note of the giant green semi behind you. And add in the ramp that you are on is turning at the same time as all the rest of this insanity is actually unfolding before you.

Nobody wakes up planning for this. Except maybe actual stunt men. Maybe.

By the grace of God, the lane next to me was actually empty and I managed to simultaneously swerve around the now stationary aforementioned car hood and also not crash into the surrounding ramp or the cars in the lane on the other side of me.

Maybe it's time to quit my day job and really explore this stunt driving thing. I hear it pays pretty well.

Back in the day

Remember when email was from people you actually knew and wanted to correspond with on purpose?

And mail? Remember when mail was just bills and letters instead of junk printed on the death of the forests?

While I'm on this particular subject, what a the telephone? In our house, we don't even answer it. Sometimes when it rings, a betting pool springs up guessing which telemarketing company will appear on the caller ID. That only happens when we even notice it ringing and don't completely it ignore it.

How did we get to this point? The ads are all over Facebook now which was the last holdout for a brief while. I don't want to be sold anything anymore. I don't want to be the product being sold either.

Dutch waltz, you are mine!

Interestingly, I have actually had a more difficult time remembering the steps to this dance than the Memorial Waltz. I was back out with the darn diagram tonight. I think I have it now and I'm definitely improving my aim toward the center and the barrier.

On the 3 turn front, my speed on the figures was improved tonight which gave me enough momentum to make it around to the Choctaw which seemed less awkward tonight. The rest needs more more more practice. My outer back circle loop trace is getting more consistent but the inner back is still a mess.

::sigh:: These things take time. But the time will pass either way and all these challenges certainly keep me away from any thought to boredom.

Not the answer I was looking for

Ever have one of those questions that you need answered but that you might have been happier not knowing the answer?

It's tough being caught between acting like a grownup and throwing your hands over your ears and shouting, "la, la, la! I'm not listening!"

Grrrr.

Things one should never do:

Forget that one has a small but fresh cut before using hand sanitizer.

Yeeeouch!

Reasons to homeschool

In no particular order:

Hot cocoa with your math assignment.
A warm blanket from the dryer while you read your literature assignment.
Hot soup for lunch on a cold rainy day.
Latin and Greek graffiti on the windows and white boards.
Roller skating for PE.
Hiking for science and geography.

Negro Bar Day Hike

Took the family out for a 5 mile hike. It was a nicely laid out hike but the cyclone fencing along almost a mile of it overlooking the water REALLY detracted from the experience. I think next time we will try hiking it from the Nimbus Dam side.

I finally got around to picking up a Kindle version of the 60 Hikes with 60 miles of Sacramento to try. The steepest ascent was about a hundred feet up a hillside to the top of the cliff and back down the other side to the water. Very tween-teen friendly hike, not at all friendly for strollers or little kids.

Another day floats by

Filled with a never ending list of tasks and errands and general life stuff.

Friday is still my favorite day of the week.

We're usually wrapped up with school for the week and can take our time together with everything else. The cooperation level appears to be at an all time high and I'm feeling remarkably fond of ages 9 and 13 at the moment.

It's Lent and we are trying to be more mindful. Thankfully, Miss Lily had the presence of mind to remind me that dinner should not be including the meatball sandwiches I had on the menu. Given that Lent is supposed to be a time of sacrifice, I'm partially chagrined by the fact that my children are DELIGHTED to have fish on Fridays. So much so that they have been known to spontaneously break into a dance of joy in front of the fish case at Winco. On the other hand, I loathe the stuff so I'm probably carrying the sacrifice burden for the team.

Walking the walk

I took a long walk today. Not because it was far. Not because it should take a long time. But because I was with someone I loved who won't be with me forever. And I want to remember that I took the time. And that I took that walk. And that it didn't matter how long or why, only that I did.

So far so good.

I thought I might be bored or compulsed to cheat and check FB. But I'm not.

My level of distraction has been so high lately that it feels like everything going on around me was like a tv show in the background. That disconnected vagueness left me wondering why I wasn't even experiencing my own life anymore. It was partly general business but also partly letting life wash over me without paying particular attention to it.

It struck me last weekend that there aren't too many years of nuclear family left for us. Ian is already thirteen and Lily is nine. Both of them are growing up and will be starting down the roads that lead them to independence and adulthood soon. What do I want them to know and remember? I have to start answering that question.

The coach that lives in your head.

I had a wretched couple of days with figure 7. I literally put my foot down every single time and/or didn't make it around the turn.

Frustrating.

Yesterday, I was determined to fix it.

I set it up. Took off. Moved my arms. Went to turn. BAM! Foot down.

Back to the strike off. Ok, Sarah, what does your coach tell you? What's on the checklist around the figure? Set it up. Check. Move you arms. Ok. Bend your knee. Check. Turn. Nope!

And then it dawned on me. I was straightening my knee right before I turned and trying to spin it instead of turning my foot with my body.

Went back to try again and whoo hoo! Turn!!

Coach in my head: 1
Figure 7: 45

But the tide is turning. It was nice to leave on a high note. :)

That was strange.

Started the day out by reading the news instead of Facebook. I can't remember the last time I did that. In the process, I came across a great article on NPR about the "second emancipation proclamation" that ties in nicely with our civil war studies.

Go home, Glide Waltz. You're drunk.

So, I missed out on the USARS Traveling Seminar last weekend. However, I'm apparently on everyone's mind even in my absence. No less than three people thought to bring me the extra materials from it. I was so surprised and delighted to be remembered.

I've been paging through it and there is quite a bit of good stuff in there. The picture is my favorite one thus far. Probably a near perfect graphic for a beginner dance pattern and how it's actually skated. Quite possibly not funny to anyone but dance skaters and judges, but it cracked me up.

LIB, Can we be friends?

Coach decided that after my dance test that it was time to get moving on the next loop test. Loop test #2 has 130, a serpentine much like Figure 5 and that one is a piece of cake. Then there is 116, which is circle loop on backward outside edges. Not fantastic but not horrific, either. It needs some work for sure since it's not consistent. Little did I realize that there was ANOTHER figure on the test. Surprise, surprise! Time to roll on an inside back edge. 117, meet Sarah. Sarah, meet 117. We eyed each other warily but were willing to give it a go. OH, dear Lord. We have certainly located my remaining hugely deficient edge. I'd estimate about 8 desperate dash and swerve edge changes on that first go around the itty bitty circle. It's good to know that I can always be counted to entertain the crowd. I see a lot of quality time on Figure 4 and 117 in the near future. And up next, fun with the Balanciaga and City Blues. Can't wait for next week's lesson.

Fundraiser Time!

This is the first year our family will be participating in the annual Skate-A-Thon fundraiser.  It will be on Saturday, November 19th, from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. Each of us will be skating the entire day.  It's a LONG time to skate but any skating is GOOD skating.  :)   I will be posting pictures on Facebook throughout the event.

All four of us will be skating together.  Ian, my 12 year old elementary boy, is working hard to make it out of Regionals this year in free skating and Lily, my 8 year old primary girl, is hoping to do the same.  Jason and I are preparing for team dance and competing in our individual figure divisions.

Sponsorships are done as a one time, flat rate donation.  Skaters may be sponsored individually or by family.  Money raised through sponsorship of a skater will help defray costs for travel to Regional and National events.  If you would like to come and skate a session with us, we also have free "Sponsor" discount passes.  This pass is good for only one session on Saturday.  We would LOVE to have people come skate with us.

If anyone would like to sponsor, funds may be sent via Paypal to slhallford@yahoo.com by November 18th.  Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

One year ago I started art skating

My First Post About Art Skating
And it was all I could do to stay upright and stroke with one foot at a time. Reading that thread really drives home how much work I have put in this year.

In that year, I have learned all the figures for the first 4 tests. I passed the first two in Septemberish. I learned the figures for the first circle loops test. I'll be taking the 3rd figure test and the first circle loop figure test this month.

I've learned the first 2 dances for the first solo dance test. And the first one for the second solo dance test.

I spent a month off skates with a cast for a badly sprained ankle. I've been knocked down in practice by another skater. I've hit the floor more times than I can count. 

I competed at two meets. They both taught me a lot. Most notably, that I skate significantly cleaner when I am really mad and need to prove something to myself. My daughter and I placed 3rd and 2nd in circle loops together at one of them. Our invitational and Regionals are looming ahead in the future for me and I am going to do the best I can at them.

I've learned the Mohawk turn and 3 turn is becoming a reality. I can skate backwards after working on it so much over the summer. I can shoot the duck and cannon ball and almost get up from STD with no hands. I can do a decent looking spiral and crosspulls and cross overs and I'm working on those first two upright spins.

Both my kids are art skating now as well as my husband.

I solemnly promise to come back to this post any time I feel bad about my progress. Hard work PAYS off.