After running some errands I went to the research ledge. I waxed the ledge up then did a few warm up tricks first try. I thought it would be a good session. Noseslide, noseslide to fakie, boardslide flop out. Then I started trying a line of kickflip then back 50. Not even close. I was so mad. And to make it worse the kickflips were hard. It was really making me mad. Frontside is already hard at that ledge, but the gravel from winter didn’t make it easier. I just did a front board pop out, terrible front noseslide, kinda close to fakie front noseslide and not close to front 50. I gave up on back 50s and things got way worse when I couldn’t crook. If I can’t kickflip and crook comfortable that only means on thing. Setup change time.

(setup 8.25 null curby deck, venture 5.6 v-hollows, doh dohs 88a boardside bushing no washer minilogo 94a roadside with flat washer, 53mm purple swirl blank wheels, new balance numeric 288s white/gum size 11.5, no insoles)
(pain level 3/10)

Knowing I wouldn’t have a chance to skate later today I woke up early and felt like a dog park run.  I was there and had done a slappy or two by 7am.  I warmed up much quicker than the last time and went on to have a pretty good session.  Even if by the end of it I was totally exhausted and useless.  I had a new deck.  I started with boardslides, noseslides, slappies and tiny ollies.  I was pretty into trying lines as always there.  I liked how the tiny pad was before the cinder block ledge.  The first warm up line was manual, crooks, kickflip on flat.  Going the other way was something like halfcab noseslide, slappy crook, ollie the little metal ledge.  One that took me awhile was back 5-0 the tiny pad then front 5-0 the cinder block ledge.  The 5-0 was scary to me because I did it near the end having to come off the end rather then the middle like I normally do.  Going the other way I was trying front 50 (or 50 shove), crooks the metal/plastic ledge then ollie the mini cinder block ledge.  Not sure if I actually got that.  I tried a few front nosegrinds on the mini cinder block ledge, got a front tail on the lower step, not close to halfcab crook.  Kinda got a line of fakie flip, fakie 50 the lower step, fakie nosegrind the mini cinder block.  The fakie nosegrind may have been more of a manual.  I tried treflips for a bit and couldn’t get my feet on one.  Ended trying fakie 50 halfcab out on the mini cinder block ledge and got really close, but called it a day and went home to work.

(setup 8.25 null curby deck, venture 5.6 v-hollows, doh dohs 88a boardside bushing no washer minilogo 94a roadside with flat washer, 53mm purple swirl blank wheels, new balance numeric 288s white/gum size 11.5, no insoles)
(pain level 3/10)

On a warm morning I went behind the school to the nice flatground and after a brief warmup went into a list of 15 tricks. I didn’t want to film it. I had made a subtle setup change. I put 5.6 v-hollows on instead and taken off the 5.8s. Other then some intense wheelbite at first it felt like a good move.
Kickflip – took a few tries to get one I was happy with
Fakie flip – got it pretty quick
Halfcab flip – this one took like 20 tries, I was so mad.
Fakie bigflip – since I struggled on halfcab flips it makes sense that this would be first and third try.
Backside flip – got a couple that were not clean
Frontside flip – struggled with it, but got a defensive one
Treflip – my standard for this trick is bad lately, this was no exception
Heelflip – got a couple
Fs halfcab heel – much to my surprise I got this one in around 10 tries. It’s the first time in awhile I’ve landed one of my more rare tricks.
Varial heel – not as close as I hoped, but commited.
Nollie flip – committed to a few, but never got both feet on.
Janoski flip – maybe slightly closer than nollie flip
Switch flip – not too close, but committed
Switch heel – same as above
Heelflip sex change – pretty close, but no commits.

After chilling for awhile I went to campus. I wanted to compare the smaller trucks to how I skated the day before so I went to the flagstone ledge again. I got similar tricks backside. Boardslide, noseslide, noseslide to fakie, crooks and I got a really bad halfcab noseslide which I didn’t get the day before. I was trying a few flippers, but it was hard because the tunnel area that’s good for it was like a wind tunnel. I got kickflip, halfcab flip, heelflip, fakie flip. Close to fakie varial flip and treflip. I took a few more tries to get ollie onto the ledge, less tries to get a front 50 which felt better than the accidental front 5-0. But I couldn’t do it again. Struggled with switch noseslides. Had a fun front board pop out. I was planning on moving further into campus, but it was pretty stormy. I ended up nearby in a brick area with a few smaller chunks of flagstone. I tried to ollie onto one. Technically I did, but I did the intentional back truck hang up to slow me down. Still, it was a tall ledge that was only a couple feet long so it was scary to me. I never got a clean ollie onto it. Then I wanted to skate a nearby 2 stair, but the wind kicked in fierce. I had done front 180 up and down. A few ollies up and wanting to kickflip down after, but the wind was just too much. I went home mostly happy about skateboarding.

(setup 8.25 null curby deck, venture 5.6 v-hollows, doh dohs 88a boardside bushing no washer minilogo 94a roadside with flat washer, 53mm purple swirl blank wheels, new balance numeric 288s b/w size 11.5, no insoles)
(pain level 3/10)

After a walk, yoga and a hike I went to campus on a nice afternoon. I didn’t have too long as it was Liz and I’s 22nd anniversary. My legs were tired from so much activity already, but at the same time warmed up. I started with the typical slappy crook warm up. That curb is so crusty. Then I went down the the flagstone ledge. Before setting up the phone I had done a few backside tricks which is way harder there because of the uphill approach and a big crack. Boardslide, noseslide, noseslide to fakie, crooks, switch front nose. Couldn’t get halfcab noseslide. Going frontside I messed around with the weird drainage gap a bit, got a couple of front 90s up it. Ha, would love to start a line there with a front 180 up, but it’s hard with the sidewalk ending like that. I think I got a line of the worst looking tricks every, front 90, fakie flip with the hands down, switch noseslide jib. I got an ollie up onto the ledge first try which I couldn’t quite do last time. Got into some front 50s right away, then got tired and they went away. Did a little line the other way of noseslide then front nose shove on the next one (didn’t slide, but felt cool). Flip tricks felt hard. Not sure if it’s the wider trucks/tall wheels or the dead board or dead shoes. Anyway I set the phone up, did a couple crooks and failed at 50s for awhile until getting an ugly accidental 5-0. I took it!

Then I went and messed around the weird rough area under the bridge. I tried a couple lines. Ollie up the first step, up the 2nd, ollie over the ledge into the narrow doorway. Never committed to the last ollie. Then ollie the long 2, axle stall a curb, ollie the 5 stair. Never even came close to trying the 5. The approach has gotten so bad, there are literally holes from disintegrated bricks. I was pretty beat by then and kinda wandered a little. I was going to try and ollie a ledge, but didn’t have the juice and ended up near the engineering building where they had redone some stuff. The little switch front nose into the ramp was fun. Also did a little line of wallie nollie then noseslide to fakie on it. I was amazed at how much wheelbite I was getting. it was annoying. Found a new ledge nearby that I took too long to back 50. It could have used a rub brick and some wax as it didn’t grind, but it was still fun to back 50. I can’t normally back 50 narrow ledges, well I can’t normally back 50 at all anymore. Luckily it was only curb height. I tried a few kick back tails, got kinda close, posed a couple front 50s on the taller side then called it a day.

(setup 8.25 null curby deck, venture 5.8 titanium axle with custom hollow cast baseplate, doh dohs 88a boardside bushing no washer minilogo 94a roadside with flat washer, 53mm purple swirl blank wheels, 3 speed washers on the outside of each axle, new balance numeric 288s jack curtain size 11.5, no insoles, incrediwear knee sleeve)
(pain level 4/10 no sharp pains just kinda stiff and sore)

I got rained out of an earlier skate lunch, so after a long day of work I went out armed with an 11×11 trick list. This time going a little easier on myself. Or so I thought. I was pretty worn out. I did a couple slappies then headed to the side of the school while Ollie and Alex skated the curb. Gotta give Ollie some space. Ha. I did a few kickflips, fakie flips to get warmed up. I wasn’t really liking how my board felt. Ugh, of course. Anyway, here’s how I fared.
halfcab flip – Struggled way too hard on this.
fs halfcab flip – One of the few tricks that’s much easier on a bigger board.
heelflip – Had a couple close ones after the make that were better
fakie heel – 20 tries for the pathetic not moving one I got
backside flip – There will be a miracle sometime that allows me to land this trick cleanly
frontside flip – I’m actually kinda stoked I rotated slightly over 90 before the 4 down late pivot
varial heel – Close but no cigar
treflip – Was very bummed to not get a clean one
fakie tre – Not even close
nollie varial flip – Pretty darn close
switch flip – Felt closer than it looks
I was really tired for the last few tricks. Perhaps if I had more energy I would have gotten one. Or smaller trucks! Ha, the obsession for lows has started again. Hoping to suppress it.

(setup 8.25 null curby deck, venture 5.8 titanium axle with custom hollow cast baseplate, doh dohs 88a boardside bushing no washer minilogo 94a roadside with flat washer, 53mm purple swirl blank wheels, 3 speed washers on the outside of each axle, new balance numeric 288s jack curtain size 11.5, no insoles, incrediwear knee sleeve)
(pain level 4/10 no sharp pains just kinda stiff and sore)

It’s been weeks since I’ve been to the dog park. I guess I’m taking the social distancing thing pretty serious. But I woke up early and work late and it was nice out. I wasn’t feeling too great, but that doesn’t normally stop me. I had switched to the cast baseplate, but other then that things were the same and felt the same. I had a fun initial slappy crook, then a sketchy slam on the first boardslide attempt. I was extra slow and cautious for a while, but things came together. I did some lines to get things going that aren’t noteworthy. First one I was happy with was front 5-0 the mini cinder block ledge, noseslide the tall side of the black ledge, noseslide to fakie the plastic ledge, fakie flip, halfcab noseslide the regular cinder block ledge, maybe a slappy crook at the end too. The thing I’m most happy about is committing to front 50s pretty much every try on the regular cinder block ledge. I got front 50, front 50 front 180, front 50 shove. I was trying to line it out with ollie over the mini cinder block ledge, but kept bailing the ollie. I would get it eventually though and it felt pretty easy and cool. I did the wallie thing and wood shot everywhere. Ha, my nose totally got tore up on that. The main parking block grinds so good. I had the best feeling front slappies and some really bad crooks on the cinder block ledge after. Then I got super tired and had very little energy and just kinda putzed around. I tried fakie nosegrinds on the mini cinder block ledge and failed, got a little front smith jib on the lower side of the black ledge. Man I love this park.

(setup 8.25 null curby deck, venture 5.8 titanium axle with custom hollow cast baseplate, doh dohs 88a boardside bushing no washer minilogo 94a roadside with flat washer, 53mm purple swirl blank wheels, 3 speed washers on the outside of each axle, new balance numeric 288s jack curtain size 11.5, no insoles)
(pain level 4/10 almost sharp pain in the right knee should have worn the incrediwear knee sleeve)

On a cooler day I went out for skate lunch again armed with a 11×11 list. I did a few slappies then went up to the designated flatground area and started flipping (out). I got kickflip first try, then took a bit to get another. I almost lost my mind trying to get a fakie flip which took 10 tries. And it wasn’t even on the list, just a warm up trick. Argh, at least halfcab flip warm up only took a couple tries. Then it was off to the list:
fakie bigflip – couldn’t do this. Came so close to focusing my board. This is normally so easy for me. The terrible one I got was like 20th try.
heelflip – Got a worse one first try, then that epic rocket heel pretty quick to calm me down a little.
halfcab heel – not even close
nollie varial flip – finally landed on it, but couldn’t ride away.
treflip – got a few, but all were terrible.
nollie big flip – not even close
varial heel – kinda close. I gave up on the list after this, it was too tough
switch bs flip
switch heel
fakie treflip
nollie inward heel
Then I went down do the original straight curb and tried switch front tail. I probably got closer to rolling my ankle than landing the trick. It’s my turn to give Dave a trick in our ongoing game of SKATE so I wanted to do switch front tail. Oh well. I gave up and remembered Dave saying he hadn’t done kickflip axle stall. I know he can do it and want to see it so I went for that. I got a few questionable ones before getting a good feeling one. Back to work.

(setup 8.25 null curby deck, venture 5.8 titanium, doh dohs 88a boardside bushing no washer minilogo 94a roadside flat washer, 53mm purple swirl blank wheels, 3 speed washers on the outside of each axle, new balance numeric 288s jack curtain size 11.5, no insoles, incrediwear knee sleeve)
(pain level 4/10)

Went across the street after getting a text from Max who wanted to grab and old 8.5 board of mine.  I would be there about 30 minutes before him and Will showed.  I had switched bushings yet again, this time they felt just about right.  Doh dohs 88a barrel and mini logo 94a little one.  It was really warm and sunny out.  I was wearing shorts.  It felt nice.  I had done quite a few of the normal routing before they showed.  I had the fastest front slappy I’ve done, it felt awesome.  Got a kickflip off the curb cut after.  Max and Will were on it pretty quick.  Will did the best slappy line I’ve seen there.  Slappy front crook transfer up, nollie front tail to switch crooks to fakie, switch front shove.  I feel like it’s missing a flatground trick, but wow, it was sick.  Max was doing crazy switch manuals up and own the curb cuts and got a line of 360 flip up into a curb cut and then nollie flip out to the parking lot.  He also had a killer fakie flip out of one.  I had a few decent slappy front crooks and maybe my first switch front tail.  I basically did a switch 90 and landed on all 4, but the nose was pretty clearly on the curb.  I also amused max with a bs flip attempt out of the curb cut that only turned 90 degrees.  And somehow I rode away.  I also got a 360 flip out which made me happy.  Then it was time to go back to work.  

(setup 8.25 null curby deck, venture 5.8 titanium, doh dohs 88a boardside bushing no washer minilogo 94a roadside flat washer, 53mm purple swirl blank wheels, 3 speed washers on the outside of each axle, new balance numeric 288s jack curtain size 11.5, no insoles, incrediwear knee sleeve)
(pain level 3/10)

I work late this week so cruised across the street for some slappies at lunch. Todays setup change was to put 5.8 hangers on and venom 92a bushings. Immediately the bushings were too soft and I was getting wheelbite like crazy. Argh. Even when coming out of slappies. I didn’t really do much of anything and kept it pretty mellow. Got a front shove from the curb cut to the parking lot and a b/s flip out of the curb cut. Jack came and met up and skated for a bit too. He had a front slappy even though he says he sucks at slappies. He was ripping the flat ground. Heelflips, fakie tre, varial heel, halfcab flip, backside flip and almost got rick flip from curb cut to parking lot. Man it was good to see Jack again.

(setup 8.25 null curby deck, venture 5.8 titanium, vemon 92a bushings with flat top washer, 53mm purple swirl orb wheels classic shape, 3 speed washers on the outside of each axle, new balance numeric 288s jack curtain size 11.5, no insoles, incrediwear knee sleeve)
(pain level 5/10 some good sharp knee pain)

On a nice morning I had gone for long walk then decided to skate flat. It was still pretty early, around 10am. I was armed with a list of 15 tricks. I wasn’t limiting myself to a certain amount of tries, but if I wasn’t close at all I would stop around 10 tries. I had warmed up with a few kickflips and was skating the 8.25.
Halfcab flip – came quick and felt good
Backside flip – took close to 10 tries
Fakie bigflip – around 12 tries
Heelflip – came quick
Halfcab heel – didn’t get it, but it was close and I committed.
Front heel – not close. Feels doable, but never committed
Treflip – got a really bad one 20th try.
Nollie varial flip – can’t land this to save my life anymore
Switch flip – not very close
Switch heel – they flipped really well, but never committed
Varial heel – committed, got close, but never landed on the grip
Switch tre – not even remotely close
Frontside flip – got a decent one for me, but it was really slow
Nollie bigflip – not as close as I hoped
Heelflip body varial – the last trick was originally rick flip, but I swapped it for this one to try and get Dave a trick. I was close before I turned on the camera, and not that close once it was on. Doh.

After lunch I went to Rocky Mountain to meet the Daves. Max and Will would come about 30 minutes after us. The parking lot was almost completely wet from the melting snow. The drains from the roof sounded like rivers. The sidewalk was mostly dry except the ledge area which now had a pretty water gap added to it. It would let up later on and sound more like a babbling brook. Max laughed at that and said I should crook over the babbling brook. Ha. I did a little line of kickflip up the curb then noseslide to fakie over the water gap. Dave L was doing some good manuals. He had a nose manual that bonked off a grate then back to nose manual. Dave F had the sickest boardslides to fakie over the water gap and skates the banks like they are doable. Max and Will are on another level. They were doing really hard tricks immediately. Max had b/s flip over a median on the bank, ollied the bank flat gap, slammed super hard on front heel over a median, did a lot of manuals/nose manual spins on the median that shouldn’t be possible, back tails over the water gap so much more. Will was a little more low key, but was killing it too. Front 3 over a median, back tail the water gap. I’m forgetting other tricks right now, which is a shame. I managed to cleanly ollie onto the narrow ledge by the entrance. It hyped me up. I failed at crooks over the water gap. I blame my new wheels, narrow trucks and lack of skill. Dave had a nice front 50 over it as we were leaving. I wish my legs didn’t lock up at the end so I could have tried too.

(setup 8.25 null curby deck, venture 5.6 v-hollow trucks, stock bushings with flat top washer, 53mm purple swirl orb wheels classic shape, new balance numeric 288s jack curtain size 11.5, no insoles, incrediwear knee sleeve)
(pain level 5/10 – it was fine playing skate early, but gradually more sore at the school)