tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56655500129224985462024-03-04T23:14:20.791-08:00Tim & TerriCommitted to the Edge since 2006HipSk8http://www.blogger.com/profile/17073589538995430853noreply@blogger.comBlogger97125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5665550012922498546.post-84278425549702796672009-01-13T11:14:00.000-08:002010-06-15T08:18:39.844-07:00End of seasonDue to my upcoming hip surgeries, Tim and I will sit out the 2009 and 2010 seasons.<br /><br />Don’t count us out though. We plan to be back in 2011.<br /><br />Meanwhile you can keep up with my recovery from two periacetabular osteotomy (PAO) surgeries on <a href="http://www.hipsk8.blogspot.com">hipsk8.blogspot.com</a>. <br />TerriHipSk8http://www.blogger.com/profile/17073589538995430853noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5665550012922498546.post-23733633170844085642008-12-29T16:07:00.000-08:002008-12-29T16:17:54.579-08:00Iced InI skated this morning solo, and it was pretty lousy after a few weeks off the ice and with dull blades to boot. Yeah yeah, excuses, excuses. Plus all of the off-ice training I'm doing (elliptical, weights, yoga) to help my hips has done a number on my body - it's in transition right now and frequently cries out in protest. <br /><br />I think I'm developing some of the dormant muscles that have atrophied in recent years because of my hip issues, because I'm able to focus directly on my weak spots thanks to our new basement workout room. This is good in the long run, but right now it's pretty painful. I am also working on the upper body, the better to wrestle those crutches next summer. <br /><br />Perry bought an elliptical trainer and "Inspire" weight machine for himself, but I've been using them quite a bit lately too. Plus I've been doing the Power Yoga with Rodney Yee DVD (I highly recommend it). I've been getting buff in anticipation of the debuffing that will occur when I have surgery in 6 months or so. The more buff I am before, the easier it will be to tolerate the debuffing and recover, or so the theory goes. And based on blogs I've read, the hip chicks who start off in better shape seem to recover faster once on the other side of the knife. <br /><br />But back to skating ... today I was mostly sore from the extra off-ice workouts and out of practice from not being on the ice, so it was pretty much a lost cause on the ice. Tim is back from vacation Friday so I hope to get another session in before that on my own. Then we need to get busy on the final leg of this competition season. I am looking forward to it.HipSk8http://www.blogger.com/profile/17073589538995430853noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5665550012922498546.post-25572898589704186652008-12-21T18:04:00.000-08:002008-12-22T08:55:12.276-08:00Iced Out<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghvFia0rmu6bRN1lXYA_svnxIyHgIEEqNCVwLm6sBkTIdnLnJWl2PtrHjzcMpnWveBJ_EcUTLDam8slw9d2G396_D6ojepNaue4xK5FfhR5U3-Fz8biONVASRp3CCDJrkB8g7geZYmlck2/s1600-h/endprog.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 159px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghvFia0rmu6bRN1lXYA_svnxIyHgIEEqNCVwLm6sBkTIdnLnJWl2PtrHjzcMpnWveBJ_EcUTLDam8slw9d2G396_D6ojepNaue4xK5FfhR5U3-Fz8biONVASRp3CCDJrkB8g7geZYmlck2/s200/endprog.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5282431838054401890" /></a><br /><em>OK, I'm running out of "Tim-approved" TnT pics, so here's a T pic!</em><br /><br />I haven't written much here lately. Tim and I practiced on Tuesday (and a very nice practice it was, as we fixed a whole bunch of places in our free dance that had been bothering us). Meanwhile the weather has been getting worse and worse. Today Perry and I were iced in and spent the day going stir crazy in the house. Tomorrow, with everything iced over, we'll probably do the same. Who knows how this week will go weather-wise? Crappy weather is expected through the holidays. Since we live at 600 feet elevation, at the top of a hill, we always get the worst of the weather. <br /><br />Somehow we're down to 4 months until adult nationals, work is light, and I can't get to the rink to practice. This would have been a great week to run through things and continue our momentum, but it looks like we won't be skating much, if at all. I am getting a bit antsy about this. Not much more to say!<em></em><em></em>HipSk8http://www.blogger.com/profile/17073589538995430853noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5665550012922498546.post-52484086720484097982008-12-01T10:29:00.000-08:002008-12-01T12:06:18.401-08:00Run throughIt was tough to get up this morning after a nice 4-day holiday spent doing a lot of nothing. No hip exercises, no stretching, and no skating. But up I got and went to practice where, miraculously, we did an entire free dance run through with lifts. All 5 elements were completed, we had no falls, we were skating fast (although in the small rink we can't really push it out), and we hit most of the musical highlights. <br /><br />That's not to say it was perfect. We still have unison issues and moves that don't work right all the time, we aren't always skating to the music, and we are in the "hey this is new for us" stage and so not relating to each other very well yet. This is exactly where we should be at this point in the season. <br /><br />I look back to the 2006/7 season when we had an earlier start but did our own choreography; our goal was to skate in the mid-December holiday shows, which we did. Even though we aren't skating the shows this year since I'll be in Lake Placid, I think if we had to, we could do a reasonable performance in two weeks. It would be rough, but it was rough two years ago when we did it. I think we're on track for the season with 4 and a half months to go.<br /><br />Now we better kick ourselves in the butt and get working on our compulsory dances!HipSk8http://www.blogger.com/profile/17073589538995430853noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5665550012922498546.post-71991709308197248132008-11-17T14:25:00.000-08:002008-11-17T14:33:31.605-08:00Back on the ice ...We had a nice practice today after a full 10 days off the ice due to my cold/virus/flu and trip to Scottsdale to judge. I'm still coughing but able to skate. We did a good free dance run through sans lifts and sans music (skating at a public session so couldn't play the music). We worked on the lifts outside the program and they worked nicely, although we're going to need a stopwatch to make sure we aren't heading for an overtime lift deduction. <br /><br />I know if I say what I'm about to say I may jinx it, but my hips feel really good. Maybe it's because I've been off the ice for a while. Maybe it's that I've been lifting weights. I know better than to think I'm magically cured, but it's nice to feel like I can get through this season.HipSk8http://www.blogger.com/profile/17073589538995430853noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5665550012922498546.post-60728827611261620632008-10-30T19:27:00.000-07:002008-10-30T19:36:36.488-07:00Yes, I did skate ......yesterday. Since I was going to the <a href="http://www.hipsk8.blogspot.com">hip specialist </a>today, I figured what the hell, I am going to give it my all and then I can bitch and whine to him and he'll be able to observe how bad it is at its worst.<br /><br />Tim is out of town so I went at lunchtime and put on my favorite music and just skated. And do you know what? It didn't hurt, not until I was done anyway. I skated really well. I just floated over the ice and felt the music and skated my little heart out. It was probably the best skate of my life, or at least the most memorable, just totally at one with the ice and the music in my own little world. I kind of figured the doctor might not have the best news for me, and this was sort of my answer to that -- right now, at this very moment, I can still get out there and move around some. <br /><br />I'm sure the lunchtime crowd at Lloyd Center, who couldn't hear the music on my headphones, wondered why I was so emotional out there but really, it wasn't about them, it was about me and really about all of us who continue to do the things we love despite being told we shouldn't; those who persevere against all the odds; those who just won't take no for an answer. It's for all of you who know just what I mean by that.HipSk8http://www.blogger.com/profile/17073589538995430853noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5665550012922498546.post-61594895719164695312008-10-29T10:53:00.000-07:002008-10-29T12:19:47.528-07:00Skate America<br><br><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhObjwLDimXXKaCJUro2srSeZSQweZdRzjeBJH9vRpAIZC6dHJelZ5GE57e1OpAagAdl2adGp9xnO2pFdXzeYYGYa08VFu3B29z2JdJxNEuQqQS-WtDzyEZt6zYJKvmYlv4EeEUzgeJZ5_C/s1600-h/MichelinManRunning.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 199px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhObjwLDimXXKaCJUro2srSeZSQweZdRzjeBJH9vRpAIZC6dHJelZ5GE57e1OpAagAdl2adGp9xnO2pFdXzeYYGYa08VFu3B29z2JdJxNEuQqQS-WtDzyEZt6zYJKvmYlv4EeEUzgeJZ5_C/s200/MichelinManRunning.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5262635629246425314" /></a><br /><br />Tim is in Guatemala and my hips are recovering from Skate America, where I volunteered as an “ice monitor.” It sounded simple enough in concept … stand by the door and open it to let the skaters onto the ice, then close the door. As volunteer jobs go that is pretty darn simple. But 4 hours of standing in the cold each day did me in. It is only now, 3 days later, that I can walk without assistance, and I am glad that Tim doesn’t return until Monday because skating is going to be a non-event until then.<br /><br />I was assigned to all the dance events, probably because they figured I actually know when to open the door after 3 patterns of the Viennese Waltz! The very first event of the competition was in fact compulsory dance, and my headphone was not working. Unbeknownst to me, the TV producer who controls all the cameras, the doors, and the timing of the event so that it is consistent with the TV commercials kept asking the Ice Monitor, me, for status, and since no sound was coming through, I stood there, apparently oblivious. The TV guy was going crazy, and finally asked, “who IS that moron down there?!” Of course, everyone on the headsets heard that including the announcers, USFSA bigwigs, all the camera guys, and most of the volunteers in the arena. Pretty comical considering I kept the event going just fine without his input, but after all, I am a referee and I've attended enough skating competitions that, moron or not, I do know when to open and shut the door all by myself.<br /><br />The press corps was provided catered meals, while we volunteers had ... apples. And water. Occasionally power bars but those went fast. Trying to find a vegetarian meal in the arena was near impossible of course, so the apples were very welcome. One morning I snuck into the press area for a cup of coffee -- I figured I might be shot or escorted from the building, but as luck would have it there was nobody there. My credential allowed me in that part of the arena but my attire absolutely identified me as a "non-press person." <br /><br />Speaking of attire ... more fun times! By the time I checked in at the volunteer desk the only sizes left for the mandatory volunteer outfit (black turtleneck and black vest) were “XXL.” For those who don’t know me, I’m about 5’4” and 120 lbs. I’m not tiny, but I’m also nowhere near an XXL! The turtleneck came down to my knees, and I could fit 3 of me and a small VW bus in there. The vest, which I wore over my fanny pack, the turtleneck, and a black jacket to keep me warm, was sized similarly. I wore the fanny pack in front, so the result of all this was that I looked like a very pregnant version of the Michelin Man.<br /><br />It was bad enough that friends I passed in the mixed zone didn’t even recognize me, walking right on by when I waved and said hello. Paul Harvath covered this up later by saying, “did you do something with your hair? I didn’t recognize you!” Right Paul, what you REALLY wanted to say was, “when did you get so hugely fat and when is your due date?”<br /><br />And on top of all this, we were advised to go see “hair and makeup” before going out there because of course, try as we might to avoid the TV cameras, we couldn’t always get out of the way. On top of my very stylish coiffure, I had to wear headphones, so that was pretty much a lost cause. However, my makeup looked damn good. So there I was looking lovely, but well padded, for all the world to see.<br /><br />Of course it is not about me, but about the skaters, and my job as ice monitor is to be unobtrusive, but I was just too … well … bulky to totally fade into the background. So look for me on IceNetwork … stoically holding the door and ducking under camera cables while trying to look like part of the scenery!<br /><br />P.S. - I hope my readers weren't expecting me to actually comment on the SKATING at Skate America. And please don't even mention the "Johnny vs. Evan" rabid maniac fans. You can read what they have to say on Ice Network's blogs. I can't help myself, I really do enjoy it when they talk about the "moron judges" and follow that up with comments indicating their utter lack of knowledge about skating. However, come to think of it ... moron judge ... moron ice monitor ... Hmmm, I guess I really am a total moron!<br /><br />P.P.S. - In order to be PC, I must include the following disclaimer: Not all skating fans are rabid maniacs, and most know a lot about skating, it's just that some of them do not, and those seem to be the ones who blog the most, and bash judges the most, and truly have no idea what they are talking about. I find it all quite entertaining.HipSk8http://www.blogger.com/profile/17073589538995430853noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5665550012922498546.post-30360661817748629972008-10-21T12:20:00.000-07:002008-10-21T13:20:58.052-07:00Run throughToday we did a free dance program run through with music.<br /><br />Now that sounds pretty marvelous until I expand on the thought. We did 2 minutes of a 3 minute program (we do kind of know the rest of it, but not well enough to do it, with music, yet). We walked our first lift because <a href="http://www.hipsk8.blogspot.com">my hip </a>was acting up and I just could not support my weight with just my legs this morning. And I am sure we didn't really "perform" since we were more concerned with remembering what we were supposed to be doing, and where on the ice, and when in the music.<br /><br />But we did get through it and that's what a run through is all about at this point in the season. Getting through it, not stopping even when we are totally running into each other or not exactly sure what goes where. I have to give us our props, we plowed on through and we did not stop. We hit some of the highlights. The moves we've struggled with were still a problem, but we did them, or tried. <br /><br />Tim and I have very different opinions about how to learn and do a program. I need to know what edges we are supposed to be on, for example, although this information is something Tim doesn't require. Steps are good to know too ... is this supposed to be a counter or a choctaw? Doesn't matter to Tim, but it does to me. <br /><br />So while choreographing we've had to really pin these down, so that I too can participate, because otherwise we just make stuff up and while that's fine, it doesn't work so well when you involve judges in the equation. <br /><br />Six months until adult nationals ... and we have a run through in our back pocket. Now the real work begins.HipSk8http://www.blogger.com/profile/17073589538995430853noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5665550012922498546.post-55309770688682031142008-10-12T20:15:00.001-07:002008-10-13T13:39:11.537-07:002 years, 16 testsWe breathed a big sigh of relief this morning.<br /><br />I also screamed a bit and gave Tim a high five and jumped up and down going "woo hoo." This was after he passed his starlight waltz test, his first pregold. Test number 16. That's 16 tests in 2 years (we've skated for two and a half years but 6 months of those we weren't skating after his achilles surgery so they don't count). And now, we have finally qualified for the gold dance event, a journey which began in 2006. <br /><br />The test itself --- all I can say is, Tim was amazing. When I stumbled on a mohawk he just kept going, and 3 steps later I caught up to him and he didn't miss a beat. The judges didn't even mention what could have been a deal breaker. It was more than just a "nice save." Disaster was averted because he just kept going ... and didn't even blink. I appreciate my skating partner so much at moments like these. He is truly awesome. Congratulations Tim!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8pIbgSpEpUkjFWWr4DTxyM9h_qHe5mjP9Z70KiPME7Icx5niNLweN_TThgR4iL5ohe-7soohLS4DhYgdy3rtBL7GWd3ELaJJwnG4ndbrpjwmnOdbAWNjUslMuesvmrKugUBRWD2VV-wpM/s1600-h/BAID1.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8pIbgSpEpUkjFWWr4DTxyM9h_qHe5mjP9Z70KiPME7Icx5niNLweN_TThgR4iL5ohe-7soohLS4DhYgdy3rtBL7GWd3ELaJJwnG4ndbrpjwmnOdbAWNjUslMuesvmrKugUBRWD2VV-wpM/s320/BAID1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5256740324377293602" /></a><br /><br /><em>No, this is not what I wore for the test!</em>HipSk8http://www.blogger.com/profile/17073589538995430853noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5665550012922498546.post-53254778662952722452008-09-27T16:13:00.000-07:002008-09-27T16:22:37.968-07:00Choreography<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB7QOr3zJeDiFE4kwybHb1oiN1DeJkmIlmvMoCFH_ZCr72zBrsmaGBhFBDEVSg3rbKmmkW9uCv3rj3KFiqD5y_CpJbMDn1HQDW098A7TzRmKvescNDFC42nNyyzOJRdivtLv1mD-UiDNpF/s1600-h/kick1.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB7QOr3zJeDiFE4kwybHb1oiN1DeJkmIlmvMoCFH_ZCr72zBrsmaGBhFBDEVSg3rbKmmkW9uCv3rj3KFiqD5y_CpJbMDn1HQDW098A7TzRmKvescNDFC42nNyyzOJRdivtLv1mD-UiDNpF/s200/kick1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5250845324681007154" /></a><br />Fuzzy pictures of the amazing choreography Tim made up ... captured from video<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_tNzsrGusQz5uq5rSWLRw9DKEWZb1FGI4XYdXgqrVZNpaqnuIX3OnBqnkw6kMrQgPsqDQIxotstz6DtwBXhrf1bMWjzSHkymxxIv8BKBL-ChYH9e3IXCeI_YwLjTw9JmQhtPEeQR0mDEr/s1600-h/kick2.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_tNzsrGusQz5uq5rSWLRw9DKEWZb1FGI4XYdXgqrVZNpaqnuIX3OnBqnkw6kMrQgPsqDQIxotstz6DtwBXhrf1bMWjzSHkymxxIv8BKBL-ChYH9e3IXCeI_YwLjTw9JmQhtPEeQR0mDEr/s200/kick2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5250845324690067106" /></a>HipSk8http://www.blogger.com/profile/17073589538995430853noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5665550012922498546.post-43296715701295471992008-09-26T12:00:00.000-07:002008-09-26T12:03:15.519-07:00Friday is drill dayToday Julia and Jordan joined us on the ice and we all worked together on the drills we learned at the high dance camp. We tried to synchronize the four of us as we skated the length of the ice doing twizzles, power pulls, and the rocker/counter sequence. I think we should compete as a team of “four” if we do this often enough and get synchronized well enough. There used to be an actual "Fours" event ...<br /><br />They taught us a power pull drill we hadn’t learned which was a killer. We then worked a little on silver samba together, trading partners and advice.<br /><br />This is what we all love about adult competition. We will be going head to head with them at adult nationals this year in gold dance, and yet we are all having fun skating together and helping each other improve. The more all of us improve, the better the level will be in the gold dance event. <br /><br />Afterwards Tim and I worked on the opening to our free dance, which is a rhumba. Our coach has given us some ballroom dance steps to do on the ice, which is much harder than it sounds. The steps are challenging on the floor and near impossible on the ice. We did that for what seemed like hours and it started to improve. Now we need to put the music on and see what happens.HipSk8http://www.blogger.com/profile/17073589538995430853noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5665550012922498546.post-53814161168770291372008-09-16T09:49:00.000-07:002008-09-16T09:56:37.917-07:00Portland is Dance TownWe went to Mountain View today for our final lesson with Jon and Pam. We have had 3 hours of private lessons in addition to the High Dance Camp seminars and we feel like we have made significant improvement. <br /><br />This morning from 6 to 8 AM there were 4 (FOUR!!!) dance teams on the ice, 3 of them adult teams. There were Julia and Jordan, Laura and Kiel, us, and Maddie and Nathan (Intermediate competitors). Wow, this is what it must be like to be in a dance training center. What an energizing morning! Mostly the 3 adult teams were working on similar things; all of us were working on silver samba, for example, so it was just a samba-fest out there when the music came on.<br /><br />We are sore and tired. I stayed up late last night remaking a skating dress so I can wear it for Tim's starlight test, then got up at 4:30 AM for the lesson, so I am sleep deprived as well. I lost 5 lbs. over the weekend and I ate like a pig. That's how hard we worked. We thought about taking a rest day tomorrow but decided to skate, just make it an easy day on our training plan. We are psyched, we are making progress, and we are motivated once again.HipSk8http://www.blogger.com/profile/17073589538995430853noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5665550012922498546.post-86766710546181507042008-09-14T19:01:00.001-07:002008-09-14T19:02:06.107-07:00Fun at the Dance Camp<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC0kOhqw1n0JzIlCQQ8P0V420sgSVbh7C3_m6BEyqkaV7eBrat5N2_Tlf1c-LyhMU2t9TqhX65DE65iOVGlXoQWT6MjkJRTf-_IB1G0PRWcd7zMZRkJHi_weLs6pYhFjduhORz-4_RqZe7/s1600-h/DSC_0137B.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC0kOhqw1n0JzIlCQQ8P0V420sgSVbh7C3_m6BEyqkaV7eBrat5N2_Tlf1c-LyhMU2t9TqhX65DE65iOVGlXoQWT6MjkJRTf-_IB1G0PRWcd7zMZRkJHi_weLs6pYhFjduhORz-4_RqZe7/s200/DSC_0137B.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5246062509820851442" /></a>HipSk8http://www.blogger.com/profile/17073589538995430853noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5665550012922498546.post-57486383045026714612008-09-12T15:15:00.000-07:002008-09-12T15:38:44.685-07:00The Walking WoundedToday Tim and I had our private lesson with Jonathon O'Dougherty and Pam O'Connor, AKA "The O's" -- (2002 British Nationals Champions and guest coaches for the Adult High Dance Camp). We are truly the walking wounded, munching Advil as if it is candy and wearing ice bags as if they were high fashion, but we were there at the hotel promptly at 5:45 this morning to transport Jonathon and Pam to the rink. <br /><br />So there's me, with sore hips from skating this week, limping through the parking lot. And here comes Tim, post auto accident, with back and neck hurting and his "good" achilles tendon acting up. Jonathon and Pam had no idea we were injured because we put on our happy faces and pushed through our hour long lesson and loved every minute. Our Samba is now so much better! We need to work on some things but if we do, well, our Samba will be even more better. And there's nothing better than more better.<br /><br />We go back to the rink tonight to work on the Tango Romantica at the High Dance Camp clinic. We know one of the steps quite well, since we stole it for our OD in 2007, but the rest of the dance will be a challenge.<br /><br />Can we make it through this weekend? My Costco-sized bottle of Ibuprofen is only half full. Or maybe it's half empty. Time will tell.HipSk8http://www.blogger.com/profile/17073589538995430853noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5665550012922498546.post-75710132594335424972008-09-11T11:24:00.000-07:002008-09-11T14:03:46.894-07:00Feeding the Rumor Mill<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKsIHhOctDcqHBsdAc6Nwq9TaVrI46FC0qE-sRDjjRFBG_nZ8vom2L3xco7D8tKrhFuHHsVu5ieqBX3uSN1tJUTiPbBAXp5Uc20kQnl5WEPhIcpvVhGp_zZSlMV4bHeQflMYBespVj-RnC/s1600-h/33a8.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKsIHhOctDcqHBsdAc6Nwq9TaVrI46FC0qE-sRDjjRFBG_nZ8vom2L3xco7D8tKrhFuHHsVu5ieqBX3uSN1tJUTiPbBAXp5Uc20kQnl5WEPhIcpvVhGp_zZSlMV4bHeQflMYBespVj-RnC/s200/33a8.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5244868710326471154" /></a><br />As an attempt to start a rumor about myself and create some "buzz," I am hereby reporting that this morning I skated two sessions with someone other than my partner; a handsome gentleman not seen very often around these parts. Who is he? What does this mean? Has Tim dumped me? So many questions.<br /><br />We worked on (gasp) the gold competition dances for this season, Viennese and Samba. Send that through the grapevine all ye rumormongers! <br /><br />As if that weren't shocking enough, we worked on the Quickstep, Argentine tango, and Westminster Waltz ... and even a pattern or two of the Blues and Kilian. Who WAS that masked man?<br /><br />Now a serious thought on the anniversary of September 11th. I think most of us remember where we were and what we were doing on September 11th. I know I do. Today is a day of remembrance and mourning for most of us. It's also a good time to pause to tell our loved ones how much we care about them, and to reflect on ways to make the world a better place. My number one wish in this post-9/11 world is to reduce our dependency on foreign energy sources, something at which I personally have not been very successful. I drive a car to the rink, the rink uses a vast amount of energy to maintain an artificial frozen surface, and I frequently fly to destinations for skating events. It's a dilemma. Something to ponder.<br /><br />Now back to our regularly scheduled programming.HipSk8http://www.blogger.com/profile/17073589538995430853noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5665550012922498546.post-84393897041202263642008-09-04T07:58:00.000-07:002008-09-04T08:14:16.519-07:00If it's not one thing, it's another<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2jT4eO4t42tv3THxx5VK6S5M4yGIC4t94bFniI6B8fvFTvU8IqjOn9TtoYN-UYEnIBYyBL-aZxIxQOG6JINIKUYN91ykk4nNncvsYx3DnpGyR2jiZtfO8rhALUP7WS4mZbrOrX3HWa2oU/s1600-h/SV1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2jT4eO4t42tv3THxx5VK6S5M4yGIC4t94bFniI6B8fvFTvU8IqjOn9TtoYN-UYEnIBYyBL-aZxIxQOG6JINIKUYN91ykk4nNncvsYx3DnpGyR2jiZtfO8rhALUP7WS4mZbrOrX3HWa2oU/s200/SV1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5242184753982403282" /></a><br />We did not skate as planned yesterday as Tim was involved in a motor vehicle accident. Not his fault, and he walked away with no major injuries, but he is suffering from whiplash and hurting today. We are going to wait a couple of days to skate. I am extremely glad that he is OK.<br /><br />Between injuries, family issues, and accidents, it has been a challenging week or two. I have not skated and thus I am able to walk. It's an interesting tradeoff. I feel like going to the rink but then I get anxious about what will happen on the pain scale if I do. In some ways I'm in denial because if I don't skate, I feel almost normal. But really, what good is feeling normal if I can't skate? It's a paradox. You know, the place where you keep two boats. <br /><br />I hear all of you groaning. You've just been subjected to one of the two jokes that I have made up in my lifetime. The other one is, "It's a paradigm -- you know, 20 cents!" There you go, a pair o' jokes.<br /><br />Obviously comedy is not my thing. Signing off now, for obvious reasons.HipSk8http://www.blogger.com/profile/17073589538995430853noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5665550012922498546.post-6460238548568906642008-09-03T08:03:00.000-07:002008-09-04T08:13:31.100-07:00Back to workTim and I have taken a week off to attend to family matters. A week off the ice has done wonders for my ability to walk. I was walking with a cane the first day, and as of today I am walking pretty normally and almost pain free with no assistance. So clearly the doctor was right - skating is bad for my hips. <br /><br />However, this doesn't mean I am not going to skate. We plan to skate this afternoon, and every afternoon this week, preparing for a lesson with some outstanding coaches in Seattle on Monday. So I'm getting ready for the onslaught of pain, and hoping it doesn't happen. I'm ready to do a lot of stretching. I've been using a fit ball instead of a chair when I work at home. That helps. Work is another matter. It has been 4 weeks since I put in a request for a sit/stand work station. They obviously don't care if I'm in a lot of pain since they are taking their time. I have rigged up my own sit/stand using a cardboard box and a clipboard, but my chair is really awful and they need to get me a new one. I'm not allowed to sit on a fitball at work (!) as it's deemed "unsafe." Sometimes they pop and people fall down, I was told. So what? Like I'm not used to falling down??<br /><br />I digress, and I promised to limit this type of talk to my hip related blog. But it is relevant right now. I am excited to skate again after time off and also apprehensive because my pain level is so low and I hope it stays that way. Tim and I will be working mostly on his starlight to test. I think I can handle that but we'll find out today.HipSk8http://www.blogger.com/profile/17073589538995430853noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5665550012922498546.post-3355998535158009552008-08-27T08:47:00.000-07:002008-08-27T08:50:16.977-07:00A timely post from Mombo<a href="http://www.ice-dance.com/mombo9/2008/08/datebook-august-25.html">Mombo</a> strikes again with a lovely post which talks about why we (all of us) ice dance, why we compete in ice dance (especially as adults), and why we work so hard at it:<br /><br />It's "just doing something that you truly love the best that you can do it."<br /><br />Amen.HipSk8http://www.blogger.com/profile/17073589538995430853noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5665550012922498546.post-61482045955036036682008-08-17T20:59:00.000-07:002008-08-17T21:12:51.320-07:00HydromaniaI think we may have found our signature move.<br /><br />This is despite Tim's insistence that "hydroblades have no place in ice dancing." I agree, except for the Bourne and Kraatz version, because they were just so good that it worked. <br /><br />By the way, I also don't see how spins have any place in ice dancing, but we're working on those too. In typical "what the hell" spirit, we're doing all kinds of things we may not agree with in order to get points. I mean if we're going to compete, we would be wasting our time if we didn't try to rack up a few.<br /><br />This is also why I'm taking yoga, the better to contort myself in lifts, to get more points. I give in - it's all about points now and we want a ton of 'em.<br /><br />(Those who know me realize I have some strong views on this subject. I won't go into a discussion of IJS tonight, although I promise to do so in a future post.) <br /><br />But back to that signature move. Today I tried a hydroblade for the first time in a long time. I used to do a back inside version but that now hurts my hip, so I tried a back outside version and had much more success. So much so that I was shocked I'd never tried one before. It was fun and easier than I thought it would be. Tim could almost do one too. So even though it's not really dancing, we had fun doing some hydroblades today and we may include one as a highlight this season.HipSk8http://www.blogger.com/profile/17073589538995430853noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5665550012922498546.post-25119627059458624162008-08-13T10:30:00.000-07:002008-08-13T13:37:53.947-07:00What is up with falling down?This is the second time in as many practices that I've had a fall where I went straight down directly onto my hind parts. These were quick falls, as in "one moment I'm up, then boom, I'm sitting down." Both were from pretty much a standstill and had no "slide" to take away some of the impact. <br /><br />Eskimos have many, many words for "snow." Likewise, skaters should have a full lexicon of terms for different types of falls in order to do justice to their differences. In skaterspeak, I would describe this type of fall as a sheer-drop-straight-down-no-slide-single-impact-booming-buttfall. That name doesn't really capture the moment though. It's something I'll have to think about. Stay tuned for future blogging brilliance on this topic.<br /><br />Now my back hurts but that could also be from the lift we are teaching ourselves. It's a cantilever that we're trying to do without any support other than my legs, which are wrapped around Tim's leg while he's doing a spread eagle. Right now we are holding on with one arm each (for about 2 seconds, then I need his other arm or I start sliding down toward the ice). <br /><br />Clearly I will need to hit the gym, and ask a personal trainer how to get more "leg squeeze strength." I hope I can say that with a straight face, especially when I have to demonstrate what it looks like. Right, I'll probably say, "I need to be able to support 100% of my own body weight with my legs by wrapping them around someone else's leg. Then I have to hang there parallel to the ice ... uh, ground ... while someone watching counts to 3, like this: 'one-one-thousand-two-one-thousand-three-one-thousand.'" (Then I have to use my abs to pull myself back upright so that I can go into a "skate-to-the-head" position, but I'll tell that to the yoga teacher so two people can make fun of me.)<br /><br />Yeah, I really have nothing to lose, they already think skaters are freaks at the gym anyway ("yeah Joe, so this woman comes into the gym, wants to increase her "leg squeeze strength" ... needs to be able to contort herself, but only for 3 seconds ... and has some ginormous bruises on her butt. Should I call the cops?")<br /><br />And to think that I had a problem with the rocker foxtrot!HipSk8http://www.blogger.com/profile/17073589538995430853noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5665550012922498546.post-63459536071512139262008-08-10T12:22:00.000-07:002008-08-10T15:41:29.311-07:00The Ultimate TestThe Rocker F#@$!trot: AKA the most difficult ice dance ever created.<br /><br />I’d rather do the Midnight Blues, Finnstep, or Golden Waltz than the Rocker Foxtrot and any of those would no doubt be easier and less anxiety- producing for me. That’s because the Rocker Foxtrot contains the one step in ice dancing that I just have not been able to master: the FO Mohawk in foxtrot position.<br /><br />I know, I know. An outside to outside Mohawk should be a piece of cake for someone who has passed gold dances. But the catch is “in foxtrot position.” <br /><br />I can do the dance just fine solo, but attach me to a partner and I am “Stuck.” As in, “blocked,” or “physically prevented from turning.” Frustratingly so, since I do the turn just fine by myself. I start to turn, as does my partner, and then I can turn no farther and either fall or have to bail out.<br /><br />(I did pass the test, many years ago, with a partner who was patient and skated very much like me, and for some reason the turn worked with him. But it has never worked with anyone else before or since.)<br /><br />I’m not afraid of falling on the turn, as I’ve pointed out to the many coaches who’ve tried to help me fix it. It’s not a fear thing, although I do feel paralyzed as my body hangs there in mid-turn and goes no farther, while my partner drags me along, or I fall, and that can be a bit anxiety-producing. It’s more a frustration thing – why does my body all of a sudden stop in mid-turn? What can I do differently?, I would ask coach after coach. There has to be something going on with my body that can be fixed, some small technical detail that is the key to this turn.<br /><br />“It’s all in your head,” I was told. “You just need to go for it!” “You need to bend your knees more.” “Just turn out your hips more” (give me a break, I have no turnout but can still do the turn myself, so that can’t be it). “Don’t look down.” “Track in front of your partner.” “Don’t break at the waist.” None of these worked. <br /><br />After all of this advice, I finally “went for it” one day enough to fall harder than normal, sliding headfirst into the wall and getting a mild concussion. That’s when I said enough was enough and stopped doing the dance for many years. I joked that I was born without the Mohawk Gene, and always found a way to be in the ladies room when the Rocker Foxtrot was played at dance weekends.<br /><br />Enough really WAS enough because I had no reason to do the damn thing until Tim came along, and had to test it in order for us to qualify for the Gold dance event. Which meant I had to either swallow my pride and ask him to test it with another partner, or swallow my fear of failure, bite the bullet, and conquer the RF once and for all.<br /><br />While in Lake Placid recently, I studied the rocker foxtrots on practice. I saw that everyone could do this turn, even if they weren’t the greatest skater. I watched body positions, tracking, and edges into and out of the turn, and I tried to mimic what the best rocker foxtrotters were doing in my mind. I had an epiphany and thought I had figured it out, so when I got home I asked Tim to try the dance with me. We were both skeptical, but it turned out that my own observation and mimicry were able to do what years of advice from coaches had not: it wasn’t pretty, but I was finally able to do the turn without getting blocked.<br /><br />I thought this must be a fluke, so we tried it again with more speed. No block. We did several patterns. No block. The mohawk seemed, dare I say it, easy. <br /><br />That was Monday. This is Sunday. This morning, Tim passed his Rocker Foxtrot test by all three judges, as did the other 3 people testing it (a veritable Rocker Foxtrot Festival! ... And all 8 of us dressed in black, which was unnecessarily pessimistic as it turned out). Congratulations to Bill Cloran, Bill Fisher (Bill also passed his Foxtrot and European, completing the pre-silvers), and Annee Magee (Annee also passed her Tango and American for a silver sweep). Tim has now completed his Silver dances.<br /><br />Of all those testing today, Tim's prop was definitely the most nervous. This was more a test for me than for him, as he is comfortable with the dance and skates it well and could have tested it a long time ago. I feel happier about this result than my own gold dance test. I can do the rocker foxtrot, that's right, yes I can! Today, dare I say it, the mohawk seemed easy.HipSk8http://www.blogger.com/profile/17073589538995430853noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5665550012922498546.post-75235951084146452042008-08-09T19:53:00.000-07:002008-08-09T19:56:57.314-07:00That's Entertainment ...NOT!<br /><br />I just read my last blog post and wow, it was just not entertaining as promised. An entire synopsis of our free dance elements, including imaginary GOEs and levels??? Wow, what was I thinking? Who would be interested in reading that other than a bunch of ...<br /><br />skaters???<br /><br />wait ---<br /><br />OK.HipSk8http://www.blogger.com/profile/17073589538995430853noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5665550012922498546.post-38018404533052174042008-08-08T10:43:00.001-07:002008-08-08T10:48:14.038-07:00Now back to our regularly scheduled bloggingI will be starting a new <a href="http://www.hipsk8.blogspot.com">blog</a> for my hip related issues so that this blog can be used for its original purpose --- that’s right -- entertainment! TnTsk8 will focus on Tim and Terri’s preparation for Adult Nationals this season. (Don’t you love it when people refer to themselves in 3rd person? Terri does!) I will only mention my hip when it is directly relevant to our training. My strong hope is that it won’t be very relevant. We plan to compete this year unless I am in so much pain I have to stop. Cross your fingers.<br /><br />Now, moving on to the entertainment as promised. Today we had a good practice which for me was almost pain free. We did our circular footwork and made some changes to it. We had one fall on a twizzle where Tim apparently kicked my feet out from under me and I went straight down on my butt (but missed my tail bone). It didn’t hurt much but I’m sure I’ll be sore tomorrow. We are trying to increase our speed in the footwork and so things like this are bound to happen. We like the changes overall. I am pretty sure we won’t get more than a Level 1, but if we skate to the music we should get decent GOEs.<br /><br />We modified our curve lift to make it a serpentine lift, which is a 12-second lift as opposed to a 6-second lift. We need one more position change to make it Level 3, or else I need to be able to get my foot to my head. (Maxiflex, anyone?) I haven’t been stretching lately but I used to be able to do this, so it’s not an impossible goal. Stay tuned for more entertainment in this direction, perhaps even pictures of me stuck in unlikely positions. <br /><br />Our balance/straight line lift is the same as always and very reliable. It’s Level 3 since we both have a difficult position (me upside down and cantilevered and Tim in a squat). Our twizzles are pretty consistent and if we both do them they are Level 4. We now need a spin. Our spin from last year is unique but won’t get a high level since we are both upright without a difficult position. I think dance spins should be abolished, actually, but since we need one, we may just stay with our old reliable this season because it’s pretty consistent.<br /><br />The rest of the practice was spent on the Rocker Foxtrot. The Rocker Foxtrot is not meant to be entertaining, so I’ll sign off until next week.HipSk8http://www.blogger.com/profile/17073589538995430853noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5665550012922498546.post-3399783338214988752008-08-07T10:23:00.000-07:002008-08-07T10:25:11.537-07:00Thank yousThanks to all who have written me privately. The response has been truly overwhelming. It upholds my belief that ice dancers (and adult skaters in general) are some of the friendliest, kindest and most caring people in the world.<br /><br />I am over my shock, anger, depression and denial (I think there are 4 more steps but now is the time for action so I’m postponing those). Tim and I have been skating, albeit a bit cautiously. I’m walking slowly and sitting gingerly but I’m not out of commission yet. <br /><br />There are some encouraging surgical options out there (possibly not covered by my insurance company as they are considered “experimental,” but I really need new hips more than I need a remodeled kitchen) and so I am not giving up. Many of you out there are skating on artificial hips and I have been so encouraged by your stories. <br /><br />I need some time to process all of the information I’ve received. I’ll keep everyone posted. TerriHipSk8http://www.blogger.com/profile/17073589538995430853noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5665550012922498546.post-12444687358518879612008-08-05T19:07:00.001-07:002010-04-28T12:20:44.461-07:00Possibly Cathartic, Probably Immature,...and Definitely Angry.<br /><br />This is an addendum to my post from earlier today regarding my recent hip problems. If you haven't yet, please read that post first. <br /><br />I realized today that my hip deformity has caused physical and emotional problems for a long time, even though I had no idea that I had this defect until today. This evening while feeling sorry for myself I recalled some of these problems; it is not much comfort now to know the reason behind them but I feel I should list them here for posterity.<br /><br />I remember in Kindergarten when we were being read to, all of us kids were told we must sit "Indian Style" for 30 minutes (Not such a PC term now, but I'm sure you all know the position I mean.) At age 5 I could only sit that way for a few seconds before my legs started to shake and hurt. My femurs naturally rotate inward, not outward, and so I could then (and still now) more easily sit with my upper legs together with my lower legs turned out in "W" position. <br /><br />I remember being told that we MUST sit for the half hour reading period INDIAN STYLE, and I was corrected by teachers, publicly, over and over again for being unwilling to sit that way. (Somebody explain the mindset of these Kindergarten Nazi Bitches to me ... I am at a loss.) Sometimes it hurt so much that I would cry. I remember the teachers scolding me for being "a baby" and "disruptive." Nobody thought it was a medical problem; who ever heard of a 5 year old who couldn't sit "Indian Style"? They never told my parents or sent me to a doctor, just strongly suggested to me that I was a bad child. Needless to say, children being the savages that they are, I was picked on mercilessly for being such a loser. Perhaps that's the starting point of some of my more interesting personality quirks.<br /><br />Kindergarten teachers of mine, if you were here right now you'd be appalled at the highly disruptive and disobedient gesture I'm making in your direction with my middle finger. That's right, this is my blog, and I can do that if I want to. Nyah nyah nyah.<br /><br />So I didn't see a doctor for the x-rays that would have made it obvious that I needed corrective surgery which, at that young age, would have prevented so many problems I've had since. Problems such as being unable to ride horses, something I love to do, because I can't walk for weeks afterwards due to my stiff and sore hips. Problems such as being yelled at as a teenager by skating coaches because I couldn't do an Ina Bauer (obviously not trying hard enough, probably lazy and bratty to boot). Problems such as difficulty in my late 30's riding a bicycle for more than a mile because my hips hurt (I chalked it up to being out of shape at the time and never rode a bike again). Problems walking over the last 3 years that I attributed to arthritis and old age which have caused me to groan like an old man as I get up and walk stiff-legged after getting up out of my chair at work, which co-workers have found amusing; I did too until it got so bad I realized that it wasn't normal.<br /><br /><em>{Addendum -- 8/8/08 -- my research reveals that periacetabular osteotomy, the surgical procedure used on children and young adults, was pioneered in 1984, so unfortunately it would not have helped me as a Kindergartner in the late '60's. However, I still wish I'd known about this problem earlier.}</em><br /><br />Now it appears I may be too old for that type of surgery, leaving me again with the double hip replacement scenario as my only option, along with a lifetime of memories of things I could never do, or can no longer do, or stopped doing a long time ago.<br /><br />Yes, I'm feeling sorry for myself, but this is my blog and I can say whatever I want to. Nyah nyah nyah.HipSk8http://www.blogger.com/profile/17073589538995430853noreply@blogger.com1