About a month ago, my daughter's speed skating coach asked me if I'd be interested in attending a day long seminar with a National Team Coach. The catch was that it was on a Friday, just before Christmas. After looking at how much leave I still had left, I quickly said yes to this limited opportunity.
It turns out that my daughter's coach happens to be the sister of Jonathon Cavar and he is planning on being home for the holidays. This allowed the club, along with our coach, the opportunity to secure some ice time and have him put on a full day of on and off ice training, for both our club's coaches, our competitive skaters, and coaches and skaters from neighboring clubs.
It should be lots of fun and informative and should really help me when working with the kids from my daughters club. I'm really looking forward to it.
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
A star is born
Last night was my children's school Christmas Nutcracker play. My oldest daughter had the lead, while my other 2 children had minor roles. One being a fairy, while the other was a mouse. Even though the 2 youngest had no lines, just actions to perform, they were all excited to be part of the play.
This play marked the first time that the school has done anything for Christmas in many years, and to my surprise, people came out in full force to see the presentation. So many people showed up that they had to pull out extra chairs for them to sit on. That is always a good thing.
The play started right on time, and everything went extremely well. Between each set, while they changed the background, various students sang Christmas songs. Overall, the play, and singing, lasted nearly 1 hour, making it an enjoyable evening for all.
My daughter, who had the most lines in the play, performed exceptionally well, with no mistakes. My other 2 were all smiles when their parts came up. The joy I felt seeing all of them on stage was wonderful, and my oldest daughter seemed to bask in the fact that she was the star of the show.
Maybe this is the beginning of a new path for her.
This play marked the first time that the school has done anything for Christmas in many years, and to my surprise, people came out in full force to see the presentation. So many people showed up that they had to pull out extra chairs for them to sit on. That is always a good thing.
The play started right on time, and everything went extremely well. Between each set, while they changed the background, various students sang Christmas songs. Overall, the play, and singing, lasted nearly 1 hour, making it an enjoyable evening for all.
My daughter, who had the most lines in the play, performed exceptionally well, with no mistakes. My other 2 were all smiles when their parts came up. The joy I felt seeing all of them on stage was wonderful, and my oldest daughter seemed to bask in the fact that she was the star of the show.
Maybe this is the beginning of a new path for her.
Friday, December 16, 2011
Well that changes everything
(crying)Mommy, my tummy hurts.
wife: Did you go to the bathroom?
Yes, and it still hurts.
me: Go try again, you might have more.
I’m bleeding.
wife: That happens.
Not there...
That was roughly my wife and I’s conversation with our 9½ year old daughter at roughly 3am this morning. At that point we were both up.
She had woken us up about an hour before with complaints of pain and we thought we “fixed” the issue by suggesting the bathroom. The second time, just before she said the bleeding part, I started to think that THAT could be the issue. My wife went with her in the bathroom and did the best she can to explain the situation, half asleep, at 3am in the morning.
We both knew that our little girl was growing up faster than we wanted, but before 10 seems young. I know for girls, there is no exact time as to when their bodies start changing, and I’ve heard stories of some starting as young as 8, but deep down you hope your daughter’s body can hold off until she’s a little older, say 25. :)
For my daughter, questions are now going to be asked, and hopefully my wife can answer them (I know I sure can't). I wish her well on this journey into womanhood and I will do my best to help her get through it (as much as a father can). There will be painful days, and there will be wonderful days. But starting today, I/we have to stop treating her like a little girl, but a blossoming young woman.
I’m not sure I’m ready for that.
wife: Did you go to the bathroom?
Yes, and it still hurts.
me: Go try again, you might have more.
I’m bleeding.
wife: That happens.
Not there...
That was roughly my wife and I’s conversation with our 9½ year old daughter at roughly 3am this morning. At that point we were both up.
She had woken us up about an hour before with complaints of pain and we thought we “fixed” the issue by suggesting the bathroom. The second time, just before she said the bleeding part, I started to think that THAT could be the issue. My wife went with her in the bathroom and did the best she can to explain the situation, half asleep, at 3am in the morning.
We both knew that our little girl was growing up faster than we wanted, but before 10 seems young. I know for girls, there is no exact time as to when their bodies start changing, and I’ve heard stories of some starting as young as 8, but deep down you hope your daughter’s body can hold off until she’s a little older, say 25. :)
For my daughter, questions are now going to be asked, and hopefully my wife can answer them (I know I sure can't). I wish her well on this journey into womanhood and I will do my best to help her get through it (as much as a father can). There will be painful days, and there will be wonderful days. But starting today, I/we have to stop treating her like a little girl, but a blossoming young woman.
I’m not sure I’m ready for that.
Monday, December 12, 2011
Dominated the Dojo
Yesterday
marked the last day for the Fall Karate session. This meant that it was
Test day for everybody who was ready to move up belt levels.
Since this is our first attempt at doing Karate, all 3 of my kids, and myself, are White belts. Understandable. For the past 6 weeks, the whole club has been working on getting ready to do this test. With the fact that the first few Kata’s are straight-forward and I’m athletically inclined, I’ve had a solid understanding of what to do for several weeks now. So much that, I’ve been helping the other White belts practice. This is not your typical scenario where a White belt is teaching other White belts the Kata’s to become a Yellow belt, but I had no issues with it and the other White belts didn’t seem to mind (probably because I was older that most, and the only man doing them). This left me feeling very confident that I would successfully pass my Yellow belt test. Having to do them in-front of the whole group left me a little nervous, but I completed the required 2 Kata's with only 1 minor mistake.
Leading up to the test, Soki and the other Sensei’s started commenting on how many push-ups, sit-ups and squats we would need to complete to pass the test. Originally I had heard that 50 sit-ups were required to pass your yellow belt, but now we were hearing that it was 100. Nice to know 1 week before the test, especially since I had never really gone past 50 in any class. I originally thought it was Soki and the Sensei’s fooling with us, since they did conflict themselves on several occasions (no it’s 150... no it’s 75... no it’s 100...). Oh well, suck it up and move on. As for push-ups, the number 50 was correct, but this time you had to do them with a partner, where your partner would make a fist and hold it under your chest (on the ground) and you would have to lower yourself and touch it, to make it count. Again, none of this was relayed to us through the sessions, so this was a little harder than expected, but I managed to do it. After those were done, and my partner finished his, I did another 5 more on my knuckles for practice. Only Blue belts and higher are required to do their push-ups on their knuckles, but practicing now will only make them easier in the long run.
After all sit-ups and push-ups were completed, we moved on to techniques. Techniques are a series of moves (kinda like Kata's) where a fight situation is acted out and you actually throw your opponent around on a mat. The other difference between techniques and Kata's is that only those over 18 years of age learn them. In order to progress to your Yellow belt, 3 techniques must be demonstrated, which I did with ease. This was then followed up with several different kicks and finished off with 60 seconds of continuous punching (a mat held by your partner).
Our last test was to complete 100 squats. I heard on several occasions that we would have to do this as the last part of the test, but I never practiced them, nor did we do them during class. I figured I could muscle through them. Well, not so easily. I finished them, but my legs were done afterwards, so much, that it was difficult kneeling down as everybody was receiving their new belts.
Today, my chest and legs are sore, and I’m guessing that tomorrow will be more of the same (the 2nd day is always worse for some odd reason). In the end, my oldest daughter and I successfully completed our Yellow belt test, while speed skating daughter and son completed their ‘Peewee’ Yellow belt. The difference between a full Yellow and a Peewee Yellow belt is part age and only needing to learn 1 Kata. Speed skating daughter was not happy that she only had the opportunity to test for the ‘Peewee’ Yellow belt, as she learned the other Kata through me (at home) and was doing it fairly well. Unfortunately, Soki was not aware that she knew it and he felt she was not old enough to progress to the full belt, so in the end she will remain a half belt behind her big sister. Motivation for future belts I’m sure.
At this point, we have decided to take a 3-month break (length of the next session), but fully plan on returning in the spring. Having a few less activities during the months were getting out is not always the easiest and/or quickest thing to do, is a good thing.
More to follow in the spring.
In the meantime, enjoy the true meaning of “Dominating the Dojo” as brought to you by Kramer.
Kramer Karate Sessions
Since this is our first attempt at doing Karate, all 3 of my kids, and myself, are White belts. Understandable. For the past 6 weeks, the whole club has been working on getting ready to do this test. With the fact that the first few Kata’s are straight-forward and I’m athletically inclined, I’ve had a solid understanding of what to do for several weeks now. So much that, I’ve been helping the other White belts practice. This is not your typical scenario where a White belt is teaching other White belts the Kata’s to become a Yellow belt, but I had no issues with it and the other White belts didn’t seem to mind (probably because I was older that most, and the only man doing them). This left me feeling very confident that I would successfully pass my Yellow belt test. Having to do them in-front of the whole group left me a little nervous, but I completed the required 2 Kata's with only 1 minor mistake.
Leading up to the test, Soki and the other Sensei’s started commenting on how many push-ups, sit-ups and squats we would need to complete to pass the test. Originally I had heard that 50 sit-ups were required to pass your yellow belt, but now we were hearing that it was 100. Nice to know 1 week before the test, especially since I had never really gone past 50 in any class. I originally thought it was Soki and the Sensei’s fooling with us, since they did conflict themselves on several occasions (no it’s 150... no it’s 75... no it’s 100...). Oh well, suck it up and move on. As for push-ups, the number 50 was correct, but this time you had to do them with a partner, where your partner would make a fist and hold it under your chest (on the ground) and you would have to lower yourself and touch it, to make it count. Again, none of this was relayed to us through the sessions, so this was a little harder than expected, but I managed to do it. After those were done, and my partner finished his, I did another 5 more on my knuckles for practice. Only Blue belts and higher are required to do their push-ups on their knuckles, but practicing now will only make them easier in the long run.
After all sit-ups and push-ups were completed, we moved on to techniques. Techniques are a series of moves (kinda like Kata's) where a fight situation is acted out and you actually throw your opponent around on a mat. The other difference between techniques and Kata's is that only those over 18 years of age learn them. In order to progress to your Yellow belt, 3 techniques must be demonstrated, which I did with ease. This was then followed up with several different kicks and finished off with 60 seconds of continuous punching (a mat held by your partner).
Our last test was to complete 100 squats. I heard on several occasions that we would have to do this as the last part of the test, but I never practiced them, nor did we do them during class. I figured I could muscle through them. Well, not so easily. I finished them, but my legs were done afterwards, so much, that it was difficult kneeling down as everybody was receiving their new belts.
Today, my chest and legs are sore, and I’m guessing that tomorrow will be more of the same (the 2nd day is always worse for some odd reason). In the end, my oldest daughter and I successfully completed our Yellow belt test, while speed skating daughter and son completed their ‘Peewee’ Yellow belt. The difference between a full Yellow and a Peewee Yellow belt is part age and only needing to learn 1 Kata. Speed skating daughter was not happy that she only had the opportunity to test for the ‘Peewee’ Yellow belt, as she learned the other Kata through me (at home) and was doing it fairly well. Unfortunately, Soki was not aware that she knew it and he felt she was not old enough to progress to the full belt, so in the end she will remain a half belt behind her big sister. Motivation for future belts I’m sure.
At this point, we have decided to take a 3-month break (length of the next session), but fully plan on returning in the spring. Having a few less activities during the months were getting out is not always the easiest and/or quickest thing to do, is a good thing.
More to follow in the spring.
In the meantime, enjoy the true meaning of “Dominating the Dojo” as brought to you by Kramer.
Kramer Karate Sessions
She might be getting it
With
my work schedule and the fact that we live 1 hr from the speed skating
club, we don’t always make it on time to do some off-ice training before
the practice session begins. This past week was one of those weeks, I
knew that beforehand, so I asked my daughter, last Monday, if she wanted
to go do some off-ice training to make up for it. She was eager to do
so, and her brother and sister wanted to join us. I tried convincing my wife to walk while we did our thing, but she made other plans. Maybe next time.
The location we went to is frequently used by people for indoor walking, so I expected some people to already be there. I informed my kids that they need to pay attention to the others around, and to stay on the outer edge of the walkway when running, and on the inside edge when walking. The walkway is marked accordingly, but it doesn’t hurt to re-iterate the fact to the kids. Show respect, get respect.
We started off with 1 lap walking and the followed it up with 1 lap light jog. During the jog, speed skating daughter stayed in front with a faster than I wanted pace. Her older sister had problems keeping up, and I had to keep calling out to her to slow down. My son would start off in a full run and then stop after about 20 seconds, so I would walk with him until he was ready to start up again. We did that until the lap was complete.
We followed that up with crossover runs, 1 full lap. I made them face one way for half the lap and then face the other way for the second half, so to work both legs evenly. For those that don’t know, a crossover run is when you face 90 degrees from the direction you are going and you start running sideways. Instead of side stepping, your back leg crosses over in front of your front leg and then behind your front leg. Essentially your hips are doing a twist while you run. It really teaches balance while improving your push-off strength. The point of this one is to start off slow and increase your speed as you become comfortable. Speed skating daughter is getting pretty good at this one, while the other 2 kept getting confused on their stepping.
After that, we did a 3 step kick drill. I encouraged my kids to start off walking and once they got the motion, to try it while jogging. Speed skating daughter took this as more of a jog with the occasional kick, and since she was too far ahead (due to me sticking with my son), I could not correct her. Oldest daughter was getting it while walking, but had some difficulty doing it while jogging. With time they will all get it.
Next up was stairs. The good thing about where we were doing our exercise is that in each corner of the “track” there are 2 flights of stairs. My suggestion was to walk to the corner, do a flight of stairs and then continue walking, repeating at each corner. By the time my son and I reached the first set of stairs, speed skating daughter was done (she kinda ran to the stairs), so I told her to do a 2nd set, which she did happily. On the following corner set of stairs, I suggested she try to do them using crossovers. I also asked that she hold on to the railing so to no fall. Again, she did them two times and only commented that it was hard, but she was still happy. For the 3rd corner set, I ask that she hop up each stair with both feet at the same time. Again, two times with a smile. The last set were done normally and again she wanted to do them two times. It’s hard to say no when she asks if she could do them again.
By this time everybody was getting tired, but I didn’t think we were done, so I asked if they could do 1 more thing. Other than speed skating daughter, a few groans came out. This time I suggested a slow jog around the track with each step over extended to the side. This drill really works on your push off as you focus more on going side to side instead of directly forward. I have to say, this was much harder than expected.
At the end of that lap, speed skating daughter wanted to do a fast lap, while the other two were getting tired. I said OK and told her to keep going until the lap was done, but I would stay with the other 2. Oldest daughter tried to keep up with speed skating daughter, but you could tell that that wasn’t going to happen. Speed skating daughter was becoming faster and had more endurance than her older sister. When I commented on that a little later on, at home, speed skating daughter was all smiles (yes she is very competitive with her sister and brother).
We finished off the training with a cool-down walking lap, and all 3 mentioned that their hearts were beating fast, but all still felt good. My heart rate was definitely up as well.
If anyone is interested in some off-ice training exercises, the Midland Speed Skating Club offers some good ideas, with training videos. Check them out.
Since our off-ice training session, I’ve been encouraging speed skating daughter to work on doing crossovers. She said to me that she wants to wait until next year before trying, but last practice found her giving them a try on several occasions.
I think she is getting it.
The location we went to is frequently used by people for indoor walking, so I expected some people to already be there. I informed my kids that they need to pay attention to the others around, and to stay on the outer edge of the walkway when running, and on the inside edge when walking. The walkway is marked accordingly, but it doesn’t hurt to re-iterate the fact to the kids. Show respect, get respect.
We started off with 1 lap walking and the followed it up with 1 lap light jog. During the jog, speed skating daughter stayed in front with a faster than I wanted pace. Her older sister had problems keeping up, and I had to keep calling out to her to slow down. My son would start off in a full run and then stop after about 20 seconds, so I would walk with him until he was ready to start up again. We did that until the lap was complete.
We followed that up with crossover runs, 1 full lap. I made them face one way for half the lap and then face the other way for the second half, so to work both legs evenly. For those that don’t know, a crossover run is when you face 90 degrees from the direction you are going and you start running sideways. Instead of side stepping, your back leg crosses over in front of your front leg and then behind your front leg. Essentially your hips are doing a twist while you run. It really teaches balance while improving your push-off strength. The point of this one is to start off slow and increase your speed as you become comfortable. Speed skating daughter is getting pretty good at this one, while the other 2 kept getting confused on their stepping.
After that, we did a 3 step kick drill. I encouraged my kids to start off walking and once they got the motion, to try it while jogging. Speed skating daughter took this as more of a jog with the occasional kick, and since she was too far ahead (due to me sticking with my son), I could not correct her. Oldest daughter was getting it while walking, but had some difficulty doing it while jogging. With time they will all get it.
Next up was stairs. The good thing about where we were doing our exercise is that in each corner of the “track” there are 2 flights of stairs. My suggestion was to walk to the corner, do a flight of stairs and then continue walking, repeating at each corner. By the time my son and I reached the first set of stairs, speed skating daughter was done (she kinda ran to the stairs), so I told her to do a 2nd set, which she did happily. On the following corner set of stairs, I suggested she try to do them using crossovers. I also asked that she hold on to the railing so to no fall. Again, she did them two times and only commented that it was hard, but she was still happy. For the 3rd corner set, I ask that she hop up each stair with both feet at the same time. Again, two times with a smile. The last set were done normally and again she wanted to do them two times. It’s hard to say no when she asks if she could do them again.
By this time everybody was getting tired, but I didn’t think we were done, so I asked if they could do 1 more thing. Other than speed skating daughter, a few groans came out. This time I suggested a slow jog around the track with each step over extended to the side. This drill really works on your push off as you focus more on going side to side instead of directly forward. I have to say, this was much harder than expected.
At the end of that lap, speed skating daughter wanted to do a fast lap, while the other two were getting tired. I said OK and told her to keep going until the lap was done, but I would stay with the other 2. Oldest daughter tried to keep up with speed skating daughter, but you could tell that that wasn’t going to happen. Speed skating daughter was becoming faster and had more endurance than her older sister. When I commented on that a little later on, at home, speed skating daughter was all smiles (yes she is very competitive with her sister and brother).
We finished off the training with a cool-down walking lap, and all 3 mentioned that their hearts were beating fast, but all still felt good. My heart rate was definitely up as well.
If anyone is interested in some off-ice training exercises, the Midland Speed Skating Club offers some good ideas, with training videos. Check them out.
Since our off-ice training session, I’ve been encouraging speed skating daughter to work on doing crossovers. She said to me that she wants to wait until next year before trying, but last practice found her giving them a try on several occasions.
I think she is getting it.
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Another meet
Spent Saturday past at another speed skating meet with my daughter. Here’s a recap of what happened.
This meet was organized differently than our previous meet. Instead of ladder format, the kids would skate 2 separate distances (222m and 111m), bracketed by age, and randomly put into skating groups. The winner of each skating group, followed by a few other skaters (based on best time posted) would skate in the age bracket’s ‘A’ final, with the remaining skaters skating in the the ‘B’ and ‘C’ finals. Each skater would receive points based on where they finished, and both race point totals added together to finalize a ranking for the day. This meant, depending on how she would finish, she had an opportunity to winner some awards. A little motivation for her.
The day started off early as her group was the first to be on the ice. Her first race was the 222m (or 2 laps) and as soon as the gun went off, she fell. She managed to get up quickly and still posted a decent time, finishing 7th overall for her age bracket. This meant she would not skate in the ‘A’ finals. In the ‘B’ final they had 6 skaters (normally there is only 4) and right at the first corner, several of the skaters became tangled and my daughter fell (along with 2 other skaters). It took her a few extra seconds to get back up and she ended up finishing next to last in the group, 10th overall. At the time we were not aware that ribbons were given out to the top 8 finishers. We only found out later when her skating friend from our club (coach’s daughter) ended up finishing 8th overall and she received a ribbon. You could see a little disappointment on my daughters face, so I mentioned if she skated well (and didn’t fall) in her next race, she would have a chance to receive a ribbon.
After lunch, the kids went out for the 111m (1 lap) race. This time she had a good result, finishing 2nd in her group, 7th overall. That left her in the ‘B’ final, but this time, the ‘B’ final only had 4 skaters (with 4 in the ‘A’ final), guaranteeing her a top 8 finish and a ribbon (so I figured). Her friend was also in the same ‘B’ final. She was happy with the thought that she might win a ribbon, but she also commented on how she wanted to beat her friend, since her friend now held the advantage 3 to 2. One thing that really stood out for me between the first 111m race and the finals was that both girls were really interested in watching the older kids skate. During the morning break, both girls wanted to colour and play, but not in the afternoon. To me, that is a sign of someone who wants to learn and become better. I then mentioned to both girls, that they should watch how the older kids do their crossovers, and how it makes them faster. Need to keep planting the seed.
The ‘B’ finals went smoothly for all skaters and my daughter ended up finishing 7th, with a time slightly slower than her previous race. Her friend finished 8th, making their little competition tied again. Overall, she was happy with her results, other than falling, and she came home (early than our other meet) with a ribbon that listed her name, finishing position, and time. Winning something is always a huge encouragement to do better, especially when her friend won 2 ribbons to her 1.
On a side note, my daughter ended up finishing 9th overall (out of 11) for the day, based on the points she received from her 222m race and her 111m race, while her friend finished 8th. Everybody starts off somewhere, now to see if she can improve.
This meet was organized differently than our previous meet. Instead of ladder format, the kids would skate 2 separate distances (222m and 111m), bracketed by age, and randomly put into skating groups. The winner of each skating group, followed by a few other skaters (based on best time posted) would skate in the age bracket’s ‘A’ final, with the remaining skaters skating in the the ‘B’ and ‘C’ finals. Each skater would receive points based on where they finished, and both race point totals added together to finalize a ranking for the day. This meant, depending on how she would finish, she had an opportunity to winner some awards. A little motivation for her.
The day started off early as her group was the first to be on the ice. Her first race was the 222m (or 2 laps) and as soon as the gun went off, she fell. She managed to get up quickly and still posted a decent time, finishing 7th overall for her age bracket. This meant she would not skate in the ‘A’ finals. In the ‘B’ final they had 6 skaters (normally there is only 4) and right at the first corner, several of the skaters became tangled and my daughter fell (along with 2 other skaters). It took her a few extra seconds to get back up and she ended up finishing next to last in the group, 10th overall. At the time we were not aware that ribbons were given out to the top 8 finishers. We only found out later when her skating friend from our club (coach’s daughter) ended up finishing 8th overall and she received a ribbon. You could see a little disappointment on my daughters face, so I mentioned if she skated well (and didn’t fall) in her next race, she would have a chance to receive a ribbon.
After lunch, the kids went out for the 111m (1 lap) race. This time she had a good result, finishing 2nd in her group, 7th overall. That left her in the ‘B’ final, but this time, the ‘B’ final only had 4 skaters (with 4 in the ‘A’ final), guaranteeing her a top 8 finish and a ribbon (so I figured). Her friend was also in the same ‘B’ final. She was happy with the thought that she might win a ribbon, but she also commented on how she wanted to beat her friend, since her friend now held the advantage 3 to 2. One thing that really stood out for me between the first 111m race and the finals was that both girls were really interested in watching the older kids skate. During the morning break, both girls wanted to colour and play, but not in the afternoon. To me, that is a sign of someone who wants to learn and become better. I then mentioned to both girls, that they should watch how the older kids do their crossovers, and how it makes them faster. Need to keep planting the seed.
The ‘B’ finals went smoothly for all skaters and my daughter ended up finishing 7th, with a time slightly slower than her previous race. Her friend finished 8th, making their little competition tied again. Overall, she was happy with her results, other than falling, and she came home (early than our other meet) with a ribbon that listed her name, finishing position, and time. Winning something is always a huge encouragement to do better, especially when her friend won 2 ribbons to her 1.
On a side note, my daughter ended up finishing 9th overall (out of 11) for the day, based on the points she received from her 222m race and her 111m race, while her friend finished 8th. Everybody starts off somewhere, now to see if she can improve.
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