Senior Moves

Coach T just told me that the June 4th test session will be a gold panel which means I'll be testing my senior moves then. I'm not sure if that's good news or bad news. The plan was for me to come back from Nationals and go all out on senior moves so that I pass them before governing council in September (in case the put the MITF changes into effect immediately). That plan sounded really good until my last couple of moves lessons. Right now, I suck big time... I have over a month to get ready though, and at worst, I'll get feedback for the next gold test which should be in August. The feedback might be especially useful, because I don't think Coach T has coached anyone through a senior test before. Not that I don't trust her, but sometimes the judges in this area don't exactly go by the book.

Here's the current state of affairs with the moves:

Sustained edge: I really thought this would be a great move for me, but it's one of my worst ones! It's really hard to maintain the edge quality with the speed and power needed for the move. It probably doesn't help that I'm placing half of the turns incorrectly. I also need better ice coverage across the width of the rink.

Spirals: Coach T said these were slow, but I feel like I'm flying (except for the flip-flops into the last spiral). The triple 3 into the flip-flops does need work, but I don't think these are too bad.

Outside Double 3s into Quick Turns: These are decent as well. I need to tighten up the first set so that I'm not squashed into the wall on the last set.

Inside Double 3s into Quick Turns: These are AWFUL! Coach T thought we made a lot of progress on these over the last two days, but they still feel terrible. The turn placement is better, but my edge quality on the inside double 3s is not great (too flat), and I have a hard time getting from the quick turns into the double 3s. I have no power, and I'm almost at a standstill by the end of the rink. I can't stand this move, but I'll have to work on it the most since it's the queen mother of suck.

Quick Step: Coach T likes this pattern quite a bit. I think it could be a lot quicker, and I don't like the way that I'm changing circles. I think my first circle is ending a little late, so I'm rather squashed up against the wall for the beginning of the second circle and can't get a good push.

I have a lot of work to do over the next month. At this point, I'm not planning on passing in June. I just want the feedback so I know what I need to work on.