Rain was threatening in Boulder so it seemed like getting out was imperative. Rob was down and we arrived around the same time a little after 9. We had the park to ourselves for awhile. Rob is getting tricks back left and right. Back 50, noseslides both ways, crooks, fakie bigspins, halfcab boardslides, he was looking good. I was still on the little 8″ setup and I didn’t really like it. It flipped around pretty easy, but it wasn’t good for the ledges and I really didn’t land much. The only thing I remember I liked was a front 50 to front board. A crew of younger skaters showed up and had a lot of energy changing the vibe and making it not as fun. Then another couple dudes that were better, but even more annoying. Things like waxing a ledge before skating it, complaining about people being around them (you’re at a skatepark idiot). Rob split when Jake showed up. Jake did a line with front blunt on the quartapotty and then 5-0 fakie on the steep bank. I got his back with a sloppy kickflip or two over the parking block. Then we played a game of SKATE. For once I got Jake a letter on treflip. Mine was questionable, but he did so many primos that he almost had to quit the game. Yikes. I had some other tricks like f/s halfcab flip, heelflip, and a couple more I can’t remember to beat him.

Then we went to Safeway ledge. I started slow not liking the little board and being oh so sore. But we ended up getting some stuff we were hyped on. Jake had fakie back tail and then back tail. His first back tail in the streets. I did my first kick back 50 in awhile. Then we went and had lunch and hung out with Fuzz and it was awesome.

(setup null logo 8″ deck, jessup, venture 5.2 awake lows, bones hard bushings, 3 washers inside each axle, 1/16″ riser, 51mm spitfire F4 101a radial slims, new balance numeric 288s grey/blue size 11.5, no insoles)
(pain level 3/10)

I went out to the garage on a rainy evening before dinner. I was motivated and felt decent. The warm up process went alright. I took a few tries to get a pop shove I was happy with which was the start of the struggles. Then kickflip took a few tries, but I did manage my 5 in a row. Then heelflips. I had gotten one and was going for a total of 5 when a missed heelflip resulted in my foot going right through the middle of my board. No worries I grabbed a very old 8″ deck sitting on the garage and swapped them out. It felt a little small and I started with fakie flips to get going. Then I went back to heelflip and was able to get 4 more of those. Did a couple backside flips, a great feeling fakie varial flip. Then couldn’t treflip to save my life followed by many varial heelflip attempts that I couldn’t land either. I hucked a few nollie flips that felt pretty close, but overall I was just so bummed. I tried so hard and I couldn’t come up with a rare or new trick. It really felt like I’m just too old to learn new stuff anymore and it hit me hard.

(setup 8.25 null curby deck/null logo 8″ deck, jessup ultragrip, venture 5.2 awake lows, venture yellow bushings, 3 washers inside each axle, 1/16″ riser, 51mm spitfire F4 101a radial slims, new balance numeric 288s grey/blue size 11.5, no insoles)
(pain level 2/10)

On a nice night I met Dave at Red Hawk with about an hour of sunlight left.  I had new shoes.  Another pair of the cupsole 288s.  They felt alright.  Much less pain than the 306 vulcs, but also less grip.  Anyway the warm up wasn’t too bad for me.  I got into my basics pretty quick and was doing a bit more flippers than normal.  Had a couple good feeling halfcab flips and front 50s.  Dave was doing some long front noseslides, manuals on the rock, etc.  I would land on a few tricks, but not really land anything I was overly happy with.  Got close to nollie varial flip, nollie tre, front 5-0 shove, kick back 50/5-0.  I kind of got a front smith.  Dave had such a good front 50 back 180.  He also got into some front crooks which I haven’t seen him try in awhile. He also ended on such a good line of noseslide shove then back 50 nollie shove.  

(setup 8.25 null curby deck, jessup ultragrip, venture 5.2 awake lows, venture yellow bushings, 3 washers inside each axle, 1/16″ riser, 51mm spitfire F4 101a radial slims, new balance numeric 288s grey/blue size 11.5, no insoles)
(pain level 3/10)

On a warm night I went to campus about an hour before sunset.  I had thought of the stadium bank and all of these flip tricks I wanted to do there.  So you know what that means right?  That I wouldn’t be able to land anything.  I had done a few warm ups before struggling pretty bad with kickflip to fakie, b/s flip, f/s flip and fakie flip.  Then I just went for treflip.  Over and over with no luck.  At one point my foot started hurting so bad.  I am going to give up on vulcanized shoes again, they are so painful.  The only good that came from it was hucking a f/s cab heelflip and getting remotely close.  When it got too dark I moved on and was surprised at how dark so many spots were.  I ended up at the hidden ledge with no runway and tried Dave’s challenge until I got it.  It took 9 minutes, 38 seconds.  ha.  I tried front 50 for a white.  I was pretty close when a bunch of bugs started roaming around on the ledge and my stupid hippy self didn’t want to hurt them.  So I moved on .. to the car.  Bummer of a night.  

(setup 8.25 null curby deck, jessup ultragrip, venture 5.2 awake lows, bones medium bushings, 3 washers inside each axle, 1/16″ riser, 51mm spitfire F4 101a radial slims, new balance numeric foy b/w/y size 12, nike sb zoom air insole)
(pain level 5/10)

After work on a hot afternoon I drove by Southern Hills to skate some flat and benches.  However there were several people there playing basketball so I turned around and moved on.  I ended up at a random nearby school that has a weird flagstone bench with gaps on each side, a sketchy butter bench against a bush with flowers, an alright curb, some decent flatground and a million stop rocks.  I had brought out my old 8.25 with low trucks because I felt desperate to have better flippers.  It worked.  Although I did struggle to ollie up a curb with any confidence.  Anyway I tried a line to get things going.  Back tail a curb, kickflip on flat, ollie up a curb, ollie onto the bench.  I never committed to the bench.  I couldn’t last time I was there either.  I hucked a lot of flippers.  Got kickflip, fakie flip, heelflip, b/s flip, halfcab flip, f/s halfcab flip, close to varial heel.  Hucked kick back tails on the curb for a bit and got really close.  Did a bunch of crooks on the bench which was really fun.  I did a few other tricks on it too, but they were even less good than crooks.  I couldn’t get a front 50 on it to save my life.  I was upset about this initially, but really that ledge is something I would normally never touch.  Cracks, stop rocks, a family biking in the parking lot watching me.  Yeah a lot of forces working against me.  I left on peaceful terms even without getting the front 50.  Then I watched Back To The Future with the kids.  That movie rules and was the first skateboarding I ever saw.  I got a skateboard shortly after that.  35 years later here I am still not able to front 50 a bench.  Ha.
(setup 8.25 null curby deck, jessup ultragrip, venture 5.2 awake lows, bones medium bushings, 3 washers inside each axle, 1/16″ riser, 51mm spitfire F4 101a radial slims, new balance numeric foy b/w/y size 12, nike sb zoom air insole)
(pain level 3/10)

Feeling pretty wiped out Sean talked me into dog park as there was some cloud cover.  I had new shoes, NB# Foy 306.  They felt weird.  Partly because I put too thin of an insole in them.  I struggled with everything, even kickflips.  Sean had been doing his typical lines.  I had tried a line of manual, crook, front smith the new black box for awhile.  Sean had ollied the new hydrant and done the pole jam when I shouted out heelflip manual.  This turned into a manual session on the little guy.  Except that I couldn’t kickflip in to save my life.  It was so frustrating.  Sean would go on to learn halfcab noseslide, heelflip manual, heelflip back 50 and fakie back nosegrind.  Four new tricks in one day.  So insane.  My only redeeming trick was a front smith even though I didn’t really grind it.  Oh, and I also did a funny kickflip up the manny pad once where I used my hands to hold myself up.  Actually that’s more depressing than I thought.

(setup 8.3 null curby deck, jessup ultragrip, venture 5.2 v-hollows, stock bushings no boardside washer, 3 washers inside each axle, bones stf 51mm v1 83b, new balance numeric 306 foy b/w/y size 12, nike sb zoom air insoles)
(pain level 3/10)

Kevin, Bo, Hayden, Jack, Joe, Garrent and I arrived at the Cheyenne park around the same time on a hot morning at 11.  There was a stiff Wyoming breeze and it was super bright out.  It was very disorienting at first.  I knew it had been awhile since I had been up there, but it was 8 years!  Yikes.  Anyway I messed around some, but mostly went in on backside flips over the weird metal steep to mellow hip.  Garrett went in with me trying front bigspin.  We got them back to back.  Jack had done a pole jam nollie heel, Joe did pole jam hardflip.  Wowsers.  Everyone was cruising around, it was hard to notice what anyone else did really.  Towards the end I was talking to Rich and most were playing SKATE or just skating flatground.  Jack landed so many tricks.  

Then we went to Johnson middle school as we always do when we’re in Cheyenne.  And somehow it was basically the exact same, except the fun little boardslide wasn’t waxed up.  Bo went right into filming as I had gone across the street looking for other stuff.  There was a fun frontside ledge that started curb height which I did one little 50 on.  And some wavy benches we would come back to later.  I filmed Hayden for a bit.  Matt, Tyreece and Shaun showed up.  Man it was rad seeing them.  Hugging Matt again was so rad.  Those dudes are still ripping.  Shaun was in full tech slaying.  Heelflip manual, heelflip back 50, nollie heel front tail, front 50 back foot flip out.  Matt did back tail, front blunt, nollie flip, still got it.  Jack had a cool line involving two wallie ledge tricks.  Kevin got bummed on his front blunts.  Garrett got a sick fakie nosegrind then switch noseslide shove line.  Hayden came remotely close to the sickest 180 manual.  Bo ruled it filming the whole time.  I had crooks and switch front nose on the ledge.  Joe got a cool line of nosegrind then back tail then heelflip.  

Then we went back to the wavy bench area.  It was harder than expected and not much more than 50s were done.  I didn’t do anything.  Joe tried a gnarly gap.  Kevin did some switch flips off the curbs.  

Next up was the contest.  We arrived in a brief rain shower.  I had done a few crooks and noseslides before the game of SKATE started.  I played Jack so you know how that went.  Rich was hyped on me landing some tricks, but if he only knew how bummed I was on missing treflip yet again.  Still though, it was super fun and playing Jack in SKATE was rad.  I didn’t skate after that really.  Hayden beat Garrett and then Jack, but Joe took Hayden out. Joe made it to the final game and did good, but was two hardflip variations short of a win.  Ha ha.  Gotta learn them hardflip reverts.  Jack won the best trick off the kicker with kickflip late shove.  He also did a first try late 360 shove after sitting for at least 30 minutes.  Then we we went out to eat.  What an awesome day.

(setup 8.3 null curby deck, jessup ultragrip, venture 5.2 v-hollows, stock bushings no boardside washer, 3 washers inside each axle, bones stf 51mm v1 83b, new balance numeric 288s navy, no insoles)
(pain level 3/10)

After a terrible night of sleep and work I went over to the shady area on the side of the school. I was feeling very lazy and with the help of Nate made a 12×12 trick list to provide some type of motivation. I didn’t really pick an easy list or plan on landing most of the tricks. I did a couple slappies first. Then did kickflip and fakie flip followed by a heelflip that took awhile before starting in on the list.I didn’t film it because that’s just too depressing and I hate having to do the trick at a certain spot.

backside flip – got a horrible one
Heelflip – since I had already done one I got this one 2nd try
SW front shove – nope. I hate this trick
nollie cab – first try worst one ever done in the history of skateboarding
No comply revert – got a terrible one around 10th try
Switch flip – Nope, but seriously close
Fakie Varial flip – Didn’t get this one either which was quite depressing. Used to be a go to trick of mine.
Nollie varial flip – Nope, but pretty close
Nollie front heel – Not close
Treflip – didn’t get it in 20 tries
Var heel – not very close
Nollie inward heel not close at all

After that I tried switch flips and 360 flips until I eventually landed a 360 flip. My switch flips were flipping and close which was encouraging.

(setup 8.3 null curby deck, jessup ultragrip, venture 5.2 v-hollows, stock bushings no boardside washer, 3 washers inside each axle, bones stf 51mm v1 83b, new balance numeric 288s navy, no insoles)
(pain level 3/10)

On a hot night I met Dave at St julien. We got there at the same time and we struggled together. Maybe it’s the brushed finish of the concrete, but man, it seems hard to do any tricks there. Dave had some cool wallie manuals and wallies over the ledges, kickflips, shoves. I wasn’t able to do a halfcab flip. Had a fakie flip followed by switch 180 over the little part of the ledge. Tried to do heelflip then back 180, but failed on the back 180. Had a fun nollie front tail. We got the boot. Then we got the boot from a curb. Then we ended up at Wells Fargo. We skated the alley for awhile. I took way too long to kickflip up a curb. Dave had cool lines of ollie up, nollie back 180 off, switch noseslidde, and got close to switch blunt on the qp. I think I got close to kickflip up the curb, back 180 off, almost rolled my ankle on a fakie pivot fakie. Then we skated the waxed area. It was super fun. The front 50s I did were a blast. I got a tiny 5-0 too, front feeble, back feeble, back feeble to fakie, back smith. Dave did tails both ways, to fakie, got kinda close to an ollie into Hale spin. Ended it with crooks and crooks to fakie that was so good (saving for slower lower older). Also an amazing back boneless then ended with a feeble stall on the metal bar of the lower section. So nuts.

(setup 8.3 null curby deck, jessup ultragrip, venture 5.2 v-hollows, stock bushings no boardside washer, 3 washers inside each axle, bones stf 51mm v1 83b, new balance numeric 288s navy, no insoles)
(pain level 4/10)

After a busy day at work I headed up to Estes Park to meet Nebraska Dan at the skatepark. I got there first and rolled around for a bit. I was super sore and didn’t really feel like ollieing much so I would pretty much avoid it all night. Dan showed and after a brief warm up he was dedicated to getting some group lines where we did two trick lines and handed the phone off to each other. The tricks were supposed to end/start with the same trick. We started with a line of me doing grind up and over the box, kickflip on flat followed by Dan doing kickflip on flat then front 50 body varial out. We tried this for awhile. I ended up doing a lot of kickflips. Ha. Dan ended up changing to front 50 to front board – aka the Joe Hamilton. Then after that we kept going. He did a heelflip, I did a heelflip then a boardslide, he did a boardslide then a no comply, I did a no comply then a switch front nose, then he finally bailed. It was awesome. After that I captured him get his front board 270 / shove line. Then he got me get my switch noseslide shoves. The frontside one didn’t take all that long even, and man it felt awesome. Then we went and did the pump track for a bit which was pretty fun. We cracked some little ollies on a couple bumps. Then I drove home behind the worlds slowest driver. Argh. Heck of a fun night, beautiful sunset too.

(setup 8.3 null curby deck, jessup ultragrip, venture 5.2 v-hollows, stock bushings no boardside washer, 3 washers inside each axle, bones stf 51mm v1 83b, new balance numeric 288s navy, no insoles)
(pain level 5/10 sore from so much last night)