Had a late meeting so took off in the afternoon and had an hour and a half to skate.  I went to Wilville as rain was threatening.  And holy smokes I felt off.  I had new shoes, but they were the same as my previous shoes 272s so I don’t think that was it.  I literally almost hung up on a one foot flat gap in a warm up line.  I skated the top part for a bit because there was a police truck parked down under the pad.  After my pathetic showing I went down below realizing the truck was just parked there.  I skated the ledge.  Took way too many tries for some slow front 50s.  Kind of did one little switch crook jib as the only remote highlight for the session.  Oh some slappy crooks.  Could barely ollie onto the ledge and I couldn’t kickflip.  Luckily it started to rain.

(setup 3/10 8.3 pmg, jessup ultragrip, royal ultralight 149, 51mm bones stf v1 pj, new balance numeric 272 blue size 12 half insoles)
(pain level 4/10 some weird knee pain)

With no real plan I went to the mall after dinner to get my new glasses fitted. It only took a minute and I started to get excited to skate after thinking about the research ledge. This used to be my favorite spot. It’s pretty chunky and dry now, but i still had fun. During the warm up line process I felt an urgency I hadn’t in a while. Maybe it was how bad I felt compared to the better days I’ve had here. I would get a couple lines that sound alright on paper for me. Halfcab flip, on flat, 180 up the curb, fakie flip, switch front nose. B/s flip, halfcab flip, ollie up the curb, noseslide. Was close on uphill switch flips, got a couple bad crooks when they didn’t stick right away. Couldn’t fathom 50s either way. Halfcab flip on the sidewalk part was scary for me. Ended by making myself line out the little manny pad gap and man it was hard. Noseslide to fakie, switch 180 up the curb then ollie onto the little pad and ollie the tiny gap. It was really hard for me to make myself ollie onto the pad and once I finally did I was going slow and did the worst ollie ever. But I tried and that made me feel good.

(setup 4/10 8.3 pmg, jessup ultragrip, royal 149 ultralights, 51mm bones stf v1 pj, new balance numeric 288sport green/gum size 11.5 no insoles)
(pain level 5/10)

Feeling lazy I went to dog park to meet Scotty P and 98% at dog park since they wanted me to get a trick for their upcoming video. July 7 at the 303 Annex! I hadn’t changed my setup and hated it still. But I did rattle off the few flippers I can as I warmed up with some noseslides and stuff. Then we filmed a joke clip where Joe and Garrett ollied a trash can off the kicker and I ollied Squeeks (laying down). I didn’t even really ollie but it was funny. Then I settled in on a line of slappy crooks then no comply flip. It took a long time, but it felt great when I got it. After that we bounced to go film at the yellow bar drop spot, but we got the boot. I bounced. Right before dinner I had a few minutes and had finally setup a new board so I went and did some slappies on the side of the school. Added in a few flippers too. It was fun.

(setup null 8.5/8.3 pmg, ace low 55s/royal 149 ultralights, 52/51 wheels, new balance numeric 288sport green/gum size 11.5 no insoles)
(pain level 4/10)

Super nice day. I rolled to Longmont and met Dave and Rob at Rocky Mountain. We skated for a solid couple hours. The recent rains had brought a lot of little pebbles to the parking lot which was kind of annoying. Although lately it doesn’t bum me out as much lately since it reminds me I’m not skating a skatepark. The curb was the main warm up medium. Rob did back 50 to back lip then went on to do nollie front lips to nose manual including one with a shove out. I was starting to get in a groove but broke my board on a heelflip. Argh! I was able to skate it backwards, but I definitely lost some motivation. I took a long time to get a kickflip up the curb. Dave on the other hand was lofting kickflips up the curb and lining it out with stalls on the bank to side curb and front 50 on the ledge. After a while I just sat and filmed Dave/Rob skate the curb. Dave’s switch crooks shoves make me jealous.

After heading home, some food and a nap, I went to Platte. I had put my trucks on an old 8.5 setup which I very much did not like. I struggled to ollie up the curb, couldn’t crook the ledge. Yeah, really didn’t do much.

(setup PMG 8.3/ null 8.5, jessup ultragrip, ace af1 low 55 hard bushings, 52mm pink snot, new balance numeric 272 green/black size 12 half insoles)
(pain level 3/10)

After work and some food I went over to the school. The recent heavy rain had left branches everywhere and the smoother area had a dumpster plopped in the middle of it. I have an eye infection and can’t wear contacts for a couple of weeks. All this and I made a list of tricks half of which I cannot do. Anyway, here’s the list and the results:

Halfcab flip – kind of flopped one in a couple tries and got a couple more not great ones
Heelflip – got one and it felt good
Bs flip – phone turned off at this point, got a couple bs flips
Fakie bigflip – barely got one 4/4 so far
Nollie bigflip – only got close on one try
Treflip – got one terrible heels on the ground one which I am grateful the phone died so no one sees it
Sw treflip – not close, going to keep trying
Halfcab heel – struggled more than I hoped and didn’t get close
Varial heel – somewhat close to a couple
Sw bs flip – not even close and there was an annoying family with two scooter kids watching me

After that I went behind the school and tried to line out some ollies and stalls onto the big rocks, but I was tired, sore and arthritic feeling and ollies were not working at all so I left. Then it poured again.

(setup 3/10 PMG 8.3, jessup ultragrip, ace af1 low 55 hard bushings, 52mm pink snot, new balance numeric 272 green/black size 12 half insoles)
(pain level 5/10)

Rob and I pulled up at the same time then rolled into campus and started at the two stair with the slight bank up to it. It’s a good warm up spot and we would get some tricks. Rob back pivot to back tail, then back 180 out and front nosepick to fakie. I had some crook stalls to fakie, front tail shove, kind of a kickflip axle stall and kind of a front smith front 180 out. Next up Baker ledge that continues to get taller each time I go there ha ha. Rob had first try halfcab noseslide, front board pop out, boardslide pop out, halfcab boardslide. I would get some little crooks, noseslides, couldn’t get a slow front 50 but did get a slow fakie front 50 flop out. Next we hit the little manny pad which I haven’t skate in a long time. Rob manualled it right away, nose manual, first try halfcab manual back 180, no comply manual, manual followed by flatground kickflip. I took like 10 tries to get a manual and then ended with one of my fav lines in a while. Heelflip, nose manual, treflip. All done slow, but I was still hyped. Fun day!

(setup 6/10 null abstract33 8.3, jessup ultragrip, ace af1 low 55 hard bushings, 52mm pink snot, new balance numeric 272 green/black size 12 half nsoles)
(pain level 3/10)

After 3 days of being in the office sitting too much I met up with Seattle Will.  It was cloudy and nice out.  We chatted for a bit then went to it.  He killed it.  Nosegrind 180 the bench, switch manual the pad, casual manuals.  It’s crazy how bad my body felt after 3 days of mostly sitting in the office for work.  I did some slappy crooks of course.  I tried 10 switch crooks and 10 switch tres.  I would get one brief little switch crook jib, but the switch tres were not close.  I had a lot of problems jumping but got remotely close to some kickflip 50s.  Then it was off to family dinner.

(setup 4/10 null abstract33 8.3, jessup ultragrip, ace af1 low 55 hard bushings, 52mm pink snot, new balance numeric 288sport green/gum size 11.5 no insoles)
(pain level 6/10)

After working in the office I went to dog park on the way home.  Sean, Paul, Jesse, Tim were there.  I had made a setup change.  No surprise there.  8.3 with ace lows.  I liked it.  Everyone was doing their thing for a while.  Sean and Paul suggested a game of SKATE so I got eliminated pretty quickly from that one.  I finally managed to ollie the little weird cement wallie thing although I bonked a wheel.  It was a rare decent ollie for me though as it was just a narrow strip which made it scarier to me.  It was fun though and I was hyped.  Sean was on a terror.  Not really any new tricks necessarily, but really charging it and getting deep into his bag.  

(setup 6/10 null abstract33 8.3, jessup ultragrip, ace af1 low 55 hard bushings, 52mm pink snot, new balance numeric 272 green/black size 12 half insole)
(pain level 4/10)

On a rainy day Rob and Neil picked me up and we went to yellow curbs.  It’s been a minute since we’ve been there.  Slappy crooks were fun out of the gate as were front slappys on the super low curb.  Rob and Neil were able to get to manuals and nose manuals pretty quickly, I would never get either.  We had some 50s, lipslides, nollie tails, etc.  Flip tricks didn’t flow like they used to.  Partly because of how much we’ve been skating.  I did a kickflip at one point that I could barely stand up from.   I think Rob got another manual to back lip.  He also did some no comply 5-0s.  We did a few lines combining tricks, look for the clips on Thrasher.  I had a fun line of slappy crook, front slappy, tiny little lipslide.  Also a slappy crook then nollie back tail.  Neil had Cali front 50, no comply 360, lipslide.  Rob manual, no comply 5-0 throw away then slappy crook.  The 303 dudes showed up as we were winding down.  I tried to get a 360 flip and could not do it.  Halfcab flips felt alright though even if I was barely moving.  Looking forward to a day or two off of skating, but already miss Neil.

(setup 3/10 8.3 pmg, jessup ultragrip, indy forged hollows 149, bones 51mm stf v1 pj, new balance numeric 272 green/black size 12 half insoles)
(pain level 5/10)

Hyped on the Nuggets win I picked up Neil and Rob and we went to meet Big Mike at Greeley.  Except my van had other ideas and broke down just outside of Longmont.  Mike was kind enough to come back and pick us up.  Since we were close to Frederick we skated there.  Needless to say my head wasn’t in the game and I felt very frustrated by the van and it’s continued electrical problems.  The others skated pretty well.  Mikes wallie then front nose to fakie was so good and long boardslides on the bank to curb.  Rob had a few epic manuals to back lip.  Rob and Neil both had boardslide transfers, nose manuals.  Neil with some really casual front shoves off the little kicker, one foots over the hips, kickflips on the hump.  I had gotten pretty upset again trying to get a line of f/s kickflip on the hump then b/s flip over one of the next hips.  I got really close, but ended up giving up.  I just couldn’t focus and was tired and sore.  That park is really fun though.

(setup 4/10 8.3 pmg, jessup ultragrip, indy forged hollows 149, bones 51mm stf v1 pj, new balance numeric 272 green/black size 12 half insoles)
(pain level 4/10)