Woke up a little ealier, handled a call for work and decided to go skate quick because I wasn’t sure when I’d be called next. I went to Southern Hills. I tried to start with 10 flip tricks on the smooth patch. Other than struggling with fakie varial flips again I got to nollie varial flip which would have been #7 pretty quickly. But I never got one. I tried for a really long time, landed on a few of them, but ended up giving up and started skating the ledges. But then the principal or something showed up to clean the courtyard a little. So that was weird. I pretended to not skate the benches, kind of helped her and mostly felt weirded out. Luckily she eventually left and I felt free to try whatever. I had grand ideas of lines I would try, but I didn’t get there. I basically tried a line of switch crooks to fakie on the curb, crooks the far bench, 360 flip on flat, turn around then front 50 the far bench. Never got the 360 flip. I was hyped on several switch crooks, but they were just pivots to forward basically. I would like to learn to grind it. I never got the front 50 either, but I did get into it a few times which is better than last time. I started to get super hungry and tired and wishing I had a new board. My trucks were the old ones worn to the axle and I lose motivation to try grinds. It’s like once you get to the axle you win. I’m lame like that. Oh yeah, kind of cool I blew out my switch lace before the regular one! (from trying so many nollie varial flips)

Then I went to Meta to get some trucks Sam had ordered me a long time ago. I also got the new Traffic DVD and watched it while setting up a new board. Then I went to the research ledge with the main purpose of starting the crooks groove in the new trucks. After some noseslides I started trying, but of course all of a sudden I forgot how to crook. Ugh, it was driving me nuts looking at the ugly little jib marks in weird places on the front truck. I was trying switch front shoves on the way back up the ledge, got a couple bad ones, but closer to doing it right. Then I started getting a few crooks and life felt better. Then I started skating it more like I normally do. Flip tricks, lines, etc. I was super hyped on getting back and front 50s somewhat quick. It felt great. Also a first try halfcab noseslide. Then I randomly started trying switch front nose 270. As you can see I kind of did it. I also may have kind of done a switch crook which really excited me. My flip trick game didn’t go so well, but I still had a really fun time. Digging the setup. Super hyped on my legs feeling better.

(setup 8.25″ null maze deck, venture 5.8 lights black, bones stf v5 52mm, 3 washers on the outside, venom 91a bushings, new balance numeric 212 green size 11, powerfeet pinnacle orthotic insole)

On a nice morning Jake and I biked towards Saul’s with the intention of skating flat at Wilville for a bit first. We were over by the back entrance which had some good concrete. I was starting slow, Jake was starting faster and then boom, he bailed a varial flip and went down in back pain. Yikes. It wasn’t an awkward bail, but man he wan in pain. It sucked to see. Anyone who has experienced back pain knows the feeling. It’s terrible. He laid in pain, tried to sit up, etc. As he chilled I skated. Flippers weren’t working, I had fun doing various 180s up/down a curb, bailed a 4 stair a few times. Jake was able to get on his bike and took off. I started going to Saul’s then saw another section of flat that seemed better so I told myself 10 flippers before I could go to Saul’s. Took a bit, but I got there. Fakie varial flip took awhile, got f/s halfcab heel. Everything was slow and cautious.

#saulside

A post shared by glen gillinghammer (@corpoglenny) on Nov 18, 2017 at 11:58am PST

Then I got to Saul’s. Josh, Saul, Eric and Dave was the crew. Dave wasn’t skating up to his standards. I saw him almost fall pushing a couple times! Ha. It was weird to see. He still killed it though. The backside fastplant to tail (I think?) was so sick. Eric was ripping. Getting his long back 50s right away, back disaster (above), almost back tail, rock ‘n rolls. I didn’t skate it very well. The tighter trucks aren’t so good there. I got a couple front disasters, front slashes, front rocks, but other then that I kind of chilled as the pumping seemed to hurt my legs. Josh was skating mellow for most of it and then towards the end was doing some crazy trick. Front feeble, front pivot to front rock, etc. Saul had his quick grind lines, frontside pop over the hip to quick alley oop axle stall, looking more fluid each time he skates. Must be nice. Ha.

Then Eric, Dave and I met Rob and Fuzz at the banked ledge spot. The bike ride there loosened up my legs again and I was able to start trying tricks even though I started really slow with some little wallrides below the “coping”. Dave was doing front 5-0s and back 50’s right away. He owns this spot. Rob was pretty distracted by some house sale news, but still pushed one getting used to kickflips with wider trucks, did some cool bean tails. Eric was hitting the heelflips hard. He had a few really good ones and started trying them over the manhole. Fuzz started with shoves and noseslides and kept doing them over and over getting faster each time. It was rad. Dave was doing noseslides to fakie on the tall ledge, switch crooks on the banked ledge. Fuzz started doing 180 over the hydrant than halfcab noseslide the ledge, b/s flip on flat. I went to film him and Dave, but Hosercam wasn’t charged up. Doh. I had a couple fun lines doing little front 180 off the ledge, halfcab flip on flat and bail something on the ledge. I was getting close to kickflip off the ledge when I got called for work. Argh. Right then Fuzz did a sick line of back 180 the manhole, halfcab flip on flat, ollie up the ledge, front 180 off and then fakie front shove. It was sick. I wish I could have kept skating with them, but instead I was on a work call for several hours. Doh. Oh well, it was fun while it lasted.

(setup 8.25″ null rabethica deck, venture wides, bones stf v5 52mm, 3 washers on the outside, venom 91a bushings, new balance numeric 212 green size 11, powerfeet pinnacle orthotic insole)