Guess who is going to Skate America?

It's been a rough couple of weeks. Office work and nonstop events happening in the evenings have made my life much too hectic for my taste, and there have been points were I genuinely feel I'm losing my mind.

I was lacing up the other day, and noticed an advertisement for Skate America that had been posted on the Broomball bulletin board. Why was it on the Broomball board?? The skating school bulletin board sat largely empty just six feet away... anyway, there it was, and while I knew the event was coming, I didn't realize tickets were on sale.

I had a meeting get suddenly cancelled last night, so Stitch and I got a nice night off, playing with glow sticks and eating a banana cream pie for dinner in the front yard. I figured I deserved a treat. And on that same line, I went ahead and bought myself an All Event Pass to Skate America. My seat is eight rows back from the ice. I had worse seats at Home Rink's Ice Show last Friday.

I'm going to a Grand Prix event, and this is really cool. By the time it's over, I may have seen enough skating to make my ears bleed. Will they skate to "Let it Go?" Can we have a Costume Bingo? Do they serve beer? All pressing questions.

Is it okay to eat concessions like crazy while being constantly reminded of the

tiny dresses you need to fit into?

If you decide to come to Skate America at the Sears Centre, I can tell you that there really isn't a bad seat in the house. It's a nice arena, a bit in the middle of nowhere but easy enough to get to and find. And if you see someone in a Swarovski hat in section 115, come say hi!

Flexibility - Too Much?

Am I the only one who finds some of the images of Julia disturbing? I mean... really??

Yes, it's amazing that she has that flexibility. Yes, it's an impressive display of athleticism. But at what point does the athleticism take precedence over the art? Have we set artistic merit into the back seat, possibly even the trunk, and just decided to go with sheer force?

This isn't what I would call skating, it's more like rhythmic gymnastics on skates.

I mean, yeah, it's pretty cool...

But yikes.

Art is meant to make you feel things.
The only thing this makes me feel is shock.

 

Star Studded Days

<p>Of course we went to the Fashion on Ice show, and we had a great time. I only got lost for a little while, but it was no big deal and we still got a great parking spot by the door. Stitch was singing little songs to himself about how bored he was before the show started, but once things got going he was attentive and quiet.

Ryan Bradley was his usual showman self, Johnny Weir (not my sewing machine) was incredibly flambouyant but a lot of fun, and I kind of felt like our boy Jeremy needed a livelier number in the first half. What he got was kinda moody, but he still skated it well. The second half he skated a much more fun piece. When he took an awkward fall, my neighbor and I expressed some concern that he might be hurt.

"He's skating funny," she elbowed me. "watch."
"I see it. He's shaking it off, looks like it startled him more than it hurt him." Really, I was hoping a medic was right off the ice to be sure.
But he seemed fine, and skated the reskates much better. Yes, you can watch it on NBC in November, as we we told so many times that night.
Maybe you'll see us, we had some pretty good seats!

Stitch liked the idea of reskates to edit out falls. He liked that idea a lot! He waved his banner and cheered, shouting, "You can do it!"
Oh, how I wish he'd say the same thing to himself.

We headed out, Stitch jumping and cavorting in the parking lot. "Watch this jump! Watch this!"

"I see you, but it's late. We need to get home!"

We headed to public skate the following day, and that old frustration set right back in, though. Stitch danced for awhile, but when I told him to practice his actual elements, he got frustrated pretty fast. Stitch was getting mad, when I told him to say "D'oh!" at his errors and not getting tense. "Just pretend you're Homer," I said, and this made Stitch laugh.

Wednesday lesson was great. He reported to Coach sharply, ready to go, and he worked hard. That Change foot spin won't come easy, but he tried again even after Coach dismissed him. I gave him cues from my tablet (the drawing thing is pretty handy for this) and while he argued on the Spirals, I couldn't
Blame him too badly since that bruise from the last spiral fall just now cleared up.

"Did you have fun?" I asked as he came off the ice.

"Yes!" He was bouncy.

"Don't get mad when you make a mistake, it's okay," I reminded him in the car.
"Ugh."
"Even Jeremy makes mistakes. They just cut them out for TV, remember!"
"Oh yes!" He was laughing.
"Ready to meet Ryan Bradley next weekend?"
"YES!"

I can't wait, and if I have any wishes for this chance meeting with Ryan, it's that Ryan tell Stitch that it's okay to make mistakes. He won't get anything on the first try, and that's okay!

And a picture. I'd love a picture of two of my favorite boys!

Just a quick shout out...

Before I collapse, thanks to Ryan Bradley, Jeremy Abbott, Alissa, Meryl, Charlie, and all the other great skaters we saw tonight. Stitch had a blast, and was cavorting out into the parking lot. You guys are an inspiration, and when we watch the show again on TV, we will tell all our friends that you totes got the jumps on the first try and no reskates were needed. (Wink, wink.)

Ten Star Rewards Program

Last night I began the Ten Star Rewards Program. For every good day on the ice; good practice, good form, and no whining, Stitch earns a gold star. (Real shiny lapel pin stars, not stickers) When he earns ten stars, he can trade them in for a Special Prize. What's the prize? You tell me, I made a poll down there at the bottom of the page. Stitch seemed to like this idea, let's hope it works.

We missed Jeremy Abbott's SP last night, so we'll have to catch it later on today on IceNetwork. (And Stitch is really upset that Jeremy's in second right now, but this is a teaching moment about the nature of competition.)

I have to cut a CD and then it's time to make the donuts!

Tipper: Morning Skating Lessons make for Long Days

I'm a morning person. I can wake up at 5:30 without an alarm without an issue. But I've done two morning skating lessons now, both at 8am and found myself completely shot by 3pm. I just don't get it. It really throws a kink into my thoughts about getting Practice Ice at 6am some mornings next month.

Stitch and Coach got the big ice to themselves this morning. Coach worked him on some stretches, lots of crossovers, backwards spirals, and I froze to death. She told us to watch for her at the ISU Grand Prix event this weekend, and I said we would.

We've been watching more skating lately. If I have it on in the background, Stitch will wander in and out, watching as he wants to. That's fine with me, I think of it as Subliminal Messaging. The more skating I watch, both Big and Small League, the more I'm seeing. I'm learning what's good and what's bad. Good posture versus sloppy stances. Big smiles versus expressions of "oh god please let this end." Big jumps, bad falls and what makes a big jump into a tragedy. I'm almost to a point where I know who is going to make that jump, who won't, when to hold my breath, and the magic moment when a routine is suddenly all downhill. I've seen good spirals, bad edges, and how fast a run in tights will go when pulled into a layback spin. Don't be fooled, I still can't tell anyone which is a toe loop and which is a flip, I more watch skating like I watch NASCAR.

I'm also learning what I don't like. We mostly watch men's skating, as Stitch doesn't like the Ladies. (Sorry, ladies.)

I don't like Asymmetrical costumes on men.(The half butt flap on the half tuxedo tops especially. It's like an ass flag when they spin.)
I don't like Bodysuits on men. (Too easy to get carried away with Teh Artz.)
I don't like Flesh Colored Spandex. (It never matches.)
I don't like fringe on arms. (HATE fringe or fluff on one arm only.)
I don't like high and stiff collars. (If you're going to dress as Ming the Merciless, you might as well get a damn ray gun.)
I don't like The Traffic Cone. (Sticking your ass in the air on a spin is not attractive.)
I don't like ungainly positions.(See above.)
I don't like schizophrenic music. (Just... pick a piece. Stick with it. Please.)
I don't like muzac as skating music. (Don't get me all excited thinking you're going to skate to "Paint it Black" and it's the instrumental version I hear while waiting in line at the Perkins.)
I don't like five o'clock shadows on skaters. (They look especially silly when wearing a purple and gold bodysuit.)
I don't like overdone facial expressions. (Jeremy, Stitch loves you, but I honestly think you're having a stroke out there.)
I don't like Standstill Choreography. (More skatey, less dancey.)
I don't like Pantomime. (Don't, don't, don't "play the piano" during your routine. Third grade was years ago.)
I don't like the OMG ONE BRIGHT AND SHINY GLOVE look. (Looking at you, Patrick Chan.)

Other observations I've made?

Jeremy Abbott looks like an accountant.

Coach wants music when she gets back. No problem. I can probably leave that in her mailbox at the rink on Sunday. She also says she needs to "figure out" what level to place him at for the USFSA Basic Skills in January. (Turns out I got my competitions reversed. USFSA will be in late January.) I'm guessing Basic 3 with a Half twist.

Tomorrow is Eating Day, so no Skating. Friday we'll probably hit the Public Ice, and Saturday is Ice Show rehearsal. I have a lot of sewing to do, and I'm glad that I got as far as I did with the new competition shirts. It's a lot of work and headache behind me.

I seem to be catching my second wind finally. If this morning skating is going to become a part of the routine, I need to harken back to my barista days and get used to seeing the dawn. Time for a beer.

Watching Skating

Stitch typically does not like to watch ice skating. He likes to skate. Which was why I hesitated when Coach suggested that I get IceNetwork and have him watch the Trophee de Bompard (or something), an event of the Senior Grand Prix of skating. But I did it anyway. I figured I could watch the events that we missed while I cook Thanksgiving or sew. Last night I turned on the NHK Trophy while we ate dinner.

Stitch watched between making little notebooks from a larger, preshredded notebook. "These people skate better than me," was his first line of commentary.

I said yes, but they had also been skating for many years, most of them starting right at the age he was now. And all of them started out doing swizzles.

He watched for awhile, and then some truly ridiculous costumes came on and I couldn't resist. "What is this? It looks like a box of band aids barfed all over him. Who is this guy? He looks like Ming the Merciless."

Stitch loves it when I go off like this. He was laughing and watching and not liking the slow choices of music. "Too slow, too corny," he would say. Then he came out with: "I want to win the NHK Trophy."

"Well, if you do decide to try for it, I won't dress you like a science fiction villain."

He then started asking, nay, demanding to go downstairs to jump rope and do stretches. Coach has indicated that he needs to do stretches at home. Obviously she told Stitch as well as me. When I've tried this in the past, Stitch didn't take it seriously, so I stopped. But this time, Stitch dutifully jumped rope forward and back (with limited success but he's getting better) and tolerated the stretching with a minimum of complaints. The basement was big and we echoed loudly, but as it's winter and cold out, this was the best option. We used the bike rack as a ballet barre and the stains on the floor for jumping exercises. I'll bring down some chalk next time and he can do dot drills.

We came back upstairs and watched the awards ceremony for the men. Stitch was upset that Jeremy Abbott took second and not first. I rolled my eyes and put him to bed. Dream big, Stitch.