After an annoying long day at work, a nap, dinner I headed out to Broomfield park to meet Kevin on a decently warm night. We were playing on the blue ledge/quartapotty to start with. There were a bunch of bikers skating the sad ledge so we kept almost running into each other so that was annoying. Kevin was shredding. Switch nose manual, switch manual, nose manual (yes he went switch first), switch nosegrind 180, switch front 5-0. All while I didn’t land a nose manual. This would be the start of my frustrations. I did okay on the quartapotty and did my first front tail on transition in awhile, but for the most part I was just tired and useless. I came close to a nollie varial heel. That would have changed my mood. We tried 360 flips for awhile. Both of us coming close, but not riding away cleanly. He got a toe drag landing, I got a pro push landing. He was trying blunt to back 50 and almost died. I came close to kick back 50, I like how quickly the smaller setup flicked. I didn’t like how I couldn’t find the nose manual though. We moved to the black ledge area where we both realized we were tired. Kevin still did very fast back 5-0s, switch nosegrind 180 and took awhile to get front 50 back 180. I took awhile to get front 50 shove going slow. I had some crooks, but I think other then that the only thing I got was a tic tac’d 360 flip.

(setup old 8″ null, venture 5.2 v-hollow high trucks, 50mm bones stf, 3 speed washers on the inside of each axle to make it feel a little wider, bones medium bushings, lakai sheffield’s grey size 12, nb# insoles)
(pain level 3/10)

Went out to the garage right before dinner. Randomly decided to try and manual the plastic 2×10 thing I have from the SWAB ledge. Got kinda close. It’s scary because it’s so narrow. Then I tried back nosegrinds for a bit. Then Liz gave me a ‘3 minute’ warning and I decided to try a treflip in that time and got one 8th try. It’s still surprising to me how much easier smaller boards flip around.

(setup old 8″ null, venture 5.2 v-hollow high trucks, 50mm bones stf, 3 speed washers on the inside of each axle to make it feel a little wider, bones medium bushings, Adidas City Cups b/w size 12, stock insoles)
(pain level 3/10)

Went out into the garage on a cold night and played flatground for a bit. I was sore so I wore some cupsoles to not get more sore. I started with switch flips. Didn’t get close. Then nollie heel and nollie front heel. Didn’t get close. Took a few tries to get a heelflip which bummed me out. These City Cups do not have a good heelflip. Then it took awhile to get a treflip and I was stressing. But I ended up getting 5. None of which were clean. I came close to a varial heel too.

(setup old 8″ null, venture 5.2 v-hollow high trucks, 50mm bones stf, 3 speed washers on the inside of each axle to make it feel a little wider, bones medium bushings, Adidas City Cups b/w size 12, stock insoles)
(pain level 4/10)

Feeling really sore Kevin and I went to Saul’s as the sun warmed things up. It was Saul, Eric, Kevin and I then Josh showed up a little later. Saul always has the long lines with the crazy fast scratch grinds that are fun to watch. We all messed with a qp trick then a cali grind into the bowl. Eric was the first to add a flipper in between with a heelflip. I added kickflip, Kevin added nollie flip. Eric and Kevin were doing lots of pivots or feebles to fakie, back disasters. Kevin had some sketchy roll ins, back smiths, front smiths, yeah, he was ripping. Saul is getting close to back crailslide (I think that’s what it’s called?), did a bunch of the cali grind ride in, his patented quick lines. I didn’t see any ‘Frontside Saul’ ha ha. Eric had some really good long grinds, lined out his tricks, shredded. I didn’t have much and it was a struggle. Josh eluded the camera for awhile, but when he skates it sure looks good. Style kind on the front rocks. My small setup didn’t feel good there. Fun session though, good dudes.

(setup old 8″ null, venture 5.2 v-hollow high trucks, 50mm bones stf, 3 speed washers on the inside of each axle to make it feel a little wider, bones medium bushings, lakai sheffield gray size 12, thinnish lakai rubbery insoles from bristols)
(pain level 4/10)

On a cool day I went to Rocky Mtn Elem to meet up with Dave and maybe others. Riley ended up staying at Longmont park, but Sean joined us. I got there first and wow warming up was not easy. I was on the smaller setup and stayed on it. Dave showed next and the temperature was getting warmer in the sun. I was feeling energetic and hucking a lot. It brought me back to 10 or so years ago when I skated there with an 8″ deck. But it ended up not really translating to me landing tricks. I had a front 50 and a crooks on the ledge, that was about it. I hucked a few of the kickflips over the little brick median which I haven’t done in like 12 years. As you can see I got close, but no cigar. I had a really bad slam on a rock before ollieing up a curb. It hurt so bad. I was 1/3 on halfcab flips so struggling there too. Dave was ripping doing lines, lots of tricks on the banks. Boneless, 270 manuals, nollie 270 onto it, pop shoves, boardslides on the rock. Sean was rips. His line took him awhile, but man it’s so sick. He also said he couldn’t slappy then did several perfectly and told us he’d never really do it before. We all skated the bank to slide thing for awhile. I was struggling with the ollie up. All I got was a couple boardslides down and some nose/tail jibs. Dave had the sick pivot, was trying front 50s, 180 up the curb to fakie tailslide, front boards down. Sean had the super casual ollie up, front board down, front board to fakie, back tail stall, back tail to manual for the ender! Then we played a game of SKATE. I like ending on a game of SKATE, but about half way through my legs shut down. I remember Sean doing a good fakie 3 shove. Dave got out first and had to leave. Sean ended me with a cab bigspin. Fun day. I didn’t land much, but man we skated hard and man I was so sore afterwards.

(setup old 8″ null, venture 5.2 v-hollow high trucks, 50mm bones stf, 3 speed washers on the inside of each axle to make it feel a little wider, bones medium bushings, lakai sheffield gray size 12, thinnish lakai rubbery insoles from bristols)
(pain level 6/10)

After a lazy sick day with multiple naps I went out into the garage. I had setup yet another complete out of old stuff. This time a really old 8″ null board (I didn’t have any 8.25 in decent shape in the garage) that was found at a garage sale with Venture 5.2 highs. I’ve never been too found of the 8″ venture highs, but I normally skate them with an 8.25 so who knows. They felt fine in the garage. I really want to get nollie heel. They seem possible. The one above doesn’t look close, but it’s feeling closer. That heelflip is one of the funniest and worst ones I’ve done. I posted it as a story and was delighted that multiple people responded saying they’ve done worse. Ha . I have never done a pop shove 50 that I know of and although this is just a 1″ tall piece of plastic it was fun. Trying pop shove nosepick felt really cool too. I never quite got the kick back tail. Hucking 3 flip 50 was funny. It somehow felt possible. Even though I didn’t land much, it was a fun session and it made me feel better to get some exercise. It’s crazy how comfortable the 8″ null shape feels. It’s definitely the shape/size I have skated the most.

(setup old 8″ null, venture 5.2 v-hollow high trucks, 50mm bones stf, 3 speed washers on the inside of each axle to make it feel a little wider, bones medium bushings, lakai sheffield gray size 12, thinnish lakai rubbery insoles from bristols)
(pain level 1/10)

I made the cardinal sin of saying ‘I like my setup’ a couple days ago at Broomfield. Ever since then the obsession for low trucks started. But rather than change my setup I just setup a complete from old stuff laying in the garage. So I went to campus feeling a little sick with both completes. I started with slappy crooks on the meetup curb with the smaller setup and the slappies felt great so I moved down the hill. I went to the flagstone ledge area which was wet, but I still wanted to see how easy getting into 50s were. They were whatever, but hucking flip tricks definitely felt easier. Then I moved down to the weird skate stopped big 3 area and tried a line for awhile. Pop shove, nose stall a tallish ledge, try to ollie onto the narrow skate stopped ledge. The lower trucks felt better for noseslides and getting on the ledge (even though I never really got it), but man, the pop shoves and wheelbite were so bad. So I went and got my other setup. Pop shoves felt infinitely better on it, but the nosestall much worse. I still didn’t get the ollie anyway. Then I went back to the flagstone ledge and luckily 50s were much easier on the bigger setup so I stuck with it as I moved into campus. Except now I was super tired. I went to the tiny yellow ledge that is harder to skate now thanks to the added bike racks. All I did were a few back 50s. Then I walked back to the car. Totally lame night. I can’t say I really liked either setup.

(setups 8.25 with venture wides or 8 with venture 5.2 low)
(pain level legs felt okay after a day off, but my head was feeling woozy)

On a cold night I met up with Sean, Riley, Kevin and Garrett at Broomfield park.  They were all skating the blue ledge a weird way.  But I started messing around with Dave’s challenge.  A switch front shove going backside on a bank.  Everyone joined me and it was hilarious.  Riley and Kevin said they were the last ones to get it, but it’s funny going back to the clip and seeing that they were actually the first, but just didn’t know it.  They normally over shoved.  I normally body varialed too much.  Sean was straight up body varialing.  Kevin went with that too.  Everyone eventually got it, or something similar.  Riley added a heelflip.  I also did the pop shove body varial that Dave is famous for.  I think Kevin did a switch front shove body varial.  Then they played on the black ledge, but I wasn’t really feeling that so I kinda did whatever for a bit then settled on the blue ledge where everyone joined.  Kevin took a horrendous slam trying to do switch back 50.  It would have been bad at any temperature, but the fact that it had dipped into the 20s made it worse.  Everyone left at that point and I skated for another 20 minutes before the lights shut off.  I had some energy although I didn’t get a whole lot of tricks.  K got into kick back 50, fakie nosegrind.  Had a good feeling fakie flip, b/s flip.  I was set on trying a transition trick for Dave.  I wanted to do front disaster to sugarcane.  It took awhile and I literally said it was my last try when I got it.  And man it felt cool.  
(setup null 8.25 lazer deck, 5.8 venture FTC trucks with forged baseplate, doh dohs bushings (blue 88a barrel bottom one, yellow 92a small top one), no washers inside each axle, bones stf v1 51mm pj wheels, lakai sheffield grey/silver size 12 with stock NB# insoles)(pain level 3/10 mostly just the cold preventing me from being loose)

On a cold and windy night I went into the garage and hucked the straight 4 that I can’t do over and over. Nollie flip, switch flip, switch heel, nollie heel. After awhile I was closest to nollie heel so I kept at it and got so close. But it just didn’t flip enough. I was wearing some thick cupsoles in hopes of being less sore, it worked.

(setup 7.5″ putter with 42mm wheels, nb# 868 size 12 with stock insoles)

It was windy and cold in Boulder so I took longer to get ready than I should have. I went to meet Sean at Broomfield park where it was way warmer and sunny. I arrived first. There were some beginner longboarders learning how to push and they kep standing in the way of the quartapotty or blue ledge. When I almost snapped they left. Warmups were whatever. I had done front 50s and a bad back 50 on the blue ledge. Sean showed and after a bit more warming up we played a warm up game of SKATE. It went alright. I remember getting a treflip which always makes me happy. I don’t remember much more than that, but he won on nollie back heel. Then we mostly skated the black ledge for quite some time. I got the slowest back 50 ever done, but it was the first one I’ve done that tall in awhile. Sean went through is bag of tricks and started on a new one. Nollie back nosegrind nollie back bigspin out. He came really close, but never got it. Jack and Carleigh showed. Carleigh was on the boardslide black ledge, front d, back d the brick qp tricks right away. She also got a super good back 50 on the blue ledge. Jack was slaying as he has been lately. First try noseblunt the double set rail, no comply tailslides, everything. I got a first try front 5-0 shove. It’s been awhile. I also got a really bad front 5-0 followed by a 360 flip out of the bank that felt great. After awhile I lost interest in the black ledge and was chilling briefly when I was challenged to a game of SKATE by a somewhat older skater. He mentioned how old he was turning 30. Ha. Anyway, neither of us were very consistent, but it allowed me to land some tricks. I got him with halfcab flip, fakie bigflip, 360 flip, varial flip and halfcab heel. It was fun. Everyone else was still ripping. I sat in the nice sun and watched. I had mentioned how much I liked my setup and shoes. Crazy! That probably means I’ll change soon.

(setup null 8.25 lazer deck, 5.8 venture FTC trucks with forged baseplate, doh dohs bushings (blue 88a barrel bottom one, yellow 92a small top one), no washers inside each axle, bones stf v1 51mm pj wheels, lakai sheffield grey/silver size 12 with stock NB# insoles)
(pain level 3/10)