A Disappointing Exhibition
I skated an exhibition of my new program recently and am sad to report that it didn’t go very well. I was relaxed before I took the ice and was not nervous. I fell on two jumps during the warmup, which was weird. But then I landed them when I attempted them again (during the warmup) so it wasn’t self-doubt.
When I took my starting position, things just didn’t “feel right.” I had a hard time feeling my feet beneath me and each stroke that I took felt forced. Things didn’t flow like they do normally.
As a result, I was shaky and wobbly throughout the entire 2 minute and 40 second program. I even botched my flip jump, which is one of the strongest jumps in my repertoire. My spins were shaky and probably would not have counted for full value if this had been a competition.
I’m not sure what happened. I did all the mental preparations I should have done, I warmed up my body before the skate and thought I was ready to go. I guess it just wasn’t the case. I skated another exhibition a few weeks before this one and things went better that time, even though I sat down on my final spin.
Needless to say, there is lots of work to be done. I still need to tweak a few things here and there in the choreography and focus on my presentation. Although, I did get a lot of great feedback that my overall presentation has improved tenfold. Now I just need my elements to match and I’ll be fine.
I did take a video but am not sure if I will share it yet. I will when I’m ready.
As Coach B says, it’s better to get the kinks out now. We don’t want to peak now… we want to peak in March when it really counts (Adult Sectionals).
