Holy Sheep! We're In The Paper!

So the Columbian Daily News came out today, and right there on the front page of the Sports section was a HUGE picture of me and Jordan. Whoa! That is soooo cool!


The photo was taken by Columbian Photographer Janet L. Mathews.
Paul Danzer, sports writer for the Columbian, wrote a geat article on all five dance teams who arrived home from Chicago with medals. It was so touching and we are all tickled!
Here's the link: See The Story

The article took up half the front page of the sports section and half the back page as well and included four great pictures. Thanks Paul!
Just goes to show...it doesn't matter how old you are. You CAN start and be somewhat successful in a competitive sport when your all grown up!

Until Next Time,
---J

We are so blessed...

Reflecting on this last season tonight, I was inspired to write a new entry. The topic: Gratitude.

Thanks....

Thanks to our family and our friends. You know who you are and I hope you know how much Jordan and I appreiate all you do for us.
I was reading all the comments you have all left on our website. Some of them made me giggle and laugh. Others made me nostaligic and one of them even made me tear up. Some of them came from people we met long ago and lost touch with. Others have come from nephews, nieces and friends from far away. Some of them are co-workers and fellow competitors.
Even though I DON'T know many of you personally, I want to tell you how much your support means to us. I am touched that people who have never even met me can still take the time to write well wishes and good luck notes. It amazes me that you are willing to do so, and that you think so highly of Jordan and I as a team.

It means so much to us and we are so grateful.
So, thank you to everyone out there.... known and unknown.

You are in our hearts with humbleness and gratitude.

---J

Folk Music???

It's back to the grind. Time to focus on the year ahead. That means finding music.

Key word: FINDING.

The ISU has set next year's Original Dance rythm to Folk/Country music.
Folk-slash-Country?? What on earth is that?
That's not even traditional ballroom!

Well, apparently it's "root" music---music that reflects the "roots" of a culture or country.
I have now spent several hours trying to find decent, dance-able folk music. It's challenging to say the least. Not that folk music isn't dance-able. Atfer all, that's what it was designed for. But it was designed to be danced very fast on a FLOOR! Trying to transfer that to ice is well, challenging to say the least! LOL.

I have a few ideas that aren't too bad, but I'm still looking for more. If you know of any good folk/country music or sources of it(it can be from any country in the world), let me know....
I'm killin' myself here!

Help?

Until Next Time,
---J

Nationals Blog!

PLEASE SEE LINK BELOW FOR UPDATES FROM FRI April 6th -SUN April 15th.

Ok so I'm really going Gung-Ho on this blogging thing. I have created a new one JUST for the 2007 US Adult National Championships! I'm bringing my laptop and my Nikon D80 with me to Chicago, so it will be lots of pictures and lots of fun!
Get a Behind-The-Scenes look at this years competition! Check it out while we're there!

http://adultnationals2007.blogspot.com

In the meantime, I'm still putting hundreds of rhinestones on my dresses. They're starting to look pretty cool! The skates are sharpened and I've started to pack. We have one more practice tomorrow before it's off to the races!

Until Next Time,
---J

Sick.....Ugh!

Jordan and I are both sick. He's got it worse than I do, but why now?
Poor guy. His voice is off...he's exhausted. We can't practice and we leave in FIVE days! Hopefully, tomorrow will be a different day.

On a lighter note....the Columbian Newspaper out of Vancouver,WA wants to do a story on the five teams heading to Nationals from our area. Yippee! I know. I know. I'm on TV everyday. Why do I care? Cause it's the NEWSpaper! So cool....
Alas, the grass is always greener, right?

Tonight, is rhinestoning night. I plan to put the equivalent of about 2000 rhinsstones on my costume before we compete. Yikes. I have a lot of work to do. I may be doing it on the plane as we fly to Chicago. I'll post before and after pics...just for kicks and grins!

Until Next Time,
---J

Sharpen, Wax, Tape...

So...we leave in a week. Now it's time to get everything organized and ready to go which means doing SOMETHING with these....

They are a mess. I haven't sharpened them in almost 6 months (I know. I know. I'm terrible at taking care of my equippment)! The leather is torn and scratched (because Jordan and I constantly knick each other)and my laces are ripped in some spots. Plus, the heels and soles need to be waxed so water doesn't invade and hurt my boots. The tongues are broken down...basically, they're a mess. But I LIKE THEM THAT WAY!
Unfortunately, judges do not. They may be more comfortable to me, but they're yucky looking. Sooo in comes this lady....



Camera shy Vicki Zander! BTW, I took these with my phone, so forgive how crappy the photos are. Vicki is skate expert extraordinaire and saves my butt every time. She is now in the process of frantically sharpening my skates so that they will cut your finger like a razor blade if your run your skin across them. It's important for her to do it now because I have to skate on them a few days before we actually compete. They are REALLY sharp when you first use them and it makes you catch weird edges like crazy. Not what we want when we have to go out there and give it our best!

So, Vicki is sharpening away, waxing my soles, replacing the fleece on my tongues and making them look somewhat white again! Vicki....just about ROCKS the world! I couldn't do what I do without her. Thanks V!

Unitl Next Time,
-J

Steppin' It Up!

We did TWO back-to-back run throughs of our OD today! Wooohoo! And get this....the second one was better than the first! My on-going gallactic battles with lactic acid and asthma are gradually coming to an end! We're still struggling with speed issues, but overall...HUGE improvement from last week. We finished our introductory steps to the Quickstep and the Argentine Tango which are the compulsory dances we have to do (it's the first round of competition), so that's another hurdle we have overcome. Yeah! For those you who are not linearly challenged ...here's what the steps look like on the ice. Yeah, I know....it's certainly not the English language!

Just for reference: LFO means "Left, Forward, Outside" (it refers to: the foot your on, the direction your going, and the edge your skating on.)

Argentine Lady's Steps:



Quickstep Both Partners:

Until Next Time,

--J