Catching up is so painful.
I will post more images and info. I will. I promise. It's just really slow. I leave my full-time job of 11 years next week and preparing for the big day is wearing on me a bit. I'm a little overwhelmed!
I promise I won't forget to post more from Adult Nationals. Daphne at www.ice-dance.com is still waiting for Championship Dance photos from me too.
Thanks for your patience!
---J
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
I'm horribly behind!
So SORRY!
It's been a whirlwind weekend and Jordan and I just returned home to Oregon late last night.
Unfortunately, we were forced to withdraw after the initial rounds of competition, something both of us are heart-broken over. Jordan fell incredibly ill and could barely walk let alone skate. It's been such a hard-luck season for us and honestly, I really didn't feel like blogging after all that happened this weekend.
However, I did continue to shoot lots of images and I will update throughout the week with stories from LP. Even though it ended up being kind of a crummy season for us, we still had a great time in LP.
Plus, it's NOT about what happens to you in life, its about how you REACT to what happens.
Positive thought & Onward to next season!
Stay tuned for updates this week and next!
Until Next Time,
---J
It's been a whirlwind weekend and Jordan and I just returned home to Oregon late last night.
Unfortunately, we were forced to withdraw after the initial rounds of competition, something both of us are heart-broken over. Jordan fell incredibly ill and could barely walk let alone skate. It's been such a hard-luck season for us and honestly, I really didn't feel like blogging after all that happened this weekend.
However, I did continue to shoot lots of images and I will update throughout the week with stories from LP. Even though it ended up being kind of a crummy season for us, we still had a great time in LP.
Plus, it's NOT about what happens to you in life, its about how you REACT to what happens.
Positive thought & Onward to next season!
Stay tuned for updates this week and next!
Until Next Time,
---J
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Centennial Dance!
Sally & Stan Urban are in 1st place. Lauren and Mike are in 2nd and Margaret & Chuck are in 3rd. What fabulous event!
They dance the foxtrot and the Tango today. Lauren and Mike took the orginal route and did the former Tango pattern, putting the mohawk right at center rink. Gorgeous!
Silver and Pre-Gold dance IR's were this afternoon and I took lots of pics, but I ahven't proofed them yet, plus we have practice in about an hour. Tomorrow, Gold and Championship rounds begin, so I'll try to keep posting as much as I can, but forgive me if my events sidetrack me!
Thanks for looking!
---J
They dance the foxtrot and the Tango today. Lauren and Mike took the orginal route and did the former Tango pattern, putting the mohawk right at center rink. Gorgeous!
Silver and Pre-Gold dance IR's were this afternoon and I took lots of pics, but I ahven't proofed them yet, plus we have practice in about an hour. Tomorrow, Gold and Championship rounds begin, so I'll try to keep posting as much as I can, but forgive me if my events sidetrack me!
Thanks for looking!
---J
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Day One...Competition Begins....
And we're still blowing off steam! Why? There's no dance today...only freestyle events (but keep scrolling down for LOTS of pics!)
Even without the great Kia and Molly here to keep us organized, we still managed to get the dancers together for the annual Ice Dancers dinner. We went to a great Italian place called Milanos. There were only a few of us, but that's ok. It's hard to do the dinner without the people we know and love who are normally present to enjoy it with us. Teri and Tim are sorely missed, plus Julie and Mike are arriving late. Word got out kind of last minute too, so that made it hard, but we made the best of it!
Of course lunch didn't help much as Lorna and I proceeded to PIG out on brownie sundae (she talked me into it, I swear.)
We drove to Plattsburg early today because it was the only place we could get ICE! Now that the competition has begun, practice ice times have been cut to only 20 minutes and you are only allowed to buy one. Argh!
Check out the line to try and purchase extra ice! Forget that.
Regardless, we managed to buy private ice for 7 dance teams in Plattsburg (thanks to Lorna A.)and we had a great TWO hour practice. It was fabulous.
Not that is mattered to Margaret. She won her Bronze Freesyle event today. National Champ, baby!!!
We are soooo proud of you! CONGRATULATIONS!! She even has a gold dress to mach her medal. Hmmm...psycho-analytical judging influence? Nah! Just Margaret's pure talent!
Ok...so lots of pictures from last night's practice. Please keep in mind, I am not a sports photog. I do portraits. Plus, Ice rinks are challenging to shoot in. Bad light, white ice, dark subjects and fast moving objects---grrr....
So, these aren't the best. I odn't have the great sports lenses needed for this kind of work, but I know the pics are what everyone loves. So here ya go! Enjoy.
Oh and here's Bob, scoping out the competition! Hee!
Oh and last, but not least....Jordan's new red shoes. Aren't they cool?
My partner is so hip.
Until Next Time,
---J
PS Dance competition begins tomorrow. Oooh! I can't wait to take more pics!
Even without the great Kia and Molly here to keep us organized, we still managed to get the dancers together for the annual Ice Dancers dinner. We went to a great Italian place called Milanos. There were only a few of us, but that's ok. It's hard to do the dinner without the people we know and love who are normally present to enjoy it with us. Teri and Tim are sorely missed, plus Julie and Mike are arriving late. Word got out kind of last minute too, so that made it hard, but we made the best of it!
Of course lunch didn't help much as Lorna and I proceeded to PIG out on brownie sundae (she talked me into it, I swear.)
We drove to Plattsburg early today because it was the only place we could get ICE! Now that the competition has begun, practice ice times have been cut to only 20 minutes and you are only allowed to buy one. Argh!
Check out the line to try and purchase extra ice! Forget that.
Regardless, we managed to buy private ice for 7 dance teams in Plattsburg (thanks to Lorna A.)and we had a great TWO hour practice. It was fabulous.
Not that is mattered to Margaret. She won her Bronze Freesyle event today. National Champ, baby!!!
We are soooo proud of you! CONGRATULATIONS!! She even has a gold dress to mach her medal. Hmmm...psycho-analytical judging influence? Nah! Just Margaret's pure talent!
Ok...so lots of pictures from last night's practice. Please keep in mind, I am not a sports photog. I do portraits. Plus, Ice rinks are challenging to shoot in. Bad light, white ice, dark subjects and fast moving objects---grrr....
So, these aren't the best. I odn't have the great sports lenses needed for this kind of work, but I know the pics are what everyone loves. So here ya go! Enjoy.
Oh and here's Bob, scoping out the competition! Hee!
Oh and last, but not least....Jordan's new red shoes. Aren't they cool?
My partner is so hip.
Until Next Time,
---J
PS Dance competition begins tomorrow. Oooh! I can't wait to take more pics!
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
3 Olympians...and lil' 'ol me.....
Wow! What a night.
I got to hang out with three 1980 Lake Placid Olympians--Pairs Champion Michael Bottecelli, Dance Champion Lorna Aldridge and Men's Singles Champion Charlie Tickner.
I can't even BELIEVE it!
And you what was so great? They are so passionate about us adult skaters. Adults! We are not future Olympians. We are not elite athletes. We are working moms, dads....career folk...ordinary people who just happen to love skating.
Michael B said it so well,
"Adult skating is one of the few remaining purest forms of the sport left."
Yes, we do it because we LOVE it. We may make complete idotis out of oursleves, but we don't care. We may flop. We may trip. We may cruise at a snails pace out there. But, who cares? All we really want at the end of this thing called "Adult Nationals?"
We want to FEEL good. We want to FEEL like we skated our best and that all the hard work and goal setting got us somewhere.
How pure is that? And these three people right here, people who are at the top of the sport understand that and revel in it.
This night was one of the best in my "adult" skating life.
Thanks Mike, Lorna and Charlie. You have inspired me beyond what I ever thought I could imagine.
Michael Bottecelli in 1980 at the Olympics:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=JPCCWijylsY&feature=related
Lorna Aldridge, then Lorna Wighton at the 1980 LP Oylmpics:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=pM6fqEfcq2A
Charlie Tickner:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=1AVcwz_jtgI
We are competing on the same ice as these great legends. Wow. How cool is that?
Until Next Time,
---J
P)S. I took TONS of pics of Dance practice tonight, plus video. I'm just too tired to post it all tonight. I'll do it tomorrow. I promise! Goodnight blog world!
I got to hang out with three 1980 Lake Placid Olympians--Pairs Champion Michael Bottecelli, Dance Champion Lorna Aldridge and Men's Singles Champion Charlie Tickner.
I can't even BELIEVE it! And you what was so great? They are so passionate about us adult skaters. Adults! We are not future Olympians. We are not elite athletes. We are working moms, dads....career folk...ordinary people who just happen to love skating.
Michael B said it so well,
"Adult skating is one of the few remaining purest forms of the sport left."
Yes, we do it because we LOVE it. We may make complete idotis out of oursleves, but we don't care. We may flop. We may trip. We may cruise at a snails pace out there. But, who cares? All we really want at the end of this thing called "Adult Nationals?"
We want to FEEL good. We want to FEEL like we skated our best and that all the hard work and goal setting got us somewhere.
How pure is that? And these three people right here, people who are at the top of the sport understand that and revel in it.
This night was one of the best in my "adult" skating life.
Thanks Mike, Lorna and Charlie. You have inspired me beyond what I ever thought I could imagine.
Michael Bottecelli in 1980 at the Olympics:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=JPCCWijylsY&feature=related
Lorna Aldridge, then Lorna Wighton at the 1980 LP Oylmpics:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=pM6fqEfcq2A
Charlie Tickner:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=1AVcwz_jtgI
We are competing on the same ice as these great legends. Wow. How cool is that?
Until Next Time,
---J
P)S. I took TONS of pics of Dance practice tonight, plus video. I'm just too tired to post it all tonight. I'll do it tomorrow. I promise! Goodnight blog world!
Pics, Pups and Perks....
Lots of pics today!
The Gaultiers looking prepped and ready...
New Pre-bronze team ...the Laura and Beshara.
The beautiful Maragaret who has lost 10 pounds! Doesn't she look divine?
Dancers: waiting to get onto the practice ice session.
The LP Dance Mascot AKA Hercules. I couldn't help but take his picture. Too cute!
So this is what pulled up in front of our condo today. Bob and Marilu in the Mafia Mobile!
Gotta love it!
Bob took Marilu and i to get our nails done. We of course had a blast, however I must admit, my typing has slowed considerably!! They won't stay on long.
Beautiful Marilu!
More to come later tonight. I am still toling with the video I took yesterday. See? I really did shoot video. Bob took the pic to prove it!
Stay Tuned!
Until Next Time,
---J
The Gaultiers looking prepped and ready...
New Pre-bronze team ...the Laura and Beshara.
The beautiful Maragaret who has lost 10 pounds! Doesn't she look divine?
Dancers: waiting to get onto the practice ice session.
The LP Dance Mascot AKA Hercules. I couldn't help but take his picture. Too cute!
So this is what pulled up in front of our condo today. Bob and Marilu in the Mafia Mobile!
Gotta love it!
Bob took Marilu and i to get our nails done. We of course had a blast, however I must admit, my typing has slowed considerably!! They won't stay on long.
Beautiful Marilu!
More to come later tonight. I am still toling with the video I took yesterday. See? I really did shoot video. Bob took the pic to prove it!
Stay Tuned!
Until Next Time,
---J
We Miss You!!!
Just a quick shout out to the wonderful teams who could not be here this year in dance due to injury.
I receieved this photo from Bob Raemer. It's Molly, Kia, and Lana. Both Molly and Lana were sidelined with yucky injuries and we miss them horribly here at LP. The competition is just not the same without them.
We love you so much and wish you were here!
From Kia:
Training for a whole year: $20,000
airfare, entry fee, etc.,: $3000
Heart break of missing Adult Nationals: $500,000
Picture with a fellow ice dancer also on crutches: PRICELESS
Until Next Time,
---J
I receieved this photo from Bob Raemer. It's Molly, Kia, and Lana. Both Molly and Lana were sidelined with yucky injuries and we miss them horribly here at LP. The competition is just not the same without them.
We love you so much and wish you were here!
From Kia:
Training for a whole year: $20,000
airfare, entry fee, etc.,: $3000
Heart break of missing Adult Nationals: $500,000
Picture with a fellow ice dancer also on crutches: PRICELESS
Until Next Time,
---J
Monday, April 7, 2008
Lift-a-matics
ok....so tonight we had practice from 10:00 pm to 10:45 pm. We worked on our new OD.
We still have the old "culprit" lift (the one we had a serious crash with at Sectionals) in our program.
So, we decide to put it up.
Keep in mind:
1. I enter this left traveling backwards. Jordan forwards.
2. I end up upside down looking at Jordans feet with my legs up in the air.
3. I can VERY CLEARLY see Jordan's feet gliding along the ice.
So, we put it up. Jordan's feet wobble. I hold my breath (remember, bad experiences die hard). He keeps it steady and sets me down.
"Nice save," I say.
"Oh I was strong. Fine for me," he responds.
"But, that one foot wobbled."
"Well then, close your eyes!" He says.
Yeah, right! Upside down with my eyes closed??
NOT!!
LOL. I really do trust him with my life.
Until next time,
---J
We still have the old "culprit" lift (the one we had a serious crash with at Sectionals) in our program.
So, we decide to put it up.
Keep in mind:
1. I enter this left traveling backwards. Jordan forwards.
2. I end up upside down looking at Jordans feet with my legs up in the air.
3. I can VERY CLEARLY see Jordan's feet gliding along the ice.
So, we put it up. Jordan's feet wobble. I hold my breath (remember, bad experiences die hard). He keeps it steady and sets me down.
"Nice save," I say.
"Oh I was strong. Fine for me," he responds.
"But, that one foot wobbled."
"Well then, close your eyes!" He says.
Yeah, right! Upside down with my eyes closed??
NOT!!
LOL. I really do trust him with my life.
Until next time,
---J
First Day....First Page (for Jordan that is!)
So get this...we slept in until Noon. Yikes!
I guess that just reaffirms what a long day it was yesterday. So, first off today....we went to lunch and guess who we run into?
Cookie "Monster" Man, Jay! I always run into Jay first off every year. His cookies are to die for. He bakes dozens and dozens of them every year and just hands them out to evveryone. LOVE it! The funniest part is he always has boy cookies (with nuts) and girl cookies (without nuts). Hu-lar-i-ous. (oh and that's me with him....He is one tall dude!)
We also ran into Marilu and Bob aagain at lunch. Marilu had her hockey shirt on that all her students signed before she left for Nationals. How awesome is that? Her interpretive program is about the 1980 hockey win here at LP.
Isn't downtown LP just adorable?
Ok so get this---
We (adults) have our VERY OWN logo out there ON the ice! They painted it HUGE in the middle of the 1980 rink. This is where we are competing. OMG! I feel like it's the Olympics or something!
I don't think they've ever done that before. The rink is HUGE. It's Olympic size and has lots of seating as you can see. It's a bit intimidating acutally, but man I think it's going to be really fun.
Of course, everyone is in awe of it and taking pictures just like me.
Of course, while I was doing that....Jordan was one the phone. Working.....bless his heart. This man is a work-a-holic! Maybe that's why he's such a great partner. He's a Type A....just like me! LOL.
Practice was pretty good today. The first one is always a bit shaky. You see all the other teams and the adrenaline starts to rush. I have to say, I adore Lorna Aldridge. That woman is the sweetest and most enthusiastic coach. I wish I could pack her in my suitcase and take her home with me. Thanks Lorna!
Finally, we got around to registering. The registration crew was awesome. Everything is super organized and very efficient. It always amazes me every year how these people manage to keep the hundreds of competitors in check. Kudos to them! Yeah LOC!
We got a neat CD case as a competitor gift, plus a really cool set of ear phones for our Ipods. Love it!
Oh and get this....regarding yesterday's post about Jordan's book? He just waltzed into my room opened the book and wiggled the page. He says,
"Look. I've touched a page!" with his sheepish, you-can't-beat-me grin.
Note to self: Never give that man a challenge. He WILL rise to the occasion. Let's just see if he reads more than ONE page!
Ha!
Until Next Time,
----J
P.S. Lisa, I get the stats from Google Analytics. You have to install it on your blog. It's pretty easy to do and it gives you all kinds of stats about the folks who are visiting your blog.
Carl, We wish you were here! I miss you!
I took video today. Apparently, I'll be able to post it onto the blog, so stay tuned for that. Please leave your comments. I love to read, respond and it makes me want to post more....so keep em coming!
I guess that just reaffirms what a long day it was yesterday. So, first off today....we went to lunch and guess who we run into?
Cookie "Monster" Man, Jay! I always run into Jay first off every year. His cookies are to die for. He bakes dozens and dozens of them every year and just hands them out to evveryone. LOVE it! The funniest part is he always has boy cookies (with nuts) and girl cookies (without nuts). Hu-lar-i-ous. (oh and that's me with him....He is one tall dude!)
We also ran into Marilu and Bob aagain at lunch. Marilu had her hockey shirt on that all her students signed before she left for Nationals. How awesome is that? Her interpretive program is about the 1980 hockey win here at LP.
Isn't downtown LP just adorable?
Ok so get this---
We (adults) have our VERY OWN logo out there ON the ice! They painted it HUGE in the middle of the 1980 rink. This is where we are competing. OMG! I feel like it's the Olympics or something!
I don't think they've ever done that before. The rink is HUGE. It's Olympic size and has lots of seating as you can see. It's a bit intimidating acutally, but man I think it's going to be really fun.
Of course, everyone is in awe of it and taking pictures just like me.
Of course, while I was doing that....Jordan was one the phone. Working.....bless his heart. This man is a work-a-holic! Maybe that's why he's such a great partner. He's a Type A....just like me! LOL.
Practice was pretty good today. The first one is always a bit shaky. You see all the other teams and the adrenaline starts to rush. I have to say, I adore Lorna Aldridge. That woman is the sweetest and most enthusiastic coach. I wish I could pack her in my suitcase and take her home with me. Thanks Lorna!
Finally, we got around to registering. The registration crew was awesome. Everything is super organized and very efficient. It always amazes me every year how these people manage to keep the hundreds of competitors in check. Kudos to them! Yeah LOC!
We got a neat CD case as a competitor gift, plus a really cool set of ear phones for our Ipods. Love it!
Oh and get this....regarding yesterday's post about Jordan's book? He just waltzed into my room opened the book and wiggled the page. He says,
"Look. I've touched a page!" with his sheepish, you-can't-beat-me grin.
Note to self: Never give that man a challenge. He WILL rise to the occasion. Let's just see if he reads more than ONE page!
Ha!
Until Next Time,
----J
P.S. Lisa, I get the stats from Google Analytics. You have to install it on your blog. It's pretty easy to do and it gives you all kinds of stats about the folks who are visiting your blog.
Carl, We wish you were here! I miss you!
I took video today. Apparently, I'll be able to post it onto the blog, so stay tuned for that. Please leave your comments. I love to read, respond and it makes me want to post more....so keep em coming!
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