| Show NOW A WORD FROM JANICE AND by Jani Janice e Blackham Horizon Copy Editor My most difficult test during t i finals week was not in algebra Spanish nor computer science It was in ice dancing My ice dancing test also happens happens happens hap hap- pens to be the test that fills me with the most pride and I owe owea a lot of my success at ice dancing to my accomplishments accomplishments accomplishments ac ac- and efforts at I became interested in ice dancing about eight years ago Because I had recently given birth to my last child I was ready for something something something some some- thing that was fun inexpensive and anda a good form of exercise I have a sister-in-law sister whose children skated at the Bountiful Recreation Center and she invited me to enroll with her herIn herin herin in a week 10 group ice skating lesson It sounded right because it fit all my necessary criteria The rink even provided a nursery for formy formy my baby It was there that I met my skating pro Kent Weigle He taught about five or six other 5 women besides myself in a group lesson how to stop turn and stroke all while standing up I would see him teach other people ice dancing and I I. I was soon mesmerized by the entire sport I couldn't believe how dancers could make difficult moves look effortless I Iwas Iwas Iwas was determined to learn and master at least one dance At the time I never dreamed I would go very far with the sport but I was iL soon taking private lessons and skating every day The two best things about ice dancing are partnering with Kent and having at least one foot on the ice at all times Im I'm no jumper Never mind the deep edges difficult turns and steps that are executed within inches of ofa a partner I made him bleed once Our first mohawk turn performed in the Fox Trot position was almost deadly I lost control and accidentally kicked him in the left shin He charges extra if you make him bleed Kent was also the one who introduced me meto to testing After I would become competent t with a certain dance Kent would tell me that y if I wanted to I was ready to test Testing does make you a better skater It has a way of polishing up your performance It reminds me of taking an algebra test with 12 professors sors watching over your shoulder holding 1 clip dip boards while taking notes on your work J If two out of three judges determine that F your dance is passable you move up to o the next dance Dances are grouped together according according ac ac- according cording to difficulty and move from the tt tf bronze up to the international level If you td are off time off pattern miss steps or lack of expression you get to retake the test at a later time Hopefully it will be after youve you've taken additional lessons and have had a chance to polish up the weak areas There is a certain advantage to failing a test My best dances are the ones I have had to retake several times They cant can't help but get better Ill I'll never forget my first test I was numb from the waist down Its It's difficult to determine determine determine deter deter- mine what your feet are doing when you cant can't even feel them Kent complained that I had a death grip on his hand My knuckles were kind of white I passed the dance despite my numbness and tenseness I dont don't think Ive I've ever done anything as scary in my entire life Testing gets easier each time Two weeks ago I passed the Paso Doble on my first attempt which puts me over way half-way to receiving my pre-gold pre ice dancing certificate Because of school especially algebra I haven't had time timeto to practice regularly and this has been my first dancing dan ng test in nearly two years Things haven't changed much All the judges were still there I have a skating friend who swears the judges eat raw meat for break break- fast They can be very intimidating and have havea a reputation for not giving much away I used to think they ate raw meat for breakfast too but I dont don't anymore Quite a few of them are skaters themselves and have tested before so they know what its it's like to be standing on the ice freezing to death waiting for the music to start while the judges look comfortable sitting in the stands in their fur coats The judges I know actually want each tester to pass I can usually tell which judges are going to judge they me are the ones standing up craning their necks to see if Im I'm on the correct edge I just wink at them as I pass on by-on time of course On one particular day a woman was down from Sun Valley taking her last gold She was an inspiration to me She told me no matter what I was to tell myself that I was skating wonderfully and that I felt cool and calm It didn't matter if it was an outright lie I was still supposed to say these things to myself It felt good hearing this psychological pep talk We cheered for each other and helped bolster our self What a difference it made Somehow my body obeyed and I did skate wonderfully I had su such h a blast that it didn't matter if the dance passed or failed Needless to say my skating has improved over the years Im I'm now making difficult moves look effortless It took more than just justI I extra practice on the ice Getting through Algebra Algebra Algebra Al Al- gebra Spanish the Great Books series and writing a c column lumn for the Horizon somehow enhanced my confidence in every every- thing Who'd ever think that college would hel help p my ice skating It has |
