On a warm morning I met Jack at Baker ledge. It was clear again. Eric would show after a bit. Jack didn’t have the magic manuals going right away this time, but would get some. I had a setup change of 8.3 and Indys and initially really liked it. I somehow started off pretty good, then kind of fell off as I got more sore and tired. But I had manuals, first try crooks, first try halfcab flip (neither of which I could get again), got a nose manual when Eric rolled up. Got some ride on crooks off the manny pad again and somehow backed one with a back 50 on the ledge. Was hyped to get a kickflip up the pad then ride on crooks. Eric got manuals pretty quick, almost onto the ride on grind. Jack had kickflips off the pad. Eric almost had heelflips up. I made myself get a crappy b/s flip up the pad before we moved on.

Went to the little manny pad, but got the boot pretty quick. I had wallied up the red ledge which was pretty fun. Jack got a manual.

So we went and hid under engineering building. Eric got a really good heelflip into the first bank. I got slappy crook then kickflip into the second one eventually. Jack had front board to fakie on the ledge, kickflip into it, some noseslide stuff. I also did a bad nollie back tail, noseslide 270, sw front nose and sw front nose 270. It was a fun session. I was so incredibly sore after though.

(setup 4/10 null 8.3, jessup ultra, indy forged hollow 149, 51mm spitfire f4 99s radial slim green, splay rev lt b/w size 12 remind insoles)
(pain level 6/10)

After work went to campus. Had assembled a larger setup. Hated it. And it didn’t help on the ledges whatsoever. I guess I started at the tiny flat gap spot. Did a warm up line of something like kickflip, ollie the gap into the slight hill and then 180 the gap. Also a stall on the step, front 180 into the bank and sw 180 the flat gap. Then to the flagstone area. Crooks didn’t feel amazing even with the 151s. Noseslides were whatevs. Flip tricks felt impossible. Rain was imminent so I went in on ollies onto the flagstone then front 50. Failed at both. Miserably. Did get onto both, but not close to landing either.

(setup 0/10 null 20 year 8.5/14.25, null grip, thunder team hollow 151, spitfire f4 99a 52mm classic orange/black, splay rev lt b/w size 12 with fp 5mm flat kingfoam insole)
(pain level 3/10)

Went to campus after work to meet Will. He was running late so I flailed around at the elementary school waiting. I had put Thunders on and they felt terrible for a while. But Will arrived and we went to campus and things got better. We started at Baker ledge. Will super casually manualed the pad a few times out of the gate showing me and a college skater how to do it. Ha. I would eventually get a couple manuals, almost one into the ride on grind. I had some good feeling crooks and switch front noses. One very slow front 50. Kind of close to switch 180 manual. Will with a great line of front tail to fakie then switch manual. We were at Baker quite a while. Then we went to the mini bump to hill. Will first try kickflip and switch pop shove into it before getting called for work. I had pop shove, sloppy fakie bigflip and b/s flip. Then we bounced. Fun session, but man I was soooo sore after.

(setup 6/10 8.3 pmg, jessup ultragrip, thunder 149 hollow lite no bottom washer, spitfire f4 99a radial slim 51mm green, splay rev b/w size 12 with 574 insoles and currex runpro insoles)
(pain level 6/10 pretty sore)

Was feeling pretty lazy, but it was oh so nice outside. Ended up going to campus in the evening. For the most part I am truly enjoying the Splay shoes. But it has been a struggle figuring out what size board/trucks to go with it as the wide shoe feels different. I had 8.3 with aces and can’t say there was a single redeeming quality of that setup. But I skated. I randomly first started at kind of bank to ledge. The big crack before it makes it hard to skate. I don’t think I’ve skated it since 2017. Which is before my kids went to school there. Crazy. I struggled initially with some nose stall variations, then front axle, then did the weird front axle shove to fakie. Next I ended up behind the fitness center looking at stuff before heading down the hill and remembering this 4 stair I tried to ollie once before. Took a few tries, but I got it and as bad as the ollie is it felt pretty cool. Then I ended up at the smaller bank to curb that you have to ollie onto. Was struggling with aces to ollie up the curb. A cop came by and posted up in their truck watching me so I skated off. Ended up at this fun little bump, but struggled mightily to b/s flip it. Ugh. Goodbye aces. Hopefully I wont be dumb enough to try them again.

(setup 2/10 8.3 pmg, jessup ultragrip, ace af1 hollow 55, spitfire f4 99a radial slim 51mm green, splay rev b/w size 12 with 574 insoles and currex runpro insoles)
(pain level 5/10 pretty sore)

Had some time before a very long day in the office so I hit dog park on a sunny windy morning. I had put together an 8.25 with venture 5.6s and hated it. Other than it seemed to pop onto front 50s alright there was nothing I liked about it. I tried to do some stuff though, nothing really worked. Probably did more than I’m saying, but definitely not anything I noted as above average.

On a really nice morning I went to Broomfield to meet Gordon. To my delight the 98% dudes were assembling as well. Good thing too because Gordon hurt his back and wasn’t really able to skate. I was skating a 8.25 with slappy lows and liked it more than the bigger board. I still couldn’t treflip though. Got to see Dan rip it, lipslide down the little rail then back nosegrind the black ledge. Donnie slayed as usual. He was kind of on one. When is he not? Scotty got close to kickflips. Sean came and did Sean things. The ease at which he does nollie back nosegrinds is nuts. Garrett had the line of the day with back tail and kickflip back tail, also some halfcab crooks. I had some okay moments, switched to a venture setup. Liked it more, but didn’t ollie better. Had some normal tricks, okay lines, one back 50. Sean and I played a game of SKATE where I got pink slipped. But I did get quite a few tricks at least. Couldn’t get treflip or fakie bigflip during the game, but did land them after. Then went home and watched the Nuggets lose game 7 🙁

(setups 8.25s with venture hollow or slappy lows wasn’t totally into either of them, but man I loved the Splay Rev LT shoes with some 574 insoles and currex runpro)
(pain level 3/10)

On a super nice morning Paul, Jack, Eric and I rolled to Golden where we met Venture Dave, Miller, Gordon, and more. The little plaza section in the back was mostly closed due to construction unfortunately which made warming up tougher. But I ended up having a pretty fun session and I think most others did too. Bratcher was hiding up on the little qp. Paul and Gordon were ollieing the 3. Gordon lipslide the long mellow ledge like it was nothing, lots of manuals and nose manuals. Paul noseblunts on the bank ditch part. Dave did his patented impossible to fakie, almost got fakie impossible. Lots of manuals and no comply shifty. Eric went to down on the 3 stair rail. He took a lot of slams, but he got a good one. I was happy to get a couple boardslides on the long mellow ledge, kickflips on the little bank, some slow noseslides on the hubba. Had one line I really liked of noseslide to fakie the start of the long mellow ledge, halfcab flip on the bank, switch noseslide the kinked ledge. I couldn’t quite get a fakie tre on the bank, but I did get a heelflip to fakie which is super rare for me and felt awesome. Fun crew and session.

(setup 4/10 8.5 null vhs, slappy lights 8.5, spitfire f4 99a classic orange/black, splay rev b/w size 12 with remind cush insoles)
(pain level 5/10)

After work then a couple naps I made my unenergetic self go to Valmont to meet Will and Dave. I arrived after Will had b/s flipped the euro hip and Dave f/s flipped it. Wow! They kept at it a bit to get cleaner ones, but I didn’t get to see them go down. I cruised around, had some fun, got warmed up. Was happy to do kickflip to fakie on the mellow bank, kickflip on a hump to b/s flip toe drag the hip. Some switch front noses on the back of the bank. Will learned pole jam. Dave almost did them to manual. Dave did crazy nollie shove tail reverts over the hip. A lot more happened, it was a fun session. Then we went to Picas and had a nice dinner.

(setup null 8.5 vhs, jessup ultragrip, venture v8 5.8, 52mm spifire f4 classic 99a orange/black, splay rev lt 272 insoles and currex runpro insoles)
(pain level 4/10)

About time I got the Splay Rev skate shoes. I was tired after work and it was really windy, but I wanted to try these shoes out. Since they are so wide I had skated a wider board, 8.3. I put Royals on it which wasn’t the best choice. I started at the little circle thing, did a couple back 50 stalls, nollie tails. Then a weird run of pop shove a micro bump, ollie down a 3, noseslide a flagstone bench. Then a line of kickflip the bump, front 180 the 3, switch 180 a manhole, noseslide flop the bench. I went to the main area but the wind got insane and I felt like heading home. Really liked the shoes, but man they made my board feel sooooo small.

(setup 4/10 8.3 pmg, jessup ultragrip, royal ultralights 149, spitfire 52mm 99a f4 classic, splay rev b/w size 12 with remind cush insoles)
(pain level 3/10)

Had about 30 minutes to skate dog park on the way into the office. I was unhappy with my pop and inability to land treflips the day before so I went aces. Didn’t really like them at all. I didn’t skate well at all. Had some front and back 50s on the lurb. Some crooks on things. Maybe some kickflips.

(setup 2/10 8.25 null flaherty, jessup ultra pj grip, ace spanky af1 44 hollow, spitfire 52mm 99a f4 classic orange/black swirl, last resort cm002 grey size 12 and currex runpro insole)
(pain level 4/10)