Stopped by Boulder park on the way into work. It was nice, but warming quickly. Skated about 30 minutes. Started on my 8.25/14/venture and hated it. Changed to my 8.5/14.25/venture and hated it slightly less. Couldn’t ollie much without pain in the hip flexor/groin. Only fun thing was really long back 50s on the qp. For a bit I tried a line of front 50 the qp then kickflip nose stall the hump to ledge. Didn’t get too close. Left sooner than I needed to because of pain.

(setups meh)
(pain level 7/10)

Nice night. Went out after dinner with low expectations and wanted to skate something different. I chose to skate my 8.25/14/venture hollows setup for some reason. It was okay. I started at some tiny flat gap. Did some ollies and 180s. Couldn’t commit to a b/s flip or kickflip or front shove.

Skated around. Ended up at the loading dock I almost lost my mind at last time. I did slow kickflip and halfcab flip into it. Then a good feeling shove it on my way out.

Ended up at the curb cut thing and did some 180 crooks and shove. Also hucked nollie flips that were close. Okay night.

(setup 4/10 8.25/14 sample, null grip, venture 5.6 v-hollow, 52mm spitfire 99a tablets, new balance numeric 306cup grey size 12 with half insole. I had gamechanger lights in for a while, but took them out to reduce hip/goin pain)
(pain level 6/10 hip flexor/groin)

After hitting every light between Boulder and Loveland I stopped at this ledge to bake and suck in the sun for a while. I only skated about 30 minutes. I felt quite sore and off when I started. I would manage some noseslides, one very slow front 50 and some crooks. The ledge was sticky and the sun prevented wax from working.

Then I met Bo, Sean and Mike at Juniper Pl DIY. By then my body had completely seized up in pain. I attempted to skate, but it was scary and painful. Even pushing hurt. Didn’t really notice this arthritis flare up coming, but man I was in it for sure. Bo on the other hand was hopping onto or over everything. We were all jealous of his pop and energy. Mike had some patented no comply pole jams, boarslides, front noses. Skelly had the bank mound grind, poppy ollies.

(setup 3/10 null abstract 43 8.5/14.25, pepper g5, venture 5.8 v-cast flat top washer, bones x99 v1 52mm and splays size 11.5 green with remind cush insoles)
(pain level 9/10 arthritis as well as groin/hip flexor pain)

On a warm Friday I went to meet Will and Sean at dog park, but it was wet and currently raining. Chatted with Justin and his friends a bit. Then Valmont cleared up enough to skate it so I went there. And it was great because there were no scooter/striders. I felt better than I had since being sick, but was still keeping it mellow. Will had some mega pop as he always does over the hips. I did kind of a silly line going from the bump to ledge then over to the mellow flat bank for a kickflip. I had done a bad bigflip previously. I would get a longer line even off back 50 in the pond, crook the bump to ledge, barrier ride, then tried kickflip to fakie but didn’t ride away. Sean had some good pop, fs carve the barrier.

Over at GB it was a fun session with lots of dudes charging. Ted, Nick, Justin, Justin’s friends, Will, some dudes from Omaha, etc. I didn’t pop much, mostly just did crooks, noseslides and boardslides. No flip tricks. Sean had the good halfcab boardslide and one foot. Will almost did halfcab crook. Nick hardflip and b/s flip off the grate. After a while most had left and Sean and I were just sitting. We were treated to Ace and Noah rattling off tricks off the metal gate. Pretty fun. Felt good to skate for real again.

(setup 6/10 null abstract 43 8.5/14.25, pepper g5, venture 5.8 v-cast flat top washer, bones x99 v1 52mm and splays size 11.5 green with remind cush insoles)
(pain level 5/10 sore from being sick and groin/hip flexor pain)

Still fighting this plague I was feeling a little better and wanted to skate a little. Went across the street to the school and tried some slappies. I say tried because I felt so off that even slappies were scary to me. And it was super depressing. Seriously took like 5 tries to get a slappy crook. Frontside slappies were better. Ollies felt almost impossible. It was an ultra depressing session. I knew I would suck since I’ve been sick so long, but struggling to slappy crook? That’s a new low for me.

(setup 1/10 null abstract 43 8.5/14.25, pepper g5, venture 5.8 v-cast flat top washer, bones x99 v1 52mm and splays size 11.5 green with remind cush insoles)
(pain level 6/10 sore from being sick and hip flexor pain)

Still not feeling good, but wanting to get out a little I went to the ol’ meet up bank spot with Dave. I still felt pretty disoriented and run down from whatever plague I’m fighting. Warm ups were manuals on the deck, nollie shoves. Dave showed. We got into tricks out of the bank. He did shove and kickflip. I randomly started with nollie front 180 then took a long time to do front shove and not so long to do kickflip. Dave did a rad line of sw front nose the railed ledge then varial flip out of the bank. Then close to halfcab flip into the bank. I posed front heels before they hurt my hip flexor too much. Then randomly started hucking sw back 180s out and it was not even remotely possible at first. But eventually I would get a couple sketchy ones and they were fun. Now to add a flilp! Ha. I chilled for a while as I was exhausted. Dave died on a Hale into the bank. Then as I was leaving I setup the cone to ollie. Dave got a couple clean ollies. I almost had front 180. But some dude came in hot and was not happy we were skating there. Doh. Still a fun session.

(setup 7/10 null abstract 43 8.5/14.25, pepper g5, venture 5.8 v-cast flat top washer, bones x99 v1 52mm and splays size 11.5 green with remind cush insoles)
(pain level 6/10 sore from being sick and hip flexor pain)

After sleeping in I eventually went to meet Cass at this mellow bank in Broomfield. It was insanely hot when we started. Just sun beating down on us. Neither of us had skated in the last week so we were rusty to begin. Cass got things going first with a front shove to fakie that was really popped. I took a while to get a couple kickflips. Had a fun line of no comply 270 to tail the sidewalk then carve back down and do kickflip to fakie. Then I basically tried fakie hardflips the rest of the session without getting too close. Oh and some front heels too that hurt my hip flexor. Cass on the other hand rattled off tricks. Fakie casper, bigspin underflip, hardflip to fakie. Saving them for Stubborns 2. Kyle showed up and did the most casual kickflip to fakie and treflip to fakie before going on to do a kickflip primo to fakie. So sick. Alecs and Nick showed up briefly. Then we got rained out which was okay by me as I was still fighting the funk.

(setup 7/10 null abstract 43 8.5/14.25, pepper g5, venture 5.8 v-cast flat top washer, bones x99 v1 52mm and splays size 11.5 green with remind cush insoles)
(pain level 6/10 sore from being sick and hip flexor problems)

After being sick for a week I ventured out of the house to meet Dave the library spot because it was raining. There were no lights on. I was wearing glasses from being sick. I had a new deck. All of this lead to some of the most disoriented I have felt on a skateboard. Dave showed a little after me and we worked into our stuff. I avoided popping mostly, but had some fun lines. Crooks then nollie tail. noseslide to fakie then halfcab noseslide. Switch front nose to switch back nose 270 shove. A group of youth showed up with a lot of energy and not a lot of social skills. Oh well, they were trying hard. Once Dave moved past the death curb he was ripping. Front 50 nollie back 180 out, front nose shove, boardslide fakie, slappy feebles, pivots on the wet bank to curb, the coolest wallie nollie bonks and so much more. We posed some hardflips since the youth were making them look easy. One dude did a front smith kickflip out. I had a slappy front crook that felt cool. Felt good to get outside again even if it felt like a dungeon.

(setup 7/10 null abstract 43 8.5/14.25, pepper g5, venture 5.8 v-cast flat top washer, bones x99 v1 52mm and splays size 11.5 green with remind cush insoles)
(pain level 6/10 sore from being sick)

Got the whole family out visiting my mom and brother. My brother was busy and the kids were sleeping in so I went to the skatepark. I was pleasantly surprised to see that dded on to it. All of the tanish/orange features were the new ones. Basically a few quarterpipes and a little euro and 4 stair. They are metal and I felt kind of bad making noise at 8am, but it says the park is open 24 hours a day (no lights though). I warmed up just kinda cruising and getting used to humidity and different environment. Early on had a pretty fun line of ollie up the euro, turn around front slash the new 4′ qp, front 50 taller ledge on top of the lower one. That in itself was a major feat last time I was there so I was proud of that. I tried front disasters on the 4′ for a while, but never committed. Tried some manuals on the lower pad, did some front 50s, crooks the taller pad, ollie on the bank, front 180s up the euro. Couldn’t get a front 50 on the 3′ qp as the coping was deathly slick. Did a line of boardslide the flat bar, axle stall the 4′, front disaster the 3′, ollie onto the lower pad to quick noseslide the taller pad. Was really tired by then and decided I should end it on a flip trick. I haven’t done fakie bigflip in a while so I chose that one. Took about 10 tries but I got one and it felt pretty good. All in all I really like the additions to the park. I am more excited to go back there and have thought about other lines and tricks I would like to do there.

(setup 8/10 null purple archway 8.5/14.25, pepper g5 venture 5.8 flat top washer, old 52mm sptifires and splays size 12 b/2 with stock and remind cush insoles. I left my board in WI so I wouldn’t have to bring one each time)
(pain level 6/10)

After work went to meet Dave and Will at Safeway in Longmont. It was insanely cool out. Especially after the recent heat. It was only 70 something! Warming up for me was pretty brutal, but I would start to feel better on my board, partly because I wore Splays again. Dave was flying all over the place lining out the bank and manny pad. Will was doing long manuals and all kinds of tricks up the curb. I had a fun sw 180 up the curb then a bad wallride on a door. Would finally get some kickflips up the curb and tried to line out to sw 180 manual. Would like to go back and get that. Dave had a mega line starting with gap to manual to body varial out, nollie 180 on flat, switch crooks the bank to curb. Talk about amazing. Will left. Dave and I hucked over the median for a while. Dave got kickflip. I got nowhere near treflip. We finished at the bank to curb. Dave rattled off crazy tricks and got a couple of bangers for his video part. Dude is a clip stacking machine. I may have gotten some feebles, they felt cool. It was a fun session and nice that it wasn’t hot out.

(setup 7/10 null purple archway 8.5/14.25, pepper g5, venture v-cast 5.8 flat top washer, 52mm bones x99 v1, splay rev lts green size 11.5 remind cush insole)
(pain level 5/10)