Getting in the Harness

I'm kind of in a theological dry spell right now - I will write about what is going on sometime when I'm not in the thick of it.  But I need to write.  So my next love - skating

I drove through blowing snow at 5 am this morning to get to my lesson. My coach is moving to California the end of March and I have two competitions coming up so I cannot miss ANY lessons.

So me and the waltz jump.  A waltz jump takes off from a left forward outside edge and you land on a backward right outside edge. It's what an axel is based on but  for an axel you take off forward, rotate one and half times and land backward...double axel two and half, triple, 3 and a half.  For any jump you must get up on you toe and vault off your toe pick.  For me this is not a problem with jumps that you take off going back going backward - half flip - you put your toe pick in behind you vault up and land foward, same with a half lutz.  But there is something about going up on my toe gong forward that I just can't get myself to do.  So I have really pansy itsy bitzy waltz jumps.

So today my coach Mandy suggests I get in the harness.  Which in itself terrified me.  Because it works by a pulley system and so I have to trust her to hold me up.   Yea I got trust issues--so?  

"I HATE THIS I HATE THIS I HATE THIS" she caught me mumbling under my breath "Okay Joelle that is not the mantra I want to hear from you.  You have change that mind set or this is never going to work"  Okay we have to do the little engine that could.  I can do this.

I did it.  I jumped off my toe pick. Several times.  In the harness.   Didn't try without the harness.  But I got in the harness.

I'm gonna really miss her.  Who else will put up with my whining?