Feeling the best I have felt in over a week I went out on a 60 degree day and enjoyed the curbs with Dave for a short one. It was my first time outside in basically a week. Wowsers. It felt great and I felt pretty good on my skateboard. Dave was ripping. The front 50 ride on grinds 180 out are really cool, but no switch crook shove after this time. He has the best slappy noseslides (yes I know that’s not really a trick, but whatever, no ollie is involved). I messed around some. Had a fun line of fakie nosegrind then almost a switch front tail. I basically did a switch 90 and landed on all 4 wheels with about 1mm of nose on the curb. Totally counts. Dave did a ride on switch back 50 to switch back 180 out up one of the curb cuts. Totally bonkers! I tried some regular front tails, the crack was weirding me out. Ended with some basic slappies. Dave’s slappy crooks are incredible.

(setup 8.5 null collage, venture 5.8 cast baseplate with titanium hanger, 1/8″ riser, 54mm spitfire f4 99a green lance mount classics with all speed washers on the inside of the each axle, bones medium bushings, jessup ultra grip, new balance numeric 288S b/w size 12, no insoles at all)
(pain level 2/10 i guess not skating for a week has it’s benefits)

Feeling slightly better I couldn’t resist some messing around on the board. Took a few tries to get the feeling of jumping again. These both felt like halfcab nosestalls. The backside version was super fun. After these I tried front axle stalls for a bit and couldn’t get one. Without any speed to mask my terrible technique it really showed me how bad my frontside ollies have gotten. I was just kinda bashing in and not lifting up the back wheels at all and I realize I need ollie first before aiming the trucks. We’ll see if anything comes of it. I felt very winded after about 10 minutes total. Argh.

Hi part starts at 8:58. And man it’s good. Max is one of my favs.

Had the day off work. With the weird pandemic I didn’t feel like making any plans. Especially with how I felt when I woke up. But I still did some stretches and exercises and went outside early armed with an 11×11 list. But I took awhile to get kickflip, fakie flip and varial flip warmups. I got the first trick on the list, halfcab flip pretty quickly. But then I couldn’t get a f/s halfcab flip and my knee started hurting making heelflip not even a realistic possibility. So I went inside frustrated and complained about being old. Liz and I played some tennis in the afternoon then I met the Dave’s and Saul across the street after that. I felt much better than the morning and went on to have a really fun session. My body was behaving and it was so incredible to not be limited by pain like I have been so much lately. Saul got slappy crooks right away. Also of course his super long backside slappies and front slappies. He got close to slappy back smith too, ollied up the curb a few times, front slappy’d non-waxed sections. Dave L continued with the ultra casual manuals, back 5-0s, didn’t do many slappies (probably because when he does they look effortless and perfect), nollie front 180s, tries some front 3s and nollie cabs, some switch slappies. I had my normal slappies and got a couple slappy front feebles. Had front shove and kickflip from the curb cut to the parking lot, nollie back 180 too. Got a first try f/s halfcab flip on flat, but couldn’t quit get it from the curb cut to parking lot. Couldn’t quite get treflip off the kicker or kick back tail on the curb. Had some randomly good (for me) nollie back tails. Man I had fun. Dave F do what he do. Slappy crooks, switch slappy crooks, front 5-0 180, back 180s off the curbs, ride on grinds to tail, halfcab back 50 and then as it was raining pulled off halfcab back 50 back 180. So sick!

(setup 8.5 null collage, venture 5.8 cast baseplate with titanium hanger, 1/8″ riser, 54mm spitfire f4 99a green lance mount classics with all speed washers on the inside of the each axle, bones medium bushings, jessup ultra grip, new balance numeric 288S b/w size 12, no insoles at all, incrediwear knee sleeve)
(pain level 3/10 that’s it!!!!!)

Feeling a little better I rolled over to the curb to test out some new bigger wheels.  I was inspired by Max to step up my game.  There were puddles and snow around most of the curbs so I just did a couple little slappies then headed home and put a new 8.5 deck on.  Campus had more snow and puddles than I wanted too.  I ended up at the Earth Sciences building ( I think). The main ledge is knobbed now which is a bummer.  I have felt somewhat sick for a month now and do not have much energy.  It showed.  I skated slow and without any confidence.  I tried lines starting at the ledges and coming around to the same ledge as a manny pad from the other side.  I had a nose stall shove, manual.  My kickflips were way better than normal.  The bigger wheels/higher trucks got me into frontside stalls way easier.  Almost got manual, did a weak front tail stall, actually landed a halfcab flip.  It was pretty blah.  I did get a little nose jib to fakie on the side part of the ledge up the curb.  It was way harder than it should have been for me.  Then I did a couple front 50s on the nearby step ledge and called it a session.

Then I went to Saul’s and really sucked it up. I guess having the risers/bigger wheels messed with me.  I didn’t past carve grinds and axle stalls.  Eric was skating good and playing great music (DJR and Jesus Lizard).  He almost had lipslide to fakie around the corner.  Saul has the best lines.  Eric made a funny joke how Saul just needed to turn left to double his skills.  Ha ha.  Saul almost got back 5-0 to tail.  Peewee showed at the end and was warming up with some switch carves, but I ended up taking off.

(setup 8.5 null collage, venture 5.8 cast baseplate with titanium hanger, 1/8″ riser, 54mm spitfire f4 99a green lance mount classics with all speed washers on the inside of the each axle, bones medium bushings, jessup ultra grip, new balance numeric 288S b/w size 12, no insoles at all, incrediwear knee sleeve)
(pain level 5/10 skated scared that i would be in more pain than i was)

Right after work I cruised down the bike path to Wilville and experienced the eerie emptiness of the pandemic. I started with some lines to the manual pad. Well, actually I guess I never even got beyond them. First line was just a little switch nose jib, no comply 180, switch 180, manual. I just manualled the flat part which is still fun. Next line took a bit, but was really fun. Switch noseslide 270 shove, shove on flat, nose manual. The nose manual popped into the bank felt super cool. I had done a few kickflips on the way back so the next line was ready for something way more tech. I olllied onto the ledge (in the background above) avoiding the skate stopper holes and 180’d off, then was trying halfcab flip on flat. But I never got the halfcab flip. I had been really close. Then Saul showed. We kinda hid the more waxed up ledges. Street Saul boardslid the ledge!!! Out of nowhere I had excruciating pain in my left knee. It came right after I stretched I think? It sucked. I was basically done. Saul took off to the curbs with the Daves. I walked there and sat for awhile as everyone else skated. Saul was right in on the long slappies and also managed a sick slappy crook that turned into more of an overcrook and still popped out. Dave L was doing long back 5-0s, his patented ultra casual manuals, 180s, kickflips, trying switch slappies like Fuller does, style king. Fuller is always pushing himself to try new stuff and it’s so cool. He was doing ride on front 50s 180 out, switch slappy crooks, kickflips, switch ollies up the curb, and much more. I got up and did a few slappies, but no ollies at all. Still fun. Little did I know I would be getting sick so maybe that was partially the cause of the knee pain. Argh.

(setup 8.38 null curby deck, venture 5.8 cast baseplate with titanium hanger, 51mm bones stf v1 with all speed washers on the outside of the axle, bones medium bushings, jessup ultra grip, new balance numeric 306 Foy blue/white size 12, footprint gamechanger orthotic insoles, incrediwear knee sleeve)
(pain level 8/10 left knee this time)

On a somewhat cool night shortly after sunset I went to the research ledge. Since there were no students around it was totally good to go. Even some recent forensics on it. I had thought of a line I really wanted to do there, but first, the dreaded warm up process. First was a line of nollie then noseslide. Then front 180 followed by switch front nose. For some reason front 180s were really fun. Then pop shove followed by noseslide to fakie. Then the struggle. Back 50. Ha, kickflip first then I finally got a really bad back 50 tic tac. I hadn’t ollied that high in awhile though so it felt cool. Then the line I wanted to do. Fakie ollie up the curb, fakie bigflip, crooks. Got the fakie bigflip and messed up a nollie shove after to get the board straight. I was so bummed. I never got the bigflip again. The fakie ollies were hard too. But I was bummed to not get another fakie bigflip. My board actually felt too small for it, if that somehow makes sense. And it got too dark to try the flipper so I just did a few crooks then a really bad halfcab noseslide to end it.

(setup 8.38 null curby deck, venture 5.8 cast baseplate with titanium hanger, 51mm bones stf v1 with all speed washers on the outside of the axle, bones medium bushings, jessup ultra grip, new balance numeric 306 Foy blue/white size 12, footprint gamechanger orthotic insoles, incrediwear knee sleeve)
(pain level 4/10 right knee doesn’t love me much anymore)

On a nice afternoon after working from home I met Saul over at the school. We talked about the state of things for awhile then went in on the slappies. Saul was grinding them longer than normal. Especially his frontside ones. He had a pretty good slam too. We tried back smith slappies. Maybe we kinda got them. I was feeling better on my board than I had in weeks. Maybe it was the new PT, maybe wearing vulcs again, but it felt great to skate. Until I missed a front slappy and kinda tweaked my knee. But the pain didn’t stay intense for very long and I was back to skating. I tried a line of f/s halfcab flip, slappy, kick back tail. Never got the first or last trick, but did land no them. My slappies felt better than normal. Going the other way I was trying front slappy, back 180 onto the downhill curb cut then fakie tre the curb cut. Never committed to the fakie tre, but it felt doable. Fun session.

(setup 8.38 null curby deck, venture 5.8 cast baseplate with titanium hanger, 51mm bones stf v1 with all speed washers on the outside of the axle, bones medium bushings, jessup ultra grip, new balance numeric 306 Foy blue/white size 12, footprint gamechanger orthotic insoles)
(pain level 3/10 except for awhile when the knee was hurting like 7/10)

After a cold and cloudy start to the day I hit the curbs for awhile while Jack and Sean figured out where to skate. I had some good fun. Got the basic slappies and started piecing together some harder lines. Was trying slappy front crook, front slappy, front shove off curb cut to the street. Somehow I kept not rolling away from the front shove though. I blame cupsoles. Oh, I had tried the stock insoles again. Also going the other way I was doing kickflip then slappy then trying kick back tails. I got close, but no cigar. Then I went to Wilville and we skated some flat and the manny pad for awhile. Sean may have gotten fakie flip then halfcab manual. Jack did some frontside flips, nollie flips, maybe switch heel? He was trying front shove nose manual. I didn’t do much. Had gotten a few super slow fakie flips, almost a halfcab flip, almost a nose manual before we left.

Then we went to this building. I posed some back 50s. Sean ollied a fun bump over a bush. Jack battled and stomped a gnarly wallride.

Then we walked for a bit and ended up at Southern Hills. Jack had first try fakie nosegrind. Man I need to learn that. My legs were shot though. I struggled to get 50s on the first step, noseslides and a couple crook jibs on the bench. Jack would get some more tricks, but was pretty beat after the wallride battle. It was rad seeing Sean’s warmup process to get through the basics. Front 50, front 5-0, front tail, front nosegrind, front lip. All so perfect. Then I filmed him get a rad manual trick. Front 180 nose manual 180 out. Dude rips. I got cold from sitting and filming at the end and felt sick after. Winter sucks to film. Actually, just filming so much sucks too.

(setup 8.38 null curby deck, venture 5.8 cast baseplate with titanium hanger, 51mm bones stf v1 with all speed washers on the outside of the axle, bones medium bushings, jessup ultra grip, new balance numeric 913 westgates black/yellow size 12, footprint gamechanger low profile orthotic insoles, incrediwear knee sleeve)
(pain level 6/10)

After some fun PT at the Denver Facility Kevin and I ended up at the Denver museum of nature and science. We skated for awhile feeling the place out. I was able to ollie with no pain, but it felt so weird. I didn’t land much. I had some halfcab noseslides on the little ledge, boardslides, noseslides, got close to fakie nosegrind, a few switch noseslides. Had some fakie flips. Got a few crooks on the taller one. Kevin had been itching to film a line so I starting filming. That would turn into the end of my skating :(. Oh yeah, Dave L, Jack and Carleigh had shown. Jack had a crazy slam initially that sounded bad. He would go on to do some crazy tricks like 180 switch crooks both ways, fakie nosegrind to show me up, pop shove crooks, almost kick back noseblunt?!?!?! Carleigh mostly skated flatground. I saw a nice halfcab flip and she got front 50 on the ledge. Dave L had some nice fast front boards, front 50s, hurricanes and some flippers like treflip I saw. I filmed for a really long time. I was happy Kevin got a really good line. Kick back 5-0, Janoski flip, halfcab blunt. Then we went to Pete’s and enjoyed one of the last few nights of restaurants being open.

(setup 8.38 null curby deck, venture 5.8 cast baseplate with titanium hanger, 51mm bones stf v1 with all speed washers on the outside of the axle, bones medium bushings, jessup ultra grip, new balance numeric 913 westgates black/yellow size 12, footprint gamechanger low profile orthotic insoles, incrediwear knee sleeve)
(pain level 3/10)