skate journal: flat/sauls/campus banked ledge spot then work (nov 18, 2017)
On a nice morning Jake and I biked towards Saul’s with the intention of skating flat at Wilville for a bit first. We were over by the back entrance which had some good concrete. I was starting slow, Jake was starting faster and then boom, he bailed a varial flip and went down in back pain. Yikes. It wasn’t an awkward bail, but man he wan in pain. It sucked to see. Anyone who has experienced back pain knows the feeling. It’s terrible. He laid in pain, tried to sit up, etc. As he chilled I skated. Flippers weren’t working, I had fun doing various 180s up/down a curb, bailed a 4 stair a few times. Jake was able to get on his bike and took off. I started going to Saul’s then saw another section of flat that seemed better so I told myself 10 flippers before I could go to Saul’s. Took a bit, but I got there. Fakie varial flip took awhile, got f/s halfcab heel. Everything was slow and cautious.
Then I got to Saul’s. Josh, Saul, Eric and Dave was the crew. Dave wasn’t skating up to his standards. I saw him almost fall pushing a couple times! Ha. It was weird to see. He still killed it though. The backside fastplant to tail (I think?) was so sick. Eric was ripping. Getting his long back 50s right away, back disaster (above), almost back tail, rock ‘n rolls. I didn’t skate it very well. The tighter trucks aren’t so good there. I got a couple front disasters, front slashes, front rocks, but other then that I kind of chilled as the pumping seemed to hurt my legs. Josh was skating mellow for most of it and then towards the end was doing some crazy trick. Front feeble, front pivot to front rock, etc. Saul had his quick grind lines, frontside pop over the hip to quick alley oop axle stall, looking more fluid each time he skates. Must be nice. Ha.
Then Eric, Dave and I met Rob and Fuzz at the banked ledge spot. The bike ride there loosened up my legs again and I was able to start trying tricks even though I started really slow with some little wallrides below the “coping”. Dave was doing front 5-0s and back 50’s right away. He owns this spot. Rob was pretty distracted by some house sale news, but still pushed one getting used to kickflips with wider trucks, did some cool bean tails. Eric was hitting the heelflips hard. He had a few really good ones and started trying them over the manhole. Fuzz started with shoves and noseslides and kept doing them over and over getting faster each time. It was rad. Dave was doing noseslides to fakie on the tall ledge, switch crooks on the banked ledge. Fuzz started doing 180 over the hydrant than halfcab noseslide the ledge, b/s flip on flat. I went to film him and Dave, but Hosercam wasn’t charged up. Doh. I had a couple fun lines doing little front 180 off the ledge, halfcab flip on flat and bail something on the ledge. I was getting close to kickflip off the ledge when I got called for work. Argh. Right then Fuzz did a sick line of back 180 the manhole, halfcab flip on flat, ollie up the ledge, front 180 off and then fakie front shove. It was sick. I wish I could have kept skating with them, but instead I was on a work call for several hours. Doh. Oh well, it was fun while it lasted.
(setup 8.25″ null rabethica deck, venture wides, bones stf v5 52mm, 3 washers on the outside, venom 91a bushings, new balance numeric 212 green size 11, powerfeet pinnacle orthotic insole)