Wearing My Work Clothes to Skate in Group

Packed my boots in the trunk of the car for evening group, then drove to work--leaving my skating clothes on the couch. Fortunately I had a pair of yoga pants in my office, so that night I skated in yoga pants, a cashmere sweater and a heavy coat with no pockets.

  So, without pockets where do I put my cell phone and my car key?

Problem solved

Anyway, since my sweater is a crew neck, I went into the ladies room to tuck the phone and key into my bra just so no man would see me digging into my bra under my sweater out in public.

Then when I got on the ice, the coach gave me my 4 Public Skate Passes

--STAPLED TOGETHER!!

 

 So, no pockets..you know where they went...

For an hour

By the end of the session I was just sticking my hand 
down the neck of my sweater

moving those cards around to stop the itching,
 and I didn't care who was staring at me 

manhandling my boobs!
BECAUSE I WOULD NOT GET OFF THE ICE!

Adventures in Sit Spins

When I demonstrate my sit spin to my

 private coach for the first time

45 minutes of trying

My Coach Says

And she's serious!!!

 

Me

Then coach says,  "And down as far as most kids."

 So my 3 years of one legged squats in a moving elevator while wearing tight skirts was worth it!!

 

Dolla! Dolla! Owe me a Dolla!

My coach has a 10+ year old skater in lesson before me; sweet girl but doesn't understand the difference between 'my lesson' and 'her lesson'.

She'll interrupt my lesson like it's play time, and Coach and I will shoo her off. Or she get in my way in a pattern I'm working and coach will have to move her someplace else.

All this is pretty much typical kid behavior.  Coach and I are nice about it, but she's now at that age where she needs to learn good skating etiquette. Coach has talked to her. I've told her (nicely) to scoot before I fall on her when she's in my way in a back 8. We've explained to her before lessons. Nothing seemed to work.

She's having trouble stepping out of little kid behavior (never looking at what's around her) into more responsible kid behavior (being aware of what's going on), and  she's old enough to pay attention to other skaters.

One day I joked to Coach, "Next time she cuts into my lesson I'll charge her a dollar." Coach laughs.

Five minutes later the girl interrupts my lesson to play.

"Dolla. Dolla. Owe me a dolla." I stick my palm out to her.

Coach says, "Yes, this is Babbette's time, she's paid for it, if you want to talk to me you have to pay for it."

A little confused, the girl skates away.

Five minutes later --again--she breaks into my lesson to play.

"Dolla. Dolla..." I say; Coach and I go through the entire bit again.

This time, she gets it.You can almost see the light go on.

Sometimes my Coach's Texts Just Write Themselves

I Text My Coach the results of my group lesson--

What I expected

 

What I got..

The Spin Merry-Go-Round

I'm doing a left forward spin. Tight, no travelling. Fast. Perfectly balanced on the rocker.  Good exit.
(No,  the free foot does not cross the skating leg, damn...but other than that..)

Coach:

"That was the best spin I've ever seen you do."

 

Me: "Was that a sarcastic golf clap?"

 Her

It's hard to tell when she's messing with me

Then she makes me learn a sit spin.

Both Ways.

Left...ain't goin' nowhere.

Right? I can raise my free foot and return to standing.

Now, I've got a whole new world of fear to deal with.

Entry to the Back Spin

Back Spin Entry

So, well, it turns out, the ENTRY is not that hard. 

My private coach looked at my struggle with back spin entry and said:

"So why don't you do a change spin?

Enter to the right forward, and switch to the left back."

Me

So I Do It. 

Inside forward Spin in the 'Wrong' Direction

Switch to Back Outside Edge On the other Foot

And almost get a full rotation

My Coach

I hate it when she' so smug about being right.