After dinner I went to Douglass elem on a really nice night. I had thought of trying noseslide to crooks, but it turns out you have to be able to ollie pretty high there to get into noseslide and I only got up there once or twice. I had a pretty bad session really. Couldn’t crook, kickflip up a curb, in fact I could barely kickflip. I took like 10 tries to kickflip off the little speed bump. My knees hurt bad at times. I think in the past I would have never even attempting to skate in this much pain, but now it’s my normal and I only mark it 6/10 ha ha. Somehow I left not super depressed. Maybe it was still fun to street skate, maybe it’s because I knew I would be skating Ventures again.

(setup 8.3 null vhs, jessup ultragrip, ace af1 low 55, 52mm spitfire f4 99a classic shape, new balance numeric 440 size 12 white/red half insoles)
(pain level 6/10)

After work on a very nice afternoon I forced myself to go skate even though I was doubting myself and pretty sore. I arrived to an almost empty and cloudy dog park and slowly worked into actually ollieing. It felt amazing, I was able to actually try tricks. I would get a few crooks that felt soooo good. Some of the best ones I’ve done in a while and I would normally line them out with slappy crooks for good measure. i didn’t have a lot of confidence yet, but I did do some tricks I haven’t tried in a while. Like even just a slow front 5-0 on the lower ledge and some back 50s on the lower manny pad. I had some struggles with flip tricks and I think the heft of the Ace highs were a bit much. But I got halfcab flip and fakie bigflip. After a while it got really crowded so I went over to the skatepark. It was crowded too, but not as crowded. Although the kid on an electric motorbike sure was annoying. I did a kickflip on the flat bank, ollied the euro a couple times and manualed the volcano before my knee started to hurt and I called it a session. Stoked to feel alive again even if most of my confidence appears to be gone.

(setup 8.3 null vhs, jessup ultragrip, ace af1 55, 51mm spitfire f4 99a classic shape, new balance numeric 440 size 12 white/red half insoles)
(pain level 5/10 it’s funny that pain level 5 feels good now)

After a fun morning doing a boxing photoshoot with Cass and Shad I went to Triple Nipple where I met Nick, Sean and Kevin. My body was hurting and I had two setups that I rotated between but mostly stuck with the 8.3. I really didn’t skate well and it hurt too bad to ollie. I would get a few switch front noses, crooks and close to nollie tres. Kevin was ripping and killed the ledge. Switch crooks, fakie 5-0 halfcab out, back smith, kick back tail. Nick had front nosegrind and nose manual no problem along with some seriously popped fakie flips. Sean was looking really good. Manual to 180 nose manual. Nose manual to tailslide, back nosegrind 180. Shad had shown up and it was so rad to see him shredding. He had some good front 5-0s on the steep bank, tailslides, fast grinds. Chelsy and Jenny ripped it too. Carves over the love seat, front tail the steep bank, some good stuff. I ended really trying to ollie up the ledge, but couldn’t make my knees work. I was so bummed.

(setup 8.3 null vhs, jessup ultragrip, ace af1 low 55, 51mm spitfire f4 99a classic shape, new balance numeric 440 size 12 white/red half insoles)
(pain level 7/10 and today marks the day I give up alcohol)

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Nice morning, went to dog park after working out too hard which made me pretty sore and tired for skating. But I wasn’t in a ton of pain initially at least. Jack and Salty were there, Nick showed after a while. I did not skate well and still wasn’t really able to ollie comfortably. But slappies were still fun as was the Natas spin. I think I got one fakie bigflip as far as flippers go. Jack’s boardslide to feeble variations on the parking block were so sick. Salty was charging, that dude shreds. Nick’s boardslides are so cool. His board rules too. 9.75 with 215s and 39mm wheels. I was able to kickflip it and tried to treflip it. It was crazy how good the larger board felt. I blame it for planting a seed to me wanting a larger board.

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After a while Bo and Noè showed up. Bo brings the energy and was popping things right away. I’m always amazed at how quickly he can pop onto stuff. Noè did like 20 tricks on Nick’s 9.75 then let me pick the first couple tricks for his mega line above. I seriously love his flip tricks.

We went to Arapahoe Ridge where I didn’t really skate, Noè did manual kickflip out then manual treflip out super quick. Then Kevin joined and we went behind the school where Bo tried to nollie shove the big 3 over the ledge. Noè manualled for a mile. I attempted some axle stalls without success on a curb.

Then to Douglass where we met Jack and he went right to work which didn’t go so well and looked incredibly painful. Kevin was shredding and also slammed hard on a wallie. He had a super good switch front noseslide. Bo filmed Noè get a sick line involving heelflips, but it didn’t come easy. Then Kevin, Jack and I hung at Picas until the rain started. Even though I couldn’t really skate, I still had fun.

(setup null 8.25 vhs, pj jessup ultragrip, thunder 148s hollow lite venom 88a bushings, 52mm bones stf v1 103a, new balance numeric 440 black size 11.5 half insole)
(pain level 6/10)

Up pretty early went to dog park and attempted to relearn skateboarding. I had changed trucks to ace lows for some ridiculous reason. They felt amazing for about 5 minutes. Then, not very amazing. After some putzing around my first warm up line was front 50 the curb, 1mph kickflip, nollie back tail the little ledge. Next line was ollie onto the c ledge, front 180 off, terrible halfcab noseslide jib, back 50 the curb, b/s 90 flip on flat. I tried to ollie the little cone thing, but couldn’t commit to it. That was the start of me losing motivation to skate. Partly my body and lack of confidence, partly the setup. But I did a few more things, nothing really of note. The only good part was that my body didn’t hurt a ton after skating. Hopefully I’ll be able to really try again soon.

(setup null 8.25 vhs, jessup pj ultragrip, ace 44 af1 lows, 52mm bones v1 stf 103a, new balance numeric 440 black 11.5 half insoles)
(pain level 4/10)

Went to dog park on a warm night after work and met up with Jack and Kevin. We all got there around the same time. My legs kind of worked, but not really. I never really ollied and flip tricks were a struggle. The only trick I did I was somewhat hyped no was switch noseslide shove. Kevin had a couple primo slams right away, but still shredded it. The manual followed by kick back tail was hot. Jack casually did front tail front heel out over the two step, a bunch of bluntslides and maybe a noseslide nollie heel out. But then went on to work hard for a back tail backside flip out that was super incredible and my dumbass missed the clip. Kevin gets at least 1% of the blame on that. Ha ha. Seriously though, amazing Jack. Then Jack and I went to dinner and it was great chatting with him for a while.

(setup null 8.25 vhs, jessup pj ultragrip, venture 5.2 high cast plate v-hollow hanger royal bushings flat top washer, 52mm spitfire f4 99a classic, new balance numeric 440 black 11.5 half insoles)
(pain level 6/10 knees)

On a hot afternoon still not feeling very agile I biked around looking for something fun to skate. I found nothing, literally nothing. Their asphalt is super rough. There was tennis courts everywhere, but I didn’t feel like dealing with that. So I ended up at a little space of concrete that wasn’t terrible although it was quite small. I felt so awkward and old when I stepped on my board. Like it would be impossible to do any tricks. I did one slappy axle stall on a curb that was kind of fun. Then some really slow 180s, fakie ollies, etc. I had put 5.2 high trucks on. I took a bit to get a kickflip, but it felt good when I got one. I would go on to do a few tricks. All incredibly slow. Shoves, fakie flip, b/s flip, halfcab flip, varial flip, fakie bigflip. The b/s flip, halfcab flip and fakie bigflip all felt super cool even if I was barely moving. This was all the skating I did while in NC for a week. I worked my legs good for a week. Swimming, running, exercises, walking on sand so I hope my knee starts working again.

(setup null 8.25 vhs, jessup pj ultragrip, venture 5.2 high cast plate v-hollow hanger royal bushings flat top washer, 52mm spitfire f4 99a classic, new balance numeric 440 black 11.5 half insoles)
(pain level 4/10)

Did so much to be ready to skate. About an hour of exercises and an ice bath. Got to dog park to a crew of radness with a lot of older skaters. Within minutes of skating excruciating pain shot throw my knee and I was done, completely depressed and done. It was pain I couldn’t even remotely attempt to skate through and the worst part is I have no idea why. But I chilled and watched my friends. Jack B was shredding I saw some fakie nosegrinds and other tricks on the curb. Fuller was totally shredding. No comply a parking block gap, manuals, nose manuals, and an incredible boardslide 270 on the upper deck almost to manual on the pad. That would have been too much. Another older dude did a slappy noseslide to crook transfer on the long green curb that was incredible. Kevin was rad and since I couldn’t skate he asked to call out some lines for him, and he did all of them. They were a mixture of his tricks and my tricks. Like fakie bigflip and treflip which he doesn’t normally do. Nollie front crook first try was crazy good. I’m going to the beach in NC for a week, I really hope my body heals up and I can actually skate when I get back. The last couple weeks has been brutal on my skate well being.

(setup who cares)
(pain level 9/10 unbearable to skate but I was able to walk and sit and watch my friends shred)

I bet Dave on a hot night after dinner at Rocky Mountain. I had new shoes and they felt super weird at first. I slammed dropping in and on a fakie shove during warm ups. Dave arrived right about the time I got the warm up line of drop in on the kink, slappy crook, front 180 up the curb, switch front nose. I felt really off pushing throughout the night and had some moments where I felt very uncoordinated and awkward. I was able to get kickflip, but struggled for anything else even fakie flips. Couldn’t get crooks on the ledge or halfcab noseslide. I did not skate well, but I tried hard and the new shoes seemed to help resist some of the pains I’ve had recently. At the end I got a fakie nose jib on the curb. Dave had some nice boardslides to fakie, nollie fakie on the bank, 50s on the curb, switch slappy crook, slappy crooks, manual the bank median, back 50 nollie front 180 out then ended it with the back 50 to back lip. It was funny I was filming it and seeing the weird reflection and could not figure out where it came from. It took us a good 5 minutes to figure out it was from my phone reflecting off the street lights across the way. Fun night even though my skating was pretty bad.

(setup null 8.25 vhs, jessup pj ultragrip, thunder 148 hollow lights venom 88a bushings, 52mm bones stf 103a v1, new balance numeric 440 black 11.5 half insoles)
(pain level 5/10)

After a couple of days away from skating I had hoped my knee pain would be non-existent. Nope. The first ollie hurt as did each trick after. Satellite Nick had joined and was quick to boardslide everything. I may have done a variation of a switch crook, but other then that struggled with everything. We went over to the skatepark. Had some manuals on the deck and volcano, some ollies. Nick had some cool powerslides and shoves.

(setup null 8.25 vhs, jessup pj ultragrip, thunder 148 hollow lights venom 88a bushings, 52mm bones stf 103a v1, new balance numeric 212 b/w size 12 272 insole)
(pain level 7/10 starting to not be worth it)