The N.Y. Times ran an article today about these small plastic rinks that you can set up anywhere because they are made of “glice” and don’t require refrigeration. I wonder  whether my living room area, if I cleared out all the furniture, might serve as a homemade rink?

Certainly this would be convenient. I could wear those purple tights that I’m too shy to wear anywhere else. I could take selfies of myself in one of my old competition outfits, doctor them up, and then post “landed that new triple!” pics on Instagram.

I would miss some dimensions of skating in the world outside. I wouldn’t miss having to drive to the rink (always leaving five minutes later than I’d like). Nor would I miss the crowds. And the adult skaters who carry their babies and toddlers around the ice in that scary way are better off without my terrified glances.

But it’s probably better for me to skate in an actual rink, especially since I am constantly having to remind myself that I need to cover more ice (i.e. actually push, rather than just placing my feet down and hoping I’m on an edge). Plus I’m supposed to be checking my posture in the boards so I can make sure my shoulders aren’t hiked up and I’m not pitched forward. And during the week when school is in session, our public sessions are usually pretty quiet: anyone lucky enough to be able to skate during lunchtime.

So the fantasy of having my own teeny tiny rink will remain unfulfilled. Still, when I’m daydreaming and doing those skating moves in my mind, it’s like I have that teeny tiny rink to myself–and I’m rocking those purple tights!

 

Lesson notes:

• Outside swing rolls: work on keeping a consistent hip and arm position and staying over the edge through the transition (outer to inner). Stay on the circle and don’t change early. Push!
• Inside swing rolls: remember that your weight (and body line) falls inside, not outside the circle. Don’t create the edge by pushing your hip out of line.
• forward cross roll exercise: cross free leg over and push under to inside edge, tuck behind to new inside edge and repeat (this is especially hard for me clockwise)
• back cross rolls: make sure to begin push when the free leg is still extended forward and continue to push through the entire transfer to the new outside edge, rather than just stepping the new foot down
• forward inside three, cross in front, back inside three: allow the inside edge to come around naturally (rather than pushing/ skidding into the edge to create the turn), hold the back outside edge after the inside three before crossing.
• Basic ideas: work on a more natural hip position on the inside edge. Mark this out by putting your inside edge foot down on the ice right next to an outside edge. Create the inside edge with your ankle, not by putting your inside edge outside the body and forcing an edge.
• forward inside three, cross in front, toe, step to inside three on the next foot (alternate).
• forward inside three with free leg in back, toe, toe half- turn, cross in front, step forward and repeat on other side.
• back inside, forward inside (brackets in a semi-straight line), step down and repeat on other foot. Navel faces direct of first turn; learn to turn with the ankle and hip rotation, not by swinging upper body.