Pack Your Bags

Since about December, the Kid has been talking about trying out for travel hockey. Then he participated in a skills clinic where he was literally the smallest, slowest, least-skilled player on the ice.

"Mum-mum," he said sadly. "Everyone else has longer legs and can skate faster." This wasn't a whiny kid looking for excuses, this was a legit explanation. While I didn't say anything, I thought perhaps this experience would make him reconsider travel try outs. I was looking forward to another year of house hockey. Then I got the e-mail.

It's weird how when Rob Keegan's name shows up in my in-box my household jumps into action.

"Just go out, do your best and have fun!" I said in the locker room, because you can't really say 'go kick some ass!' to a nine year-old.

Warning: ridiculous proud Mum-mum goopy-ness to follow.

Wow! The Kid worked so hard! He was focused and gave every drill his best effort. He really took these try outs seriously and I was so proud of how he handled it. Even when he was the slowest or struggled with a skill, he never gave up. I saw a little fighter out there. I knew the Kid wanted this badly, and for that reason alone I hoped he would make the team.

I'm fairly certain I will always remember how the Kid's little face lit up when I had the privilege to say, "I got an e-mail from Coach Keegan. Congratulations!"

Happy Mother's Day!

To all the ice moms - both hockey and figure skating: we're a tough and beautiful (and often exhausted) group of ladies. I raise my insulated coffee mug to you!

Keep Them on the Ice

Ice skating is a great equalizer. People who are athletes off the ice lace up skates and can't let go of the hockey boards. Adults who have never played a sport in their lives find a passion...and a lutz. Hockey (and figure skating) is for everyone. But some folks need a little more help than others.

Special Hockey Montgomery will be holding its 2nd Annual Cheetah-Thon, a fundraiser to support its adaptive ice hockey program for children and adults with developmental disabilities. There will be food, music, raffles and skating. Their goal is to raise $20,000, so the more the merrier!

Event details:

Saturday, May 11, 2013

5:00 - 7:00 p.m.

Rockville Ice Arena

You can sign up for the event online or by sending an e-mail to Colleen DeSoto at colleendesoto@yahoo.com. Or, hey, just show up that day. Whatever works. Event participants will receive a t-shirt while supplies last. (I'm told they go quickly, so arrive early!)

Can't make it to the party, but still want to donate? No problem! You can donate online or send checks payable to "Special Hockey Montgomery" at Special Hockey Montgomery, P.O. Box 34089, Bethesda, MD 20827.

Wordless Wednesday: Iron Out the Knots

Hip to be Square

The following conversation happened during my last skating lesson.

Dmytri:  It's a square.

Me:  It's not a square.

Dmytri:  What do you think it is, a triangle?

Me:  It's not a shape, it's a rhythm.

Dmytri:  Yes.

Me:  ...

Dmytri has decided I need to learn the difference between up and down. And also how to keep my skates closer together so I don't trip him. (He's full of great ideas.) So, he's given me these drills that look and sound like they should be easy, but in reality...

"This is a lot harder than it looks!" I exclaimed.

Drill #1: Here's what I'm supposed to do:

• Skate forward on my left foot, skating leg bent, right leg extended
• Stand up straight on my left leg, bring my right leg in, touch my skates but don't let the right skate touch the ice
• Extend the right foot back again, dipping down onto a bent left knee
• Bring skates together 
• Repeat on the other side

"Now I really torture you," Dmytri laughed. 

Drill #2 - The Square: On the face-off circle I'm supposed to do this:

• Skate on my left outside edge, left knee bent, right leg extended
• Bring right leg in and touch my skates, standing up on a straight left leg
• Dip back down on my left leg, extending my right leg
• Bring right leg in, touch skates (right skate doesn't touch the ice), then do a crossover
• Stand up on straight right leg, cross left skate behind right ankle (left skate never touches the ice)
• Dip down onto a bent right knee, extending the left leg back
• Bring skates together
• Repeat
• And then do it clockwise

As he explained this process, Dmytri used the heel of his skate blade to make lines in the ice in the shape of a square. He can dig ruts 'til he reaches concrete, it's not a square.

It's a rhythm.

...

Winter Classic

"Are you going to be warm enough?" asked the worried mite hockey mom. We were getting ready for our first (and only) outdoor hockey game.

"Yes," was the answer. "This is going to be fun!" He was practically bouncing up and down, eyes shining with anticipation. He was a Coach-Dad. The coaches were psyched because this game reminded them of playing pond hockey when they were kids. The mites were psyched because it was the closest thing to pond hockey a lot of these city kids will ever experience. The spectator parents were less enthusiastic about freezing our collective asses off that windy night.

The Kid's hockey season has come to a close. I'm really going to miss his select team. The mites were great and so were their families. The coaches were totally laid back. The only thing they cared about was that the kids were having fun. And the parents were fantastic. Great people to hang out with...for hours...in Rink Three. Who won? What was the score? We never knew. We never cared.

Coach Speedy's wife took a bunch of pictures on the last day and sent them around to the team. The Kid and I perused them together and he said wistfully, "Those were good times." (Good times that had ended merely hours earlier, mind you.)

My favorite picture is one of the Kid hugging a team mate. Both boys have their heads thrown back, laughing, a look of pure joy.

That's youth hockey.

Checking In

Hey adult figure skaters! How's the Year of Adult Figure Skaters going? I know there's been discussions about music and programs and dresses...everyone's busy. Tell us what's up! I love hearing your stories.

As you may remember, I'm working on Dance Test 2013. When I began this little adventure I told Dmytri I wanted to map out a timeline, which he refused to do. I admire and respect Dmytri very much, so I did the only thing I could do...

I created my own timeline and kept it from him.

Dmytri told me the process would work as follows:

1. Learn the individual pieces of the dances: stroking, crossovers, inside and outside swingrolls, step behinds.
2. Put them together in the proper patterns.
3. Do it to music. 

Dmytri insisted I would hate Step Three. He said I would spend a tremendous amount of time on Steps One and Two and then when it came time to put it to music I would feel like I was starting all over. With this basic outline in mind, I decided I wanted to have Step One done by the end of March - and by done I mean, I wanted those pieces to be Dmytri-approved. (If that's even possible.) 

But then Dmytri did everything differently, or at least I think. He started putting the pieces together into the patterns much more quickly than I expected and we've been doing it to music. Mind you, when we do it to music, I'm mostly just running along the ice trying to keep up - extension and edges optional. I expected Dmytri to drill me on those individual pieces for months before putting them together. Why is he moving things along so quickly? Is he keeping it fun so I keep motivated? Is he trying to help me avoid the frustration associated with Step Three? I don't know, but I like the way it's working. 

So, back to my March deadline. It's cool that I can "walk through" Dutch Waltz" on my own and I can hit most of Rhythm Blues. But I know the individual pieces need a lot of work. Can I get it together by the end of March?

At the beginning of this I thought there were three key things I needed to do to be successful:

• Rock the off-ice training to rebuild my injured ankle-knee-hip. That part I'm doing, but it's a-whole-nother post. (The ankle still hurts. A lot. All the time. So I'm considering taking the orthopedist up on his offer of a cortisone shot.)
• Stay committed to instruction. I've had to drop my weekly class (the Kid needs braces), but I've been really good about getting my lessons in with Dmytri. 
• Practice, practice, practice. I've been getting about 30 - 45 minutes of practice time each week. It tends to be quality practice, being limited in time keeps me focused while I'm on the ice. But let's face, ain't nobody turning into Meryl Davis on 30 minutes of practice time a week. 

Over the next 4-5 weeks, it's my mini-goal to get three hours of quality ice time a week. I can do that, right?

I'm an Apple

Today I learned the skater doesn't fall far from the tree.

Some of you may remember how Dmytri used to yap at me all the time for looking down. I used to tease him that he could say, "Don't look down" without an accent because he said it so many times. I must be getting better because he doesn't say it anymore.

We were working on Dutch Waltz and the swingrolls at the ends of the ice (along the goal line) were giving me fits. It's a wicked tight curve and I just couldn't get the feel for it.

"Can't we just start the swingroll here," I said, pointing to a place inside the face-off circle with the toe of my skate. "That would make it so much easier."

"No," Dmytri groaned, shaking his head and skating away from me in exasperation. Apparently ice dance coaches don't like you messing with their dance patterns.

We tried doing the crossover-outside edge-swingroll-crossover part again.

"Oh no! Everything about that was a disaster!" I exclaimed.

"Yes," Dmytri agreed. Then he skated around showing me everything I did wrong. (He also did this really neat thread-the-needle move between two random skaters who got in his way. He's so cool.)

"When you were learning to skate, was there anything that was hard for you to learn?" I asked.

"No," he deadpanned. "I was always perfect."

"Seriously, what was something you really struggled with?"

He paused, then said sheepishly, "Looking down."

Hockey Player's Dilemma

We were driving home from a recent Washington Capitals game when the Kid asked, "When does my hockey season end?"

"Sometime next month, I think," I answered.

"What will I do?!" the Kid wailed from the back seat.

Play baseball.

Happy: a Figure Skater's Definition

"I have a video for you to see," I said, handing my phone to Dmytri. 

"Waltz jump," he predicted, preparing to be amused as I started to play the video of me doing a baby waltz jump.

"This is good," he said, clearly shocked. "You even used the right edges. Most people don't when they're first learning."

And later in my lesson when we were doing inside swingrolls...

"You're not going to yell at me for not straightening my leg?" I asked.

"Sometimes when you know your mistake I don't yell at you," he said.

Really? Since when?

And then...

Dmytri [skating]: One-two-three-four-five-six.

Me [skating]: One-two-three...

Dmytri: No. [skating] One-two-three-four-five-six.

Me [skating]: One-two-three...

Dmytri: No! [skating] One-two-three-four-five-six.

Me [skating] One-two-three-four-five-six.

Dmytri: Yes.

Dmytri and Me [skating together]: One-two-

Dmytri: Ahem!

Me: What?!

Dmytri: Why is my leg straight and yours is bent on two?

Me: Because I'm preparing for the next step.

Dmytri: Don't.

In summary - I have jump potential. I'm skating Rhythm Blues at the proper speed (although the skating itself is decidedly wretched.) And Dmytri's trusting me to recognize and fix some of my own mistakes.

I'm happy with that.

***

(No, this is not me and Dmytri. But it is Rhythm Blues.)