On a super nice night I met Dave and then Nate at dog park. Dave and I had been warming up before Nate showed. At the dog park I saw Dave try fakie 50 halfcabs and was surprisingly struggling with them, fakie back nosegrind, ollie up then nollie back 180 off the c pad. Nate casually front nosegrind the c lurb, front smith it, back and front 5-0s, casual killing. I tried some nosegrind 180s on the c lurb but never quite went fast enough or committed enough. I struggled to kickflip over a parking block which was supposed to set me up to front 50 the bench which I never did. I had on front 50 shove on the c lurb. All this while some some alpha male had to show us how fast he could skate and do the same 2 tricks over and over.

Dave’s back was hurting so we went over to the low impact zone with the scooter kids. Nate had a really good first try ollie the euro. We were treated to some Dave magic although I forget the trick that stood out to make me think that. Kickflips over the hip both ways, solid f/s halfcab over the hip. I pretty much only tried to b/s flip the euro hip and would eventually get it and was quite happy about it. Dave had left. Nate and I did some boardslides into the bank as the wind kicked in. I couldn’t quite get a kickflip to fakie on the shark fin.

(setup 4/10 8.25 pmg, jessup ultragrip, thunder team hollow 148 royal bushings, 52mm bones stf v1, new balance numeric 440v2 11.5 wide with currex runpro insoles and half 440 insole)
(pain level 3/10 calf pain went away as I was skating it was crazy!)

Went a little early to meet Nolan, Garrett, Sean and Riley. Yes, I said Riley! He’s gotten his knee fixed and still recovering, but he still managed to rip. Anyway, Spencer was there with some ripping friends too, was fun to watch. I didn’t skate too well even though my calf had felt better when I started out. I struggled to get a fakie flip on the mellow bank. Couldn’t get crooks on the ledge. Had some okay noseslides on the bump to ledge although most of the time I would chicken out. After some time I started just filming the ripping. Sean’s back nosegrinds were unreal. Garrett was shredding everything, his style keeps getting better and better. He learned two boardslide variations like it was nothing. Nolan had some boardslide combos too. The star of the show was Riley though when them fakie shove switch nose manuals. Unreal!

(setup 4/10 null 20 year 8.5/14.25, jessup ultragrip, thunder hollow 149 royal bushings, spitfire 52mm 99a tablet, new balance numeric 440v2 wide size 11.5 with currex runpro insoles)
(pain level 6/10 general soreness)

On a nice day I picked up Nolan and we met up with Kevin, Jake, Cass, Kyle, Hayden, Rob, Garrett and Joe. My calf was killing me. I basically only skated the curb, but I did get a kickflip 50 so that counts as a win. Jake had a good line 5-0 the qp then sugarcane the bank to curb. Hayden’s manuals are so casual. Garrett popped maybe the best kickflip I’ve ever seen. Kevin put together a nice line with a front blunt in it. Joe did a back noseblunt the one time the camera wasn’t on him. Nolan filmed like 5 clips, all of which were awesome. He even gave into the peer pressure to do the huge hip over door transfer. At one point my knee gave out filming. Ugh. Thanks for having my back Garrett.

After that we went to sculpture park. My calf was toast so I didn’t even try to skate. I was hyped to see Jake charging, easily the longest I’ve seen him skate in a while. Kevin put together some cool combos and flowed it really well. Joe did hardflip to fakie first try. Nolan loved the spot, put together a lot of clips and had a blast. Hayden had a really cool manual combo. Garrett made things look really easy and did kickflip pivot the one time I wasn’t filming. Then a nice dinner meeting up with Cass and Kyle again. Fun times, rad dudes.

(setup 8/10 null 20 year 8.5/14.25, jessup ultragrip, thunder hollow 149 royal bushings, spitfire 52mm 99a tablet, new balance numeric 440v2 wide size 11.5 with currex runpro insoles)
(pain level 8/10 calf/knee)

After work on a Friday I met up with Rob, Nolan and Cass. Yes, Nolan! He’s in town. We didn’t hit it too heavy, kind of mostly talked for a while and tried to talk Nolan into airing the big bike jump. At dog park I saw Rob do a good boardslide. I got a switch front nose. Cass did a good rock fakie on the tall part of the jersey. I got a couple non-decked rocks both ways. Nolan did a bunch of tricks super easily, a few of which we even filmed. Next we went over to the park and cruised it for a while but it was pretty scootered out. Cass got a bigspin over the hip. I got first try kickflip to fakie and big flip on the mellow bank. Nolan flew and casually killed it but didn’t air over a scooter kid like I had hoped. After that a nice dinner at the dark horse with Cass, Nolan and Matt.

(setup 8/10 null 20 year 8.5/14.25, jessup ultragrip, thunder hollow 149 royal bushings, spitfire 52mm 99a tablet, new balance numeric 440v2 wide size 11.5 with currex runpro insoles)
(pain level 8/10 calf was hating me)

On a super nice night Dave and I met on campus near the infamous Baker ledge. Dave did a gap to manual on the nearby pad as I kind of just jibbed around trying to get warmed up and used to my setup change. Then we hit the manny pad to grind area. The ledge had cars so couldn’t skate it. I somehow did a couple manual to back 50s pretty quickly. Dave went in on ollie up to ride on front tail then shove out. He never quite got the shove out. He had some back 50s transfer up onto the pad. I would get some front 50s, accidental and intentional 5-0s up onto the pad. One followed with a sketchy b/s flip up the curb, a couple followed by slow and questionable treflips. Either way I was happy. Dave got manual to front 5-0. Front 180 up to ride on switch crook! I got kickflip up then ride on crooks for my fav thing of the day. Came close to nollie tres, kind of close to kickflip manual too. Then we went over to the newly deknobbed ledge both feeling exhausted and sore. I started out by slamming a lot. We did some ride on grinds, Dave even did switch backside. As well as pretty easily getting a solid front 50 and some switch noseslides. I was happy to get a couple slow front 50 jibs. Then we ended with the little kid ride on grinds to nollie shove out. They were fun. One of my better sessions in a while. Really liked my setup too. Which probably means I’ll dislike it next session, but I really liked it today at least.

(setup 9/10 null 20 year 8.5/14.25, jessup ultragrip, thunder hollow 149 royal bushings, spitfire 52mm 99a tablet, new balance numeric 440v2 wide size 11.5 with currex runpro insoles)
(pain level 7/10 at times my calf was so bad but I kept skating and it eventually loosened up)

On a really nice night I went to campus after work. Started at the meet up curb that isn’t so good anymore. Went into campus and somehow ended up at this little flat gap for a warm up. Did a warm up line of front axle the bottom step of some stairs, front 180 over a different part of the flat gap then switch front 180 the one I kickflipped. Then I went in on a line of halfcab flip, ollie the upper gap (which has a downhill landing so it’s a little weird) then kickflip the gap. Took a while and I struggled with the regular ollie the most which made me very mad. The kickflip felt really good when I got it. I went around the corner to a ledge that is normally knobbed, but it was deknobbed and lacquered and amazing. But the uphill part of it really hurt to push. I had zero pop. Got two tiny front 5-0 jibs and left having no energy. Turns out I was getting sick. Argh.

(setup 2/10 8.25 pmg, jessup ultragrip, ace af1 44 lows hard bushings, 52mm bones stf v2, new balance numeric 440v2 wide sea salt size 11.5 currex runpro insoles)
(pain level 7/10 right calf pain)

Met up with Jesse, Darin, Rob, Sean, Garrett and Joe at Broomfield park on a really nice day. Yes, I said Rob. It’s been a minute, but he was there looking good. Jesse boardslid everything. Sean got far into his black ledge bag after he challenged me to SKATE in which I did pretty good for me. I was happy to get first try heelflip and even a defensive varial heel with some good toe drag. I couldn’t get a treflip though until after the game. There were quite a few other older dudes there, it was cool. Darin rattled of quartapotty tricks, some crooks. After a while I settled in on trying noseslide 270 shoves on the black ledge. Some were very close, one was technically a make although I came to a halt. Garrett and Joe showed. Joe did a line of front crooks to fakie into the bank then fakie hardflip nosebonk the ledge (going for fakie nosegrind). He was hyped. The old folks had left. Garrett, Joe and Sean played a game of SKATE that Joe won. I tried like 100 nollie treflips. Landed on some, was so close, but never got one. As Rob would say, my suspension would give out. Argh. Still haven’t landed that trick in my 50s.

(setup 6/10 8.25 pmg, jessup ultragrip, ace af1 44 lows hard bushings, 52mm bones stf v2, new balance numeric 440v2 wide sea salt size 11.5 currex runpro insoles)
(pain level 5/10 some calf pain)

After work it was looking like rain so I avoided Broomfield with Sean. It was sprinkling as I drove off and I went to Wilville so happy it’s that season. I started off at the little curb below the manny pad. I was feeling very timid still afraid to push although the calf was feeling better. I went in on some hucking to begin. Switch noseslide kickflip out and varial heels on flat. Got incredibly close to both then the cops came and gave me the boot. Argh. I had literally just landed on the sw noseslide kickflip out. I mean I came to a halt, but I am a 50 year old trying some flip out shit with a bum calf so whatever. Some of the varial heels felt so good, but I never got both feet on it. So after the cops said no skating I went about 100 feet away to the rock ride area. Still feeling very cautious about my calf I did a first basic line of rock ride to fakie, fakie bigspin, front 180 the 2 stair. Then a bunch of front 180s up the 2 and a bad halfcab flip. I went back to the manny pad area as I could see the cop car was gone. I went in on the same two tricks, this time not as close. Did a few flatground basics. Really like how kickflips felt. Added a couple nose manuals then left when some other skaters rolled up.

(setup 8/10 8.25 pmg, jessup ultragrip, ace af1 44 lows hard bushings, 52mm bones stf v2, new balance numeric 440v2 wide sea salt size 11.5 currex runpro insoles)
(pain level 5/10 still calf pain)

After work went to Square State since Brian was having a little anniversary of his new hip. I walked in to a session on the tiny qp with several excited kids. It was such a change after a quiet day at work. I kind of just messed around. Did one ghost front rock, front d, front 50. Tried a few kickflip front 50s which felt remotely doable. Brian got kind of busy with the kids so I took off. I hadn’t had a chance to fix my setup so I was skating my 8.5 slace setup which I did not like at all. My calf wasn’t really very happy skating. I wore some new 440 wides and liked them, seemed to help a little.

So I went home, put the low truck on the front of my 8.25 setup and went to the school. Pushing felt bad on the calf, but I was just skating slow just kind of hucked flip tricks. It was funny, I like really hucked. Like barely even tried regular tricks, just rare or hard ones. I landed on a varial heel with my hands down, a couple were close to being good. I randomly started hucking bigflips and they felt so close. There were a couple that felt so close, but a few ones I landed on were just varial flips with bad pivots. I couldn’t quite get a treflip or heelflip. Had a few kickflips, fakie flip. Most tricks kind of hurt so I left before it got too bad.

(setup 8/10 8.25 pmg, jessup ultragrip, ace af1 44 lows hard bushings, 52mm bones stf v2, new balance numeric 440v2 wide sea salt size 11.5 currex runpro insoles)
(pain level 7/10 calf is risky)

On a nice morning I went to the pedestrian bridge and met up with Jake, Cass and his friend Nick. I hadn’t been there since it opened and it was way more fun now that people have added to it and filled in cracks. Nick was getting back into skating and did some boardslides and chilled. Cass easily grinded over the double qp gap. It was really casual. Then he did it frontside and even went to fakie (although he couldn’t do it with the camera on). Jake was going in on tricks on the steep little qp that was quite fun. Also boardslides on the flatbar. I was trying lots of lines, trying to ollie more and grind the little plastic box. I had some front rocks on the bank to curb, rock on the steep qp, front 50 the plastic bench, noseslide a regular ledge. The main line I was trying kind of morphed into what it was. I originally was doing boardslides on the long plastic box then ollie the little curb. Or I would do a front tail transfer over the hip. But the crooks was more fun anyway. The kickflips were hard. Unfortunately pushing started to hurt my calf in the way it did when I had strained it last year. I was so bummed. Had to give up. Then a nice lunch and back home.

Oh and it turns out I accidentally had one ace low truck (back) and a regular one (front). So that really messes with my setup madness!

(setup 4/10 8.25 pmg, jessup ultragrip, ace 44, bones 52mm stf v1, emerica og-1 with footprints gamechanger insoles)
(pain level 7/10 calf pain which sucks because I was really loving the shoes and insole combo)