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Dip it low
It was an interesting day for skating to say the least. I was so excited to have 3 hours of skating today that I totally misread the Club's website and showed up to the early session that is reserved for invited skaters only. (I am not one of them). So here I am stretching and getting ready to go when Allain skates over and fills me in on my blunder. Crap. Poor guy, I am sure being the bearer of bad news isn't easy but I totally understood the need for consistency in the program. No harm no foul. Anyway, I wasn't really willing to drop $15 bucks for an hour of skating....even if it was Allain at the helm of coaching. No offense A. And as irony would have it, what did they end up doing? My favorite drill.....relays. Ya, thanks. Torture me why don't cha.
The next hour was fun just the same. I tried to get some good technique going but things didn't come together like I had planned.
Early on, Allain pointed out that although my shoulders were low, my butt was stuck in the air resulting in a false sense of lowness. Trying to get lower, keep the ass down AND push with the heel all while trying not to fall backwards is harder than it seems. I am going to have to make this a priority as I had a very difficult time getting deep in my seat. Allain could bring his butt lower than his knees all the while in basic position. That is fucked up. Seriously. Do these guys not have bones? Are they all just rubber. Geez. I will have to research some stretches or exercises to help with that. Finding that balance of getting the butt low without falling backwards is going to be tough.
In order to test out some theories, towards the end of practice I tried to skate a few laps without lacing up my skates. What an adventure that was. Immediately my feet started slipping out of my boots. Dom (the nicest girl in the world...and the bestest buddy ever) said right off the top that this was a sign that I wasn't using my heel to push. So for the next few laps I tried my best to get that heel down. Of course, I looked like a tool skating around like this but it did let me know that my balance was all over the place and that I need to develop more confidence in my outside edges. What I really need is 1 hour with a coach and some repetitive drills every week.
Ed from TO showed up for the last hour and as always it was a treat to gauge visitors' reaction to our floor. Only after a few laps, you could tell he was not overly impressed with the resistance our floor offers. Ah, the joys of indoor.
And finally, Jean Charest, the Premier of Quebec showed up for a public appearance thingy. He shook some hands and took some pictures, you know, the usual fan fare, but I kinda kept my distance. After playing tennis with Movie stars, Chancellors, Prime Ministers and Presidents, a Premier is so below my attention span. LOL
The next hour was fun just the same. I tried to get some good technique going but things didn't come together like I had planned.
Early on, Allain pointed out that although my shoulders were low, my butt was stuck in the air resulting in a false sense of lowness. Trying to get lower, keep the ass down AND push with the heel all while trying not to fall backwards is harder than it seems. I am going to have to make this a priority as I had a very difficult time getting deep in my seat. Allain could bring his butt lower than his knees all the while in basic position. That is fucked up. Seriously. Do these guys not have bones? Are they all just rubber. Geez. I will have to research some stretches or exercises to help with that. Finding that balance of getting the butt low without falling backwards is going to be tough.
In order to test out some theories, towards the end of practice I tried to skate a few laps without lacing up my skates. What an adventure that was. Immediately my feet started slipping out of my boots. Dom (the nicest girl in the world...and the bestest buddy ever) said right off the top that this was a sign that I wasn't using my heel to push. So for the next few laps I tried my best to get that heel down. Of course, I looked like a tool skating around like this but it did let me know that my balance was all over the place and that I need to develop more confidence in my outside edges. What I really need is 1 hour with a coach and some repetitive drills every week.
Ed from TO showed up for the last hour and as always it was a treat to gauge visitors' reaction to our floor. Only after a few laps, you could tell he was not overly impressed with the resistance our floor offers. Ah, the joys of indoor.
And finally, Jean Charest, the Premier of Quebec showed up for a public appearance thingy. He shook some hands and took some pictures, you know, the usual fan fare, but I kinda kept my distance. After playing tennis with Movie stars, Chancellors, Prime Ministers and Presidents, a Premier is so below my attention span. LOL
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