Was feeling kind of motivated for an early dog park session I got called out for work the minute I was about to leave my house. Argh. That put me in a foul mood that I wouldn’t really recover from and I had lost all desire to skate. I was down to film Jack and Sean though and I met them at a rail/4 stair spot off Baseline. I didn’t really skate. Sean ollied the rail a few times, Jack tried Rick flips off the little drop. Sean wanted to ollie out to the street too, but it was too hectic with cars. Then we went to the sculpture ledge under the stadium. Jack tried a few willy/5-0 double grind things and I thought that would be fun to try. But when I tried it I kind of just ran into the ledge and felt stupid. Jack did some really good Rick flips on flat. It was cool seeing him working on a trick. Sean did some solid fast 50s, but never got further. We played at the bank to curb for a bit. Well, I didn’t even hit the curb, I gave up after ollies up the curb felt like too much work. Sean had a cool 50 to manual. Jack came close to a back smith stall to fakie manual. Then we sat and chilled in the shade and blamed everything on the heat (it was 97).

On a hot day I went to find some shady spots on campus.  They got rid of the free parking so I had to park down by Silvermine.  First spot I hit was the bank to curb under the stadium.  I got annoyed by all of the people walking by trying to get a view of the stadium so I left after a few warm up noseslides and failed back 50s.  I wanted to hit the sculpture ledge, but it was even more mobbed with parents taking photos of their kids.  I walked up the hill a bit and found a 4 stair I’ve wanted to ollie.  It’s not big, but has a huge crack right in front of it and has a slight downhill landing.  I did some kickflips then bailed some ollies.  Found a line of ollie up the sidewalk through a narrow path then ollie the 4.  Was feeling it and gonna commit when some car parked right by it.  They were just sitting there doing nothing.  So I left.  Ended up at the fitness center.  Did a couple nosesldies on the waxed tall one.  Then tried to ollie a rock for awhile.  I would try flippers in between attempts.  Didn’t and much, but still enjoying the quick flick of low trucks and a smallish board.  I only committed to the ollie once and totally did not get close at all.  I was really bumming.  Wandered around again, there were some shady spots, but they seemed to always have someone sitting there studying.  I found this ledge with the downhill approach.  Did a few noseslides.  I don’t think I have ever crooked it before and it did not come easy, but I would get a few.  Most were questionable willy grinds, but a couple were posted up a little bit.  I was gonna hit the tall engineering ledge after that, but instead I went home. I was somewhat happy that I at least did a crook on a tallish ledge I hadn’t done before.

(setup 8.25 null archway deck, jessup ultragrip, venture 5.2 custom hollow AWAKE lows, bones hard bushings, 51mm spitfire 101a F4 classic shape, 3 washers inside each axle, new balance numeric 212 b/w/yellow size 12, nike sb zoom air insoles)
(pain level 3/10)  

Had a lot of trouble sleeping and some alarm off in the distance of a neighbors house was waking me up.  So I went to Golden.  I was the first one there, but only by a matter of minutes.  A few people showed up after that, but it didn’t get crowded at all.  I was really struggling to wake up and kind of just rolled around the park for awhile trying to get warmed up.  I did 10 tricks on the micro quarterpipe.  Nothing of note.  Then wandered around for a while again.  Did a couple little noseslides, crooks, ollies on hips, etc.  Tried nose manuals on the little pad for a bit and failed.  Also struggled to front 50 one of the smaller benches over there.  Did some noseslides and crooks on the taller ledge.  Had a couple kickflips and a first try fakie bigflip.  Tyler randomly showed up.  That was awesome seeing him.  He looked good and after a quick catch up I got to see him warm up with some solid ripping.  I came close to a line of crooks the tall bench, wallie the corner of the wallie thing, kickflip the a frame.  Also almost kickflip on flat, noseslide down the hubba, kickturn then 360 flip out of the little bump.  Tyler tried to get my back with front shove back 50 down the hubba, but his bail was probably cooler than a make any way.  Seriously ruled seeing Tyler.  I wasn’t even too late for work.

Then early in the evening I was all caught up with work so I went to the garage for the last hour.  It was hot in there, but oh well.  I went right into switch flips because warming up hucking is less disappointing.  There were a few that were so close.  I committed, but when I commit it just doesn’t flip as fast.  Still, it felt like progress.  Then i took a bit to get a kickflip, a bit to get a backside flip, then a second try heelflip.  Followed by a fakie heel battle for a bit.   I ended up getting a few of them.   Hucked fakie hardflip reverts for a bit which somehow felt doable, but I was never close.  Took a bit to get a halfcab heel then gave myself the last 5 minutes to get a treflip (I was happy to get one somewhat quick for me). 

(setup 8.25 null archway deck, jessup ultragrip, venture 5.2 custom hollow AWAKE lows, bones hard bushings, 51mm spitfire 101a F4 classic shape, 3 washers inside each axle, new balance numeric 212 b/w/yellow size 12, nike sb zoom air insoles)
(pain level 3/10 with the nike insoles i had less knee pain)  

Did another morning skate since I work late.  I went to Douglass since it was cloudy.  I wanted to skate mostly flat and a little ledges.  But there were some landscapers there.  They didn’t ask me to leave, but it was weird.  I went to the side and messed around briefly.  Did a couple creepy spins over the micro hip.  A nollie front tail or two.  No 50s.  Then a dude came to whack some weeds so I went back to the front.  It was weird still so I just did a few noseslides and crooks, failed a few 50s then left.

Went to Louisville park.  When I pulled in it looked like the skatepark was empty.  But it turns out a bunch of young scooter kids had been eating and were unleashed on the park the same time the sun came out.  Ugh.  These annoying kids would not look or anything and say “dropping” before every movement.  I did a few kickflips to fakie on the bank.  They were scary because half the time a scooter kid would be behind me not knowing I wasn’t doing a flyout.    I did a few front 50s, a couple with shoves.  Flailed back 5-0s for a bit on the little ledge.  Then left after some old guy pulled his car up blasting some really bad pop music.  

(setup 8.25 null archway deck, jessup ultragrip, venture 5.2 custom hollow AWAKE lows, bones hard bushings, 51mm spitfire 101a F4 classic shape, 3 washers inside each axle, new balance numeric 212 b/w/yellow size 12, new balance abzorb insole)
(pain level 4/10 started getting some of that knee pain i get when wearing vulcs argh)