I'm learning a little something new at every practice. Last night was the first practice after our bout with Cirque du Pain, and the veteran skaters helped us girls who haven't passed assessments yet. Con Artist taught me how to turn! It was one of those skills that was easy to learn with just a bit of instruction. Now that I can turn so much sharper and faster, I can't wait to try a drill that involves weaving!
I continued practicing 180 toe stops, plow stops and t-stops, and tried to do them at higher speeds. Those are slowly coming along, especially the t-stop, which is feeling more effective and less scary every practice. 180's are my favorite to do, but they feel scary to me when I'm going fast, so I'll have to gradually get more comfortable with it.
Last night I and three other girls tried for our 25 laps in five minutes, which is one of the hardest assessments for many people to pass. Two of the girls made it. Flashpoint skated it in 8:08, much faster than her previous try, and I finished in 6:11, a slight improvement over when I skated it with the team. I'm kind of annoyed at myself because I know I can do this. I'm having a hard time staying down in derby position (squatting as low as possible and leaning forward) because my legs are getting tired. Skating these laps, you use your left (inner) leg to support your weight and the right leg does most of the pushing. When I go for a run and my legs feel like they're going to give out, I push myself. When my legs get tired and I'm skating, it feels risky.
Me and Flashpoint after our 25 laps. Sweat was running in my eyes.
I am struggling with a fear of falling during a crossover. I know how to do a straightforward double knee fall, but during a crossover I worry that my skates will get tangled up and I'll twist something. This is a hangup I'm going to have to get over! I wish I'd just fall already and get it over with so I'll know what it feels like.
The thing I most want to work on is shaving 1:11 off my 25 laps. I need to do squats at home to strengthen my leg muscles so I can stay in derby position. I need to get more comfortable on my skates so I'm not as afraid to fall. I really need to get back out and run! I thought about running this morning but I was just. Too. Tired. There's no practice tomorrow (4th of July!) so I'll definitely be able to run then. Even though I love skating, I miss running. It's so straightforward. I'll also be putting my skates on and rolling around the house a bit before our next practice. Someday I want my roller skates to be as familiar and predictable to me as my favorite pair of shoes!
~Jenny Two Shoes~
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