skate journal: some tiny manual pad posing then douglass revenge (aug 26, 2018)
I was on my way to skate with Dave in Longmont when I got a text from India that she would be coming home to hang out soon. So I turned around and stopped at a very low manny pad near Pearl & Foothills. It’s about 2″ tall. Dave had challenged me to Nollie back shove manual. I’ve never even done that up a curb. I figured maybe a good first goal is to get up a 2″ tall curb. I got a couple up the curb and I could see how maybe I could manual it, but then I went home to hang with Inida.
All day I had thought about the fact that I had to give up on front 50 the day before. It was eating at me. I’ve never liked the Venture 8″ high trucks so I had put low trucks on. I wanted to see if I had better luck with lows. I got to Douglass after a mostly lazy day feeling anxious about trying the 50. I started with some lines and was having fun. Kickflips felt good, tried a couple front tailsides on the curb on the side, had some good feeling wallride nollies, noseslides and crooks on the main ledges. Tried a line starting with front board then b/s flip. I had no real plans after that and I only got one b/s flip, but I followed it with a first try halfcab flip that felt awesome and then totally posed a 360 flip noseslide which I was obviously not close to whatsoever (although it kinda felt possible). After that I went in on the front 50s. I almost got it first try. But after that it was awhile. I was getting into the 50 more consistently at least. I had a few that felt like they would be makes, but I was going slow and I hadn’t waxed the ledge. I was trying noseslides, crooks and 3 flips on the way back. I finally got a front 50. Whew. Then I setup my phone and got another one. I know I’m going really slow, but it felt good to at least do it and not give up. I do think the low trucks are good for me too. They have a quicker pop and being that tiny bit closer to the ledge in the grind feels good. I should have kept skating, but I left after the second 50.
(setup 8.25 null dream machine deck, venture 5.25 awake lows, stock white bushings, 3 washers inside each axle, 51mm v1 bones stf wheels, es swift 1.5 gray size 11.5, footprint low profile gamechanger insoles)