Nutrition- 2/16

I made this up a while back, I gathered information from online bloggers, nutritionists and nutrition websites to come up with a general diet plan. (Note: this is not limited to only items on the plan, it is a basis for me to guide my diet off of)
If I were a serious figure skater it would be extremely different and I would be skating 3-4 times perday so it isn't what Michelle Kwan would have eaten.

Breakfast

Egg Sandwich

1 full egg, 1 egg white, Monterey jack cheese, one piece of bread and hot sauce and 8oz Glass of OJ

Or

Yogurt and toast and 8oz glass OJ

Or

Oatmeal with chopped banana

Lunch:

Salad

Power bar

Turkey sandwich

Dinner:

Lean meat, veggies,

 pasta sometimes

Snacks:

Fruit

Veggies

Peanut butter and crackers

Caramel cakes

Practice 2/28/2012

Two hours
I had practice today at 6 and the ice time went until 8. I had a twenty minute with my coach, Anna but we broke it up so that we did fifteen in the beginning which is when she taught me a 3- turn which is when I start on both feet, push to one foot and flip turn around while staying on one foot.. at the bottom I'll put a picture :)
I also worked on my cross-overs and they're coming along really well. Anna is super particular about posture so its definitely going to make me sore, but it will look so much better!
We also worked on some backwards skating and Paige came out for a little bit and I did a couple spins for fun (Nothing to exciting.. or pretty for that matter) but it was fun.
There's a whole figure skating community there and it's been so nice to really get to know the people there and a lot of them said they're very impressed that it's only my second time on the ice in figure skates, that I'm looking really good!! That's really nice to hear, it makes it worth it and makes me want to keep pushing.
When I compare this lesson to my first lesson I see a difference, this time I only fell once and I'm getting more used to the toe pick on the skates so I find it easier to go faster and be more daring... Go hard or go home right?

This is sort of a sketch picture of a 3 point turn.. I just liked it because it's kind of funny looking. It will help me move into a Salchow eventually when I add a jump and a spin. I can't wait for Sunday already!!

PS When I get my journal back I'll put a bunch of information I took notes on, onto the blog.

Barn song- 2/27

Barn song
Double project - two boys
The builder of the barn sees what it will be, not what it is prior to building.
Took him longer than expected- relatable I thought I'd pick up on figure skating quicker.
He talks about disagreementS with his dad which is like how my mom and I had trouble figuring out lessons, we have the same goal but different ideas of how to reach the goal.

I thought his project was amazing!! So ambitious and admirable. It was great seeing all of his support systems from friends and family and I don't know if I could ever build a barn!!! It's really inspirational to see his dedication and hard work as a teenager.

Did he get it done in time?
This really helps me see the relationship between being independent and how you can also use others help.

So this is the basic brochure, this one is for April but it will give you a sense of what I am doing in the way of a program.

Every Sunday and Tuesday I have two hours of figure skating ice time and during that time I meet with a private instructor, Anna, for 15-20 minutes. during this time she will teach me new techniques and skills which I can practice for the rest of the time!

Yesterday I had my first practice and today my arms are super sore because you have to keep them up the whole time, I also learned to 'swizzle' which is a C-Cut, basically you are gliding then you bend your knees and push out with both legs at the same time. She and I worked on basics and she's super particular with technique and perfection so that will be really great for me to truly learn how to skate.
I went out onto the ice expecting to feel pretty comfortable, but it was so hard transitioning into figure skates. With my hockey skates i am on my toes, with these I have to lean on my heels, but I only fell twice..yayy!

Zumba

Yesterday I went to Zumba which is an amazing dance workout. Figure skating requires an element of dance an rhythm whichzumba can help with!!
Off to practice

Goose egg leg 2/26

I landed on my knee twice at my first practice... Two falls my first time isn't so bad!! It hurts though

My first practice was super fun, for about forty five minutes I skated by myself and got the hang of the skates.. It's really hard because with hockey skates you skate on your toes, but in figure skates you can't and have to skate on the ball of your feet, but for now I'm focusing on staying closer to my heels. Then I had a fifteen minute lesson with Anna who thought me how to 'swizzle' glide and do proper cross overs. After that I practiced on my own for another hour.
It was so fun and I met new people, I can't wait for Tuesday!!

Skates 2/19

I'm a really small skate size I feel like I have munchkin feet!! Size 6, but I had to make sure they were snug fitting so that I don't hurt my ankles!! Normally I won't be wearing bright pink socks like those, I'll mostly wear nylons under my skates or thin socks.
It's important that they're snug enough around my feet also so that I can jump without twisting my ankle on the landing. Too loose and I could roll it and really injure myself. I should, however, be able to bend my knees wearing these, so it's okay to keep the skates looser at the top and tighter at the bottom.

Skates

I went to instant replay downtown and got my first ever pair of figure skates!!!
It was weird putting them on, they're much snugger and more structured than hockey skates
I ended up getting the thinnest pair, which they said will be fine for now, but problematic later. They're white and new and I dropped them off at Cass Park to have the blades sharpened.
It's scary to think I'll be stepping out of my comfort zone and trying something new, when I'm so used o being on the ice for hockey, but I think it'll be worth it.

Meeting Time

Currently with my mentor Ms. Affronti discussing my progress.
I'm Going to try and get skates again today, when I went before they didn't have my size. Maybe there's an open skate I can attend tonight...I'll look into it

Note: I couldn't go to an open skate

Visits!

So after school, at about 5:45, I headed to The Rink in Lansing to inquire about figure skating..
What I will do is get specific figure skating ice time which is blocked off in two-hour segments usually, in later months it will change to three hours, and likely have a personal coach come and teach me for about a half hour or so. I talked to Anna Goehner and she seems super nice and I can't wait to start working with her!
I also tried on some skates at the store in The Rink, but I have to go to another store to find my size unfortunately.
I stayed and watched the skaters for a while and I'm getting more and more excited!
My wrist isn't better, but I did about a half hour of leg and core strengthening exercises.

The ice time is expensive, over 100$ a month, and lessons are a little under a dollar a minute, I am so grateful that my parents are doing this for me. It's even more expensive than hockey, which is already a lot. They are so kind and want to make me happy.

Sad Day..

Well, I can't order that boot camp workout, because it's only a class...which I'd need to go to Toronto to do.
I got cortisone this morning so no working out today for me considering it's throbbing.
To be a figure skater it requires strength flexibility and balance..I have great flexibility from years of Cheer and Gymnastics, strong legs from hockey, but I have terrible balance!
Tomorrow if I feel better I shall:
Go to school
Swim in gym
Come home and do a ten-minute power Pilates work out as well as leg workouts (Lunges, squats, wall-sits)
WORK ON BALANCING EXERCISES ..AKA: Core workouts (pilates) The core strength in a person stems from his or her back and ab strength, so I will work on that.
And I will stretch!
Can't waiit

http://figureskating.about.com/od/officetraining/a/officedownes.htm

Bootcamp 2/12

This will help me train off-ice, I'm looking into ordering a disc!

Note: I am not ordering a disc, they don't sell them

Neil Being and Nothingness (HW 2/6)

I read my classmate, Neil's blog! He's going to read L'etre at la Neante  the English translation be Hazel E. Barnes. He is going to also have someone read the original French version by Sartre. His project sounds very cool and very hard. I find it interesting how everyone's plans are so different and it makes everything super exciting!
Goodluck Neil!!

Richie in The Pajama Games! (HW 2/6)

I read Richie, a fellow classmate of mines, blog. He is doing research in the performing arts for his WISE Project which I think is really cool for a few reasons;
One: IT's something he's never done before and said it was basically crazy to think about
Two: I think it's a great choice because he's such an outgoing and lively person
Three: I, personally, love acting so it's cool to see someone else enjoy it too and be a lot braver than me!

I loved when he wrote "I believe that life is about experiences, learning new skills, improving old skills, and finding new people to form connections.."
I agree 100% ... it's harder to start new things later in life and I feel like that's a huge componant of WISE, to step out of your comfor zone and have new expereinces, meeting community members and connecting to others in a new way.
I know he'll do great and I'll be there to support him the whole way!

Figure Skates have to Wait..

Hockey is still going, we're headed to The Final 4!!
This means that I can't start figure skating for another week, but I've been doing my research and I will get you all some facts later :)

The Beginning

Dear Reader,
I'm Catherine, a senior at IHS taking WISE for my senior year English class. I want to learn the basic skills of figure skating. By the end of the sixteen weeks I’ll be spending on this project I want to learn the “six basic jumps” The Waltz Jump, The Salchow, The Toe Loop, The Loop, The Flip and The Lutz.  This is going to take a lot of patience for me, which is something I need to work on in my life in general. 

MY learning to figure skate has been a big shock to many people. I'm a hockey player and I've been a hockey player for the past 12 years of my life. A lot of the time my teammates and I would make fun of figure skaters and now I want to skate in their boots for a change..who knows..maybe i'll be a natural!
What I'm most excited for is tryong something new, when I was younger, even though I made fun of figure skating, I always thought it was such a beautiful sport. I admired the skaters and wished I could do what they did. While I'm excited, I'm also scared, it's hard to start a sport at such a late age, aprtically because people tend to be more afraid of falling at this point and also because there's a sense of pride. I will probably be practicing with younger kids, I'm most likely going to fall, and knowing me, get hurt. While I'm afraid of being injured or looking ridiculous out there amongst the younger kids, I'm also phyched that I can start now and I'm proud and confident that I will suceed as long as I try my best.

My first two weeks:

First I will research.

I will learn about the different types of figure skating.

The second week will depend on whether or not my hockey team makes it to final four. If we do I cannot physically start skating, if we don't I will start lessons as soon as my coach says it's okay.

During my first two weeks I will also begin my strengthening, starting with every other day ab workouts because balance is a key aspect of figure skating.
I'm ready to begin!