Update

If anyone is actually reading these posts, I'll bet you're thinking I abandoned this blog... and figure skating.

Well, that is not the case!

A lot has happened since my last post 2 years ago, so I'll try to condense as best I can.

I did compete in Nationals in Salt Lake City, in 2015, and to my astonishment, I placed 3rd (in a field of 19) in the technical program.  If nothing else, till the day I die, I can say I am a medalist in the Adult National Figure Skating Championships!

I have continued to skate 4-5 days a week, and I added ballet to the mix. Twice a day with a fabulous Russian ballet teacher.

After 2015 Nationals, I decided to take a break from all the competing and focus on my skills.  I managed to pass my Adult Gold Moves in the Field right away,  with no retakes.  That was great. That was pretty awesome.

However, in 2016,  the "clarion called" again (I've been a performer 1/2 of my life), and I was invited back to the Beverly Hills Playhouse Saturday "Master Class".  This was a life-changing commitment, a new direction for me because now I would be working on 2 to 3 scenes at a time, auditioning, and doing everything I could to be a working actress. I also began to focus more seriously on my writing.  I saw no reason why I couldn't do all of this and still skate, but competing wouldn't be so realistic, time wise or budget wise.

But oh, how I missed it.  The competitions, the comraderie, the friendships, the trips, the simple elation of a program well-skated. The constant self-challenge.

I have had 3 wonderful coaches so far, and I had just started with the fabulous Erika Sussman this summer.  The competitive bug bit again and I really really wanted to get back into it.  You see, if you don't compete, it's easy to lose sight of your goals.  We were making great strides, coming up with inventive spin combinations, different jump combos, the beginnings of a new program...

and then

I took a trip to Nashville to see my ailing Mom. It was so sad.  The 2nd night there, my siblings cut loose.   I was dancing to Michael Jackson vinyls with my sisters at 2 am, laughing, having such a great time...and then I decided to do a fancy jump, and I fell. My right foot (my landing foot) rolled under itself, and I came down like a bag of pebbles.

I broke my 5th metatarsal (a "Jones Fracture") and have been in a cast for 5 weeks.  I narrowly avoided surgery,  and for that I am grateful.  But I can't walk or drive or put weight on my right foot.  It's a nasty fracture, slow to heal, and notorious for re-injury.  I am doing everything - acupuncture, vitamins, elevation, an Exogen bone stimulator device, 20 minutes of sunshine a day.

I'm looking forward to getting my cast off in 2-1/2 weeks, and I have my award-winning one woman show, "The Pope of Jocelyn Hollow",  going up at the Beverly Hills Playhouse Nov. 10-12.  Right now,  I just hope to be vertical.

Lots going on!

But at the center of it all is my urgent desire to get back on the ice. It's who I am.

So, that's the latest.

Here's to healing!

First real day back after competition

Wow, I had no idea how exhausting a week of competition could be. I took three days off this week! I could barely move yesterday, and to be honest I had a hard time getting out of bed this morning. I felt like the Tin Man in need of oil.

But, as a fellow skater at Pickwick Ice told me this morning, that's the time when you MUST get up and keep going.  Keep the blood flowing to those areas of your body that are sore and fatigued. Makes sense.

By the second session, I felt like my joints had been oiled, and I was able to do all my jumps and spins without too much effort. My new mantra as I jump is "UP!" Literally, I physically say to myself "UP" every time I jump (as opposed to "around") and it does make a difference!  I want to be jumping higher when I get to Salt Lake City.

So, I'm throwing down the gauntlet: Starting Monday, I am going to run my tech program 2 times. I will run that program 2 times a day from now until Nationals. Endurance & strength - those are my goals.

More later!

UP!!!!

Adult Sectional Championships - Las Vegas NV

Last week I dove off the high dive and competed in the Adult Sectional Championships at the SOBE Ice Arena in Las Vegas.  I did my three programs: Light Entertainment, Dramatic, and Technical.

I'm very proud of what I did (well, mostly), but beyond that, I was so blown away by the friendship and support of the adult figure skating community.  We come from different backgrounds and states, but we all share a passion for this sport. I met some amazing men and women, and I was so inspired by the talent out there!

Of course I quickly added a slew of these wonderful people as "friends" on Facebook, and I can't wait to see them again at the Adult Nationals in Salt Lake City (which is in 4 weeks)!

I  could not believe it when I placed 1st in both Light Entertainment and Dramatic. The other ladies were so entertaining and I'm not sure I would have placed myself first. But the judges thought otherwise, and I'm very grateful!

On my technical program, I placed 4th, which was a gift. I made it to the last 10 seconds of my program and fell. I fell!! Stupid!!  After watching the video, it looks like I was just so exhausted I decided to sit down.  That's what it looks like. It was the last program of the week, I had been up since 4 am for a 5 am practice and I think I had stretched my body to its limit.

I'll be working on my endurance for Nationals in April.  My checklist:  water, 7-8 hours sleep, 6 practices a week, 3 light jogs a week, and a Vitamin B-12 shot a week before. And eating! This is no time for dieting. I need my energy.

Here are a few photos from a fantastic 5 days in Las Vegas.

Nerves, Nerves: Go Away!

It's been quite a while since I've posted, and in that time, I've competed in 4 competitions and worked on getting more consistent with the elements I have. I've also worked on my nerves.

NERVES!

The bane of my existence, a family trait passed down from my father (we are carbon copies), and a not-so-minor impediment to my progress.  I've tried hypnosis tapes by Brian Orser, but they bored me. (All that repetition! Enough already!)  I tried writing down all my anxieties into a journal, but that only makes me fixate on all the wrong things.

 I'm learning the only the way to conquer nerves is to keep on keeping on. In other words, keep doing what I'm doing until everything is "under my feet".  Just keep skating.

I keep reminding myself that when I began singing in public all those years ago,  I had to down 2 glasses of wine just to gather the courage to do it.  But I kept performing, and guess what? I can sing anywhere, in front of anyone, at any time. (And I find it's better without the wine!)

So, I've signed up for every competition I can get to, just to get in front of people with my programs. That includes ISI recreational competitions! (Don't knock it, ladies and gents! Any opportunity to put it out there is a dress rehearsal for the big ones! I've heard coaches poo poo these competitions as a "waste of time", but I respectfully disagree!)  Even though there usually is no one in my age group or category  - so I end up skating "against the book" - I look at it as a warm-up in costume.

I did an ISI competition 3 weeks ago in Anaheim, CA, which was my preparation for the USFS Adult Sectionals in Las Vegas. I did 3 programs in one day, and it was exhausting, but worth every minute.  It gave me the confidence to head to Vegas and face the music....

And here I am in Anaheim after skating 3 programs in 3 different costumes..exhausted but relieved!

 

Getting Ready for the Artistic Showcase, Aug 7-9

I've been working very hard, getting ready for the National Artistic Showcase this weekend, which takes place at my home rink and the home of the Los Angeles Figure Skating Club, Pickwick Ice Arena. According to the USFS website, "Showcase fuses artistic creativity with figure skating...National Showcase is truly a festival of inspiration." Skaters from all over the US will be flying into Burbank and competing. This year, the competition is so big, they had to add an extra day...I'm told there are over 700 "starts"!

The focus is on theatricality and interpretation rather than technicality (although your really don't want to fall)! It's a chance to really have fun and celebrate great costuming, choreography and storytelling. And you skate under a spotlight.

 I qualified for two programs: Light Entertainment and Dramatic. And as I wrote earlier, I'll be competing in the Adult Silver category. For the Light Entertainment program, I'm skating to Barbra Streisand's rendition of "I'd Rather Be Blue (Thinking of You)" from the movie, "Funny Girl". Check out my costume:

This was taken last weekend, when I skated at the ISI event in Westminster. It was a great warmup for this weekend! When I landed my loop jump, my little flapper hat went flying across the rink, and my coach was terrified that my wig was going to follow suit. (It didn't!)

For the Dramatic program, I'm skating to "1000 Years" by Christina Perri, and I'm skating with a rhythmic ribbon. It has been a challenge to work with this prop and I think I'm coming along pretty well. Last week I added a few "tricks" so we'll see how that goes. Behold the ribbon:

I'm not freaking out this time, like I did when I took the Silver test. I really plan on having fun, enjoying my time out there, and not getting thrown by the spotlight!!

Testing

When I started skating again last October, the last thing on my mind was skating in front of a panel of judges.  Or God forbid, competing.  I thought I'd just be happy to skate backwards without falling down.  But my second day back, muscle memory kicked in and I landed a toe loop and a salchow and even managed to do a (very slow) scratch spin.  The seeds of my old competitive spirit were still there.

I replaced my old beloved (but crumbling) SP Teri custom boots and dull (beyond sharpening) Gold Seal blades with the more economical Jackson boots and Coronation Ace blades (more on that later).   I learned that the world of figure skating had changed quite a bit since I was last in it.  Gone were compulsory figures, always the bane of my existence. I would never have to do "patch" again. (If you're an older skater, you know what I'm talking about.)

 In the current world of adult skating, there was now a group of tests for Freestyle and for "Moves in the Field" (a completely new phrase to me).  Moves in the Field are really a watered down offshoot of compulsory figures - not as difficult but you still have to skate in a prescribed pattern.  In this new world of adult testing for the USFS (United States Figure Skating), there are 4 categories:  Pre-Bronze, Bronze, Silver and Gold.

I realized fairly quickly that to accomplish what I wanted to accomplish, I would need to skate more than 2 times a week.  A lot more.  With Pam's guidance, I started to learn all of these Moves in the Field, and for the first time in my life, I was grateful that I had spent a few years doing compulsory figures! It paid off.

What I wasn't prepared for was the concept of skating alone, in front of 3 judges holding notepads.  And they usually don't smile. It's a surreal experience.

In February, I passed my Pre-Bronze tests. That's the easy one. I didn't have to do a program, and I only had to skate in front of one (very nice) judge.   In March, Pam drove me to Artesia (the home rink of Michelle Kwan - they even have a Michelle Kwan museum upstairs). These tests were a bit more difficult, I had to skate a program to music,  and that was my first experience with the 3 judges and notepads.

I believe that's the first time I asked myself, "Why am I doing this?" 

I passed.

During all of this, I was working on my competition programs and preparing for the big artistic showcase that was taking place at Pickwick Ice in Burbank in June.  Pam and I decided that for this June competition, I would "skate up", meaning I would compete at the silver level, even though I hadn't yet taken the silver tests.  The reason for this was because I felt that I really was capable of skating at the silver level and I wanted to challenge myself.  Also, many of the skaters in the bronze category had come to this sport late in life and didn't have the advantage I had of a childhood spent on skates. It wasn't a level playing field.  (A couple of skaters in the bronze group actually thanked me for leaving that group.)  However, I was painting myself into a corner, because according to USFS rules, if I placed in this competition and went on to the national competition in August, I would HAVE to have passed my silver tests before competing in August.  There is no "skating up" at Nationals.

Well, I did place (more on that later), and am now set to compete at the National Competition in early August.

SO.  The first thing I had to do was pass the silver tests.  And I didn't have much time.

It's a pretty big leap from bronze to silver. On paper, it doesn't look like much, but when you have to string together 3 single jumps, 2 jump combinations, 2 spins, another combination spin, and footwork in 2 minutes -- it's a daunting task and I compare it to running a 5K as fast as you can.  The Moves in the Field also contain a sequence of  inside and outside, backward and forward, "three-turns in the field" which has tripped up many a skater.  Again, thank God I did compulsory figures back in the day.

Pam got me on the docket for June 22 test date (hello, did I give myself any time at all??) and I hit it hard, skating 6 mornings a week for two hours before heading to work. I wasn't so concerned about the Moves in the Field, but that Freestyle program was a beast, and I hadn't skated a perfectly clean program once. Not even once.

The morning of the test session arrived and I was an absolute bundle of nerves.  I wasn't ready for that Freestyle program and I knew it. I kept saying "If I only had two more weeks."  A small group of friends came to watch and though it stressed me out at first, I was so grateful for the support.

I passed the Moves in the Field no problem, then it was time to warm up for the Freestyle. They give you 5 minutes which flys by at the speed of light. I ran through my elements, and to my dismay I was two-footing the landing on my jump combination.  My legs were actually twitching on my footwork. Nerves nerves nerves....

Warm up was over, I got off the ice,  walked over to Pam and said, "Well, this ought to be interesting...."

"Just click off the elements," she said. "One at a time."

Keep in mind I had not skated this program cleanly in practice, not once. When they called my name, I felt like it was somebody else skating out to center ice. I was the observer of this person in the blue dress, just telling her what to do. 

I miraculously, inexplicably landed the jump combination - on one foot. "Ok," I thought. "Game's on."  One element at a time. I clicked them off one by one, the flip, the loop, the toe loop, the sitspin, the camel-sit combo spin, the jump sequence, the layback spin (not mandatory but I thought I'd throw it in for extra credit).  I got to the end of the program, the moment where you are so exhausted, you have to really just pull the last vestige of energy out of your body and deliver. One camel, that's all I had to do. Minimum of 3 revolutions. Come one, you can do it. Get that leg up there and count....1....2.....3.......

It was over.

I skated off the ice. My friend Fran was crying. ("That was a real nail-biter," she said.)  I couldn't believe what just happened. Pam was ecstatic.

Then the judges called me over to reskate one element.  I thought for sure it would be that dreaded jump combination. Maybe it wasn't strong enough.

"We just need to see you do that last camel again," they said.  "We can't agree on the number of revolutions you did. One of us says it was 3, and one of us says it looked like 2-1/2."

They gave me one practice try, in which I did 5 or 6 revolutions.  "Can you use that one?" I asked.

"No, you said that was your warm-up, so now you have to do it again for the test."

At this point I was ready to drop. I did it again (not as well), and they passed me.

Pam and Frank and I went out to celebrate with margaritas.  It was a very, very good day.

From Hockey to Figure Skates

I don’t remember the first time I donned a pair of ice skates, but I remember loving the glide, the flow, the sense of flying in my rental boots at the Municipal Auditorium in downtown Nashville.

The city only “had ice” three months out of the year, when the Ice Capades came to town. During these winters, we skated overcrowded public sessions to organ grinder dance music. Before I knew it, I could go forward, backward and even do cross-overs.

When I was 10, Nashville started a youth hockey league. My father was approached to sponsor a team, so he signed me and my brother up for the hockey school. I guess he didn’t want me to feel “left out”, so I agreed to give it a go, and before I knew it we were buying all sorts of expensive equipment at the Athlete’s House near Music Row.

Well, after exactly one practice session, I knew this sport wasn’t for me. I wanted out. NOW. My mother however, had different ideas.

 “We have spent all this money on brand new hockey equipment, and you are going to learn to finish what you started.”

She made me finish out the year. It was a painful, long, humiliating year.

 As the only girl on the team, I was benched for every game. I was a liability, my team was winning, and I was simply not allowed to play. And that was fine with me. As my team racked up win after win after win and then finally entered the playoffs, the rink officials got wind of the situation and demanded that I be put in the final game. I’ll never forget it.

I played “right wing” position. I was nearsighted as hell, I wore coke bottle glasses, and I could barely see the ice through the fog in my lenses. My equipment, padding and uniform made me feel like the Goodyear Blimp, and I couldn’t see my feet.

Suddenly, someone shot the puck in my direction, and I flailed at it with my stick, not knowing (or caring) which direction I should take it.

 “That way! That way!” Coach Briskin yelled, gesturing wildly toward the other end of the rink. For some inexplicable reason, I was in control of the puck. I didn’t want it, but I dutifully nudged it down the ice.

 “GO GO GO!!” he wailed. I gave it a good whack toward someone on my left (thankful to be out of the spotlight), and BAM it went in the goal. We won that game, and that championship.

But. I. Was. Done.

 I announced to my parents that this was the end of my hockey career.

 I had just seen “Ice Castles” (3 times). I had watched the beautiful figure skaters with envy, longing to skate that way, eager to put on a dress and simply glide.

The following season, I did just that.