Trampoline update

Well, I had three weeks break as everyone else headed off to Vic for nationals. It was devastating for me not to be there. I had a good look at the photos though, and it was sad that I wasn't there in them. I found my age group photos...looked at all my teammates...but what change occurred was that I shouldn't need to continue looking at the photos. That's not going to achieve anything. I'm well capable of making it and I should've been there: so let's get working to make sure I will be there.

Training started last week...I wasn't even sure if I was going back. I'm not going to National Clubs, which was another setback - I was keen to go, it was at SASI so I wanted to prove myself there, as well as amend my history at Nat Clubs. It was going to be my last competition - I wanted to finish off one more competition season this year, and I decided after state I couldn't stop, so I'd end in September. But I went anyway...there's a few smaller competitions, and I can still qualify for next year. I didn't even know what I would do if I did qualify for next year's nationals...

But I went anyway. Man, it was CRAZY. Absolutely no set/vol/routine work. No doubles. We've just been working new skills for a week and a half - and crazy new skills (well, intermediate/advanced doubles). Have been doing soo much cruising, and so many individual skills. No hard and difficult drills, not alot of saults in a row. Highlights:
Monday we did 10 of every sault (so of course as a joke we got up and did front sault tuck, front sault pike...teehee, Nando and I played until our head coach gave us a stern look :D). Then twisting drills all night, just played, it was so much fun. Cat twists (as many in a row as you could do), double cat twists (I almost kicked my coach, oops), triple cat twists (crazily and neatly done by Jas); corkscrews...heck that was funny, oh my goodness, I'm so the worst at front cruising, I haven't done lots of it at all. But it was funny. I love that skill. It combines the funnest stuff, rotation and twisting. I found letting myself "fling" back up first before twisting helped :D;
Then FULL TWISTING REBOUND was next. Oh my gosh. I was freaking out at that one. 3/4 of us had never done that (J competes full half). And I was pretty much concerned that I would be landing on my head. I may be full twist front queen (I am. Blind landings are my thing), but seriously. There's no other way to learn this skill other than to just do it. Sure it helps to work barani cruise ducks in the pit, but it doesn't take the fact away that you need to be able to do it. So I decide to just go for it. Did the crash dive, then just pulled after I landed - and I did it! Fully rotated, and fully twisted! I couldn't believe it. I did two more (and they got worse and scarier), but hey, it was something the others didn't manage to achieve :D (only because they're always better than me). Poor lemming, she hurt her back doing this and is now on strength training for forever and ever and ever.
Ok, what else I'm up to:
Half in half out (HIHO)...I actually did one in the pit last Wednesday! I've been working on arabian crash dives in the past (tuck/kick out). Wednesday I went to do that, but kept on 1 & 3'ing every one :D And not on purpose, either! They're getting a lot better - I'm spotting at the takeoff the wall (at 9 o'clock), which I know is right, and I know I still turn early (but I think I always will, unless HC spends a lot of time with me re-teaching), but I'm not spotting the foam until 6 o'clock - far too late (I'm pretty sure). That doesn't matter in terms of I know I'm always completing 180* of twist, but it does matter because in HIHO it's so important to spot the end of the tramp and keep in contact. They're one skill you don't want to get lost in :D
So I started rotating better (need to work on the snap and set of rotation), I just twisted the extra 1/2 around at the end :D I was happy. I can't wait to put them onto tramp, I really like this skill. So many people have trouble with it or think it's hard, but it's not. However...
Today we had to do HIHO drills on tramp (so for me arabian crash dive). The first one, oh my gosh, I really really could've hurt myself - I wasn't even that high. But I went up, spotted at 9 o'clock (which I haven't really done on tramp much - that's more pit tramp where I developed that), and then turned to the LEFT. I twist RIGHT. When I first started tramp, I twisted left. I even learnt baranis to the left. But I'm ambi-twisterous (can dbl turn both ways), so I chose right, and consequently learnt everything to the right. But I learnt all my aeroplanes to the left (1/2 turn to stomach), and I still can't do it as well to the right as I can the left. So I realised I was turning the wrong way, and I tried to stop my rotation (I'd only done a 1/4 twist) - my coach pushed the mat under, and I crashed onto the mat on my shoulder. I hurt my back a little bit, only a little bit of pain for the rest of the night - we'll see in a few whether it's actually injured (most likely pulled muslces) if it still hurts.
So the next 5 were just baby ones, turned really early, not fully extended - just to make sure I wasn't going to become a COMPLETE headcase and lose them and freak out. The last one I did - I'd started spotting the end wall at 9 oclock again, and somtehing went wrong halfway through - I think I wasn't sure if I'd rotate enough, becuase I remember going "shit" halfway through.
But in the pit I did 5 arabians with tuck/kickouts - they were all fine, spotted, rotated - so I think a fear of being on the trampoline instead of fluffy foam.
Full in half out (FIHO). Oh my goodness. HC asked me to do these in the pit on Monday. So I'm great at barani, cruise (1/4 turn). Then the next part is 1/4 turn, spot, duck. Sounds simple...but I've invented many, many different ways you can now land on your head. So I thought after Monday's failing attempts to spot and duck she'd leave this skill...but no. Wednesday. AND Friday. Sheesh. For every 5 I do, I phase one correctly. But ooooowwww...man, it hurts. And I get so burried. And I know she's having me work this hard so I can do this as my forwards double instead of rudi out (because I don't know what ability she sees in me to do this, but she's still persisting), because of my royal suckage at rudis, but still, I'd RATHER be working rudi outs. They're going to be WAY easier to get. I've had a small play at them.
Full out (FO S). Did a few drills for back cruise duck. Simple. I've always been good at getting exact degrees of twist around, and staying square. I think the phasing of this skill will never be a worry, and that I will pick up this skill quickly. The only problems hindering this skill is I can't do a back cruise duck of a 3/4 back (can't cody), and my double lays need work first (they're still archy). I wouldn't need this skill on tramp for a while (but would love to couple it with a full in...let's go full full tucked, then full full straight :D), after I get my ROs, HIHO, 6 doubles in a row, etc.

I think that's it for what in particular I'm working on...haven't done a lot of doubles lately, just putting somersaults together and standing everything up and being consistant is hard as of now. Everyone's just been really sick (don't you love it when you all train together and share the cold); I've had a stomach ailing and I haven't been able to eat much. We're all still getting back into the swing of things, and I'm so glad that training is still 'easy' (even though small bits of routine work has crept in and there's nothing easy about off-season training and putting crazy skills on tramp).
For my comp in a month, I'll be competing vol only, and I hope to do an easy vol of...
1. HO P
2. b/s T
3. bar T
4. DB T
5. bar S
6. FTB
7. rudi
8. b/s S
9. bar P
10. DB P.
DD 8.0

(There's normally also a HO T in there; eventually DB P will move up and a full in, HIHO, or dbl lay/full out will go as last skill). Also hope at some point to fix my DTB.