On a cool night I went exploring the new research area. I started in the back area after a brief push around. I was pretty bummed there was still snow in areas making the ledges weird. Warming up was whatever. Did some basic lines like ollie a a little brick section, boardslides, kickflips, etc. I was happy that the wood grinded fine. I didn’t stand up on crooks or halfcab noseslide like I wanted to, but I was excited to get on front 50s pretty easily. I guess it’s not exactly tall, but it was quite cold. I basically worked into two main lines. One started by ollieing the 2, then come around and front 50 180 then switch 180 the little brick section. The other was kickflip the bricks, crooks, treflip. Never got the tre in the line though. I would go on to do one by itself at least. Then I went to the taller section around the building. It took awhile, but I got ollie up then ollie the gap. I tried to go fast enough to not push up top, but I think I was a little too sore/tired to do that. Last I went to the concrete manny pad off the 4 stair. It was more awkard than I thought for a regular footer. No wonder Hayden hit it switch. All I did was ollie on and ride off.

(setup 8.3 null collage deck, venture 5.6 v-lights, spitfire 52mm tablets 99a f4, 3 washers inside each axle, bones medium bushings, jessup grip, new balance numeric 255 b/w size 12, nike sb zoom air insoles)
(pain level 3/10)

Went to the dog park on a beautiful day with only about one hour to skate. I wore vulcs and had changed the baseplate to the cast baseplate. As far as determining my 2020 setup I’m down to narrowing down between forged and cast baseplate. Something most people wouldn’t even care about. Anyway, it felt loose and squirly and I was surprised how little I liked it. There were a few people there. I really didn’t skate too well. I couldn’t even really stand up on noseslides on the black ledge to try the 270 shove out. One thing I did do better than average for me was the warm up 180s over the parking block. I tried to do some faster front 50s on the benches, but failed. Had a couple crooks, remotely close to switch front nose shove, kinda tried nosegrinds on the tiny narrow ledge, failed at most flip tricks. Last thing I tried was to nose manual the lower part of the black step ledge. It took a long time and it made me late for a meeting, but I got one. So I didn’t skate very well, but I am happy to have finally nose manualled that.

(setup 8.3 null collage deck, venture 5.6, spitfire 52mm tablets 99a f4, 3 washers inside each axle, bones medium bushings, jessup grip, new balance numeric 255 b/w size 12, nike sb zoom air insoles)
(pain level 3/10)

Went to dog park on a cool, but sunny day. Dave L was there. The parking lot was being redone so I had to park the next street over. I wasn’t as cool as the dog owner who parked his car on the median. I wore my PJ shoes in hopes of reducing some soreness. It seemed to help. I had also put the 5.6 axles on too. Initially my board felt excellent. I had some new Spitfire 52mm tablets. Dave was doing his warmups over the parking block. I was feeling out a few things. Got a bad line of ollie the little narrow ledge then slow back 50 the step. Also boardslide a bench then noseslide 270 the next one. Dave got the kickflip over the parking block then quickly stacked tricks on the benches. 50s, 5-0s, manuals, nose manual, almost nose manual 180. Then he was mostly working on switch front boards. I tried a line for awhile of crooks a bench then 360 flip , but never got a 360 flip. I did have a good feeling halfcab flip earlier at least. I slammed pretty hard trying to get a back 50 over the top of the black step. Got front 50 180 first try, sketchy fakie nosegrind first try, halfcab noseslide to fakie. Slammed on a treflip. Also slammed trying halfcab noseslide 270 shove. Argh. I had mostly fun though.

(setup 8.3 null collage deck, venture 5.6 v-lights, 1/16″ riser, spitfire 52mm tablets 99a f4, 3 washers inside each axle, bones medium bushings, jessup grip, new balance numeric 533 grey size 13 with stock insoles)
(pain level 4/10 just sore still)

On a lazy cold day I ran boards to Emage and had a little sunlight left to find something. The dudes at Emage told me about this spot and I remember seeing it in a Crisis edit and wanting to hit it. It was in a fun area of town I had only hit once before. I cruised around. Rode on a steep bank a few times. Then basically showed up at the ledge not feeling warmed up or even warm. Ha. It was cold. It was my first day with sweats under my pants and it made ollies harder. I started with some slow front 50s. Then a couple lines. Wallie nollie, front 50 180, fakie flip. Wallie nollie, front 5-0, kickflip. My board of the day was 8.3 with 5.8 trucks, 52mm wheels. It felt good and stable, but I did want smaller trucks for flippers. It was too cold for flippers anyway though. I got a crooks going up, back 50 going up, a couple sloppy kick back 50s, front 50, front 5-0, front 50 180, front 50 shove, accidental front 5-0 to tail to fakie. I left after giving up on front 50 back 180. I was super sore, tired and cold.

(setup 8.3 null collage deck, 8.5 venture titanium, 1/16″ riser, 3 speed washers on outside of axle, bones medium bushings, 52mm sptifire classic green 99a f4, new balance numeric 255 b/w size 12, nike sb zoom air insoles)
(pain level 7/10)

On a cold winter morning I went to Broomfield park to meet Kevin and Sean and eventually Jack and Carleigh. I was still in setup madness and brought two setups. 8.25 and 8.3 with 5.6 and 5.8 trucks respectively. I ended up pretty much hating both and everything about skateboarding. Ha. I really did suck it up though. Kevin and Sean were doing flatground when I showed. I kinda cruised around doing basics. Kevin had some full pulls with switch nosegrind 180, nollie nosegrind, nollie flip and another line. But his should was really hurting and at one point I remember yelling at him to stop skating. Ha ha. Sean stuck with his solid ledge destruction. Almost got nollie back nosegrind nollie back bigspin. Whoa. Jack and Carleigh showed. Carleigh did the no comply pole jam right away. Jack did a lot of cab nosegrind, back 360 nosegrinds. So incredible. The only two tricks I did I was remotely proud of was manual the blue pad and got kinda close to halfcab noseslide 270 shove on the black ledge. Jack ended things with a back 270 lipslide. It was so incredible. Then we went and drank and watched skate videos until I clumsily broke Jack’s Xbox. Doh.

(setup I literally switched every few minutes between 8.25 and 8.3 and hated both)
(pain level 5/10)

Went to Dog Park around 10:30 on a cooler and a bit breezy Friday. I had two newly compiled completes. An 8.3 with 8.5″ trucks. And an 8.25 with 8.25 trucks. I went with the later. Luzius was already there ripping. Kickflips over the parking block easily, back to back. I really like his approach to progression. He starts with basics and gets harder and harder. Sebastian was there too. He’s rad. He slams a lot, in a good way. I liked how the 8.25 felt. I had put a small riser on it. Popping over a parking block felt easier. I had a pretty mixed session. I lacked some confidence on 50s, but crooks and flip tricks went mostly better. I landed my first 2 treflip attempts. Dave got a sick front nosegrind. Also a line with front hurricane then back hurricane. Wow! Lots of back 5-0s almost nosegrind, lots of slappies, pop shoves over parking blocks, etc. I came remotely close to a line of crooks a bench, crooks to fakie the next one then fakie treflip. My crooks were better than normal. I guess my body is still used to that ol’ 14.25″ wheelbase I learned so many tricks on. I ollied onto the black ledges 2nd try, came really close to halfcab noseslide 270 shove, failed at back 50 on the low black ledge, ollied the little narrow ledge better than I have before. It was an alright lunch session. I gotta get better at the basics because I’m stoked on how Luzius is progressing.

(setup 8.25″ null nolan deck, jessup grip, venture 5.6 v-lights, doh doh 88a bushings, 3 speed washers inside each axle, old stf 53mm v1 pj wheels, new balance numeric 255 b/w size 12, nike sb zoom air insoles)
(pain level 2/10)

Around 1pm I met Dave L at dog park. He had been there awhile and was already kickflipping over parking blocks and 50’ing the benches easily. He was going for front 5-0s. He was going fast. He skates fast, it’s rad, inspiring. I would go on to get a 5-0 on accident, but I lost all my speed. I wasn’t skating too great. My board felt really large the whole time. Dave did back 5-0s easily on the benches, tried nose manual, didn’t quite get hurricanes. He had a couple sick backside flips over a parking block. I tried a few tricks. Switch crook, not close, but kinda got into it. Switch front nose back 270 out. Got remotely close to that. Then tried halfcab noseslide 270 shove. Most of them weren’t close, but there was a couple that felt doable. Man that would be a dream trick! These lunch sessions are rad getting out while it’s light out.

(setup 8.5″ null curby deck, jessup ultragrip, venture 5.8 titanium trucks with regular cast baseplate, bones medium bushings, 3 speed washers inside each axle, 52mm spitfire classic green swirl f4 99a, new balance numeric 255 b/w size 12, nike sb zoom air insoles)
(pain level 3/10)

I’m into this lunch break skate program. There’s just not much chance of skating dog park after work with how early it gets dark. Today there was a group of high school kids there so it made it feel kinda crowded. Sebastian was there, Dave L would show after awhile. Warming up was alright. There were little puddles from the frost still. I ended up kinda skating the tiny pad for awhile. Tried a line of heelflip then back 50 front 180 out. Never got the grind and only got one heelflip. It was frustrating. I got halfcab flips both frontside and backside. Couldn’t backside flip though, didn’t really try treflips. I couldnt’ front 50 the cinder block bench. I’m not sure why. I kind of got frustrated with that and went over to the black ledge and started hucking noseslide 270s shoves. I hadn’t done it there before. I would go on to get about 5 of them. None of them landed very well. I was very excited to get a few though. I was happy I ollied up onto the ledge first try, but so bummed when I saw I clipped the back wheels. Argh. That is the second halfcab noseslide I’ve done on it, but I definitely need to get more up on it. Terrible phone filmer placement eh? Then everyone else left and it was just Dave and I. He was doing some cool lines between the parking block and benches. He 50s it both ways so easily. He had a cool switch boardslide and was trying hurricanes when I left.

(setup 8.5″ null curby deck, jessup ultragrip, venture 5.8 titanium trucks with regular cast baseplate, bones medium bushings, 3 speed washers inside each axle, 52mm spitfire classic green swirl f4 99a, new balance numeric 255 b/w size 12, nike sb zoom air insoles)
(pain level 3/10)

Another Suciu part?!?!?!?! And it’s more incredible than I would have thought considering Verso already came out.

I feel bad, because I’m super hyped on this Cookie part too, but man Suciu cannot be topped.

On J Mascis’ birthday I went to the dog park around 12:30 on a cool day. At first it was just Quincy and another dude Sebastian. It was a good vibe, but the cinder block benches had fallen apart which was a bummer. I had new shoes. NB# 255s. They felt great immediately. I couldn’t really find much of a groove with the two main benches in disarray. They were still skateable, but they felt weird as they were not aligned very well. Quincy did a line of kick back lip on the wallie barrier then front board shove the orange barrier. Wow. I never really stuck to much. Almost got a line of wallie, crooks the taller metal bench, 360 flip on flat. Got close to switch front nose, halfcab flip, manual the lower black ledge, ollie the wallie barrier. Had a bunch of slams on the ollie, but got one with the tiniest bonk. Flatground felt good with the extra grippy shoes although I didn’t really get much. I guess I didn’t have a lot of time. I also got up on the taller part of the black ledge again, finally rode the middle of a slanted cinder block ledge. Dave L showed up near the end and quickly did some nollie 180s over parking blocks, back 50s on the busted cinder block ledges, casual ollies.

(setup 8.5″ null curby deck, jessup ultragrip, venture 5.8 titanium trucks with regular cast baseplate, bones medium bushings, 3 speed washers inside each axle, 52mm spitfire classic green swirl f4 99a, new balance numeric 255 b/w size 12, nike sb zoom air insoles)
(pain level 3/10)