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| Skating Journal 2001-2002 My First Year Part Six |
Out with a Bang! The Thursday of the last week of the skating season, the club had an exhibition. I performed my artistic number which went fairly well. By now I am pretty comfortable skating in front of a crowd, especially when there are no judges. This last week was great. I was having so much fun skating without the pressures of an upcoming competition and test session. I was skating well and did not want the rink to close. On Saturday, the day before the end, I decided to skate a public session. I had been working on Axels all week. On occassion I would get the rotation and could sometimes land on two feet, but mostly I was still too chicken - something about hurling yourself into space over a sheet of ice that is unsettling to me. This day was no different. I was spinning and attempting Axels. Then, a favorite song of mine came on. The song is perfect for footwork. So, I three-turned and mohalked about when all of a sudden, while executing some backward manuever - I slipped off the back of my right blade. Apparently my legs went flying high in the air and I landed squarely on my back. I sat there on the ice for awhile. I knew I was in pain, but I did not think it was that bad until I tried to stand up. I had help getting to my feet but I could not put ANY pressure on my legs. I was helped off the ice and into a chair. I felt sick and then I passed out. I came back and then out again. I woke up with a friend wiping the sweat off of my forehead and then shortly there after a team of EMT's were scurring about me. Oh, I forgot to mention that my husband was out of town and I have only lived in this town for 10 months. My lower back and neck were killing me. I still swear that I did not hit my head, even though my injury seemed similar to a concussion. So, they put a cervical collar on me and straped me to a board. They put bricks on the side of my head and strapped ime completely down. I was pretty coherent by this point, but there was a time when I was coming to that it was difficult for me to see. I was laying on the stretcher and could see people gawking at me from the balcony. I hated this. I have now vowed to not stare at someone in an emergency situation. I got my first ambulance ride. I was feeling better until it became almost unbearable to be lying on that board. I was x-rayed and CAT scanned and shot in the behind and declared clean of all possible maladies. Except for a twisted back and some whiplash, I would live to skate again and risk this scenario all over again. It was worth it! I learned a great lesson from my fall. I have many great friends and the skating community is one that is close, supportive and loving. With my husband 1,000 miles away I could have been all alone in my pain. But, nope, everyone wanted to help me and it really made me smile (or was that the muscle relaxers and pain plls?). Even Lori, who missed the traumatic experience and was kept abreast of my condition via cell phone, came to spend the night with me. That week she was leading the Clean Snowmobile Challenge for university student over an hour away from town, but still came to be with me. I was so touched by the care my friends gave me. The Off-Season So now that I am completely addicted to skating there is no ice! Ughh. I knew I would miss skating everyday, but this is really terrible. I feel so sluggish since in the spring in the mountains there is little to do once the ski resorts close up. Once the trails are cleared of snow I will start hiking and camping again. I am considering Pilates for the off-season, but I have yet to start. Lori and I tried skating on Jackson Lake in Grand Teton National Park and although we had a good time, it was really just like walking on slush. There was little skating invloved. But one can never complain about a day in the Tetons. April 12, 2002, I went to Minnesota and had a chance to skate. I got to skate in the dark with a disco ball! That was an experience! It sure is easier to skate at sea level!! April 27, 2002, Jon and I went to Sun Valley, ID to take advantage of their off-season special at the Lodge. They have a fabulous outdoor arena there which is home to their summer ice shows that attract famous Olympic and World Champion skaters. So, of course I skated as much as possible. I have shortened my programs to be in compliance with the time limits of the Sun Valley Competition. I spent the weeekend re-choreographing them. I have this crazy idea that I want to compete in Sun Valley in July. Of course with the closest available ice being 4 1/2 hours away, this is not a smart idea, but I want to do it. So, I will be off to Sun Valley as much as possible to practice. I am grateful that Jon loves it in Sun Valley. May 25-27, 2002, Jon and I went to Sun Valley again to hang out and get some ice-time. I actually had a private lesson as well. I worked on my programs for the competition and skated 5 hours that weekend. I think I burned myself out a bit. June 1-9, 2002, we went on a trip to celebrate our anniversary. I had planned to do some skating while on the trip, but I just didn't feel like it. I also gave some thought to the competition in SV and had to decide against it. The cost was just too much and it sounded like there were not going to be many adult skaters. The point of participating was my hope to compete against a larger field of competitors. June 24-28, 2002, There was a week of ice!! Yeah, it was just like winter. I went to skate for an hour each day. I learned something new too. I am not sure what it is called, but I lift my right foot up with my right hand and extend it until the leg is straight and I am standing straight. It is the spin position that Sarah Hughes and company get into at the end of their programs, only I don't do it while spinning! I also worked on my axel. I am feeling less fearful of it and can now make the rotation, but still have to land it on one foot!! August 16-Sept 1 - THERE IS ICE AGAIN! I will see how I do. The skating show, "Jackson on Ice" is in town along with a skating camp, so I will be working at each of the shows. It has been 1 YEAR! I have been a JHFSC club member for one year. Although I did not participate in the skating camp this year, I did have a few opportunities to skate. The big news of the camp is that Lori landed her 1st axel!!! Congratulations Lori! I finished choreographing my interpretive program which I will use in Adult Nationals this April. My choregrapher was Craig Heath who is an awesome person and professional skater (he tours with Disney on Ice). When I chose my music I just felt that he was the person to choreograph it. I was doing some two footed landings of Axels and felt I was very close, but nothing was landed on one foot. The regular season will begin Oct. 22 and then I will be able to skate everyday if I wish. A highlight of these last couple of weeks was receiving my awards for passing my Adult Pre-Bronze and Bronze Freeskate Tests from Alexei Urmanov. See the picture. Another highlight was seeing Sasha Cohen skate in Sun Valley. I got her autograph and a picture with her. |