Met around 1pm on a nice, but a little breezy day at the little arvada park, aka triple nipple.  I haven’t been there in a long time, so long in fact that the newly paved parking lot made me think I had drove to the wrong place.  Kevin, Jack and Carleigh were there already along with some of the other girl crew.  I started on the mellow top qp for awhile, got a few basics, it’s a fun qp.  Carleigh did a back blunt on it.  So sick.  Then I played the ledge game with Kevin and Jack.  Kevin was trying fakie back nosegrind, Jack was trying nollie back 180 switch front crook (or maybe just call it a Suciu trick).  Both got close, but moved on.  Rob would show after awhile.  Kevin and Jack were rattling off trick after trick on the ledge.  Kevin had kick back tail!  Jack was doing 8 foot long back tails, front tail 270 shove, pop shove nosegrind, so many tricks.  I did a couple basics and forced myself to try back 50.  I got into a couple at least, but it was slow and I came to a halt.  But I was still happy to have made myself try.  I got a halfcab noseslide and struggled with some front 50s.  My highlight was a fakie 50 f/s halfcab out then a front 50 shove.  Rob was flowing manuals, boardslides, noseslides.  Carleigh was getting close to back disaster.  I left for Darin’s while Jack was trying a line of back tail, nosepick, back 180 nosegrind 180 out.  

Then we went to Darin’s.  Well, just Kevin and I.  There was a crew there.  Adam, Craig, Dave and Darin.  Most of them were trying a line that had started with add a trick that was like 20 tricks long.  It looked exhausting.  I think Craig was the only one go get it.  Kevin rips miniramps.  Blunt fakie, switch flip, long front 5-0s and lipslides.  I didn’t do much, even bailed some axle stalls.  I should probably skate ramps more.

(setup null 8.25 lazer deck, 5.8 venture black icon trucks, bones  bushings (medium big bottom one, hard small top one), no washers inside each axle, bones 51mm stf v1 pj wheels, new balance numeric 212 black white size 11.5, stock insoles)
(pain level 4/10 bottom of the foot pain)

I wanted to skate later during lunch, but I knew the work day would be too crazy.  So I went to the dog park on a cold morning that felt even colder than I thought it would.  It took me a really long time to do the warm up line of kickflip, no comply 180 then fakie flip.  In fact I gave up on it and came back to a first try fakie flip after also getting a first try halfcab flip.  I didn’t land anything else for quite awhile.  I setup a couple bricks as something to ollie over.  I made a T out of them and it felt pretty tall for how early and cold it was.  I had an ollie over it followed by a 2nd try sketchy treflip which stoked me out.  Couldn’t get nollie tre, got one super slow heelflip, one super slow halfcab heel, first try slow fakie varial flip, slow f/s halfcab flip, maybe a couple other slow tricks.

(setup null 8.25 lazer deck, 5.8 venture black icon trucks, bones  bushings (medium big bottom one, hard small top one), no washers inside each axle, bones 51mm stf v1 pj wheels, new balance numeric 345 black/white size 12, old rubbery sole tech insoles)
(pain level 4/10 and my right foot was so cold)

Went to Boulder park before work on a cold morning, but somehow it didn’t feel so cold.  I had the park to myself for awhile except for a random homeless dude doing paperwork near the ledge (wtf?).  I had switched to some old 345s for no real reason other than I think it really does help my feet to rotate shoes.  I did some random stuff, but managed to not skate transition at all.  Ha.  I had those smaller harder wheels and they felt a little weird at first, but then I started popping ollied and they felt great for that.  I did a noseslide to fakie down the no runway hubba.  Well, only slid for a bit then landed in the bank which was kind of hard and fun.  Then I tried back 50s down it for awhile.  Never quite got in, but did commit at least.  Tried b/s flips over the tiny hip for a bit, but never put both feet on it.  Then front 50 across down the main ledge 2nd try.  Somehow that got me the courage to try and front 50 on just the downhill which I haven’t done in forever.  Downhill scares me.  But I did it like 5th try going super slow.  I wanted to go back and do it faster, but I needed to get to work and was happy leave on a good note.

(setup null 8.25 lazer deck, 5.8 venture black icon trucks, bones  bushings (medium big bottom one, hard small top one), no washers inside each axle, bones 51mm stf v1 pj wheels, new balance numeric 345 black/white size 12, old rubbery sole tech insoles)
(pain level 4/10 didn’t do many morning stretches)

Feeling lazy I went into the garage to try some flippers.  After fakie flips took a few try I hucked some weird ones.  Randomly I tried nollie front foot flip.  I can’t really nollie so I’m not sure why I tried, but it did feel somewhat possible.  Then I went into nollie front heel and it felt close.  I got pretty close a few times and fully committed.  Then I had an awkward fall into the mattress in the garage and decided to call it a night and catch up on this journal.  I’m caught up!  Hooray

setup null 8.25 lazer deck, 5.8 venture black icon trucks, bones  bushings (medium big bottom one, hard top one), no washers inside each axle, bones 51mm stf v1 pj wheels, adidas city cup size 11, stock insoles)
(pain level 5/10 maybe sore from the gym)

Went to Square House right after work and a quick meal.  I wasn’t really feeling like skating much and I really wasn’t wanting to skate a crowded park.  But Donnie sent me a photo of no one being there so I went.  It was just Donnie, Sean and Riley.  David joined later, as did Ted.  I had put some old bones wheels in thinking I would like them to flip with.  But straight out of the gates I sucked.  Bailed axle stalls on the ramp, couldn’t 50 the ledge, etc.  Those 3 were skating the parking block on top of the bump to ledge.  Well I guess Sean was mostly skating the ledge, Riley was too.  Donnie was doing some ridiculous switch stuff from the lower qp onto the higher one.  I had a crooks on the ledge I liked, a sketchy kickflip up the euro, a fun kicfklip to fakie on the mellow bank and ended it by taking a lot of tries to back 50 on the qp over the little qp.  Riley had lines for days and could just improvise with tricks like switch heel up the euro.  Sean had a sick line of front nosegrind the ledge, back 50 up the hubba then ollie into the wood bank thing.  Donnie was in beast mode.  It’s inspiring the way he slams and gets up.  Still fun, but man I skated terribly.

(setup null 8.25 lazer deck, 5.8 venture black icon trucks, bones  bushings (medium big bottom one, hard top one), no washers inside each axle, old bones 51mm v1 pj stf, new balance numeric 212 black/white size 11.5, stock insoles)
(pain level 2/10 but still felt disoriented)

After getting hyped on some Vics Market videos at Jack’s I felt like doing some real street skating for once.  Just pull up to an area of town and skate.  I had to bring boards to Fedex so I just went there and skated around.  I was immediately stoked to see the very well lit alley behind the old Whole Foods being totally skateable now.  I played around for awhile warming up then settled on some lines to get going.  I would do a variation of a side rock, then ollie a little square cement chunk and then try to tailslide a little yellow curb.  I had setup a new board, 8.25.  It felt small, but fine.  I had the City Cups going again and they felt tine too.  I took a long time to get a kickflip to fakie, the approach was hard.  I tried to back tail the tiny yellow curb, but that didn’t work.  Pop shove to fakie was fun too.  That area is cool.  Then I rolled around for awhile and ended up at the weird wood bench in the photo.  There is a slight bank up to it.  i did a nose stall to fakie then took a very long time to get a front axle stall.  But it felt good when I did it.  I had tried a few flippers, but didn’t land much.  My board/shoes felt weird for that.  But yeah, super fun night, felt great to really street skate.  I need to do this more.

(setup null 8.25 lazer deck, 5.8 venture black icon trucks, bones  bushings (medium big bottom one, hard top one), no washers inside each axle, spitfire f4 radial blue/yellow swirl 52mm 99a wheels, adidas city cup size 11, stock insoles)
(pain level 2/10)

After a long day with lots of chilling and family time I went into the garage around 9pm after putting an old 8.25″ deck on.  It felt good.  I did a few basics, took awhile to get a treflip, called it a night.  Oh yeah, I mixed up a few shoes to see if they helped and some old City Cups worked out after I tightened them up.

(setup null 8.25 spanbauer deck, 5.8 venture black icon trucks, bones  bushings (medium big bottom one, hard top one), no washers inside each axle, spitfire f4 radial blue/yellow swirl 52mm 99a wheels, adidas city cup size 11, stock insoles)
(pain level 3/10 ankle loosened up a bit)

Around 1pm I went to Broomfield park to meet several others and intended to get to Darin’s at some point.  I didn’t drink a whole lot so I was mostly just tired, but still felt kind of emotionally drained.  The first thing I noticed was Kevin doing a super fast manual on the black box.  He was ripping.  He was skating with Sean and Mike in the black ledge area.  Jake and Matt were there.  This is one of those entries that I am writing way too far after the fact and I remember almost no tricks until I started filming later on.  I know I wasn’t too motivated and it showed.  I also miss the red curb a lot.  After awhile Jack, Carleigh and Nolan showed.  Jack was in kill mode again.  Riley, Donnie and Garrett were there too.  I filmed most people do tricks from the qpotty onto the hubba and back down.  Riley did kickflip to fakie and then switch flip off!  Nolan had a nice 180 up, fakie flip, then kickflip off.  Donnie treflip fakie.  Jack almost manual up fakie flip off.  Sean gap back 50 up.  More tricks went down.  I was freezing cold just standing there.  After that I just tried to do slappy crooks on the lower part of the brown ledge to make up for the missing red curb.  Then we had margs and hung out and watched skate vids.  Fun times.

(setup null 8.5 perception deck, 5.8 venture black icon trucks, doh doh bushings (yellow top, blue bottom) bushings, 2 washers inside each axle, spitfire f4 radial blue/yellow swirl 52mm 99a wheels, new balance numeric 212 black/white size 11.5, stock insoles)
(pain level 3/10)

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Woke up feeling good on the big Stubborns premiere day. I headed to Denver before everyone and brought boards to Emage and 303. I met Nolan and Jack at York St on a sunny, but cool day. My ankle was still pretty locked up and even nose manuals at curb level were scary to put weight on. Jack was destroying it. I saw boardslide 270 shove, back tail, back tail shove, pop shove nosegrind, front tail bigspin, I don’t know, so many tricks as I sat there catching up with Nolan. Ladd joined us and then eventually Joe. Ladd, Nolan and I mostly hit the manny pad while Jack was lining out the ledge area. The only thing I got was a nose manual. Nolan had 50 to nose manual, manual to boardslide. Ladd seemed close to manual kickflip out. Jack joined and manualled the narrow ledge, also late shoved off it. Some ridiculous stuff. I had some crooks and slow 50s on the granite ledge, Nolan had some basics. I filmed him do some tricks on the bank, Jack did some ledge tricks. I’m not writing enough about this session. It was a long one, but I was distracted by the upcoming premiere and don’t remember much.

(setup null 8.5 perception deck, 5.8 venture black icon trucks, doh doh bushings (yellow top, blue bottom) bushings, 2 washers inside each axle, spitfire f4 radial blue/yellow swirl 52mm 99a wheels, new balance numeric 212 black/white size 11.5, stock insoles)
(pain level 5/10 ankle loosened up a bit)

My left ankle/achilles was having a nice arthritis flare up. I went into the garage without many intentions. I did some manuals and stuff. I tried a mixture of shoes to see if they helped at all. Nothing really seemed to matter. I switched between DC Vestrey, 212s and Sucius. Since it was my front foot that hurt I tried nollie/switch flick tricks. Committed to nollie fs flip and got close, but never got both feet on it. Switch f/s flips didn’t feel close.

(setup null 8.5 perception deck, 5.8 venture black icon trucks, doh doh bushings (yellow top, blue bottom) bushings, 2 washers inside each axle, spitfire f4 radial blue/yellow swirl 52mm 99a wheels, various shoes)
(pain level 7/10 left ankle/achilles arthritis)