Wednesday, August 16, 2017

The Sky is Falling! The Sky is Falling!



Well, yes, like most statements here on the Thin Ice blogspot, the title of this post is a bit of an overstatement.  More correctly, "the sun is cooling!" "the sun is cooling!";  But Chicken Little didn't say that so I'm using a small pinch of poetic license.  Our sun is approaching the end of an eleven year sun spot cycle.  Fewer spots apparently mean less solar flux and distinctly cooler temperatures in North America and Western Europe.  Maybe not enough to cause the Thames to freeze hard enough for Londoners to hold ice fairs, as was the case a few hundred years ago, but maybe enough to provide an up-tick in outdoor skating opportunities at a pond near you.  But don't take my word for it, I'm no expert.  Read about it here or it you prefer a more sensational version, read this one .

OK, enough science for one post.  More to the point--what's been happening with your old diarist since the last posting of blather?  For one thing I've been hard at work practicing the Cha-Cha and perfecting my wonky CC forward inside Mohawk. For another, ice dance Coach A. and I finally had an alignment of stars and respective schedules/agendas such that miracle of miracles--a coached lesson took place.  It was the first since the 25th of July and the first on my newly reopened home ice for the new skating season.

I soloed the Cha-Cha for her and she said that it looked pretty good.  I was more or less on the expected pattern and the end of the dance (a forward outside swing roll immediately followed by a tuck behind step and a forward inside swing roll) looked smoother and less hesitant than when we last worked on it.  So--practice does lead to improvement!

We then looked at my CC forward inside Mohawk.  It's still a work in progress but at least it is progressing.  And that's a good thing as we next worked on the Swing dance, which requires that tidy CC Mohawk.  After yesterday's lesson I now have a better understanding of pattern placement leading to that Mohawk and also where the immediate back edge and back swing roll which follow the turn should be.  Next we practiced with me skating the backwards skating steps of the dance and also the hand change that occurs at the Mohawk (see video above).  In the "guys rarely skate backwards department", I need to remember to open my shoulders during those back swing rolls so that they really swing around, rather than to make the upper body adjustment by bending my elbows when in partnered mode--that and a lot of other things!  My goal is to be as smooth as the guy in the video (some year).

Ice dance coach and her sister are zooming off to follow the eclipse next Monday and whether she'll be back in time for a Tuesday lesson is uncertain.  As for me I'm staying home and practicing all this stuff and maybe it's a good thing that the next lesson is up in the air--more time to digest yesterday's lesson and work on stuff.  Besides, you want totality?  Just get outta bed at 3 in the morning and look outside--same thing.  Dark is dark.  No, really, it is.  Don't argue with me.  Put your skates on and get to work. 

10 comments:

  1. A forward inside Mohawk..I am constantly amazed at how words have completely different meanings based on context. Not a punked-out hairdo from my past, but an acrobatic ice-skating maneuver.

    Thank you dear diarist!

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    1. My pleasure! Forward inside Mohawks, especially ones attempted at dance speed, constantly amaze me as well!

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  2. well I understood swing dance and the Cha Cha. Along with Shag are all favorites of Janet's. Maybe we will have time to dance after I retire in dec. Looks like you will be ready for the Olympics soon.

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  3. Good to hear that your CC inside mohawk is better! I watched the video you posted, and the male dancer is practically doing a spread-eagle at the mohawk. Open hips! Not fair! Hope you enjoy the swing dance--one of my more enjoyable compulsories (I like waltz position). Here's to stars aligning!

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    1. Thanks Jo, it's getting there. It's ok at low speed but if I attempted one while in Waltz hold at dance speed there would very likely be a nasty train wreck, not to mention a ticked off ice dance coach!

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    2. Hmm I see what Jo is talking about with the guy's mohawk, it actually looks pretty weird. I'm one with open hips who has to work at not getting into those spread-eagle type positions on turns. It's not really what you want, plus it's hard on the knees.

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    3. Weird or not, he's streets ahead of my current attempts! I keep chipping away.

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  4. If there's one thing I ever did just naturally well, it's the mohawk. I have them open hips. It makes a plow position quite hard (like in roller derby), I can feel the pull in my hips to turn inward, almost painful. But open? I can go beyond parallel.

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    1. Q: some peeps have all the luck during the genetic roll of the dice!

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  5. Olympics? Maybe as a spectator! I should have gone in 2010 when the winter games were on the same continent.

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