Sunday was just amazing. I was so proud of Chico and how in just a short few days really he worked hard and delivered a good skate like he did on Sunday. He has been such a pleasure to work with as he is very determined to learn to skate and learn to skate correctly. So, in the time together it has not been an easy road. But, as I learned with Johnson last year. With a lot of heart and determination it can take you a long way if you want it to.

It was a great feeling to get the reaction from the judges and from the crowd. But, just as quickly as we were enjoying the moment on Sunday. Bam, we are back into another week and it is going by ever so quickly too. It is movie week so we are pretty excited about the movie we got and the song has to be one of my favorites. I can tell you more about a story behind the song after Sunday because it is confidential information just yet as to what movie we have and if I told you I would have to kill you. LOL as they say. But, overall it is going pretty good. The hard part is we are still learning about one another, he is getting use to skating and the basics and we are thrown another routine to get together for Sunday. But, we are both enjoying what we are doing so that is I think half the battle.

Today is our last day of training before the weekend begins again so I am quite excited to go in and put the finishing touches on the routine and put some miles on it. I think those of us that are in week 2 have had the harder job just yet as those in week 1 that went through have had two weeks with their routine. We have just only had the 4 days so it makes it a little more challenging for us but then again it makes us stronger in a way to. Because you have no choice it must be done so we don’t make excuses and just get it done. If we are lucky enough to get through to week 4 that is when it will become more interesting I think as there will start to be twists and turns to the show and everyone has only the 4 days to put together their new routine. So, hopefully Sunday goes well and we will be in for the excitement that begins with the show.

Well have a great day everyone, I will post the link for you for last Sunday’s performance that we did to Wild Thing in week # 1.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SnU8kUw_AMc&feature=share

I have to go to training now so I must get ready to go!

Enjoy your weekend everyone, I am looking forward to it and the challenge!

Cheers, Jodeyne

Hi everyone, hope that you are having a great week so far and that you enjoyed your weekend.

For me it has been so busy since I last wrote and I apologize for taking so long to fill you in on the latest news with me.

This past weekend was really busy. It was the opening weekend for Dancing on Ice season 7. I have to say “wow” what a weekend it was. Chico and I were not in the first group of couples to compete as you know we just got together due to Chesney’s broken leg. So, we were just in the skate on. But, still that meant we were in the Studio for the long hours learning how the show was going to flow and also I was there to perform in the fabulous opening number with Sean and also the other professionals in the show and of course Chris and Jane. We skated to Lady GaGa’s “The Edge”. It went over really well. I think it had to be one of the most jam packed fun numbers we have done in quite a while. It was a really interesting process how we pieced it together to get the effects that you saw on tv. I would love to tell you but it would give away some television secrets but from our stand point being involved what a pleasure to be in a production like that and to watch back the result. Incredible!!!! If you get a chance to see it on You Tube you can find me pretty easy as I am the one that is wearing the blue wig! It can not be missed. Also, another fun fact is the spins at the end of the number lasted for over 30 seconds. I think it has to be, well is the longest spinning lift that Sean and I have ever done. I have to say when I was put down to the ice after the pyro went off I have never been so dizzy. You don’t have to pay for a ride at the fair when you can do tricks like that with your husband. But, overall and amazing number to be apart of.

The night continued on and it was time for us to go live to tv and therefore it was the skate on with Chico. He was so excited and so happy to be apart of the show. He is really embracing every moment and every experience that is apart of the show. It is so amazing to live the experience of the show through his eyes as he just feels so blessed to be there and is trying to enjoy every moment even it is is long days. There is no complaining from him at all. Our skate on went so great. It was a lot of fun to be back on the tele. The show peaked at 9.9 million people so pretty neat to say that many people were watching us at some point. We then had to go and sit on the benches and cheer on the other skaters. I have to say I was really nervous but yet excited as well because Sean and Chemmy would be skating tonight. I would prefer to be out on the ice with him than watch. It is so hard. If that is what it is like for a parent or family to watch their child or if that is what it was like for my mom and dad to watch me skate when I was competing I do not know how they did it. You can only wish them well and send positive thoughts and then from there it is out of your control.

They skated 5th in the competition and did really well. They were both so full of energy and lit up the ice with their performance. I am so proud of the two of them. She is doing so well overcoming her fears and you can see each time they get on the ice together she is gaining more confidence in what she is doing, and it was so great as she was one of the only skaters to skate on her own in the performance. Something that I think is key with the celebrities. Easy to skate when you are being held up but when you let go of your partner and show that confidence that is for sure something I like to see.  The results show came and I have to say that is the worst part of the show. I wish that everyone would get to stay but that does not make good television they say. But, they made it. Their names were the third ones called. What a relief as you never know even though they ended up second on the judges leader board how the public is going to vote. So, I was thrilled to see Sean make it through to the next round as last year he was out in week number one.

Now, that leaves Chico and I what have we been up to since we met!

Well, we did not get much training time on the weekend as the main focus what the show and the skate on for us. So, we got back to work on our routine on Tuesday as Monday was a day off for us. We had a really great day. Tried to start to go over all of the basics on his skating skills and trying to refine things as we go. We do not have time to mess around so it is down to business with us right now. But, I have to say in all of that business there is quite a lot of laughter too. He is working so hard, is so devoted to his skating, he is a pleasure to work with.  He is like a sponge trying to take in everything we say and is trying so hard with every step to apply it into his skating. In the two days of training that we now have had this week so far he is learning so so much! We have got our routine down together and each time we run it we are getting more comfortable with each other. It is not easy for anyone to change partners in the professional world but here you have someone who has no skating experience and we are asking him to in such a short time to be prepared like he has been doing it for weeks.

It is such a joy. I think he is just embracing every moment of this opportunity he has which is making it for me a lot of fun. He just does not stop smiling and that is so contagious. I went home on both Tuesday and Wednesday so tired out and that take a lot. He is a positive ball of energy and it makes me want to keep working to keep up to him. What is interesting as well as he loves to have input about what he likes and dislikes too, so you can tell he wants to look the best he can!

So, there you have it. A quick update on the weekend and the week so far. We are heading in for some more practice time today in the Studio so we are looking forward to that. Yesterday it was so cute as we were there for the first time. He said wow, it is so nice in here and different and big and look they are filming me. I said yes, we will have that most days now. He was so excited as he said that he was only filmed 3 times in 6 weeks before. I am so proud of him. He is just loving it all and taking notice of all the small things that most of us might take for granted. It opens my eyes again to those things and it is exciting and new all over again for me. I am looking forward to Sunday and getting the chance to show off our hard work and smiles that are going a long with it. Even though it has only been a short time together, we are making every minute count.

Off to practice now for me and then dinner tonight at Chesney’s house. Then one more day of hard work before the weekend begins! So excited!

Have a great day everyone!

Cheers, Jodeyne

It was a pretty emotional greeting as the two of us were pretty upset losing Chesney in the competition but then again it was exciting for Chico as he was getting a chance to show his stuff now and join the DOI team. We got on the ice with one of our coaches Karen and Pippa the young lady that was partnering Chico in case he had to go into the show. We had a pretty good first session together. I will admit I think that Chico was a little overwhelmed at first as he just got back from Christmas break and never really expected he was going to get the call to do the show. But, then Chesney got hurt and he got the call and there he was all of a sudden with me on the ice. So, poor guy all of a sudden having a new partner, having to remember the steps to a routine and then having to tell me what to do and then sense the timing we would have together was a lot for him. But, overall he handled it really well. As we skated he was a little rough around the edges just yet but he is strong and so willing to try and work it is great and he has some good rhythm too. He has done really well considering he has not had the chance as of yet to have the same amount of formal training hours with the coaches so in my option hats off to him for embracing this all like he has.

We learned the routine or should I say I learned the routine and then we called it a night as it was pretty late and had been an emotional day for the both of us.

We met again today for a good two hour training session. This time we had one of our male coaches Mark there to help us so it was good because then he could help Chico with the male parts of the skating and smooth out some of his transitions and steps a little when he hold me. It was a very productive day and we got a lot of little things smoothed out for the routine.

There are a lot of little things that we need to work on but day by day we will chip away at what we need to do and we will be ready to go for next Sunday. This Sunday due to the lack of time we have been together the Production team have placed us in week 2 for the start week for us just to give us a couple more days to get use to each other. So, when you watch the tv on Sunday night and tune in we will just be doing the skate on at the top of the show.

We actually all got a chance to practice it today in the main rink and I think Chico and well all of the celebrities got pretty excited and  the whole experience started to feel real to them all. It was the first time they had all been together since our show and tell that we did before Christmas break and now this time they were all dressed in costumes, and were under the lights so I know they were getting excited that Sunday is finally the day.

So, overall the day went pretty good. It has been an enjoyable two days with Chico and I am looking forward to chatting with him and getting to know more about him the more we skate and train together. He is a lovely man and so well spoken it has been a real please to get to know him so far. I learned two things from him today that I am going to leave you with and that is you always must have in any situation a “PMA”. That is a positive mental attitude. The second is that in anything Chico and I do together it needs to be “ICP”. And to Chico and I that means in everything we do it needs to be “Its Chico Proof”. I will explain more about the second lesson more as we get into the show. But, for now we are having good fun and trying to make this experience we have been given together to share the best it can be.

Have a great night everyone. Tomorrow it is a long day in the Studio as it is dress rehearsal day before the big day on Sunday. Can’t wait. So must get to bed now to get my beauty sleep. My husband actually has beat me to bed and sleeping so softly. It is time for me to join him.

Cheers, Jodeyne

Hi everyone, so at the start if the week my DOI partner had what seemed like a small fall, but he ended up breaking his leg and has a badly sprained ankle. Sadly he will not be healed in time for series seven. So the reserve for the show Chico Slimani gets a bitter sweet moment and will now be in the show. So, I will now partner Chico. We just met last night and I learned the routine. He is lovely as well and we got along great. So, we are going to give it a good go. Considering we are now the underdogs with the least amount of time together we have nothing to lose. But, are for sure going to try to do it for Chesney and make him proud. Back on the ice with Chico today so will keep you all posted. Have a great day. Off to the studio soon get ready for the dhow opener on Sunday.

Cheers, Jodeyne

To recap, our year since the tour:

We went home for a short vacation in May back to our place in Florida. We had a lovely two weeks there seeing and enjoying the good company of our close friends and families. We also took on a project of fixing up our front walkway. We created a little paradise on the way into our home. We got new rocks for a small rock garden, Sean put in new landscape lighting which turned out amazing, put in new plants, and a new boarder to the walk way, and Sean also has planned to put in a waterfall once we are home again??? It looks amazing and it was a nice little reward to have the time to do it.

Then before you know it we were packing again and this time it would be for a few months on the Freedom of the Seas that is out of Port Canaveral, FL. It is a one of the largest Cruise Ships in the world and one of 10 ice rinks that are on a ship that are out to sea. We had a very talented group of skaters so it was a lot of fun doing the show with them. It was a fairly busy summer with the number of guests that came to cruise. I think over the entire summer and fall we were out to sea we had a total of  over 80,000 people cruising and over   70,000 people came to watch the show for the time we were there performing. It is always such a great experience to work at sea. You learn so much about not only just skating but also about life in general. How to manage yourself, deal with others, the importance of safety in your every day life and also at sea too. It is a great experience to cruise and I recommend if you ever have the chance and you have never cruised take on. There is nothing like being out on the open waters with nothing else around and feeling the warm sea breeze on your face. It is something that I do miss when I am on land for sure. But, then to be honest there are some parts about living on land that you just can’t get on a cruise ship too, like getting to cook your own meal. That is something that even though you think you would not miss it, there is something about being able to go into your own kitchen and grab and make something when you want. We finished up on the ship at the start of November. Sean left a few weeks before me as there was some illness in his family back home in Canada that he had to help with. So, I finished up my role there and said goodbye to ship life for this season and 2011.

We then had the unfortunate issue in our life to deal with. Our truck was stolen from a mall parking lot in Canada. Sean had went for dinner with his mom and when they came out to drive away there was no truck. So sadly, Sean had to break the news to me as I was still in Florida at the time. It was so sad as we had our truck which we called “The Beast” for 11 years. It had been with us since we were married and we even carried our own little stuff mascot inside that was called “Bones”. There has been no sight of it and it has been since that start of November so they say it will most likely never be found. It was unfortunate as even though it was an older truck Sean took such great care of it and it for sure did not look its age. It was in mint condition and just had undergone some new upgrades and a tune up. So someone is very lucky and got an early Christmas present as “The Beast” was ready to travel for another few miles yet. I do miss my truck. There is nothing like a little fart like me sitting up in a truck and driving it. Just love it. But, for now  no more truck

The middle of November saw us packing again and this time we would be heading back to England to start the 2012 series of Dancing on Ice. Well, we would be doing the training for series 7. We arrived and got straight to work meeting our new partners the day we flew in and then the training would begin for the next 6 weeks leading up until the Christmas break.

Sean was so pleased with his partner who at the time when we got here we could not say who we got. But, now as of yesterday we are able to talk about. Her name is Chemmy Alcott. She is a three time Olympic Skier for the UK. She is out this season due to suffering a broken leg in training. So, she is using Dancing on Ice as a way of rehabilitation for her skiing as her dream is to be the only person in UK history to attend 4 Olympics for skiing. If she manages that it will be something quite special. They are doing really well together and having a lot of fun. And as for all of you that read my blog last year about my experience with Johnson having fun and enjoying what you are doing is 1/2 the battle.

My partner for this years season is the “One and Only” Chesney Hawkes. He is a dad of three, unbelievable song writer and had the big pop hit back in the 90′s ” I am the One and Only” He has been super nice to work with as well and is picking up all the basic skills of skating so well. It is amazing really how much he absorbs in a two hour skating session and just how smooth his skating is getting. He has taken his wife and kids out so it is nice to see they have all learned new skill that they will be able to do for the rest of their lives together. We have a really fun routine and it is so cool to watch him get into the moves. He is such a perfectionist wanting each time he does it to be the best he can do it. He for sure does not like it when he does not do it as well as he thinks he should. But, right now I think he is doing just fine.

We had our show and tell before Christmas. That is where all of the Pros and the Celebrities get together and we show the production team and Chris and Jayne and all the coaches where we are all at with our routines before we break for Christmas. It was a great day. Finally nice to have the chance to meet everyone that was going to be in the show. Everyone is so lovely and for the most part everyone did really well with their show off. I think when you look at everyone it is the first time in a long time if I am going to be honest that there is no one that is going to run away with the competition. Everyone has a chance so it will be interesting how it all turns out once the series starts. But you can tell everyone had been working hard which is nice to see. There were a few falls and a couple of injuries but everyone did well and most of all you could tell everyone enjoyed the experience and that is the most important thing at the end of the day. We all took a group photo and then it was Christmas Break!

Then it was time to go home for the holidays and for Christmas to spend it with our families. Christmas Eve we spent with Sean’s mom and family and then on Christmas Day we were at my home in Stratford with my family. I was again very lucky this year as my sisters were home from work, my mom and dad were there, and then also my two grandmothers. My mom’s mother is 96 and my dad’s mom is 93 and my grandpa’s sister was also there and she is 94. So, pretty special to have three family members there at the table with us for Christmas Dinner. We are so fortunate. The most special part about the day that finished it all of was that it started to snow. We woke up Christmas morning and the ground was green. But, by the time we were finished with our dinner it was white all over the ground. I guess when I dreamed and wished for a white Christmas it came true. It was so magical to sit there and eat our dessert, which by the way was the best apple pie, watching the snow fall to the ground around all the Christmas lights. Truly Magical.

Then back to reality, we were packing again and this time it would be to come back to the other side of the pond to join everyone to get started for the series seven of Dancing on Ice. I really can not believe it starts this Sunday. The week is flying by. We got back two days before New Years. Had a great weekend and New Years with our friends here, and then Monday I was back at work learning some new moves for the opening number for the series and then yesterday all of the pros were back in together for the first time after the holidays to work on the opening number together with Chris and Jayne and then at the end of the night we found out which week we would be skating in. I can’t release which week we are in just yet but it is going to be exciting I can promise you that. And the opening number is going to be so cool!!! Lots of Fun!

So, yes the weekend will be here before you know it and until then we will all be putting the finishing touches on our routines and making those last minute adjustments to everything that needs to get done. Get ready everyone Dancing On Ice is back and we are all ready to go!  See you Sunday for the fun to begin.

There you have it, in a nut shell my year since DOI began a year ago. I wonder what new and exciting journeys and stories I will get to write about this year. Stay Tuned the excitement has just started.

Cheers, Jodeyne

The last I wrote you I was just getting over being quite ill at the start of the Dancing on Ice Tour that we had the pleasure of doing at the end of last years season with Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean. It was an amazing experience all around. The cast we had working together got along so great and the fun times we had both on and off the ice will stick with me for the rest of my life. The entire team of us really had such an incredible time from the pros, celebrities, coaches, Jane and Chris, costumers, stylists, ice conditioners, the people that provided us with our fantastic meals, production staff, lighting, sound, transportation, managers, etc and all those I have missed, it was so great working with you all and a true pleasure to be involved in something so professional and special. For those of you who had the pleasure of coming to see us all live in one of the cities and arenas in England thanks for coming to support the show. We also got to meet some of you after the shows to say hello and that was a highlight too. For those of you we missed hopefully we will get the chance to meet you again in the future if we are lucky enough. It was so great to go out on the ice night after night and show after show and see such a great turn out and to hear everyone cheering so loud just incredible. I have not had the chance to skate in such big arenas in the past few years so it was amazing to be back out there and feeling that kind of energy. It was such a “WOW” moment skating with Sean out there at the end of the show, being thrown in the air in all directions and listening to the reaction of the crowd. It was such a thrill to show England and the world what we really do. Another fun moment was doing the fours routine with our good friends Alex and Luc who were our flat mates for the series. A lovely couple and to get to share the ice with them at the same time and do what we love to do together will always be a special moment in time. You could almost hear a pin drop when we skated together in moments of our routine it was pretty cool.  And the next highlight on tour would definitely skating with Johnson knowing just how far he had come to get to where he was and then night after night see him continue to develop and gain even more confidence on the tour in his skating and also within himself.The reaction from the crowd when we skated out on to the ice was just memorable and to see the respect people have for this man. He did just so great. I will always be so proud of him in many ways and have gained a true friend for life. Having the opportunity to do the 2011 will always be one of the highlights of my skating career for the people we worked and shared the ice with and also the pure thrill of getting to skate like that with Sean.

After tour was over we were lucky enough to get to stay in England for a few days and visit friends so we did not have to head right back. We got the chance to do a little site seeing and see people that I had not had a chance to visit with when I was so busy on the tv series. So, it was good to catch up with friends. It is amazing how many special friends we have that live over here on this side of the pond We also took in a few West End shows. It was sure nice to be entertained by such quality performers and performances. Then our time was over here and we had to head back home to Florida as we would be joining the cruise ship for the summer. So, we had to say good bye to Johnson. It was pretty hard for Sean and I. He is like family now and it was sad to leave him behind. But, after thinking about it for a while I started to smile because we were leaving him in such a better place in his life and that he truly had his life back again and he was smiling. So, there is no better reward that to see someone smiling.

So, that pretty much sums up my tour experience and season 6 of Dancing on Ice. For sure it will always be tucked away in my heart as a very special moment in time in my life. I had an amazing time, got to do what I love to do and share it with my husband, and we both gained a life long new “brother from another mother”.

Cheers Everyone, Jodeyne

Updates are soon to follow, thanks for your patience.

Happy New Year

Jodeyne

Cheers, Jodeyne

The other special challenge about the semi-finals as well is that Johnson is going to have to perform a solo out of the ice all on his own. So, he not only has our number to perform but he has his own number too. I must say he has embraced the idea of getting a chance to perform on his own since the moment it was announced to us all last Sunday night. It is one thing that Johnson has always been proud of and that is he has learned throughout the entire show and training to feel confident that he can skate on his own. When we first started together it was one thing he always said let me get it on my own first and then I will do it with you. In as nice way he always said please do not touch me to myself and the coaches. Now, look at him! In fact, from the first week he really could have skated the routine on his own like Robin mentioned. So, I think he is just going to go out there and have fun with it and show everyone that he is capable of doing it. It has been amazing to watch him this week  process the information for his routine and step by step remember what he needs to do. It is a huge challenge for him to take on but he is going into it with determination and the such the right attitude. It makes me so proud. Even today when I was watching him in the dress rehearsal I teared up and when he was done he asked me why I was tearing up and if he was that bad and I said well other than me being a sap you just made me so proud to watch you go out there and just have fun with what you are doing. It was amazing to sit back and watch and not be able to help you and just experience I think what others are seeing in you and that is that determination you have inside yourself.

This week is Johnson’s special week. It was 6 years ago that he was awarded the VC cross by the Queen on March 18th, and I think watching him today on the ice, I could really see why he did what he did in his life and why he is who he is today and by continuing to do what he has been doing on the show he is not only continuing to help himself both physically and mentally continue to grow as a person but you can really see how it is impacting and helping to change others lives, even myself and Sean’s and that is so powerful.

So, we are all set to go for tomorrow. We finished our day today on a really good note. Some fine polishing for tomorrow in our rehearsals but we are both ready to go for the challenge that awaits us. We will go out there tomorrow and make all of you who have been supporting Johnson and myself proud and well most of all have fun with what we  are going to do in life, so no matter what happens we can say we have had fun.

Have a great night everyone and we hope you enjoy tomorrow. Thanks everyone for all your continued support as I said before if it was not for all of the support you have given us we would not be where we are today. You have all given Johnson new hope on life and he will continue to help others with that energy.

Cheers, Jodeyne

Cheers, Jodeyne