Flirting with Mediocrity

Yesterday was my first time on the ice since the week before the Costa Rican travel accident. Skating was mediocre as expected, but considering the time off and the fact that I'm still sore, I am OK with mediocrity.

I have an appointment with Dr. Mayo April 12th (soonest available) but I think I may end up canceling it since I am improving and there is clearly no boney damage to my hip joints. In my (haha) medical opinion it's just soft tissue damage which will resolve over time. Sara, Dr. Mayo's PA, confirmed this was her suspicion as well but said if I'm not better by April 12th I should come in, so that's the plan.

Based on yesterday's mediocrity I now have a goal to strive for on the ice. I plan to compete in the All Figures competition in the Novice Twizzle event.

Novice Twizzle Demo:


Even on days when I can barely walk I can usually do a decent twizzle, so might as well showcase that strange rotational ability somehow. I did several patterns yesterday and realized later I had done them slightly wrong, but no matter. I have several months to perfect the pattern. I am referee for the competition but see no reason why I can't make a fool of myself as well!

Post Vacay Decay

Back from my Costa Rica vacation, where I did not skate but did swim, zipline, body surf, hike and drink beer without hip pain. An unfortunate accident having to do with a car seat on the last day jammed both legs into my hip sockets, leaving me sore and unable to skate or exercise at all since my return.

I've left a message with Dr. Mayo to find out if I should come in for an examination. I am finding it difficult to limp since both hips (and my back) are sore. Which leg do you favor when they both hurt? I've got the cane out but I always hate to use it ... so many questions from people who have recently seen me doing just fine without it. Crap.

Will post more later but I'm hoping it's just a matter of rest and time and ice and NSAIDS, and that it's soft tissue injury and not a fracture.

Living on the Edge

I have been making good progress in my weekly moves-in-the-field lessons but I realize that in order to make real progress I need to practice more hours and do so more consistently.

So in that spirit, I am trying to skate 5 or 6 hours per week instead of 1 or 2. I skated Friday, Sunday and today (Monday) for an hour each time, and I have actually seen improvement.

Friday was my lesson and we worked on rockers, brackets, and outside edges. Sunday was social dancing and rather than work on basics I worked on the Cha Cha Congelado and Ravensburger solos. (Hey, a girl has to have some fun!)

Today I went over the turns from my lesson but spent most of the time just doing FO edges. That's right, I'm living on the edge. RFO, LFO. Foot in back, foot in front. Knee up, knee down. Knee up and down and up and down. Regular check, counter check. It's all good isometric exercise for my still-weak muscles, but they are starting to remember how to do a real outside edge instead of rocking to an inside edge when the going gets tough.

Now I need to repeat these exercises 6,000,000 times and I'll be ready to move forward.

Greensboro 2011

Thanks to my friend Laurie for this great shot of Maia and Alex Shibutani, Championship Free Dance, at the U.S. National Championships in Greensboro, NC. I am judge #8 (right in the middle between "AT&T" and "2011").

I consider it a privilege to serve as a judge and was honored to have the best seat in the house as our talented skaters showed their stuff. Thank you Greensboro for my new addiction to grits and sweet tea!

And down ...

...as in falling down. On the judges stand, before my first event at Nationals on Sunday morning.

Last year I was just off crutches from PAO#2 and had a cane at Nationals and could barely walk a block. The year before I was pre-surgery but also had a cane. This year I am walking normally, no cane, looking like a pretty normal person, reassuring everyone that I am just fine. As we were walking out to judge the first event I missed a step on the judging stand, fell down, and land on my hands and knees in front of a pretty large audience. Of course I twisted my ankle, so I LIMPED to my seat. Good thing I know how to limp with style and panache!

Before the splat I had been reassuring people who asked that I was just fine and needed no assistance. Geez! All of the times over the past several years I judged with a cane and once even on crutches, I never came close to falling down. It's so ridiculous. Luckily the IceNetwork cameras were not turned my way and big TV is not here yet; perhaps some lucky fan caught it on video but I sure hope not.

I have been super careful on the other events because if I fall down again I will just die of embarrassment!

And up ...

After doing some hydroblades over the past week I seem to have irritated my psoas, which is not entirely unexpected. So I'm laying off them for now and concentrating on less glamorous tricks which are in fact not even tricks, but basic skating.

I had hit a plateau on some of the formerly (pre-PAO) easy maneuvers - in particular FO rockers and stepping forward from back crossovers to the inside of the circle. I have been really concentrating on just doing these things and not jumping ahead to do the fun things like twizzles and patterns of the Rave. I've also really been working on my lazy glutes off the ice. Due to the lifelong dysplasia they have never fired correctly and now I am forcing them to work, so that my other muscles don't incorrectly take up the slack. Today I had the ice to myself and really saw improvement, although I am sore. I touch down with my free foot much less frequently as my skating muscles get stronger, although I still use training wheels when turnout doesn't happen.

Some of the things I struggled with 4 - 6 months ago I now do easily, such as LFI 3 turns and the Starlight mohawk section. I am still skating very slowly for me, but my speed has increased and I don't think I look like a slug. Maybe a turtle!

Friday is my last day of skating and lesson before 9 days at Nationals, so I hope to show Coach R a lot of improvement.

Today ...

Hydroblade down AND up.

'nuff said.