skate journal: Rocky Mountain Elementary with Bernie! (April 20, 2012 (dude))

Posted in Skate Journal on April 20th, 2012 by corpo

Met up with Bernie after work at our favorite spot in Longmont. It’s been too long since I’ve seen him. He rules. We chatted and warmed up slowly. I was struggling pretty hard. My arthritis was not so good. Especially in the ankles. But no more complaining, this spot is rad. I did a few noseslides which were fun. Did a front board pop out. Bernie was being mellow, but it’s still rad to watch. The manual ollie to nose manny was my favorite. I started trying crooks and got a few quick ones. Skating the bricks on the bank was harder than I remembered. I only managed to manny them. Dropping in on them is still as fun as ever. Sam Pino joined us after awhile (shop closes at 7, but he was in Longmont by 7 what what?) and kinda skated around and made some funny jokes. I started skating the ledge a little better. Got some front 50s. Almost got front 5-0 and front 50 to front board pop out (old man’s sorry excuse for a combo trick). Came close to back 50, not close to kick back 50. Bernie landed his first front tail 180 to switch back tail. Can’t wait to see it down el toro. Then it got dark and we called it a night. Fun.

skate journal: solo campus fun (April 19, 2012)

Posted in Skate Journal on April 20th, 2012 by corpo

I don’t like going Four days without skating. During the day at work my legs were feeling some of the best they had in awhile. I had taken my bi-weekly humira shot in the morning. But by the end of the day I wasn’t feeling as well. Figures. I ate dinner after work then fell asleep on the couch. Rather than Neil it I decided to go skate and I was feeling a solo headphones session. I went to campus after watching the Busenitz/Real part in the new Transworld video where Busenitz completely KILLS it! I started by just cruising a little and ended up at the super mellow bank to tiny curb. I did a couple ultra basics then started trying back 180 stall thing, but then some CU truck with a bunch of gates parked and ruined it. They were setting up stuff to try and stop the 4/20 gathering. So I moved on. I went to ollie up a curb and had nothing. Ugh. So I picked up my board and walked up the 5″ curb in front of a huge pack of college kids. I rolled by the double downhill manny pads and manualed the first one a couple times before moving down under the Engineering building. I’ve been thinking about that spot since watching the opening Busenitz line with the tricks down the school. So sick. Anyways I wanted to hit the two downhill kinks. First pass through I did front 180 then switch front 180. Aight, good start. Then was an easy sw front 180 the first then ollie the second. Next I tried halfcab the first then back 180 the second. It took me a few tries and I even slammed hard once. Kickflips into the first one took way too long. But I got that then back 180 the second. The line I had been thinking about all week was no comply 180 into the first then f/s halfcab flip the second. Well, I’m not that good, so I settled for the non flip version and I curved around after and tried to ollie up the three stair. I haven’t ollied up a 3 in forever and I remember even in healthier times struggling with that set. I got close at least. Next line was front shove into the first, kickflip into the second then ollie up the three. Hyped! In between lines I would normally try a flipper or two. Nollie f/s flips or sw f/s flips. Neither were remotely close. The last line was a bad b/s flip into the first and a fakie ollie into the second. I moved on still groggy and without as much energy as I wanted. I ended up at a new area that used to have a brick courtyard with a couple ledges. Now it’s even better for skating. I dropped in on the long hubba thing a few times, ollied up into rock and yanked in and followed it with a boardslide on the ledge. Then I noticed they repaved the whole back of the building and investigated. I saw a gnarly stair to quick slappy grind that is screaming Jack’s name (prease prease prease Jack!) and this weird set of stairs down a little hill into a building. It’s hard to describe. Basically a few two stairs that run into a building with a slope next to them. There was also a flat gap nearby so I tried to line it out. I guess it’s not a flat gap, a curb over a sidewalk (close enough). I ollied that a bunch of times (sometimes lowering the bar on horrible ollies) then ollied up onto the sidewalk and rode off the two stair into the hill. It was such a dorky, weird and awesome spot. I did it again, but manualling the first bit of the two stair thing. Fun. I tried a few more lines in the area, but nothing really happened. I was hyped on a halfcab flip on flat and ollieing onto the ledge. Then I went home.