Another day wearing glasses and trying to avoid sunlight I went to campus before work for some flatground.  I went to the flagstone ledge area and mostly hid in the covered area.  I downloaded some random skate dice app to use as a warm up.  It did some basic tricks to start with like nollie back 180, switch shove, helipop, etc.  It was fun.  Then I tried halfcab flips for way too long before getting a couple really slow ones.  I ollied onto the ledge after and came remotely close to dropping into cali grind on the sidewalk.  Took a while for heelflips too.  I hucked a lot of nollie/switch flips and were close to both.  Committed, but didn’t get my feet on.  Couldn’t get a treflip which is always depressing.  I think the tighter bushings I’ve been rocking hurt treflips.  Man did I even land anything else?  I did a crooks or two, noseslides.  Ended trying kickflip then front 50.  I got into a couple front 50s, but never grinded and landed one.  Argh.  I wasn’t too depressed when I left skating, but upon writing this I am. I really hated how my kickflips felt. I wasn’t popping the tail.

So after work I tried low trucks again. And I loved it. I warmed up with some slappies in between some longboarders then skated some flat on the side of the school. I had some new wheels and bearings too. Spits 51mm. They felt great. My kickflips felt sooo much better. I was 3-3 on heelflips at one point too. I had a few initial tricks that felt good, then kinda went downhill. I mostly hucked all kinds of tricks without really sticking to or landing much. It was fun though.

(setup 1 8.25 null archway deck, jessup ultragrip, venture 5.2 custom hollow cast baseplate v-hollow hanger then venture 5.2 lows, bones hard bushings, bones stf v1 51mm 103a, new balance numeric 212 b/w/yellow size 12, nb abzord insoles)
(pain level 3/10)    

I work the later shift this week.  I was determined to hit dog park this week before work and hopefully progress.  Well, this morning would not be so good.  Other than a fakie nosegrind first try on the cinder block ledge it was pretty terrible. I had put two top bushing in my trucks to test the Ishod setup.  It definitely made the trucks lower and moved in the wheelbase a little.  But it sucked!  I seriously couldn’t skate.  Then square skate state started showing up.  I couldn’t ollie the wallie barrier.  I had a couple flip tricks feel nice, but other than that it was nothing but a struggle. I got heelflip, halfcab flip, fakie flip, but couldn’t get treflip.

(setup 8.25 null archway deck, jessup ultragrip, venture 5.2 custom hollow cast baseplate v-hollow hanger, 2 top bushings, bones stf v1 51mm 103a, new balance numeric 212 b/w/yellow size 12, nb abzord insoles)
(pain level 4/10)  

After avoiding sunlight all day because of the stye in my eye I went to Southern Hills when the clouds set in.  I was armed with 3 pairs of shoes since I hated the 440s so much.  I started with them, but didn’t last long.  Then I tried some old PJs.  Nope, finally some old 212s which I stuck with.  Jake showed and we played a game of SKATE.  It was a long one.  And of course the sun came out, but we were able to mostly hide from it. I took a while to adjust to the 212s.  I got a few tricks I liked, heelflip, first try f/s halfcab heel, a couple treflips that had heel drag ( I was happy to land them but they didn’t count for offense).  Jake would end up winning with fakie 3 shove.  He had gotten me with frontside flip, switch front shove, and a couple more.  Then we skated for a bit.  I did nothing good.  Everything was a total struggle.  Jake left.  I tried to skate more.  Did a line of noseslide to fakie, halfcab flip, crooks.  But couldn’t even fathom front 50 on a bench or ollie up the 2 stair.  Ugh. I left pretty darn bummed.

(setup 8.25 null archway deck, jessup ultragrip, venture 5.6 custom hollow cast baseplate v-hollow hanger, spitfire 51mm 101a radial slims, new balance numeric 212 b/w/yellow size 12, nb abzord insoles)
(pain level 4/10)

Met Rob and Luzius at Douglass on a bright hot morning. We left after I got there, it was just too bright. We started at the og “bank” to ledge/wall spot. Kevin had joined us. I don’t really care for this spot much and my new shoes were bugging me. Rob had some nice nose stalls then manual around. Dave and Kevin were doing manual/nose bonks on a weird cart. Kevin would go on to do switch nose manual 180 on it and some front smith stalls on the ledge. Dave was doing some manual on the pad too. I took a while to get a nose stall, nose stall to fakie, kind of a crook, a few flip tricks and kind of a slappy crook.

We went to the bank to gap spot. Not a whole lot went down. Kevin and Dave at least ollied into it and did that gap. Kevin also back 180’d the gap. Front 180 in then switch front 180 as well as halfcab the gap. I posed several things, but really didn’t do anything and couldn’t even ollie into the bank. I kind of blame the shoes. Dave came kind of close to manualling down and off the gap. He also did some of the most casual treflips on flat. Near the end we skated it like a bank. Dave had pop shove and kickflip to fakie. Rob had crail and a couple sick one foots. Kevin had back tails. I did a few bean plants then posed backside flip down the gap. Dave L left.

Kevin, Rob and I hit this old bank spot I had remembered which I thought was steeper. We all ollied into it, some 180s. Rob had a good primo slam on a no comply shove then did a couple solid ones. Kevin kickflipped into it then went on to nollie flip into it, get bummed on not being able to do it again, do it again, get bummed on not being able to do it again. I had tried fakie bigflips the whole time. I almost rolled my ankle once (getting pretty skeptical of these shoes), but would eventually get one I was happy with.

Then Kevin and I met Fuller and Ed at Darin’s ramp. I was so sore at this point. But those dudes were all ripping so I got out of the chair. The stye in my eye was killing me so I was wearing sunglasses which made everything weird. Add in some bulky shoes without much board feel and I really sucked it up bailing several back 50s to start with. I would eventually get it slightly together. Back 50s, non-decked rocks, the worst bean plant to tail ever, some fakie axle stalls. That was about it. Ugh. Kevin was ripping and with good style. Ollies, 5-0s, feebles, feebles to fakie, front feebles, back smiths, etc. It was rad seeing Ed again. His style is so good. He can just do rock ‘n rolls and I’d be stoked. But he also did some long 50s, 5-0s, front smiths and back ds. Darin was ripping. The cab 5-0 270 out is unreal. Back d revert, back lip, back tail, etc. Dave was shredding as well. Lots of sweepers, manuals, front smiths, ollies, so much variety. The doubles with Kevin was pretty sick. I eventually just got too depressed to skate and sat down and left feeling so defeated. Argh. Skateboarding is so hard.

(setup 8.25 null archway deck, jessup ultragrip, venture 5.6 custom hollow cast baseplate, v-hollow hanger, bones hard bushings, 51mm spitfire F4 101a radial slims, new balance numeric white 440s size 11.5 with xero thin insoles)
(pain level 4/10)

On a hot morning I went to Broomfield park and met up with Dave F, Rob and Sean. Rob and I got there first and started the warm up process. After awhile I started trying the Reynolds challenge. Kickflip, treflip, backside flip, halfcab flip. I got the treflip like 5th try, but didn’t get the rest of the line. And then the treflip disappeared. No more. I really only tried that for an hour it seems. I got close to a few nollie big flips. Also some back 50s on the happy edge until the kryptonite dude with the glasses showed up and tried exactly what I was doing. I couldn’t skate after that. Rob had left. He had some moves before leaving. Nose manual up and down the blue bank, crooks, back 50s, front 50s, a lot more I am not remembering. Dave was killing the brick qp with a bunch of tricks I’ve never attempted. Sweepers, fastplants, bonelesses. He also boardslide across and down the little rail. He tried the Reynolds challenge with varial flip instead of treflip for a bit. Sean was ripping. His laps on the black ledge are the best as are his back heels.

Later on I met Dave at Wilville as it rained. We skated flat under a covered area. I had some new shoes. White 440s. They felt very stiff and different. It took me close to 10 tries to get a kickflip. Granted I was very sore and the warm up process was not easy. Dave had kickflip, halfcab flip, varial flips, several sex changes. The rain let up for a bit and we migrated to a bigger dry patch up top. I would get a few flippers, but nothing too special. Dave continued his sex changes and got a rare f/s halfcab flip. He is close on switch heelflip. Then it dried up enough to hit the manny pad area. I was still adjusting to the new shoes and trying a lot of flippers. I had a few heelflips, a f/s halfcab heel, f/s halfcab flip, halfcab flips, but no treflip. I had a few nose manuals into the bank, and struggled to get a kickflip up the 3″ curb. Argh. Dave had some nose manuals too after some sketchy bails. Somewhat close to switch nose manual revert into the bank. Nollies into the bank. Ripping. He had to leave and I tried varial heels for a bit before leaving.

(setup 8.25 null archway deck, jessup ultragrip, venture 5.6 custom hollow cast baseplate, v-hollow hanger, bones hard bushings, 51mm spitfire F4 101a radial slims, new balance numeric 288s grey/blue size 11.5, xero thin insoles then white 440s size 11.5 with xero thin insoles)
(pain level 4/10)