A Great Way to Finish a BUSY Week!

I have had a very busy week, but it's been great. I'm back to work at the golf course; it isn't open yet, but because of new ownership at the course, there is a lot of work to do in order to be ready for opening day (which is probably at least two, if not three, weeks away).

So, my days have been spent at the Pro Shop, and my nights have been spent at the arena. And it's been a busy week for skating in Tweed, as we had our year-end ice show today! The theme of this years carnival was 'Here & Now'...so, our numbers were all based on current popular culture.

I choreographed four numbers for the show; the opening number was a Senior STARSkaters number, and I used the popular song 'I Gotta Feeling' by 'The Black Eyed Peas'.



The girls, and Eric, complained about wearing the masks...but I insisted. I thought it was fun, and it made sense with music by 'The Black Eyed Peas'.

My second group was my little Learn-to-Skate group. I have had such a great time with this group over the season; when we started, most of them could hardly stand on their own, and now they move freely on their own and get up by themselves if they fall. Their little carnival number was based on the Disney/Pixar movie 'Up' (which, if you haven't, you should see). The great thing about a Learn to Skate group, it doesn't matter what you 'choreograph'...if you just put them in a cute costume, the audience is sure to love them - they're just so cute!



If you've seen the movie, these costumes make sense to you. I actually had six kids in my group, but only four showed up for the carnival...and I only got a picture of these three.

My third number was one of the CanSkate groups that I have worked with throughout the season. For this group, I chose music from a popular new TV show called 'Glee'...it was the song 'Sweet Caroline' sung by the cast of 'Glee'. I have never seen the show, but I read about it on Wikipedia and learned it's set in a high school, so I went with cheerleaders for the costumes.



The girls were pretty excited about the pom-poms! I was excited that, without really planning it, the girls skated in the right order throughout the number, so they actually formed the word Tweed, most of the time.

And finally, my favourite number, the closing number - it was based on the recent CBC TV show, 'Battle of the Blades'. This show paired famous Canadian figure skaters with famous Canadian NHL hockey players...the pairs choreographed new numbers each week, and a voting process, similar to American Idol, determined a winning pair. So, to make this number work, I had local hockey players pair up with my figure skaters! Some of the boys were a little hesitant to participate at first, but I'm sure they all really enjoyed themselves in the end - even if they'll never admit it! I had twelve pairs in total - and at one point, I had all 24 skaters perform a straight-line pinwheel, and the line was almost too wide for the ice! It was fun to work with such a large group, and the boys were all great!



I didn't get a picture of everyone after their skate today, so this is from a practice earlier this week...I think there is only one person missing from this picture.

So, after a busy and stressful week, I'm glad to say that we had a very successful carnival! I always worry more then I should, the kids always manage to pull things together beautifully for the show!

And, with the carnival over, I'm officially done skating in Tweed for the year. We're having an awards banquet in two weeks...but no more ice time. There were a few sad hugs today, which was sweet, but I know the majority of my girls will be back next year, so I look forward to doing it all again!

Our Weekend Visitors

We had some very special visitors last weekend! My brother Tom, sister-in-law Krystle, and nephew Nolan, came to stay with us for a few days. They were supposed to arrive at our house Saturday afternoon, while I was at skating, and I would see them when I got home...but, they decided to surprise me at the arena instead! I was excited to have a chance to take Nolan for a little skate around the ice, but I don't think he was that impressed...and I know for sure he was NOT impressed when I went fast! He did think the zamboni was neat though, and enjoyed watching it clean the ice. I guess, considering that he's a 2 year old boy, I shouldn't be insulted that he was more impressed by a funny looking machine then he was by my skating ability :)

On Saturday afternoon we went to a Boat & RV Show that was being held in town - Nolan seemed to enjoy sitting on the various golf carts and four wheelers at the show - and then went out for dinner.



Sunday was a pretty relaxed day around the house...we did take some time in the afternoon to visit Reid's Dairy for some icecream, this has become a regular stop when they're in town.



Nolan enjoying his chocolate icecream. This is the face I got when I asked him to smile for me!?!



Tom and Krystle enjoying their icecream!

One of our other Sunday afternoon activities was something that Curt had planned for Nolan. We bought a large blank canvas, and some paint from the dollar store, and the boys went to work.



The budding artist (staying paint free in a giant old shirt of Curt's).

I had a little surprise for Nolan when it came to bath time.



Here he is enjoying his green bath water! I don't know if he was as impressed as I was?!?!

I bought a Crayola product, it's small pellets that you drop in the water to have it turn colour. I saw it on a blog I read regularly, and immediately wanted to get them for Nolan's visit...I looked at multiple stores, and had no luck finding them, I had given up and then found them in a random store the Friday before he arrived.

While they were visiting, we also had a four-legged visitor...we had Curt's brothers dog for the weekend. I was a little nervous about it, but it went well - the dog is used to having children around, and Nolan was pretty comfortable with her. One of the most amusing stories from the weekend relates to the dog - the dogs name is 'Bella', she's a girl dog, and she's a small dog...so, imagine our amusement when Nolan called out to the dog, saying 'Come on big Fella'! He called the dog 'Fella' all weekend...I think it was because he knew it made us laugh!



So, although we didn't really do anything too special, it was a great weekend! I just hope that our guests enjoyed it as much as Curt and I!

And, one more picture, just because it's so cute I can't help but share...

Signs of Spring

Here are some sites from our house this weekend....



Curt's hockey gear soaking in the tub, something that only happens once a year - at the end of the season.

Notice how much water is in the tub? Curt forgot that he was filling the tub, and left the water running for 45 minutes! Not a drop on the floor though - Curt confidently told me that 'that's why tubs have an overflow!' He is so lucky that it didn't cause a mess!



And, because Curt is the captain of his hockey team, he gets to store the team jerseys during the off-season. Here they are airing out after multiple wash cycles.

Despite all this effort, the stuff probably still stinks!

Spins & Spirals

Six of my CanSkaters, five from Tweed and one from Quinte, competed at Spins & Spirals on Sunday. This is an annual competition hosted by Prince Edward County Skating Club (Picton), and I've taken skaters to it for a number of years now.

It was another VERY successful competition...my girls competed in thirteen events and brought home ten medals!

I think each of my skaters had a special moment at this competition.

Alyssa placed second in her solo at Shining Waters, so her goal was to place first at this competition. And she did just that - first in her solo and third in elements. This is the most disciplined little skater I have ever seen - she is always working hard, and never gets distracted by the other girls on the ice! This is a characteristic coaches love in a skater, and can help a skater go a long way, but Alyssa is afraid to fall, so that holds her back.



Alyssa on the medal podium

Naomi placed third in both her solo and elements; she was really pleased with this, having placed sixth in both her solo and elements at Shining Waters.



Naomi on the medal podium - you may notice something on her cheek, it's a temporary tattoo! She had her birthday party the day before, and put it on her face - her mom thought it was cute, her coach, not so much. But, there wasn't much I could do about it at that point?!?

Hannah placed third in her solo and sixth in elements; this was another huge improvement over the results at Shining Waters! Hannah's dad commented that he felt that the third was really good for Hannah, and would encourage her to continue working hard.



Hannah on the medal podium

Britteny placed second in both her solo and elements. Now, Britteny placed first and second, respectively, in these events at Shining Waters as well, but, the flights were larger at Spins & Spirals.

Jillian placed third and fifth in her solo and elements; and again, that third place was important because she was in larger flights - she said that it was a 'real third' versus 'fake second' she got at Shining Waters ('fake second' because there were only two skaters in the flight).



Britteny and Jillian, waiting for medal presentations

And, Allyson, placed first in team elements, third in her solo and fourth in elements. Allyson had a tough time at Shining Waters, having just moved up to the Introductory category, a big jump from Stage 6. After the warm-up for her solo, we were waiting for the first skater to finish, and she told me that she was going to smile when she skated 'so the judges know that I'm having fun!' Don't you just love that?!? And, the best part, she actually did it - she had the biggest smile I've ever seen on her face, from start to finish! When she stepped off the ice, the first thing she said was 'that was so fun'! How great is that!

I didn't get any pictures of Allyson

I realize, after taking the time to type all of this, that I am incredibly blessed to have such an amazing job! Although it's been almost five years now, I still have a hard time calling coaching a 'job', and that's because I love it so much! I get to spend time with kids and teach them something I am really passionate about - and, I get to share in their joy when they succeed! If you read the last post, you'll know that I also have to share in their frustration, but that doesn't seem to be as often...and, I always feel good when I can skater get past that frustration.

Success vs. Failure

Kate and Leah skated at Spring Fling, in Kingston, on Saturday.

Kate had a great skate, much like she did at EOSIC, and this time she was rewarded for it. She placed THIRD - and seemed very excited, and looked quite proud while standing on the podium to receive her medal. This time, she landed her first axel nicely, but fell on the second axel. The rest of the program was a little stronger then at EOSIC; she had more speed, had added a few arm movements throughout and we changed one of the spins (from a layback to a sit spin, which she is much better at). I made sure to watch every other skater in her flight, and even kept notes on their programs; following that, I hoped that she would place third or fourth, and it was a relief when she came in third! I was a little concerned after EOSIC, thinking that I may not know what I was talking about - this showed me that I do know what I'm doing, and I can coach!

Unfortunately, Leah had a really poor skate. She had a bad warm-up, and usually a bad warm-up means a good skate, but not in this case! I think this was actually the worst I have ever seen her skate her program, so that was very disappointing. She fell on her first jump, a lutz, and never really got it back together after that. When she got off the ice, she marched right past me and straight into the dressing room, so I knew she was upset. She didn't cry or anything, but the frustration was obvious...especially when she stated she 'never wanted to skate again'. We talked through that though, and hopefully she's going to be able to put it behind her. Her father and grandmother brought her to the competition, and the three of them left right after she skated, not even waiting for the results. I'm hoping I don't have to tell her that she came in seventh...out of seven.

That's the final competition for these girls this season, now it's on to carnival practices. Kate and Leah both skate in Tweed, and our annual Carnival is on March 27th, so it's time to get group numbers choreographed! I know, for Leah especially, carnival is a welcome break!

Olympic Withdrawal

I have to admit, I'm going through Olympic withdrawal, and I know I'm not the only one out there.

Despite having that giant Olympic schedule posted in our living room, I managed to miss to Figure Skating Gala. So, I found Scott and Tessa's Gala Program on YouTube today. It was cute. I also came across this video, it's a short montage that CTV put together for the Figure Skating Gala that was held on Day 16 of the Olympics. And, since it features my top two Olympic moments, I thought I would share it here.



I only wish I could edit out the parts with Evgeni Plushenko OUT of that video. Ugh, he was an embarrassment at the games. First, with his comment about it not being men's skating without the quad. Who says that?!? And then, his arrogant move of stepping onto the gold platform, and then down to the silver platform. Who does that?!? He needs to accept the fact that it's not all about the quad...and because of that, he did not win gold. Evan Lysacek skated a better long program, and the new judging system did it's job and put him in first.

Ooops, I didn't mean for this to turn into a 'Bash Evgeni' post.


First time I posted a YouTube video into my blog, and it was so easy! I think I may be getting addicted to this whole 'blog' thing.

Another Test Day

Saturday was another skating Test Day, and I had three skaters try tests.

Allyson, from Quinte, tried her Dutch Waltz and passed. This is the first test Allyson has tried, and she did really well...I don't even think she was nervous. When I gave her the test paper I was going over the results with her, and noted that she had been given a 'Needs Improvement' on Expression. Now, I was going to explain that she probably didn't have much expression because she was nervous, and it's hard to express yourself to the Dutch Waltz music, etc. But, she explained that the reason she needed to improve was because she didn't smile...she told me that she had a lollipop before coming to the arena, and it made her lips and teeth blue, so she kept her mouth closed! I thought that was cute :)

And Jillian and Britteny, from Tweed, both tried the Baby Blues and passed. I was glad both of these tests passed, I was a little nervous about them after we skated. Jillian was a little stiff, probably because she was nervous, and the Baby Blues should have nice soft knees. And Britteny, she gets really nervous, and this was no exception! We had our normal practice in Tweed on Saturday morning, and then went to test day in Belleville; during practice in Tweed, Britteny had psyched herself out so much, she was in tears. But, I reassured her that it was good to get all the bad stuff out while we were still in Tweed, to leave her mistakes in the Tweed arena and only take the good stuff to the Quinte arena, and that seemed to make her feel better.

So, another successful test day for my skaters (and me!). That will probably be the last of the test days for the season, I have two competitions this weekend and then we'll be into carnival practice!