We Don't Just Excel, We Axel

Usual disclaimer applies: this is an old event I'm recounting. See  my first HP post  for the full notes on these. ------------------------- "These are pretty good!" the Tammasaurus proclaimed with, what I hoped was, a hint of surprise in her voice. You don't get to impress your coach very often at ice skating exercises so I smiled quietly to myself while she couldn't see. We were doing consecutive backward outside edges. Consecutive edges practice is the bread and butter of ice skating basics. Anyone that's learned a musical instrument in the past will no doubt be familiar with the concept of practising things like scales (piano was my attempt at learning an instrument as a teenager). Practising your consecutive edges fills a very similar function in learning to skate. They're not particularly flashy or fun, but they're essential for getting better overall. For the uninitiated, the gist is to simply glide for a bit on either the inside or outs...

Usual disclaimer applies: this is an old event I'm recounting. See  my first HP post  for the full notes on these. Background:  Following on from my last post . ------------------------- I decided that things needed to change if my skating was going to pick up again and I was going to start with my diet. Since I'd started skating then I'd been dining out on a luxurious, pre-skate breakfast of hot chocolates and cheese toasties from the Costa near the rink. If you're reading this, you're probably like "WELL NO WONDER YOU HAD ISSUES IN YOUR LESSONS", but when you consider that I was getting up at 6:20am to do a two hour coach journey out to the rink then I'm sure you'll agree it doesn't seem so insane that I'd wanted to treat myself a little bit. Plus the group lessons I'd been doing prior to starting with the Tammasaurus were, comparatively, incredibly gently-paced, so I hadn't had any problems before. Quick Parks & Rec...