skate journal: loveland high, csu dorm fun and the best feeling skating i’ve had in a long time (july 30, 2017)
Rob, Dave and I rolled to Fort Collins. On the way I remembered a little weird bank spot in Loveland and we stopped there. I was so sore when we first got there. I couldn’t even ollie at all. I didn’t think it would go well, but we kept at it and it ended up being a really fun session. John joined us around the time I put down a b/s 45 degree flip over the “gap” into the bank. It wasn’t as good as I wanted it to be, but it was harder than I remember. Dave had already done a line with an ollie over the curb and then a front shove into the bank. Rob had done a solid front tail from the bank. Then we opened the gate and treated it like a two hit spot. My legs were feeling sore again so even kickflips were hard. I got a kickflip over the hip. Also a line of no comply 270 then front 180 into the bank. John did a bean plant over the hip and back 180 into the bank. Dave did backside bigspin then fakie ollie into the bank. Then topped himself by doing back big followed by fakie big. Two lines in one day for Dave! All of this took much longer than you would think. Rob was kind enough to patiently film.
After some Chipotle and a MRKT run we ended up at this ledge I had seen on the gram awhile ago. I wanted to noseslide it. Hayden had said it’s really hard to skate so I didn’t get my hopes up, but when I saw it I knew I could do it. John, Rob and Dave skated the smaller ledges for awhile. I started in on the noseslide attempts. Seeing as how perfect they are I thought for sure we’d get the boot right away. But nope, we had the place for a couple of hours. For the most part my noseslide attempts got closer and less scary, but I was still not getting much past halfway. Then out of nowhere one locked in perfect and I landed it. I can’t describe how happy I felt when I landed it. It felt so amazing. It just kept sliding and sliding. I know it’s just a noseslide on a ledge, but for me this felt like so much more. I felt like I had finally come out of the funk I’ve been in for so many months. And I gotta give props to Rob, Dave and John for being so positive and encouraging me. Dave had done a few caveman front 50s, then did a real front 50 first try. We went to film it and he couldn’t get it until he tried my board and got it first try. He’ll be getting Venture Lows before you know it! Ha ha, just playing. That 50 was so sick though. Then Dave filmed John try a line for a long time. Rob and I mostly just chilled. I was in such a happy place I didn’t feel like skating anymore. John ended up getting his line (twice! – blame the camera). Then him and Dave messed around on the smaller ledge for awhile. John did the easy front 50 and Dave amazed us all with a crooked grind for the ages. Or for the aged. As in The Stubborns. Coming sometime. Awesome day.
(setup 8.25″ null rabethica deck, venture 5.2 AWAKE lows, venom 90a bushings, 1/16″ riser, spitfire 101a 51mm F4 wheels, 3 washers on the inside of each axle, nbnumeric PJ 533 black/gum with spenco 3/4 thinsole and old sole tech insoles)