Yeah, I suppose this is getting pretty boring to my huge audience. Ha. It’s winter and it’s snowy and I want to learn some flatground so I went out after working from home armed with a 10 trick list.
Kickflip
Nollie flip – not very close
Halfcab flip – yes
Janoski flip – not even close
Backside flip – yes
Switch bs flip – not close, but I did commit
Treflip – Took well over the 10 tries and I got pretty frustrated
fake tre – kinda hurt my ankle so I moved on
varial heel- as you can see above I was pretty close
nollie varial heel – not close at all

(setup 8 null dream machine deck deck, venture 5.2 v-hollow hanger and cast baseplate, old 53mm bones pj v1 wheels, bones medium bushings, mob grip, new balance numeric 913 westgate black/yellow, stock insoles)
(pain level 4/10)

Went into the garage armed with another list to try and motivate. It didn’t go so well. Sometimes I feel like I’m making progress, this one felt like I was just kinda passing the motions to bail every trick. I mean it’s not the case, I committed to some surprises, but didn’t land much. I wore the Westgates again because the 868s are a little small. Here’s the list and comments on each.
Heelflip – got a bad one early on, but couldn’t get a good one with the remaining tries
Nollie heel – not even close, although there were a few where I tried to be as casual as possible (see Chico Brenes) and that seemed like the way to do it.
Bs flip – got a few under rotated and tic tac’d
Halfcab flip – the only trick I was happy with
Treflip – was really bummed to not get it, but I did at least commit to most
Fakie treflip – never committed. hard to do in the tiny garage
Front heel – kinda close, but never committed with both feet
Switch front heel – never really close to this one either
Switch varial flip – kinda close to a commit
Double flip – when I committed it didn’t rotate enough
Nollie bigflip – remotely close once
Varial heel – kinda close.

(setup 8 null dream machine deck deck, venture 5.2 v-hollow hanger and cast baseplate, old 53mm bones pj v1 wheels, bones medium bushings, mob grip, new balance numeric 913 westgate black/yellow, no insoles)
(pain level 4/10)

On an absolutely insanely gorgeous day I went across the street armed with another 10×10 list. I also had new shoes. Well, they are a couple years old, but it’s the first time I’ve skated in them. NB# 868s. I couldn’t stand how slippery those Adidas were, they were dangerous. My list and results:
Kickflip
Switch Flip (not even close)
Backside Flip (I will never land this trick clean on flatground)
Frontside Flip (One of these days I will rotate more than 30 degrees)
Fakie bigflip (This was like 2nd try and I was really surprised)
Nollie bigflip (So incredibly close)
Frontside halfcab heel (bummed I didn’t get this one)
Halfcab Heel (Got it in 5 tries and tried to clean it up without success)
Nollie tre (Close, but no cigar)
Cab flip (Didn’t feel as close as it has in the past)
After doing the 10×10 I went back and did f/s halfcab heel and nollie tre. Both took awhile, especially the nollie tre. And neither was landed well at all, but I was still happy to get them.

After some food I met Saul a the curbs. I was pretty stiff from the flatground session, but it was fun. After awhile Luzius joined. It was a pretty mellow session. Saul had a rad line with ollies up curbs, down curbs and front slappy through the hook. Also some really long slappies on the painted sections and some on the raw curb. Luzius has such a smooth slappy, it’s crazy how casually he does them. He had some 180s into the curb cuts, halfcabs, etc. I had way better frontside slappies than I have in awhile. It was fun. I tried to line them out with front shove off the curb cub, but for whatever reason I kept bailing or slamming. Getting used to the stiff 868s isn’t easy, but my legs thanked me later. I also had a couple okay regular slappies, lots of slappy crooks, slappy front crooks. Had a fun line of slappy the first curb, slappy crook the second, then the little nollie 270 shove on the micro bank.

After a lot of basketball with Ollie, a nap and more food I went back to the curbs because Fuller was there. So great to see him on the board again. Saul was there too ripping and enjoying the 73 degree weather. I didn’t do much other than slappies as I was extra sore from skating twice and playing basketball. I did huck a few flippers, but didn’t really commit to much. Saul was kinda in the mellow boat too, lots of solid slappies though. Dave had some funny setups where he would squat then not try the trick a few times in a row. Saul and I were giggling. But Dave did get some stuff and look good on his board. Back 180 fakie 50 shove, switch slappy crook shove, fakie 50, amazing slappy crooks, noseslides, kickflips, shoves. Dude was ripping. Fun times, I’m glad we took advantage of the amazing weather.

(setup 8 null dream machine deck deck, venture 5.2 v-hollow hanger and cast baseplate, old 53mm bones pj v1 wheels, bones medium bushings, mob grip, new balance numeric 868 grey size 12, westgate insoles)
(pain level 5/10)

60 degrees in Feb! Oh, but of course the wind was howling. I have been super focused on flatground lately and decided to go into the garage with a 10×10 list and do some hucking. My list and results were:
Fakie flip – got it easy
Heelflip – got a bad one around 8th try
Bs flip – barely landed this one
Fs flip – total stretch to say I defensively landed this one
Sw flip – man I was close
Nollie front heel – not close at all
Halfcab heel – somewhat close
Treflip – landed on it, but not close which bummed me out
Switch varial flip – committed, but never got both feet on it
Switch front feel – not even remotely close
After the list I decided I needed to land a treflip. It took about 50 tries to get a super bad one and I was very bummed about that. My temper was raging.

(setup 8.25 null curby deck, venture 5.6 v-hollow trucks, 52mm easy street v5 bones wheels, 3 washers outside each axle, bones medium bushings, jessup ultra grip, adidas city cup shoes size 12 burgundy, stock insoles)
(pain level 4/10)

Later in the afternoon I woke up from a long nap and the wind had died down. I quickly rushed to Douglass for the remaining minutes of daylight and I brought my 8″ setup with me (now with high trucks). It felt good initially. I was hucking flip tricks like crazy although not landing much of anything. I was having a good time for awhile. Hucked a ton of tricks, but then the soreness really kicked in. Ugh. I tried to skate a little more, but ended up giving up and getting home in time for date night.

(setup 8 null dream machine deck deck, venture 5.2 v-hollow hanger and cast baseplate, old 53mm bones pj v1 wheels, bones medium bushings, mob grip, adidas city cup shoes size 12 burgundy, stock insoles)
(pain level 7/10)

On a nice day I went to Blue Skies rink for a quick lunch skate. Nate had given me a 10×10 list:
Kickflip
Fakie flip
Heelflip
Switch Heelflip
Fakie Varial Flip
Nollie Varial Flip
Halfcab Flip
F/s Halfcab flip
Varial Heel
Fakie Varial Heel
After some shoves and 180s I started in on it. I expected kickflip and fakie flip, the heelflip came quicker than I thought although I couldn’t get a cleaner one with my remaining tries. I didn’t get close to switch heel at all. Fakie varial flip came pretty quick and I tried to get a faster one with my remaining tries, but didn’t. I got close to a few nollie varial flips, but the make was 10th try and I was soooooo happy about that. I got 3 halfcab flips, the 10th try one being my fav. The f/s halfcab flip came quick too, but I couldn’t get a faster one. I was kinda bummed on not getting closer to varial heel. The guy screaming in the background after the varial heel was so annoying. he was screaming like that every 20 seconds or so. I was tempted to go focus his board for him and put him out of his misery. I wish I had gotten a little closer on fakie varial heel too. I haven’t landed that trick since the 7.5 days. In the end I tried to do a treflip, but couldn’t commit. Partly because my knee started hurting, partly because these darn Adidas have no grip whatsoever and they just slide off the board without flicking it. Oh well, I was pretty happy to get 7/10.

(setup 8.25 null curby deck, venture 5.6 v-hollow trucks, 52mm easy street v5 bones wheels, 3 washers outside each axle, bones medium bushings, jessup ultra grip, adidas city cup shoes size 12 burgundy, stock insoles)
(pain level 6/10)

Went out to the garage on a cool night feeling a little run down. Messed around for a bit then started posing switch heels. And wow they were close. There was one in particular that was so incredibly close. If it would have just flipped a little faster I was over it and ready. After awhile I gave up on switch heel then did a couple bs flips then took quite awhile to get a couple cruddy treflips.

(setup 8.25 null curby deck, venture 5.6 v-hollow trucks, 52mm easy street v5 bones wheels, 3 washers outside each axle, bones medium bushings, jessup ultra grip, adidas city cup shoes size 12 burgundy, stock insoles)
(pain level 5/10 i think cupsoles helped, but i was still in pain)

Another cool morning, but the clouds gave a fun east coast vibe. I had new shoes ( Adidas City Cups, basically the thinnest cupsole I could find with a wide toe box ) and finally setup a new 8.25 deck. . I rolled around for awhile without much aim or direction, but was trying stuff. I tapped into my inner Eric and tried to front 180 the wallie barrier. I kind of got it, but never clean. I was trying it in a line. Crooks, 180, fakie nosegrind. After awhile I gave up because I’m trying to not spend a whole session on one thing. I tried front tails on the half cinder block ledge, switch front crooks on it. Tried kick back 5-0 on the regular one, never committed, got close to halfcab crook. Ended trying fakie front noseslides on the cinder block bench and got close, but had to leave for work. I had done a few flippers. Halfcab flips both ways, fakie flip, b/s flip.

(setup 8.25 null curby deck, venture 5.6 v-hollow trucks, 52mm easy street v5 bones wheels, 3 washers outside each axle, bones medium bushings, adidas city cup shoes size 12 burgundy, stock insoles)
(pain level 4/10)

My OCD got to me and I just had to try the dog park on lows. In my head and past experience I thought I had more pop on lows. I put lows on the 8″ board thinking it was a good idea last night. But this morning I knew it was a dumb idea and was really hoping I would dislike it. And oh man did I ever dislike them. I basically didn’t do much of anything until I just started posing tricks. Kick back tail on the lower step and kick crooks on the cinder block bench. I got remotely close to kick back tail, but not kickflip crooks.

(setup 8″ null dream machine deck, venture 5.2 awake low trucks, bones medium bushings, old 53mm bones v1 pj stf, mob grip, new balance numeric 306 foy white/gum size 12, rubbery lakai insoles)
(Pain level 6/10)

Working late this week and I love going to the dog park before work. I was too lazy to grip a new board so I just grabbed one out of my garage. It was an 8″ that was barely used. It felt small, but at the same time felt normal since I skated 8″ for a long time several years ago. I was extra sore from playing basketball with Ollie the day before. Initially I still felt super depressed and had no motivation, but it started coming together after a fun crooks. The other cinder block bench had half the blocks missing underneath so it was even lower. I had some fun faster front 50s and 5-0s on it. Managed to get close to a manual on it. My board was feeling pretty small and I was too sore to do flip tricks so I can’t say if I am going to change it yet. I ollied the half cinder block bench, but still tapped it on the way down. I never got back 50 on the step or over the top of the half cinder block ledge, but I did at least get close to manualling it. It’s so narrow, it freaks me out. On the way to the dog park I thought about trying to do tricks up/down the lower black ledge. After some 180s off I went for front shove which took a bit. I also tried front noses for a bit and kinda got the one in the vid. There was another dude who had come and was working on boardslides on the flatbar. So a pretty mediocre session for me. I’m glad I at least tried the new stuff at end. I haven’t don the front nose there before.

(setup 8″ null dream machine deck, venture 5.2 cast baseplate/v-hollow axles, stock bushings, old 53mm bones v1 pj stf, mob grip, new balance numeric 306 foy white/gum size 12, rubbery lakai insoles)
(Pain level 6/10)

I woke up in a good mood, did things I normally do to get hyped to skate. Maybe it was the hundreds of texts, but I started to feel so much pressure and I wanted to just go skate. I ended up driving to this spot in Broomfield that I’ve only seen. The school right by Fuzz’s house. I thought the micro hip would feel like a hip, but it turns out it really just feels like flatground. My first kickflips did not come easy and it was depressing. Then I couldn’t even do a backside flip over the “hip” in 10 tries. I started trying f/s flip too. A few tries into that I don’t even know what happened. It’s crazy, didn’t even see it coming, but on a f/s flip attempt the board hit me in the face so hard. It was sketchy, I didn’t see it coming at all and it hit me right between the eyes. I chilled for a moment, let the bleeding stop (got a bloody nose, but it wasn’t bad). I tried another b/s flip and got a double shinner, focused the board and left. It was weird. I wasn’t even mad. I felt like I was void of all emotion. I went home and laid on my bed not thinking about anything. Just sitting there motionless. So depressed about skating I couldn’t even cry about it. Ugh. Getting old is not easy.

(setup 8.25 null abstract 6 deck, venture 5.2 cast baseplate/v-hollow axles, stock bushings, old 53mm bones v1 pj stf, jessup ultragrip, new balance numeric 306 foy white/gum size 12, rubbery lakai insoles)
(Pain level 3/10)