Follow a Dream

Well, I'm back. Fighting my way through the crud-like illness, I was finally back on the ice. For the first and probably only time, I'm glad I didn't sign-up for Adult Nationals because I would have been sick during the competition and would have had to withdraw. Not happening. Progress is being made; again, my Salchow has made a return appearance and my other jumps are peeking around the corner. Even my spins are back on speaking terms with me. I just wish I had some stamina and didn't have to stop so often to catch my breath. Damn this illness! It's important to note that the other coach I had wanted to work with (not my primary coach, nor my jump coach) well, things didn't work out between us. Our schedules didn't jive and it was just better that at this point we go our separate ways. I wish I could say that we came to a mutual decision, but that isn't true. She simply didn't come for my lessons. I have made myself into an early morning skater and she is not an early morning person. To be honest, neither am I, but for the ice, I will go to bed at 9:30pm and wake up at 4:30, leave at 5:30 and get to the rink at 6:30 for a 7:00 session. It's hard, but it has to be done. And I understand that not everyone can make that commitment to be at a location that early in the morning. No hard feelings; it just didn't work out. Previously, I have announced that I was ending my tenure as Ice Monitor. I had promised myself that it was over and I wasn't doing it again, only to return the following season when asked. Well, this time I've had enough. I can no longer be verbally abused by skaters, coaches and parents because I'm trying to enforce the rules. I have to say that if I were white, no one would speak to me in that fashion. No skater would scream at me to the point where I stand there debating calling the police. No parent should tell me I'm a waste of time because she has to pay for the ice. No coach should argue with me about what level the skater has to be in order to skate the session. That is a rule that has never changed. I don't make these rules; I just enforce them, or I did. There are two sessions left, and I have already told the club president that I will not be returning. She would like to return, but when I mentioned the issues I have been up against, she said she understood. The skater who screamed at me is being spoken to, but to be honest, he can twirl on it. He's not as wonderful as he tells everyone he is. My job, like everyone else, has a certain amount of stress. Since I negotiate payments, there's a bit more stress in my job. I have to tolerate a certain amount of disrespect at work both from some of my co-workers (some of whom think I'm too old to know ANYTHING!) and from the office managers/financial managers I have to negotiate with. I do not need to be spoken to like the field help at the rink. The rink is my oasis, my safe place. Not a place for additional stress. I look forward to sleeping on Sunday mornings. I look forward to the adult skating camps I will be attending. But most of all, I look forward. "Look, look Look to the rainbow. Follow it over the hill And the stream. Look, look Look to the rainbow. Follow the fellow Who follows a dream."* *Look to the Rainbow from Finian's Rainbow. Music by Burton Lane; Lyrics by E.Y. Harburg

Please Stand By...

I am recovering from something with flu-like symptoms, but it is NOT the flu (according to my oldest sister, who at last check was still not in the medical profession). As soon as my energy level returns, I will discuss my resounding disappointment in not attending Adult Nationals as well as recent lessons. Good note: Lost 5 pounds in 5 days. Yay?

A Woman Has Dreams - Part 2

I had such hope! Currently, I am getting up 1-2 days a week to skate before work. Add skating on Saturdays afternoons and Sunday mornings, and I'm putting in a fairly decent amount of ice time. I'm seeing some improvement with my MIF and to say I'm thrilled would be an understatement. I only see my jump coach every other week. The reason is two-fold: my body won't allow me to jump for a half hour straight more than every other week (I blame my weight) and my jump coach is a bit expensive. So far, I've had two sessions in one month with my jump coach and I feel that I will have my jumps back by the end of the month. I'm talking about the jumps that I had until my feet no longer hurt in these skates, but now I can't seem to get the timing on my jumps right. Yeah, I can't figure it out either. What is making me sad? I was excited to work with another coach on the other aspects of skating other than jumps and MIF. Unfortunately, she has canceled more often than we have actually worked together. I was inspired to work with this coach because I noticed all the progress her adult students were experiencing. It seemed that she was excited to work with me as well... But then life got in the way and the cancellations started. Three months and two lessons; that's all. And still I have hopes and dreams. I want to return to competition; I've missed enough Adult Nationals and would like to return to the fold. But, for now, I'll remain hopeful and patiently wait for the next lesson. "A woman* has dreams Of walking with giants To carve her* niche In the edifice of time. Before the mortar of her zeal Has a chance to congeal The cup is dashed from her lips The flame is snuffed aborning She's brought to rack and ruin in her prime"*** * The song was written for a man to sing, which I am not. ** A Man Has Dreams from Mary Poppins Music and lyrics by Robert B. and Richard M. Sherman.

Goosebumps

"Something is stirring Shifting ground? It's just begun. Edges are blurring All around And yesterday is done. Feel the flow Hear what's happening We're what's happening Don't you know? We're the movers and we're the shapers We're the names in tomorrow's papers Up to us man, to show 'em" ** I believe I have a new jump coach. And I'm actually excited about skating again. Once again, I skated before work on not-enough sleep. Good session, what I can recall of it. Will have more to say when I am awake and after my jump coach lesson. **Our Time from Merrily We Roll Along. Music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim.

Good Morning

For the first time since maybe the dinosaurs roamed the earth, I woke up and skated BEFORE work. Surprisingly, it was a really good session, especially since my coach finally agreed that I would not be prepared for Sectional. Thank goodness! It wasn't so bad. I had gone to bed early, slept poorly and took all sorts of public transportation to get to the rink. There are advantages to working in Manhattan! And my skating went well. Everything was peachy! Until 11:00. That's when I crashed. Trying to work past the sleepiness, I had the idiotic idea of going for a walk during lunch. Sadly that made things worse. I actually felt as though I was walking in my sleep; maybe I was. The main point of this post is: I skated before work and survived. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to bed. Good morning and good night.

Sectionals

This morning, I received surprising and somewhat upsetting news: I am eligible to compete in Sectionals as a Silver, even though I haven't passed the test yet. What makes this so surprising is that I simply assumed that I was not eligible and therefore never put the idea in my mind. What is so upsetting is that I could have been working on this ALL SUMMER LONG!!!! As I struggle to find a new coach, or at least a supplemental coach, I am stunned into silence regarding this new piece of information. If I can scrape together a dramatic program, which I was told that jumps aren't necessary, so I'd only be concentrating on a Salchow, a waltz jump and maybe a toe loop, I can compete. However, at what price? Do I really want to literally throw a program together just to say I competed in Sectionals? And show-up as unprepared as it sounds? Or do I want to be prepared, well-trained and confident about my program? I am choosing the latter. While I would LOVE to compete at Sectionals and Nationals, I have spent too much money and participated in too many competitions where my training and preparation was, well, half-assed. I'm tired of that. I'm also tired of coming in last; I know someone has to do it, it just doesn't have to be me. When this idea was presented to me, I initially said, "No." However, my coach would like me to do it. I said I would think about it, however the deadline is really soon. Heck, the competition is really soon. I am not in shape and cannot currently get through a program without coughing up a lung. So, rather than make a fool of myself, I am conveniently going to miss the deadline. So as they say in one of my favorite children's shows.... "Problem solved Problem solved. We solved the problem So everything is awesome! Problem solved!" Peg Plus Cat

Door Slam

If you've been reading this blog, then you are familiar with my desire to change coaches and obstacles placed in my way. Now that I have a new job (YAY!!!) that I will be starting shortly, I figured, okay, let's get this road on the show. Maybe you recall my mentioning a jump coach I wanted to work with (no, not the guy from Long Island who NEVER showed up for my first and only lesson). I had texted him in August/September about working with me and another adult skater. I had watched his coaching and he worked people HARD, which is why my co-skater Abby and I were going to split a half hour lesson. He had an ice show he had signed on to do, but would start working with us in January. Fast forward to January. He moved to the west coast.

World Ice Arena has finally added an evening session on Tuesdays. Abby and I figured, we'll both skate there and work with a coach there: Zack. The sessions are zoos and we both found out that Zack is totally booked.

We had one more choice, but neither of us are quite sure he was the right choice. If everything works out, I'll have more to say. For right now, I feel as though there are so many things blocking my progress. We'll see...