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Entry # 1
Journal entry made by Jenna on Saturday, October 13, 2007 at 13:43:02 (MDT)
By writing in my Journal I hope to give people who come to visit my website a look into my world and the sport of Figure Skating.
After I won the 2006 Israel National Figure Skating Junior Ladies Champion title I was so excited about skating Internationally and representing Israel. The first Junior Grand Prix I was awarded was Courcheval, France. My coach Priscilla Hill was not able to attend due to prior commitments with Johnny Weir at the time, so my other coach Rose Willard went with me. For my first JGP and not knowing what to expect I didn't do too bad, but I didn't do that great. I got 7th in the Short and 9th in the Long and finished 10th overall, figure that out?
When we came home is when I started having some MAJOR boot problems. November I started Physical Therapy for an injury to my landing foot. I was in PT 3 times a week until the morning I left for European Youth Olympic Festival in Spain and Junior Worlds in Germany. The month before leaving for EYOF and Junior Worlds I was on limited skating of only 20 minutes of a 40 minute session 3 x a day and no jumping was allowed. I also was not allowed to do any lower body workout.
We all knew something was wrong, but no one could figure out was it was. It all had to do with the boots and especially with
my right boot. Returning from Junior Worlds I went back to see my Physical Therapists and found out that my posterior tibial tendon had detached from my navicular bone at the point of insertion-ouch!
My year end break from skating was spent in Physical Therapy. A month of daily PT getting my tendon back to where it belonged without having to have surgery was the goal for all of us. In May after having gone through 9 pairs of boots in 8 months Priscilla told my mom to take me to Mike Cunningham at Skaters Paradise, because if anyone could figure out what was going on it would be Mike.
When we went to see Mike we took along ALL the boots I had been in for him to see. After Mike fitted me for a pair of boots he went to transfer my blades and he looked at me and said, "You can't skate with your blades like this, no wonder you have been injured, your right blade on your landing foot is bent." We looked at the bottoms of all the boots and the bent blade was being transferred onto every pair of boots, which was the reason why I got so injured. Then Mike looked at the hollow for the sharpening and told me that I had 2 different hollows in the bent blade (it changed by the bend) and a totally different hollow on my left blade-duhhh no wonder I had such problems!
When I came into the rink with my new skates on Monday, Priscilla said she was so happy because she hadn't seen THIS Jenna in almost a year and we both laughed. We decided to get "new" programs to go with my "new" skates for a "new" year of competitions. Denis Petukhov and Melissa Gregory became my choreographers and I love working with them. Melissa also helped Stephanie Handler my dressmaker with the designs for my new costumes. 3 years ago I skated to a beautiful piece of music "Cristoforis' Dream" for my Novice Short Program. I wanted to skate to it again and I asked if it could be re-cut to a Senior/Junior Short Program. Denis choreographed it, Melissa put the finishing touches on it, and it has to be one of the most delicate and beautiful programs I have ever skated. After finishing my Short program Denis decided that I needed a "new" long. Something that would work better for me than the Bond "Libertango". He knew I wanted "Libertango" and he found an awesome piece of music
and then he cut it for me to Senior/Junior Long Programs.
I have to admit he was so right and this new "Libertango" is exactly what he said it would be-it's me!
My summer was going great. I was getting my old triples (toe, sal, flip, lutz) back and doing them in combo. We were starting on loop, my programs were going great. I was even talking about doing triple toe-triple toe like I used to do.
I was taking Drivers Ed and getting my driver's license what more could I ask for! I knew this coming season would be a chance for me to redeem myself and show everyone the "old" Jenna was back. I was so excited as was everyone else!
Monday morning July 23 I woke up and couldn't move. I had done something to my back when I was asleep. I went to the Dr. and was diagnosed with major back spasms and went into PT again. I had to sleep in a sort of brace-corset to keep my back and hips aligned so as not to twist and torque my back. Priscilla joked that I had to be the only skater she ever knew that could injure herself while she slept. I am so unique.
I was competing in the 2007 Hershey Open the week before Israel Nationals and we decided that I would only do the Short Program. I did my new Senior Ladies Short and landed 3flip-2toe, 2 loop, 2axel, flying sit spin, straight-line footwork, spirals, combo spin, and won. My new white dress wasn't finished
yet, so I wore the blue beaded dress that Johnny Weir had
designed for me when I first skated to this music 3 years ago
when it was my Novice Short Program. The next week we left for Israel and my dressmaker Stephanie Handler finished my
new white dress that Melissa Gregory had designed for my short program, I was very happy!
In Israel my back was bothering me while I was skating, but I had to get through it. During my Short program it got worse and in the middle of my Long program my back gave out and went out. When we came home on Sunday I was in PT on Monday, because Wednesday we were leaving for the JGP in Lake Placid, NY. I love skating up in Lake Placid and was so looking forward to going there. Tuesday I had to leave the rink and go get x-rays and an MRI. I landed a double axel and then I couldn't walk. I got fitted for my back brace and am out for the season-BOO-HOO-HOO  !!!!!!!
I can look on the bright side of all of this, at least when I come back on the ice I have skates and blades that work correctly now  !!!!! I have gone through the first month of wearing the hard white brace 24/7 and doing absolutely nothing. I am in Physical Therapy daily and I am now wearing the black bioskin support brace all the time, except when I sleep then I go back into the yucky hard white one !
After 1 month of PT I will be allowed to S-L-O-W-L-Y come back to skating. I am so looking forward to getting back on the ice and I can't wait
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