Feeling even better on a nice Sunday I headed out to hit the metal curb spot in Louisville. But when I drove by there was a handful of scooter kids so I went right on by. I ended up at this school Neil and I skated a few times. It wasn’t as great looking as a I remember, but still cool. And a good place for me to loosen up the legs and start trying tricks again. Which is what I did for quite awhile before Jack and Carleigh showed. Stall trick on the bottom step, flatground trick, trick on the weird narrow bank. First line was front tail stall, kicklfip, side rock. Next was back pivot, heelflip, ollie to fakie. The term “ollie to fakie” might not actually represent the tiny no pop hop to fakie I did. Next was front axle on the 2nd step, backside flip, fakie tail stall. I was hyped to get on the 2nd step. Jack and Carleigh showed as I got another line or was doing it better. Front tail to fakie, halfcab flip, a weird side front tail flop off. Jack went right to the stairs. After a kickflip he did the nollie tre pretty quick. Carleigh did some bean plants down the 3. I felt the peer pressure and skated the stairs too. Well, I lined out something to the stairs. Pop shove, wallie nollie, ollie. Carleigh did a bunch of no complies down the stairs. Jack had broken his board on a nollie flip then setup a new one and got one pretty quick down the 3. Then we all skated the narrow bank for a bit. I tried front tail to front rock for a bit then gave up sore. I had landed on a couple varial heels, but with the hands down. Carleigh got the axle stall. It’s way harder than it looks. Jack had tried several tricks. Kinda close to back noseblunt, treflip to fakie. He got pivot fakie, a pivot ollie back in thing.

We left for another spot. I forgot to take a photo. But it was basically a 6-7 stair with a wood ramp extending out of it. Carleigh didn’t really skate it. I did some weird frontside ollie where my nose kinda noseslid the rail. Then I filmed Jack 5-0 transfer it which is as gnarly as it sounds. Then I attempted to shake off the sore legs and did a little boneless tail bonk transfer. It felt cool. Jack filmed it great too. Fun day. Glad we got out in the streets.

(setup 8.25 null abstract #6 deck, Mini Logo 8.38 trucks, spitfire f4 101a 51mm classic wheels, 2 washers inside each axle, stock mini logo bushings, new balance numeric 913 Westgates b/w, stock insoles)
(pain level 5/10)

On a warm and sunny Saturday I went over to the curb feeling slightly better with the plan of meeting almost every older skater I know. It was awesome. I probably wont even remember everyone that skated, but it was Jake, Saul, Rob, Dave, Simon, Dave L, Sean, Kevin, Fuzz and me. So sick! At first I didn’t think I’d be able to skate much, but it did loosen up. Over a few hours I didn’t really do anything much. I had a couple kickflips which made me happy and several slappies. Jake was the first to leave so he gets first dibs in the journal. Slappy bluntslides, slappy crooks, 360 flip. Saul with the long slappies, consistent front slappies, front slappy around the hook. Sean was next to go. He had some ripping kickflips into and out of the banks. Some long front tails, relearned halfcab 50s. In fact he did it in a line. Halfcab 50, kickflip up the curb to quick wallie a rock gap. Rob was a little stiff from tons of hiking. Still saw him rip the back 50 no comply shove out, slappy crooks, kickflips, beanplants, something new I’m forgetting right now. Man it ruled seeing Simon skate again. He rips. Such a natural. Real long slappies, switch slappy, slappy crooks, switch slappy crook, fast kickflips and 180s, bluntslide to 50. Kevin was sore from a couple weeks off the board too. He had still done some solid flippers, back 50s, halfcab 50 back 180, back tail into the bank. He had a rad line with a silly pole grab to grind then manual to wallie the rock gap. He was also the first to notice my silly trucks which I had hoped no one would notice. I was hyped when Fuzz somewhat gave me props on having the courage to try them. FYI two days in still liking them. Speaking of Fuzz, he also rips. Took him a bit to get that line he’s tried a bunch, but man it was good when he did it. Ollie into the curb cut, front 180 out, fakie nosegrind 180 out. Also some killer slappy noseslides, switch ones, nollie tails, powerful style. Fuller was the last one to arrive to the session he organized. Ha. Darn football traffic. He killed it though. Slappy switch crook shove, halfcab back 50 back 180 out, slappy crooks shove, slappies, sex changes, switch ollies and switch back 180s into the curb cut, ride on back 50 to back tail. Dave L has the best slappy of anyone I’ve seen. He does them to 5-0 and almost got a shove out too. Did a nice front tail 270 shove, casual manuals. Super fun session even though I didn’t really skate.

(setup 8.25 null abstract #6 deck, Mini Logo 8.38 trucks, spitfire f4 101a 51mm classic wheels, 2 washers inside each axle, stock mini logo bushings, new balance numeric 913 Westgates b/w, stock insoles)
(pain level 7/10)

Last Monday I didn’t skate because I was so sick of the heat. I did however play basketball with Ollie. I felt fine after, but woke up later in the night with an intense pain below my left butt cheek. I think I strained the hamstring. Ugh. Anyway, it still hurts. I skated, but I basically just did a few slappies and several slappy crooks. Saul said he was feeling arthritic, but he looked good. He was hitting the slappies front and back. Alley oop slappy, layback. We didn’t last long. I had bought a set of Mini Logo trucks to try. Yes, Powell Mini Logo trucks. This is because I really love Venture lows, but I wanted a wider truck. These are the same height as Venture lows, but wider (8.38). They felt great. They have a very small wheelbase, even less than Indy. They turn good. They just look pretty bad. Oh well, I had told myself awhile ago I should try them after reading some glowing reviews on the slap truck thread.

(setup 8.25 null abstract #6 deck, Mini Logo 8.38 trucks, spitfire f4 101a 51mm classic wheels, 2 washers inside each axle, stock mini logo bushings, new balance numeric 913 Westgates b/w, stock insoles)
(pain level 9/10)

Feeling lazy on a hot day and after a long hike I found a bit of motivation after making a list of tricks. The goal was 12 tricks 12 tries. But I ended up going way over 12 tries on fakie heel and then even longer on halfcab flip. Saul had shown up at the school while I was in the halfcab flip battle. I stuck to my flippers for awhile. He joined and ollied a white claw can. It was rad. I never got a halfcab heel even though I was often quite close. I made up for it by getting treflip second try (although not really a good one). I went for nollie tre, but lost interest and went down to skate the curbs with Saul. There is a lot of shade on that spot in the evening. We both got front slappies. He was trying one handed layback slappies. I finally got some decent backside slappies. I slammed on a front shove off the curb cut. Then we went to our homes for dinner.

(setup 8.25 null abstract #6 deck, venture 5.6 trucks, spitfire f4 101a 51mm classic wheels, 3 washers inside each axle, bones medium bushings, new balance numeric 913 Westgates b/w, stock insoles)
(pain level 3/10)

Got to dog park by 10am on a hot morning. There was a helmet wearing dad walking his daughter around on rollerblades. They had a crew of kids with rollerblades, scooters and skateboards. Luckily for the most part the kids rode skateboards. I was really struggling in the warm up game. Jake showed up after awhile and things got better, we started skating pretty hard. I still struggled to confidently 50 the little benches. Jake pretty quickly front tail’d the back of the step ledge. Whoa. I got his back with a fun line of wallie the barrier, noseslide to fakie the back of the step ledge, switch noseslide 270 shove the metal ledge. Will joined us. We mostly stuck in the far east lane for awhile. Jake was doing super good crooks on the metal ledge. Will was trying to learn front tails and crooks. I did my first fakie 50 switch front 180 out in a long time. It felt great. Tried to switch front shove out too, but didn’t get it. Couldn’t commit to nosegrinds. Kind of got a fakie heel and a treflip. Then we ollied the black wedge to barrier. I was the last to get it, but it was still only 5 tries and it felt really good. Jake front 180d it after that. I posed kickflips over it. They felt doable, I was landing one footed. Maybe someday. Will was ripping the benches. Fast front 50s, 5-0s , nosegrinds and maybe a smith. Garrett had shown up and was cruising around. Smooth tailslides and speed. I did a couple bean plants on the bank and ended trying a line of kickflip to fakie then halfcab noseslide. My legs couldn’t handle the halfcab noseslide anymore so I sat down. Jack showed. He did a sick bump to front 50 on the copingless chinabank right away. Also some weird nollie front blunt the other side of the butter bench. Sean finally showed and did a lap around the park with some solid 50s then we left.

Then we were up in Fort Collins. Garrett, Sean, Jack, Hayden and me. We skated into campus from the shop. We warmed up on the little ledge on the sidewalk. It was quite awesome having the biggest Nuller crew in awhile. Jack started the entertainment with a good slam on a slappy attempt. Luckily he didn’t hit his bruised rips. I think everyone fell. It was funny. On top of that it was the Tour De Fat and all kinds of drunk weirdos were biking by in funny clothing. Fort Collins rules. I was surprised by body let me skate. I was slow to warm up (compared to them), but did have a fun little line of chinese nollie then boardslide flop out. Jack did a hilarious nollie tre, I think Garrett or Hayden got one too, but I failed. We skated a long ways and eventually ended up at the long hubba. I didn’t skate it. I filmed the Nullers. Sean, Garrett and Hayden got really good stuff. Then we were on to more spots and ended up at the plastic ledge spot. I skated here while they warmed up. Had a fun noseslide and eventually a boardslide where Hayden does the crook in the clip above. Jack got a cool boardslide pop over to manual to front shove down the 3. Sean came up short. That spot is weird. That was it for the day. Pretty long and exhausting, but very fun.

(setup 8.25 null abstract #6 deck, venture 5.6 v-lights, spitfire f4 101a 51mm classic wheels, 3 washers inside each axle, bones medium bushings, new balance numeric 913 Westgates b/w, stock insoles)
(pain level 2/10)

On a nice morning I went to dog park having the day off work. I got there before Dave L and arranged a mini bank to curb. The black wedge to the back of the stop ledge. It was kinda fun and awkward. I was wearing new shoes, Westgates. Well, I’ve worn them a couple times skating before. They felt surprisingly good. Dave L showed up and we both slowly warmed up. I was more lining out boardslides and the bank to curb. He was doing nollie 180s over a parking blocks. We moved moved the cement ledge that had been against the fence without blocks under it to a good spot again. I was hyped on that. We started linking lines. Dave could easily manual them. That is so rad. I should try to ride on them, but I’m terrified of that. He did back 50 then back 5-0. Pretty unreal line to me, but he was kinda like whatever. I took awhile to get halfcab noseslides. Not sure why, maybe the smaller setup. I did the lines above, they were pretty fun. I think I broke the record for shortest grind on the fakie nosegrind jib. I had gotten the line with the ollie over the wallie barrier. I mean, it wasn’t a clean ollie, but I’m working on it. The footage of this shows me how bad my ollies are. I need to drag the front foot further up to level out the board. So maybe after 30 years of skating I will try to correct my pathetic ollies. I had gotten a few flatground tricks. Heelflip, treflips, halfcab flip, fakie flip and maybe a couple more. I filmed Dave do a cool nollie lip up the parking blocks then a nose manual 180. We left as the sun came in and heated things up a lot and a few people started showing up.

Surprisingly I wasn’t too sore and I wanted to skate some flatground before date night with Liz. So I went in the shaded alley behind the school. Things went a little better than last time. I’m still terribly inconsistent though. It took awhile before I landed anything actually. Jumping is hard. I got the halfcab flip then treflip line. Backside flip, heelflip, the worst f/s halfcab heel done in history, first try f/s halfcab flip, maybe a fakie heel. These Westgates are very comfy, but the board feel leaves a lot to be desired. Not the best flick and not a good heelflip. But a lot can be said about being able to skate 5 hours in a day and not be too sore.

(setup 8.25 null abstract #6 deck, venture 5.6 v-lights, spitfire f4 101a 51mm classic wheels, 3 washers inside each axle, bones medium bushings, new balance numeric 913 Westgates b/w, stock insoles)
(pain level 2/10)

Another nice night I went to dog park after dinner. I would be meeting Donnie, Dave and Saul. I got there first. It was crowded again. So crazy to think at one time I used to just go there to escape and skate by myself. Tonight I did not feel as good or motivated. I kinda putzed around for awhile not really doing anything. Donnie was trying layback front rocks on the vert wall. Saul showed and quickly carved the vert wall then ollied off the medium kicker. I was impressed. Street Saul came out more with some back 50s on the ground cement ledge. I was trying the Kevin trick, switch nosegrind 180. Dave joined me for a bit when he showed. Well this is after he told me to do a rock fakie first try on the bigger bank. Got it. Then it was kinda everyone on their own for awhile. It’s hard to skate my favorite ledge now. Even when you think your alone as soon as you go to ollie you hear someone hit the kicker behind you and it’s annoying. I did nothing new. I did try a couple front shoves off the kicker, close to kick back 50 the step, almost fakie tre. Saul boardslid a ledge. Dave was lining out the beam with the china bank. He did a switch crook to fakie at one point. Unreal. Donnie had a cool line with boardslide the barrier, kickflip to fakie the bank, switch boardslide the barrier. At the end Dave and I played SKATE under the one light. It started incredibly bad for me and I was down SKA to nothing quick. The lighting was my excuse. I forget the tricks. Dave beat me to halfcab flip, but I finally got it on defense. I mounted a little comeback with heelflip and varial flip I think? Dave got a fakie flip which hyped me up. I got another letter on a back 360 and I couldn’t even do it without having to pop. Dave got me in the end with a sex change. I did land it in a few tries after the game though. Glad we finished with the game of SKATE even though it was pretty tough for me at the start.

(setup 8.25 null abstract #6 deck, venture 5.6 v-lights, spitfire f4 101a 51mm classic wheels, 3 washers inside each axle, bones medium bushings, new balance numeric 868s black/gum, stock insoles)
(pain level 3/10)

Nice night. Went to meet Dave L at the dog park. Upon arrival it appeared very chaotic and unfun. But it ended up being a pretty fun session mainly because my warm up went pretty well. I got a kickflip to fakie on the bank pretty quickly. Dave shot the video of it. I didn’t see Dave skate much, but he did do a casual manual or two. I mostly had fun after Dave left. I tried hard. Had some wallies, crooks on the back of the step ledge, halfcab noseslides, halfcab noseslide to fakie, halfcab flips, heelflips. Actually I don’t remember much more. At the end I couldn’t back 50 over the top on the lower step and it bummed me out.

After it got dark and I cleaned up some trash I drove to a random nearby parking lot on Pearl and skated flat for a little bit. It started slow, but I got a couple helipops to get it going. Then backside flips, heelflip, a couple treflips back to back, almost a first try varial heel. I hucked some more, but was pretty content after the double treflips.

(setup 8.25 null abstract deck, venture 5.6 v-lights, spitfire f4 101a 51mm classic wheels, 3 washers inside each axle, bones medium bushings, new balance numeric 868s black/gum, stock insoles)
(pain level 4/10)

Trying not to nap after work, but not wanting to hit bank park I went to the side of the school to skate flatground.  I wore the Westgates.  They are weird.  But I got into a groove of trying a line.  Little ollie to fakie on the mini bank by the shed, halfcab flip, b/s flip.  For awhile I hit every backside flip, and then they straight up disappeared. Ugh.  I didn’t land much.  Got a bad treflip, heelflip, b/s flip, hucked some random filippers, cracked my tail on a heelflip then finished it off after bailing another halfcab flip.

Then after dinner I met Saul at the curb right as the sprinkler turned on.  Argh.  I had setup a new board.  This time I wore arch support to try and reduce knee pain.  It kinda helped, but felt dangerously high.  I did not skate well.  I was like 2/20 on regular slappys and never got a good frontside one.  Saul on the other hand was playing with slappy front nosegrind.  He kinda popped outta one, but the wheels bonked the curb.  So sick though.  He had some long backside too, but not his longest.  I was hucking flippers.  Switch flip felt close, almost got a treflip, almost fakie 3 shove.  I did have some good feeling slappy crooks both front and back at least.  Saul was trying some kickflips.  He’s got a good flick, it’ll come.

(setup 8.25 null lazer/abstract deck, venture 5.6 v-lights, spitfire f4 101a 51mm classic wheels, 3 washers inside each axle, bones medium bushings, new balance numeric westgate 913 b/w 12 shoes, stock insole/currext runpro insole)
(pain level 5/10)

On a nice evening Jake swooped me up directly after dinner and we went to the new and ‘improved’ dog park.  I had a smaller board and it immediately felt weird.  But mostly I was weirded out by the different skate flow.  People were going faster from the bank to bank and the big qp.  It was hard to get used to.  Jake was lining out the china bank and vert wall.  Two words never used to describe the dog park before.  I was hating life.  Actually threw my board in frustration a couple times.  Gave up on halfcab noseslide on the metal ledge as Matt showed up. I took a bit to get a kickflip to fakie on the bigger bank and that was fun.  I avoided the mass fly out session off the kickers and skated my fav cement ledge for a bit.  Matt came by and did a first try front tail so I tried one too.  Didn’t get it but got into a couple lame stalled ones and it still cheered me up some.  I didn’t really notice what others were doing as I was in one of those funks that had me mostly bummed out.  Matt said he noseblunted the butter ledge.  Jake may have gotten a 5-0 to fakie on the China bank.  I had some fun wallies on the little barrier, crooks on the concrete ledge.  Couldn’t get kickflip to fakie over the bank gap.  Then Jake and I played a game of SKATE.  He got a treflip first try , I missed mine, but got it second try on the double or nothing.  Then I dug myself into a hole by missing two varial flips.  I got him with halfcab flip, heelflip, backside flip and almost fakie heel.  At one point I hurt my knee pretty good.  A friendly reminder how the 379s have no arch support and I should wear orthotic insoles with them.   Jake got a couple bigspin variations on me and it was over.  I finished the session with a fun couple halfcab noseslides to fakie.

(setup 8.25 null lazer deck, venture 5.6 v-lights, spitfire f4 101a 51mm classic wheels, 3 washers inside each axle, bones medium bushings, new balance numeric 379 black size 12 shoes, nike sb zoom air insole)
(pain level 2/10 at the start then 7/10 by the end ugh)