HP #33 - Deploying the plan
Usual disclaimer applies: this is an old event I'm recounting, see my first HP post for the full notes on these.
Avid readers will, again, notice that this post is entirely out of order with the last two, particularly in relation to my progression with the loop jump. I got the order all muddled up around here, oops!
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"You know, there is a long term plan for all this," I announced to the Tammasaurus as I finished up a continuous 3 turn exercise.
"Oh, what is it? Tell me!" The Tammasaurus lit up like a Christmas tree, her excitement was palpable. In the past, the only direction I'd really given her was that I wanted to "go beyond" the curriculum that the group lessons had taught.
"I'll tell you when we have a break," I reply. Given my level of fitness then these were pretty regular so she wouldn't be waiting long.
I got started on my 3 jump practice. I was a bit nervous about telling her my long term skating plan. It wasn't that the plan was ambitious, if anything, it was actually very realistic and well-paced in my opinion. I'd researched what I wanted and I was aware of the limitations of adults skaters, but there was something big about telling the Tammasaurus. I was perfectly happy with what we'd been working on so far, but I'd hidden my goals until this point because I didn't understand where I was in the skating learning process and just wanted to feel around where I was going. The funny thing about telling her was there wasn't any risk at all, I knew she wasn't going to laugh - she already sounded excited and I knew my plan was reasonable - but she was a professional, she knew exactly what "reasonable" meant in the world of ice and steel. Even if she did it really nicely, it was still possible that she could turn round and pour a cold pail of water all over my hopes. Again, not likely, but no one likes being told 'no'.
Part of my problem was, in the preceding week or so, I'd told basically everyone else at the rink my long term goals (including one of the Tammasaurus' most regular students), so it was a matter of time before someone said something. I had to get it out now.
I finished the 3 jumps. (You've probably forgotten I was doing those in this story!)
"Right, those were good, let's give the Salchow a go."
"Just a sec, I need to catch my breath," told you that'd be coming!
"Excellent, while you're resting you can tell me the plan!" she's excited again, she knows she has me. I take a breath.
"Well," here we go, "firstly, I'd like to be able to do all the single jumps, and I'm optimistic that I can probably manage one double at some point," she waits for me to continue, "also, I want to compete in the adult competitions, I was thinking starting around 2020. Oh and I want the certificates too, I want to do as many levels as I can," I'm referring to the NISA judged level certificates here, "that's all, I'm done."
"Well we can certainly work on that," she said evenly without a pause, her previous enthusiasm was still there, but it had been channelled internally as (I assumed) she mentally reconfigured my learning plan.
The outcome of this reconfiguring was that after I'd finished practising my Salchow, she announced we'd be doing the toe loop today. We'd touched on the toe loop once a while back and had never returned. I never really worked out why that was (I think it had something to do with the fact that I did it functionally right first time and my Salchow needed way more work comparatively), but maybe you just have to tell your coach you want to do all the singles and they get you started on it again?
Then, after the toe loop, another surprise awaited.
"I thought we could give the loop a go today as well."
The loop jump as well?! This was too much, my little brain couldn't cope. I almost wet myself with excitement. However, before she could start teaching it though, I sheepishly confessed that I'd already been working on the loop in secret, stressing that it wasn't because I didn't love her, but I'd just been perusing videos about it online and figured it was worth a bash.
I demonstrated what I'd been practising and executed a roughly average attempt by my current standard, something that was probably only a bit better than a beginner's.
"This is really good!" she said, I actually felt like I'd heard a sense of being impressed in her voice. "We'll have to get started on the flip soon too."
THE FLIP AS WELL?! I needed a sit down and not just for one of my usual breathers!
Avid readers will, again, notice that this post is entirely out of order with the last two, particularly in relation to my progression with the loop jump. I got the order all muddled up around here, oops!
-------------------------
"You know, there is a long term plan for all this," I announced to the Tammasaurus as I finished up a continuous 3 turn exercise.
"Oh, what is it? Tell me!" The Tammasaurus lit up like a Christmas tree, her excitement was palpable. In the past, the only direction I'd really given her was that I wanted to "go beyond" the curriculum that the group lessons had taught.
"I'll tell you when we have a break," I reply. Given my level of fitness then these were pretty regular so she wouldn't be waiting long.
I got started on my 3 jump practice. I was a bit nervous about telling her my long term skating plan. It wasn't that the plan was ambitious, if anything, it was actually very realistic and well-paced in my opinion. I'd researched what I wanted and I was aware of the limitations of adults skaters, but there was something big about telling the Tammasaurus. I was perfectly happy with what we'd been working on so far, but I'd hidden my goals until this point because I didn't understand where I was in the skating learning process and just wanted to feel around where I was going. The funny thing about telling her was there wasn't any risk at all, I knew she wasn't going to laugh - she already sounded excited and I knew my plan was reasonable - but she was a professional, she knew exactly what "reasonable" meant in the world of ice and steel. Even if she did it really nicely, it was still possible that she could turn round and pour a cold pail of water all over my hopes. Again, not likely, but no one likes being told 'no'.
Part of my problem was, in the preceding week or so, I'd told basically everyone else at the rink my long term goals (including one of the Tammasaurus' most regular students), so it was a matter of time before someone said something. I had to get it out now.
I finished the 3 jumps. (You've probably forgotten I was doing those in this story!)
"Right, those were good, let's give the Salchow a go."
"Just a sec, I need to catch my breath," told you that'd be coming!
"Excellent, while you're resting you can tell me the plan!" she's excited again, she knows she has me. I take a breath.
"Well," here we go, "firstly, I'd like to be able to do all the single jumps, and I'm optimistic that I can probably manage one double at some point," she waits for me to continue, "also, I want to compete in the adult competitions, I was thinking starting around 2020. Oh and I want the certificates too, I want to do as many levels as I can," I'm referring to the NISA judged level certificates here, "that's all, I'm done."
"Well we can certainly work on that," she said evenly without a pause, her previous enthusiasm was still there, but it had been channelled internally as (I assumed) she mentally reconfigured my learning plan.
The outcome of this reconfiguring was that after I'd finished practising my Salchow, she announced we'd be doing the toe loop today. We'd touched on the toe loop once a while back and had never returned. I never really worked out why that was (I think it had something to do with the fact that I did it functionally right first time and my Salchow needed way more work comparatively), but maybe you just have to tell your coach you want to do all the singles and they get you started on it again?
Then, after the toe loop, another surprise awaited.
"I thought we could give the loop a go today as well."
The loop jump as well?! This was too much, my little brain couldn't cope. I almost wet myself with excitement. However, before she could start teaching it though, I sheepishly confessed that I'd already been working on the loop in secret, stressing that it wasn't because I didn't love her, but I'd just been perusing videos about it online and figured it was worth a bash.
I demonstrated what I'd been practising and executed a roughly average attempt by my current standard, something that was probably only a bit better than a beginner's.
"This is really good!" she said, I actually felt like I'd heard a sense of being impressed in her voice. "We'll have to get started on the flip soon too."
THE FLIP AS WELL?! I needed a sit down and not just for one of my usual breathers!
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