So I went to start a new entry and realized that I had one started from a month ago that I’d completely forgotten about. Then I realized that the topic I wanted to write about (turning in rather than turning out my hips) was already something I’d written about in February of 2017. And my husband just walked in to tell me that he used the $10 coupon that I got on eBay, and I have absolutely no recollection of having bought anything on eBay that would have given me such a coupon.

I’m not sure whether I feel frustrated that I can’t remember things anymore, or feel happy that each day is a clean slate. I do, however, realize that even though I am clearly repeating myself in re-learning things I learned before, things clearly are improving upon repetition.

Take, for instance, the idea of turning in. When I wrote about it a couple of years ago, I noticed that I just wrote about turning in my toes. In fact, this is misleading. What I should have said was to rotate at the hip joint, drawing the inside of the upper thighs back toward the “sit bones.” a much different action.

This week I’ve been going through each element, making sure that I’ve been drawing that upper thigh back. It’s pretty automatic on the left side now, but the right side needs some work. Boy, does it make a huge difference on stability. And boy, is it exhausting! By the end of each session, my right outer hip muscles were pretty tired.

I’m writing this down so that I remember to work on this tomorrow. Hopefully at some point my muscle memory will take over and I will just do it without having to think about it. Or will I forget again?

Luckily, I have lovely friends at the rink who can remind me!

And I’m including what I wrote last month, just to give myself credit for having written something:

From Sept. 1, 2019: I can’t believe it’s September already. Where has the time gone? I’ve notice that some of the leaves on the trees have already started to turn yellow and brown. And the temperature has dropped significantly at the rink. I’ve been bringing two fleece jackets to the rink and wearing my warmer gloves.

With so much time off and on the ice this summer, I’ve been able to notice differences between a week in which I can skate regularly, and one in which I can’t. There’s the obvious issues with regard to skating itself (feeling good vs. feeling wobbly) but there are other differences as well.

When I skate, I feel much better overall. I sleep more soundly. I feel more alert during the day. I get a much-needed break from sitting in front of a computer for much of the day. Food tastes more delicious (especially after a long practice session). I get less stressed out over small things. Dogs, cats, and little children look cuter (unless they get in my way at the rink). All of these benefits far out-weigh the downside of skating.

Lesson notes:

• forward inside edges. Right one still needs work: move ribcage over right inner edge. Make sure you don’t pitch or drop head forward.
• forward inside three turns. Hold edge first and use skating edge, not free side, to turn.
• back inside edges. Get to new edge immediately. Turn in at hip joint.
• back crossover, edge pull to rise, cross in front, repeat on other side. Use edge pull and knee action to generate speed, not the back crossover.
• back outside edge, pull to rise to inside edge with free leg in front. Make sure you stand up straight to practice balancing on a straight knee.
• inside mohawk, back inside three, forward cross. Bend and push.