After dinner I went across the street for a short session. I wanted to do some slappies, but there was some kid learning to bike and he kept following me ringing his bell like an idiot. So I went over to the regular non-painted section. It ended up being super fun. I was feeling a little better physically. I had slappy crooks, slappy front crooks, back 50s, back 50 back 180 out for the first time in awhile, front 5-0, front 50 back 180, front tails. First try 360 flip, halfcab flip. I haven’t been skating flatground much lately, but those two were fun. I went in on fakie nosegrind 180 out. I technically got a couple, but they were really weak. It was fun trying it though.

(setup 8.5″ null lazer deck, venture ftc 5.8s, doh dohs bushings (blue 88a barrel boardside one, yellow 92a roadside) no boardside washer, bones stf v1 pj 53mm wheels with all washers on the outside, new balance numeric 379 brown/gum size 12, thin adidas insoles)
(pain level 4/10)

Still feeling incredibly tired and sore on a nice night Saul wanted to check out the freshly painted curbs across the street. I couldn’t refuse. Ed joined as did some kids learning to bike. Ha. I think Saul nailed like 10 perfect backside slappies to start the session. He seriously does them so good. Ed started going frontside because he’s so good at those. We found one section that grinded better than the rest and mostly stuck with it. Had some fun lines with the curb cuts doing kickflips and 180s to the parking lot. I finally got some slappies up on the curb. They were nothing like Saul’s though. Ed had some good 180s off the curb cuts. This spot has so much line potential. I was so tired, but it was a really fun session. It rules having such a good spot across the street.

(setup 8.5″ null lazer deck, venture ftc 5.8s, doh dohs bushings (blue 88a barrel boardside one, yellow 92a roadside) no boardside washer, bones stf v1 pj 53mm wheels with all washers on the outside, new balance numeric 379 brown/gum size 12, thin adidas insoles)
(pain level 5/10)

Man I’m a glutton for punishment. On a nice night I went to Douglass with some new shoes (NB 379s). As soon as I set my board down I knew my body was not working well. My legs felt numb and lethargic. I had no spring whatsoever. Great place to be for no pop. I started on the side with the curb high ledge. Even that felt hard to 50 initially. Ugh. I think I’ll just say the whole session sucked. I moved over to the taller bench area. I didn’t get any front 50s, although I do think I learned a little about what is wrong with my technique. The positives from the session were a few ollies onto the bench, one with a 180 off, one of the best fakie flips I’ve ever done on flat, one crooks that felt better than most, kickflip up the weird curb. It was very tough session, but considering how terrible my body felt I think I should be happy that I was able to skate at all.

(setup 8.5″ null lazer deck, venture ftc 5.8s, doh dohs bushings (blue 88a barrel boardside one, yellow 92a roadside) no boardside washer, bones stf v1 pj 53mm wheels with all washers on the outside, new balance numeric 379 brown/gum size 12, thin adidas insoles)
(pain level 5/10 mostly just numb/exhausted legs)

After a run to 303 I went skating on a really nice night. I felt like skating some random spots since I never seem to do that anymore. So I parked near Hazel and walked/pushed around for awhile. Had a fun little hill bomb into a garage. Checked out a couple things and ended up at this bench I’ve skated a couple times before. It was taller than I remembered and the cracks were infinitely worse than I remember. It took me awhile to work up the courage to boardslide it. Noseslides didn’t go as well as I had hoped. Crooks happened quick, but I couldn’t get a good one up on top. I didn’t skate it frontside because there was people working in the window where you would start. I cruised/walked around some more and hit a little gap Jason and I probably skated 20 years ago. It was over a curb and down about a 3 stair height drop. It took me a couple more tries than I wanted it to, but it was still fun. That was it for me. No flatground which is kinda weak, but whatever I had fun skating some random.

(setup 8.5″ null lazer deck, venture ftc 5.8s, doh dohs bushings (blue 88a barrel boardside one, yellow 92a roadside) no boardside washer, bones stf v1 pj 53mm wheels with all washers on the outside, new balance numeric 212 b/w size 11.5 with rubbery sti insoles)
(pain level 6/10)

On a nice morning I went over to the school with Ollie. We started on the curb. I had a few fun 50s and a great feeling front 5-0. Ollie followed me and did a nollie front tail. That was cool. I was sore and not wanting to do a whole lot so we started dorking around at this sign. We ended up being there for quite some time and it was so much fun. I don’t know how to document the tricks because they were so silly. Manuals while holding on to the poll were fun. Ollie was the first to get his board to the fence and back. Then he added the 360. So awesome. I had a no comply to tail, hold onto the poll shove back to tail. We were laughing. Sean showed up. Ollie took off and Sean and I played a game of curb SKATE. It was also fun. Lots of different axle stalls. Sean had the fakie and nollie ones to get me. I was happy to get a kicfklip axle stall to not get a letter. Also front nosepick to disaster to smith. We did backside nosepick to disaster to sugarcane too. Then it was off to Wilville. Ollie and Gabe joined us. Gabe can kickflip up curbs now. I did a couple manuals/nose manuals in before filming for awhile. Sean had a nice kickflip nose manual. Then I filmed Sean for a bit before an intense wind came in and ruined everything. We dorked around for awhile. Basically I just felt old and fell doing dumb stuff. Ollie, Gabe and Sean had fun doing some dorking.

(setup 8.5″ null lazer deck, venture ftc 5.8s, doh dohs bushings (blue 88a barrel boardside one, yellow 92a roadside) no boardside washer, bones stf v1 pj 53mm wheels with all washers on the outside, new balance numeric 212 b/w size 11.5 with rubbery sti insoles)
(pain level 6/10)

On a snowy morning Kevin and I went to 303 and then the sun came out and we went to Douglass. Some great people would join. Rob was there before us. Jack, Carleigh, Sean shortly after. Matt & Ed much later. I don’t really know where to begin on this one as so much was happening. Kevin, Rob and I were doing the line thing starting in the parking lot. Kevin front 50d the ledge first try. Rob got me hyped to do a no comply up the curb which felt extra rewarding. I went and messed around on the side for awhile. Almost got killed by a pit bull, but the owner saved me and left. I had fun run of kickflip the micro hip, 50 the micro ledge, 50 the somewhat taller ledge that Sean gapped out of. I thought I was ready for the big ledges and went and joined everyone. Jack was killing the ledge. I unknowingly joined a requirement to do noseslide to fakie. Rob was doing them in lines with fakie bigspins. Carleigh was getting them on the bench and doing kickflips. Kevin was doing tricks like front nosegrind, front tail, super good crooks, heelflips, nollie flips, ripping. Sean was chilling for awhile initially, but still able to do 50 then manual then nosebonk like it was nothing. Oh yeah, Kevin did a bunch of wallies in a row. I was struggling with halfcab flips and I blame the Adidas 3sts I was skating. Then I settled in on trying to 50 a bench. As Jack was doing 8 foot long back tails, crooks, bluntslides, nosegrinds, etc etc I just kept trying 50s. I almost got it second try, but then it was another hour or so before I would get it. It was such a struggle mentally. I was very close to focusing my board at times. But I knew that I would feel terrible all night if I didn’t go until I got it. When I landed the 50 it did feel great. I got it a few tries after just ollieing onto the ledge for some confidence. Note to self, ollie onto the ledge first! Anyway, I don’t remember much from myself after that. Kevin was still going strong as was Jack. Bluntslide to manual kickflip out, nose manual to nose manual to shove out. Sean had awoke and did the line above in like two tries. Matt 50’d the ledges first try both ways. His back 50s look so good. He took a bit to get back tail. At least he agreed the ledges are tall there. I didn’t see Ed skate much. Him, Carleigh and Rob were on the lower side ledge while I was battling the 50. I was still stoked to see him. Fun day even if the 50 was a struggle. That night at Holidaily was fun too. I am so fortunate to have such great friends.

(setup 8.5″ null lazer deck, venture ftc 5.8s, doh dohs bushings (blue 88a barrel boardside one, yellow 92a roadside) no boardside washer, bones stf v1 pj 53mm wheels with all washers on the outside, adidas 3st 003 for awhile then NB# 212)
(pain level 4/10)

On a cold and dreary day Dave picked me up and we left for Broomfield. When we got there the sun was out and the temp was warm. Nice! Jack and Simon were there already. It was mellow for awhile. Jack had a nice no comply to tail on the brick qp. It was good seeing Simon rip again. He’s so good. He had fakie ollies on the steep bank, impossible out of the mellow bank. I had a fun line of boardslide the black ledge, rock fakie the brick qp, switch noseslide black ledge, kickflip out of the bank. It just felt good. Dave had boardslide to fakie, halfcab noseslide, nollie into the bank. Simon started going off. High speed back 50 up the blue bank to quick front nosegrind the black ledge. I got a 360 flip out of the bank. Simon wanted in. He took awhile, relearned them on flat then got one out of the bank. Dave was trying them too and they looked close. Jack was casually killing as he always does. Nosegrind the rail, back 180 fakie manual halfcab out, nosepick the brick qp, cab nosegrind, halfcab nosegrind shove out!!! I hit the six stair with Jack for a bit. It’s been a long time since I’ve tried to ollie it. I bailed a few then realized I needed to line it out for motivation. I got front 50, tre bomb out of the bank, then ollied the six. It was the worst ollie ever. Like I totally intended to bail, but at the last moment just kept it. I don’t even know if I ollied actually, I may have just rode off it. Oh well. I feel like my style is getting way worse these days. Dave was doing some long lines. Back tail to fakie on the quartapotty, switch back 180, kickflip, nose manual the black box, board stall transfer the little rail. He also had some sick fakie shove taiils on the hump and bluntslides. Simon relearned back nosegrinds then did nosegrind back 180. Whoa. Jack had some noce back nosegrind pop outs, crooks transfer the brown ledge, nollie one foot back smith by request. I couldn’t do a front nosegrind. I started messing around with sweepers which I’ve never done on transition before. As you can see I kind of got it. I did a few like that, but Dave needed to go so maybe next time I’ll get a clean one. Fun session.

(setup 8.5″ null lazer deck, venture ftc 5.8s, doh dohs bushings (blue 88a barrel boardside one, yellow 92a roadside) no boardside washer, bones stf v1 pj 53mm wheels with all washers on the outside, new balance numeric 379 all black size 12, super thin adidas insoles)
(pain level 2/10 before the bonk)

On a cold Thursday night I went to the basketball court ledges after dinner. No one was playing when I got there and I struggled through some warm up motions. Then some kids came to play ball and were kind enough to give me the ledge side of the court. I couldn’t get the switch front nose as I had in the past. I got to a point where I tried one line over and over until I got it. Noseslide to fakie, fakie flip, halfcab noseslide. I was happy to land most of my fakie flips. I was having a lot of trouble jumping hight enough to get on the ledges proper though. I got wheelbite a lot. It was annoying. I did another line of front nose to fakie, switch 180, front board. Eventually I worked up the courage to try front 50 a barely waxed section of the ledge. It took a lot of tries, but one came out of nowhere. It was terrible and I didn’t grind, but I was happy to get on it. I would get a better one later. Then I went up to the bump. Did a few laps trying to do big ollies, but never really even snapped the tail well. This was the first time I was really missing the quick snap of a low truck. Because I couldn’t ollie I decided to kickflip. I think it would have been less scary had there not been snow surrounding the spot. I got a couple really bad kickflips. I had one that landed good on the downhill, but I shot out. It was still fun to kickflip there even if I didn’t do it clean.

(setup 8.5″ null lazer deck, venture ftc 5.8s v-lights, doh dohs bushings (blue 88a barrel boardside one, yellow 92a roadside) no boardside washer, bones stf v1 pj 53mm wheels with all washers on the outside, new balance numeric 379 all black size 12, super thin adidas insoles)
(pain level 3/10)

On another beautiful night Mike picked me up and we met Kevin at Broomfield park. It was crowded, but not as bad as it looked. Kevin was already there and doing halfcab flips and Janoski flips. Mike manualled the blue box as his first trick. I warmed up in less poppy ways. Eventually we were at the black ledge. Mike was doing his own thing going through his bag of tricks. I had called a trick to try for Dave that Kevin was interested in. Fakie 50 to creepy spin out. Kevin started trying it so I felt like I needed to as well. I’m more suited for trying fakie 50s on the blue ledge, but I have it a go. I got into a few fakie 50s, but I was scared and too uncomfortable to creepy out. Kevin got really close several times, but ultimately gave up. He didn’t have much problem going through his bag after until he got to kick back tail. Then when Mike beat him to that he got pretty bummed. So bummed that he did like 10 tricks in a row after that to make up for it. I had finally done a few front 50s. I was trying a Joe Hamilton when I moved wrong and smashed my nuts so bad I thought I was gonna puke. That was the end of it for me. Kevin had some nice runs like switch 5-0, 5-0, nollie tre out of the bank. Mike had nollie bs heel and nollie big heel out of the bank, nollie back 5-0 back 180. Them guys rip.

(setup 8.5″ null lazer deck, venture ftc 5.8s v-lights, doh dohs bushings (blue 88a barrel boardside one, yellow 92a roadside) no boardside washer, bones stf v1 pj 53mm wheels with all washers on the outside, new balance numeric 379 all black size 12, super thin adidas insoles)
(pain level 4/10 before the bonk)

On a gorgeous night I went across the street feeling pretty sore. There was one of the high school kids skating too. He mostly did lines with lots of 180s and cruised. I stuck to the curb. I had put an 8.5″ deck back on after being too timid to ollie up the 2 stair at Southern Hills. I also wore the 379s again. I got a first try slappy crooks and it continued to be a blast after that. I got several 50s, front & back slappy crooks, a kick back tail stall (hyped!), kickflips off the curb, an actual tailslide and ended with a front 50 back 180 that was fun.

(setup 8.5″ null lazer deck, venture ftc 5.8s v-lights, doh dohs bushings (blue 88a barrel boardside one, yellow 92a roadside) no boardside washer, bones stf v1 pj 53mm wheels with all washers on the outside, new balance numeric 379 all black size 12, super thin adidas insoles)
(pain level 4/10)