Kinda tired from the night before Bernie and Carleigh arrived and we left for Denver and picked up Derek on the way. After that we met Mikey and Jeff at the dreaded ice rink of a park called Denver park. It was a bit chilly outside, but not too cold for skating. I started pushing around and pumping. It was actually kinda fun even. I didn’t do anything good, but I had fun warming up and my legs didn’t feel like steel when I was done.Next up we went to a crazy ledge against a wall that Jeff wanted to do a manual trick on.  I ollied on and rode off which was scary enough for me.  Jeff and Bernie put dowm some mean tricks although it turns out Bernie’s is an ABD.  Oh well.  We moved on and were at the curb in/out grated metal manny pad spot.  The nullers did some neat stuff before we got booted.We looked at some other spots and skated around for awhile before ending up at a mellow bank to ledge where I finally skated a bit better.  I did a noseslide then got into some crooks and landed a couple short ones.  I also came from the other way and ollied the little cinder block barrier pretty easily to start off  a run.  This took me awhile to ollie last time I was there and as little as it is, it still hyped me up.  Anyways, I got that with a front nose 270 out once.  I also got it with a front board pop out (horrible) followed by a slow ollie a sidewalk gap to axle stall on a curb.  Neat.  That was the end of the day.  I wish we would have skated more, but whatevs.  Thanks for the photos Carleigh.

Little Jack is the master of the internet and sent me a link to this clip of The Jesus Lizard at the Fox. So hyped because I went to that show and it was amazing. It was an “Early show” and there was some stupid Disco dance party after. Liz and I got in kind of a fight as she wanted to stay and check it out and I wanted nothing to do with it. I just wanted to go home and listen to Jesus Lizard some more because I was so hyped on that show. The argument didn’t last long and Liz went on to make that night one of my favorites ever.

Had such a fun morning.  Woke up early, played basketball and football with ollie for a couple hours so my legs were warmed up and feeling good.  The TF van pulled up and Ollie and I piled in.  I was so hyped that Ollie wanted to skate with us.   He skated the whole time basically and even talked a little instead of just being super shy.  Anyways, yeah, on the bus!  My first time in the bus for a saturday skate mission as I’ve been unable to attend for one reason or another.Lazer was there and ready to eat.Ollie scored a Tootsie Pop.  So hyped!I had me some new shoes.  Not so hyped on red, but everything else about them seems good.  Lakai Manchesters.First spot was Boulder Ditch.  Ollie likes that spot.  He did a rock to fakie on a rock followed by a halfcab to fakie.  Pretty ridiculous.  He also did back rock and front rock.  He thought a front rock was a “switch rock”.  Wrong, but stoked that he’s trying to get trick names down.  Brian had troubles, got upset, tossed his board, a log, a 2×4 and more debris into the ditch all while smiling.  Even when he’s freaking out he’s still funny.  Lazer did rock to fakie on the tire.  Neil did boardslide on the rail and nollie back neil on the qp.  I had some mediocre axle stalls then started trying a line of front rock on the qp then kickflip to fakie over the little hip.  Somehow a miracle happened and only a few tries in I landed it.  I was really really hyped on it.  Next spot.We went to the yellow angle iron ledge, but got booted before Neil or I could do a back 50.  In other words at least 10 minutes.Next we went to the bank with the holes in it.  We dorked around for a bit then lines down the bikepath “hill” started happening.  The first one was a sw 180 over a crack, a few ollies, then a b/s grind.  It was actually fun.  Well, until stuff got harder. I tried to get a kickflip at speed, but didn’t get one.   Brian got a no comply 180 and a bunch of slams.  Lazer looked uneasy on his skateboard.  Neil had some speedy one foots.  We ollied some cinder blocks at the end too.  Pretty fun.  Oh and at one point I got a little front 5-0 across the top that was first try, felt easy and was really fun.Next spot was the little curbcut spot.  Most of TF sat in the bus.  The Square State kids rolled around.  Ollie did too.  I wanted to ollie off the tall ledge over a bush years ago, but was too afraid.  I felt like trying it again and did it first try.  It was really easy, but kinda hyped me up as maybe sometimes I actually feel like I’ve gotten better at skating.  I also got a fun line.  Ollie up a curb, ollie up another curb, ollie off a curb (boring I know), kickflip up a curb, wallie back 5-0.  I don’t remember what else went down.Last spot was Casey Middle School after we picked up Jack.  TF played basketball.  Ollie, Jack and I skated in the back while they shot hoops.  After some messing around Jack had gone over to some tall retainer wall ledges and was trying some crazy manual drops, but slamming hard and breaking his trucks.  Ollie was cruising around, but then mostly watched the basketball game.  I worked on a couple lines involving the rocks.  First was an ollie onto the bench then an ollie onto a rock . Yippe, that one came quick.  Second one was harder.  Front 180 off a ledge, halfcab flip, ollie the rock, boardslide the ledge while dodging some guy slinging a ball at the brick wall with some lacrosse looking racket.  That one hyped me up.  Then we went and filmed Jack do a gnarly dropin and TF went to eat BBQ.  Jack, Ollie and I skated the top for awhile.We mostly skated this gap.  Ollie ollie’d it before chilling for the most part while Jack and I skated.  Jack tried a few tricks into the grass downhill and either rode it out or slid down the hill on his stomach.  It was funny. I got a line of ollie the flat gap, ollie up the tall part of the ledge and then boardslide jib the ledge off the ledge.  Jack and I skated the little gap that Ollie ollied after that.  I took a long time to get front shove, but got kickflip right away.  I did a couple boneless tricks over it too and a really bad back 180.  Jack did some crazy ones.  Front 180 late shove.  No comply front big heel.  No comply lazer flip.  Double flip.  I don’t know what else, but we had a blast.  Then we went on to watch some pretty awesome skateboarding.  Super fun day.

Good stuff

Riley was in town.  So hyped.  I met up with him, Bernie and Scotty after work.  I was really tired.  We took a few runs and clearly Riley was ripping it like old days.  I was just kinda getting the feel for it, but it was decided we would play SKATE instead.  In four games I basically landed a kickflip and a couple fakie flips.  It was horrible.  But it was good to see Riley’s nollie heel again.

Long day at work followed by dinner with my parents and family in Longmont.  Got  home around 8:30 and picked up Carleigh for a short session.  She had to be back around 9:30 so I just went to the closest spot – Boulder high.  I ended up having fun.  We skated the back mostly and I mainly just wanted to ollie onto one of the benches, drop off then quickly ollie onto the next.  I got close, but had a few close calls where I would almost slam into the second one.  I basically kept making a line further and further out until I ran out of space.  By the end I was trying ollie a short 3 stair (super hard approach), front board (jib) a light pole pillar, kickflip a crack gap then hit the benches.  One time I nailed my shoulder so hard on the wall.  Ouch.  Carleigh mostly just tried varial heels and got pretty close.  So sick.  We went towards the car and hit the 4 stair then flat gap.  I ollied both first t, then went back and did a better ollie down the 4 and a front 180 on the gap.  Carleigh did both first t too.  Short session, but fun.

Used the old excuse of having to go to a shop in the Springs as an excuse to go there and film all day (and hopefully skate some).  We went to the bank to stairs spot to start, but it was windy and super cold.  After an almost back 50 across the steeper bank Derek was close to back noseblunts so I went to filmer mode.  He got it and Jack got front sugarcane.  Radical.  We did some driving and came upon the spot above and below.  I had a couple ollie attempts, but I was still shaking cold from sitting in the wind and filming.  Max got a super sick feel good line.Dean Barnes had come with us and takes amazing photos.  We had hit a couple other spots where Max slammed and Jack did a dropin then went to the ditch where Jack did the crazy dropin and Max spun a ridiculous switch 360.  Last up was the incredibly fun spot Harrison High.  Luckily it was too dark to film, or maybe not, because everyone ripped, except me.  Well, Jack slammed a lot, Max did nose manny drop to nose manny, Derek took it “easy” on his ankle.  I had fun.  Got a couple tiny b/s ollies over the hip, b/s flip on the bank.  Got hyped on a little frontside ollie on the bank, noseslide the ledge then kickflip the 2 stair first t.  I don’t remember much more from that session other then Jack slamming so hard I thought he broke his wrist and Derek falling on sand while skating to the car.  That was funny.  5 hotdogs for $1!!!!

Family day.  We had some fun having a little picnic and hanging by a creek.  We got home and I had a little over an hour to get some skating in so I bolted over to campus.  I wasn’t super hyped up, but I ended up having a blast.  I started out at the steep bank spot and did a few rock ‘n rolls and axle stalls before moving on.  I ended up at the 5 stair with the sideways gap I broke a board on awhile ago.  I didn’t feel like going straight for the gap and started investigating the top a little better.  I found what looked like a fun manual.  It starts off about curb high and drops off ledge high.  Unfortunately there is a light pole where you get on making it super narrow and there are tables bolted in on the other side.  It took me basically forever to get the manual.  I had a few close ones and a few close calls where I would hang up on the edge of the light pole and almost dive into the tables.  Ugh.  Sometimes if I just rode off it I would try the gap.  I put a couple down but slammed.  I started trying back 180s off the ledge instead, but it was just dumb.  I wanted to manny it!  After like 50 tries I finally manualled it clean then went for the gap and landed it clean.  I was so hyped.  I sat for awhile and debated going home right away, but I knew I should skate more.  I cruised around a bit, did some spot searching, ollied a narrow tall 4 stair first try, posed some front blunts on a waxed curb then pretty much ended it with an ollie up a long two stair and an ollie up the side of the two then front 180 the long two gap.  Fun session.  It started raining as I left.  Hopefully it doesn’t turn to snow.

Had the early shift for work and even managed to get to bed early enough for 8 hours of sleep. Unheard of for me. I had a really busy day at work and didn’t get many chances to stretch, but right after work I drove to Rocky Mtn Elementary to meet Bernie. The goal was to film him do a 500 trick line, but there was still lots of teachers there so we dorked around down below for awhile. Warming on on the weird manual pad below is not easy. Not even for Bernie. We eventually each got what we were going for though. Bernie did ollie up the curb, kickflip to fakie on the bank then switch nose manny. Way harder then it sounds. I got ollie up the curb, b/s flip, manual (there may have been a slight scrape, but who cares).Next we went into the hockey rink so I could maybe ollie the little entrance gate that I failed at last time I tried.  Bernie called out flip trick, ollie the gate, flip trick into the long downhill bikepath.  Naturally after that neither of us could land a flip trick.  Bernie eventually started getting nollie varial flips then got over the barrier then 360 flip into the downhill.  I struggled at nollie tres, heelflips and 360 flips before a family showed up to play soccer and I wanted to get out of there so I resorted to halfcab flips.  A couple in and I somehow managed to land the ollie over the barrier then followed it with a kickflip into the downhill.  Hyped.We went up to the school since most cars had left and did the marathon run from the two stairs at the top all the way to the downhill bikepath.  Bernie did some real tricks, but stepped off a couple times.  I did lame tricks, but managed to stay on the whole way.  For me it was something like ollie 2 stair, ollie 2 stair, front board pop out (horrible), manual with lots of touches into the dirt downhill, little ollie the bump, front 180 into the downhill.  So fun.  We went back up and skated the ledge mostly.  Bernie was doing kick back tails almost every try and working on tricks over the brick part of the bank to maybe someday do in a line.  I did a few back crooks and front boards before settling in on front 50 front shove out and trying to land in manual off the curb.  I was remotely close.  That would be a good one for me.  Fun way to start off the weekend.