22. Cross Rolls: Forward Cross Rolls

We're at Xenia No Lake, two-time U.S. national competitors whose goal is to make Team USA and represent the U.S. in international competitions. We'll share with you what we learned along the way, so let's make this journey together. We're here at Lake Placid, New York, competing our short dance and our free dance. You can actually see the lake behind us, and currently we're taking a break in between competitions. We made a video for you guys, so check it out. We're also making a video of our adventures here, so check that out as well. Hi, everyone. Today, we're going to be showing you some skating exercises that involve cross rolls. Slow cross rolls and fast cross rolls. Let's do it. When learning to do forward cross rolls with a partner, it's easiest to do them to a slow tempo, in hand-in-hand, or in hand-to-shoulder hold. As always, press and bend the knee and ankle of the foot you're skating on before you stroke. Maintain a strong hold and keep your arms in line and parallel to the short boards. Skate through your partner. Check the shoulder opposite of your free leg back. Don't let it stick out. Your shoulder should face the short boards. Don't twist them to face the long boards. Doing fast forward cross rolls is usually done in the foxtrot hold, like in the paso doble. Remember to place your skate on a deep edge right away. A common mistake is to place your skate on a shallow edge, then to press your skate over to a deeper edge. Don't do that. Set your cross rolls on deep edges right away. Maintain a strong hold. Don't stick your butt out, and don't let a gap form between the two of you. Thanks for watching!