After 3 days of being in the office sitting too much I met up with Seattle Will.  It was cloudy and nice out.  We chatted for a bit then went to it.  He killed it.  Nosegrind 180 the bench, switch manual the pad, casual manuals.  It’s crazy how bad my body felt after 3 days of mostly sitting in the office for work.  I did some slappy crooks of course.  I tried 10 switch crooks and 10 switch tres.  I would get one brief little switch crook jib, but the switch tres were not close.  I had a lot of problems jumping but got remotely close to some kickflip 50s.  Then it was off to family dinner.

(setup 4/10 null abstract33 8.3, jessup ultragrip, ace af1 low 55 hard bushings, 52mm pink snot, new balance numeric 288sport green/gum size 11.5 no insoles)
(pain level 6/10)

After working in the office I went to dog park on the way home.  Sean, Paul, Jesse, Tim were there.  I had made a setup change.  No surprise there.  8.3 with ace lows.  I liked it.  Everyone was doing their thing for a while.  Sean and Paul suggested a game of SKATE so I got eliminated pretty quickly from that one.  I finally managed to ollie the little weird cement wallie thing although I bonked a wheel.  It was a rare decent ollie for me though as it was just a narrow strip which made it scarier to me.  It was fun though and I was hyped.  Sean was on a terror.  Not really any new tricks necessarily, but really charging it and getting deep into his bag.  

(setup 6/10 null abstract33 8.3, jessup ultragrip, ace af1 low 55 hard bushings, 52mm pink snot, new balance numeric 272 green/black size 12 half insole)
(pain level 4/10)

On a rainy day Rob and Neil picked me up and we went to yellow curbs.  It’s been a minute since we’ve been there.  Slappy crooks were fun out of the gate as were front slappys on the super low curb.  Rob and Neil were able to get to manuals and nose manuals pretty quickly, I would never get either.  We had some 50s, lipslides, nollie tails, etc.  Flip tricks didn’t flow like they used to.  Partly because of how much we’ve been skating.  I did a kickflip at one point that I could barely stand up from.   I think Rob got another manual to back lip.  He also did some no comply 5-0s.  We did a few lines combining tricks, look for the clips on Thrasher.  I had a fun line of slappy crook, front slappy, tiny little lipslide.  Also a slappy crook then nollie back tail.  Neil had Cali front 50, no comply 360, lipslide.  Rob manual, no comply 5-0 throw away then slappy crook.  The 303 dudes showed up as we were winding down.  I tried to get a 360 flip and could not do it.  Halfcab flips felt alright though even if I was barely moving.  Looking forward to a day or two off of skating, but already miss Neil.

(setup 3/10 8.3 pmg, jessup ultragrip, indy forged hollows 149, bones 51mm stf v1 pj, new balance numeric 272 green/black size 12 half insoles)
(pain level 5/10)

Hyped on the Nuggets win I picked up Neil and Rob and we went to meet Big Mike at Greeley.  Except my van had other ideas and broke down just outside of Longmont.  Mike was kind enough to come back and pick us up.  Since we were close to Frederick we skated there.  Needless to say my head wasn’t in the game and I felt very frustrated by the van and it’s continued electrical problems.  The others skated pretty well.  Mikes wallie then front nose to fakie was so good and long boardslides on the bank to curb.  Rob had a few epic manuals to back lip.  Rob and Neil both had boardslide transfers, nose manuals.  Neil with some really casual front shoves off the little kicker, one foots over the hips, kickflips on the hump.  I had gotten pretty upset again trying to get a line of f/s kickflip on the hump then b/s flip over one of the next hips.  I got really close, but ended up giving up.  I just couldn’t focus and was tired and sore.  That park is really fun though.

(setup 4/10 8.3 pmg, jessup ultragrip, indy forged hollows 149, bones 51mm stf v1 pj, new balance numeric 272 green/black size 12 half insoles)
(pain level 4/10)

After working the morning Neil, Rob and I rolled to Broomfield as rain was threatening.  There were little sprinkles at times, but never enough to fully stop the session.  Jesse and Jack would join us.  Warming up was not easy for anyone.  I had another setup change trying to make 8.5 not feel too large, but it still felt too large.  I won a fun game of SK8 against Rob and Neil which was a decent warm up.  Jesse had lots of front 5-0s.  I had some crooks, noseslides.  Near the end was trying crooks down the end of the escalator ledge then really slow treflips.  I couldn’t get a treflip to save my life and put an end to a very old deck.  Rob had 50s both directions, halfcab noseslide right away, noseslides the bank to ledge, front tail the blue box, shove liplide too!  Neil amazed me again by how quickly he was jumping onto stuff and manualling, nose manualling, 50s, one foots, etc.  He also got on a front tail.  Jack hasn’t been skating much but his first try bigspin pivot and front 5-0’s on qps were hot.  A lot more went down, it was a decent session before I turned into a crybaby about not landing treflips.  

(setup 2/10 8.5 null vhs, jessup ultragrip, indy forged hollows 149, bones 51mm stf v1 pj, new balance numeric 272 green/black size 12 half insoles)
(pain level 4/10)

Off to Colorado Springs with Rob, Neil, Joe, Damon.  We started at Galileo which was just as not fun as I remembered.  Damon rattled off like 20 flippers on the bank and some basic grinds on the steeper steps.  Neil got a couple front lips across the smaller set.  Joe wanted a lip to 50, but couldn’t get it.  I battled kickflips and would eventually get a backside one followed by one to fakie.  Neil went to film it as lightning surrounded us and I ran into him on a roll out.  It was funny.  Then it rained.  We went to a skatepark, but it was wet.

Eventually we ended up at a spot recommended by Ryan that was pretty fun.  It was mostly just curbs and a few small stairs.  We all rolled around for a while figuring things out and skating it differently.  Neil hopped up and down everything, boardslides, wallies, 50s.  Damon didn’t skate it too much, but did talk to some lady who said “there is no way that kid is 50” in reference to me.  I proceeded to slam super hard on a no comply flip attempt.  I would get a few of them and even filmed a couple with a fun ride on grind after.  In the process Rob had ollied over the little curb.  After filming I took 6 tries to get a sketchy ollie over it.  Yikes.  I had a fun run of switch 180 up a 2 stair then front 180 down a 3.  Rob got a cool line back 180 up the 2, slappy crook, bean plant the 3.  Joe had a halfcab boardslide one of the curbs.  

Last spot of the day was the DIY.  It had degraded some since last time Jake and I were there.  I had gotten very tired and sore and besides a hurricane and some slashes on the little parking block qp didn’t do much.  Damon slayed it.  Skated the tall ledge like it was a normal ledge and did b/s flip, cab, treflip and ghetto bird over the lumpy hump.  Joe had some great boardslides, front 50 front boards and a boneless over the hip that may or may not have resembled Grant Taylor.  Rob made the smart choice of chilling with a beer then cruising.  Neil was charging.  Halfcab’s over a little flat bar, front 50 a weird banked spine, front pivot the parking block qp, hip ollies, noseslides, boardslides.  

Weird, but fun day.  Then we went to a nearby restaurant that didn’t serve us in a timely manner so we bounced and had a better meal nearby.  

(setup 4/10 8.5 null, jessup ultragrip, royal ultralight 149s, bones 51mm pj stf v1, new balance numeric 272 green/black size 12 half insoles)
(pain level 5/10)

Off to Evergreen on a nice day.  Rob, Neil, Joe, Damon, Jake, Damon, Garrett and then the Emage dudes also showed up.  I didn’t have a good session.  Joe, Cass and I battled b/s flip the hip.  Cass was first of course.  Joe and I both had questionable ones before getting good ones.  Mine felt great and was about the only trick I really liked for the day.  Oh I guess kickflipping from the bump onto the hip was fun too.  We got to see a Rob bean plant over the hip, some manuals and back 50s.  Damon did a million tricks over the hip, often in lines.  Cass hurt his back.  Neil popped up and over things with ease, manuals, 50s, one foots.  Joe had a lot of grinds, also halfcab flip the hip.  Jake was the only one of us that did tricks on the steep qp.  Garrett got over some initial jitters then proceeded to casually kill it.  Fakie tres over the hip, back 50 up the ledge drop down to the curb, nollie back heel, back 360.  Shredding.  Fun session, but I was definitely sore and tired.

(setup 3/10 8.5 smoke valley redrilled to 14.125 wheelbase, jessup ultragrip, venture 5.8 v-cast, bones 52mm v1 stf, new balance numeric 272 green/black size 12 half insole)
(pain level 4/10)

On a nice and sunny day we went to the TAXI skateable structure spot.  The crew was Rob, Neil, Joe, Damon, Cass, Jake and me.  I spent the whole session getting one of the most fun lines I’ve done in a while.  Drop in, front disaster an upper deck then go into the ditch and eventually b/s flip the hip.  Damon had a bangin kickflip to fakie.  Cass almost had front shove to fakie.  Jake would eventually get a front tail to fakie to pivot fakie.  And then he would have to do it again because I didn’t hit record in time.  Luckily he did it better anyway.  

Then we went to the river front area across the street.  We started at the tall metal ledges.  Neil and I would get noseslides, but Neil’s was in a good line.  Damon back 50s and fakie nosegrinds.  Joe got a front 50.  Jake almost nollie back tail.  Next we ended up at the new wood area.  It took some getting used to, but it ended up being a really fun session.  It was cool because you could start a line with a barrier ride which Neil and I both did to start lines along with a pop shove.  Neil would hop up onto the lower level then did a wallride then b/s 180 out.  I would do a crook and then a kickflip.  Neil also got a nose manual to front lip followed by a front 50.  Damon slammed bad on a fakie 50.  Joe got some 50 combos.  Jake did some barrier rides too.  Rob with a killer nose manual.  That was basically the session.  One of my fav sessions in a while, best I’ve skated, didn’t get hurt, epic crew, some new spots, man it was great.

(setup 2/10 null 8.3 pmg, jessup ultragrip, thunder team hollow 149 no big washer, 51mm bones stf v1 pj, new balance numeric 272 green/black size 12 half nsoles)
(pain level 2/10 !!!)

Picked up Neil from the park ‘n ride early then did breakfast with Rob too.  Got to dog park which was a little wet so we started at Valmont.  Man I really don’t remember much about the Valmont part of the session.  Okay actually I don’t remember a single thing about it.  

At dog park I know Neil got a really sick line.  Nose manual, something to fakie, halfcab manual.  Rob was in demo mode.  I was still timid with my calf and avoided any fs grinds, did some dumb kickflips to fakie on the tiny propped up grate.  

Then we went to Wilville and brought Jesse with us.  We started at the manny pad/ledge area.  Rob got a no comply manual into it, I got a nose manual into it.  Some tricks were done on the ledge by all.  I struggled with slappy crooks after doing several two days before.  Jesse and Neil had some front 50 variations.  Then we went down to the rock area.  Neil had a cool wallride on steep rock, no comply up the 2.  I took a bit to get a really fun line of front 180 up the 2, fakie flip on flat, fakie rock jam, ollie the 3s.  Then everyone else ollied the lower 3 stair too.  Maybe all that huge stair jumping is why I was so sore.  Ha ha.  Totally awesome day though.  Felt amazing to skate and not hurt myself and be with great friends.  

(setup 3/10 null 8.3 pmg, jessup ultragrip, thunder team hollow 149 no big washer, 51mm bones stf v1 pj, new balance numeric 288sport / 272s)
(pain level 4/10)