On a cloudy and cool morning I went to dog park feeling excited to skate. For one, it wasn’t too windy and for another I was woke again. Venture finally came out with hollow cast plates and the timing was too good to not add in a christmas complete. Anyway, warming up wasn’t too bad except I kept seeming to get in everyones way. Rob showed up basically the same time as me, Cass was later, Jack B later. Dennis and crew were there as well as some other older skaters and it was a good vibe. I skated okay and had energy. Personal highlights were front 180 off the grate kicker to really bad switch front board on a parking block, halfcab flip first try, how much pop my board had, boardslides on everything felt good as did crooks. Cass was over at the skatepark for a while. Rob had first try shove lipslide! Also close to nose manual shove. Jack B front 50’d the bench, dude got pop! Cass, Rob and I played a game of SKATE featuring the worst f/s halfcab ever (by me of course, actually I ended up not counting it because it was so bad), a lot of bailed flip tricks by me, no comply back 360 by Rob and he won it on that fakie bigspin no comply.

After that Cass and I kickflipped a parking block a few times, we did it in a train. I was happy to kickflip it, it’s been a while. I couldn’t get a clean no comply flip though.

After a very filling burger Cass and I went to Douglass. We did a lap around the school since Cass hadn’t seen it all. We ended up in the back and have no idea why we haven’t skated there more. The little ledge was fun, but we didn’t have wax. We both imagined noseslides dropping down to noseslide. I posed some switch front noses. Then we went to the front and struggled. I was happy how my setup popped up the curb easily, but I really struggled with kickflips. I posed some other flippers, but landed nothing. In the end I think Cass had done some good back 180s up the curb, halfcabs on flat then couldn’t get a noseslide. I did ollie up the curb, kickflip, some type of noseslide that was supposed to be a crook. I also got switch 180 up the curb, pop shove on flat, noseslide to fakie, almost fakie flip.

(setup null mc hesher 8.25, jessup ultragrip, venture 5.6 v-cast with bones medium bushings, 51mm bones pj 103a v1, new balance numeric 440 blue size 12 half insole)
(pain level 3/10)

Tried to find the motivation to at least skate a parking garage and do some flippers since the wind was so intense. But I got there and wasn’t feeling it and leaves were still blowing around. I did a few stalls on a parking block then left. And the wind seemed to die down so I went to a nearby school I haven’t been to in a few years and was stoked on the amount of fresh asphalt, but the wind was way too insane so I called it a day.

setup who cares

Friday afternoon after a snow storm and that Colorado sun we were able to get out and skate. I was about 15 minutes after Dave and he had already texted that he was over it and going to leave. Ha. The ledges were covered in snow, but Dave had brushed off the launch ramps. The wind was pretty brutal at times and it felt really cold. But we skated and ended up having a fun session. Dave got a frontside ollie from the low to high, I couldn’t get it backside. We both got straight transfers from the high to low. Dave did deck check transfer from low to high. We had some scary boardslides on the tiny sketchy flatbar. Dave would also feeble it and frontboard 270 out. We tried some ollies over a taller flatbar. I tried a million kickflips on the fresh ramp and couldn’t get one. Was so bummed. Flip tricks in general felt terrible. Goodbye Aces. Too bad because everything else about them felt great.

(setup null 8.3 vhs, jessup ultragrip, ace af1 low 55s hard bushings, 51mm spitfire f4 101a classic, new balance numeric 440 blue size 12 half insole)
(pain level 2/10 !!!)

Nice day, trying to take advantage of the light before the time change this weekend so got to dog park before 5. Dennis was there. He gets the award for nicest dude in the college crowd. He is fun to skate with too. Warm ups seemed to go alright for Rob and I. I randomly made myself do a front board on the little rail which was embarrassingly scary. I had started on my 8.1 then changed to 8.3 with ace lows and mostly loved it. My kickflips got better and I would go on to get some harder stuff for me. Finally got the front shove off the C pad and it was first try this time. Right after a line of front 50 the C ledge, nollie back tail the bench, wallie the cone. Rob got nose manual shove pretty early on. Halfcab 50s with maybe a shove out too, nollie lips, manuals, nose manuals. I had hucked some more tricks and tried harder than normal. Fun session.

(setup null 8.3 vhs, jessup ultragrip, ace af1 low 55s hard bushings, 51mm spitfire f4 101a classic, new balance numeric 440 blue size 12 half insole)
(pain level 3/10)

On a super nice afternoon/evening I met up with Rob at the dog park after work. The park was pretty happening, but also quite a few rad people there. Some other older skaters for once, tall ripping guy, Ben that I skated with in Berlin, it was cool. I had some new shoes, 306 vulcs because I was hoping for less knee pain. And it worked. But man I was reminded how much less pop vulcs have compared to cupsoles as I had zero pop whatsoever. Was it worth it? Maybe to have them in the rotation to reduce knee pain but wow it was eye opening. They did have a better flick, I had a few flippers but nothing great. I didn’t really take away any positives from the session. Rob would get into his bag pretty deep. Nollie lips some were almost to smith, manuals and nose manuals both ways round the C pad, no comply manual. I tried to get a noseslide 270 out at the end, but my quad pain was too much and would get worse overnight. Argh.

(setup null all you need 8.1, jessup ultragrip, venture 5.6 v-hollow royal bushings no big washer flat top washer, 51mm bones pj ladd v1 103a, new balance numeric 306 foy blue size 12 272 insole)
(pain level 4/10 most of the session until the end)

On a nice bright Saturday I drove the shaking Honda wagon to the dog park. I knew Rob, Sean, Nick would be there. But was hyped on Jack B, Eric, Paul and others. I brought my smaller 8.1 setup and stuck with it after first try kickflip and fakie flip felt so good. I wouldn’t skate very well, but did get a noseslide 270 out that felt cool and almost front shove off the c pad. Nick had some nice manuals and poppy flippers. Sean battled back nosegrind to quick kickflip nose manual. So good. Eric always charges. He was over on the barrier for a while so I couldn’t see much, but still saw some heelflip, almost heelflip back 50, so close to crooks on the upper deck. Rob was killing it. Fakie nosegrind 180 on the curb, halfcab back 50s, back smiths and manual around the backside part of the C pad and then went on to get back 180 out. I was unhappy with how incredibly sore I got. But Nick and I closed out with a game of SKATE that involved a lot of misses, but was pretty fun. I was happy to get a first try backside flip and eventually get a fakie bigflip. Nick won on a fakie treflip.

(setup null all you need 8.1, jessup ultragrip, venture 5.6 v-hollow royal bushings no big washer flat top washer, 51mm bones pj ladd v1 103a, new balance numeric 440 blue size 12 half insole)
(pain level 5/10 ugh)

Went to dog park after a super busy Friday. I met Sean, he was kind of lazy too. We both tried halfcab boardslide shoves (my latest challenge from Dave) on a parking block in lines. I was doing front 180 off a kicker first, he was doing front 5-0 180 the metal bench. Neither of us got it. I was completely hating my large setup and the effort it took to flip it. Oh yeah, we played a game of SKATE to begin things. I was at SKAT and he did halfcab flip so I tried on on my board and failed, then one on his board where I had no real intention of landing it. But I landed it. Madness in effect. Sean left. I basically just tried halfcab boardslide shove/body varial on the small pad for 30 minutes until I got one. The slam hurt way more than it should have, I blame the neck pain from the rain slam a few weeks back. Ugh. Landing the trick was super fun though.

(setup null 8.5 vhs, jessup ultragrip, venture 5.8 titanium royal bushing no big washer flat little washer, spitfire 51mm 101a classic f4, new balance numeric 440 blue size 12 half insole)
(pain level 3/10 )

Got out of work at a decent time and met Rob at dog park and to our delight Dan was there. One of our favorites. He wasn’t there too long, but his last run had his enders in it, nose manual Janoski flip out, front blunt and maybe back nosegrind pop out. I don’t remember much about this session in particular because it’s been several days and I’ve been there twice since. I know Rob did something new, maybe it was manual around the C ledge backside. I skated decent, but don’t remember any highlights. I think maybe a front 50 180 out on the curb followed by switch noseslide 270 shove the bench and then fall down on the next ledge.

(setup null 8.5 vhs, jessup ultragrip, venture 5.8 titanium royal bushing no big washer flat little washer, spitfire 51mm 101a classic f4, new balance numeric 440 blue size 12 half insole)
(pain level 3/10 )

Feeling really sore I went on a hike in the morning and then rolled out to bring Something to LOCO and MRKT. I was still sore when I got to Fossil and finally remembered to use my Theragun and it seemed to help. I started on a 8.3/5.6 setup, but ended up not liking it at all really and went back to the 8.5/5.8 and liked it. I still struggled to ollie up the ledge and lock into crooks, but it felt better. The wind kicked in fierce after a while and we called it. I don’t think I had done anything really. Hayden had some good moves obviously. Back smith the little ledge so casually as a setup, back tail, almost front nose to 180 nosegrind. Bo was later than us but first try fast 5-0 and front lip, ninja line of front 180 fakie bigspin, kickflip off.

(setup null 8.5 vhs, jessup ultragrip, venture 5.8 titanium royal bushing no big washer flat little washer, spitfire 51mm 101a classic f4, new balance numeric 440 blue size 12 half insole)
(pain level 4/10 )

On a really nice day I went to Uni Hill Elem to meet up with Jake, Rob and Dave. I’ve been here a couple of times, but haven’t really fully skated it. This spot has so much potential. I arrived first and was cruising around and getting some ideas. Rob and Jake showed shortly after. Rob wasn’t feeling it. I started trying to line out the curved ledge, ollie and make it to a boardslide. Jake joined me with some back 50s. I think once I got back 50, no pop ollie the mini ledge, kickflip and slid the boardslide, but didn’t pop over. Not sure that I would know how to pop over. I came close to back 50 shove. Jake couldn’t quite get nollie back tail. Dave started a session up top doing tricks into the turf bank. He got fakie shove. Rob did some tail spins (?) into it. I’m not sure Jake got shove or kickflip in. Jake and Rob moved on to campus and I tried to ollie up the ledge into the sidewalk, but never got it. When I committed my back foot didn’t get the height. Doh.

On campus we went to start with a game of SKATE. I failed 3 kickflips in a row so I quit the game and somehow managed to not focus my board. This is probably due to yet another setup change and wearing different shoes, but I was still upset. So I just skated flatground while those guys played SKATE. I was still struggling, but did get a line of 4 or 5 tricks at one point.

Then we went to Baker ledge which a few students were already skating. At times I got incredibly annoyed as the youth clearly weren’t paying attention and just going when they felt like it. I came close to noseslide up to crooks and got a couple kickflips up the curb. But I couldn’t front 50 the ledge or nose manual the pad. Jake got nollie back tail, noseslide and crooks. Rob may have gotten no comply manual to 50, halfcab noseslide, front board. Dave front 50’d like second try then went on to do some ride on front crooks to fakie that were so sick. Fun day.

(setup null 8.5 vhs, jessup ultragrip, venture 5.8 titanium royal bushing no big washer flat little washer, spitfire 51mm 101a classic f4, new balance numeric 425 black/gum size 11.5 half insole)
(pain level 4/10 started off pretty good and the different shoe avoided the sharp knee pain but the smaller shoe definitely hurt after a while)