Got to Broomfield a little later than I had hoped. The crew was rad though. Dave L, Rob, Cass, Ryan, Eric. I started on my 8″. I say this because mid session I switched to 8.25. Ugh. Rob, Cass, Ryan and Dave were already hitting it when I got there. Ryan was ripping, lots of poppy flip tricks, solid bump to bar tricks, even lines to the steep bank. Rob was ripping the back 50s so casually, front boards. Cass and I played a game of SKATE that I would enjoy even though I would once again get letters on a treflip. He did double or nothing on kickflip and missed, so I returned the favor on treflip after getting very close the first try. I had a good feeling heelflip, sketchy halfcab flip and couldn’t get either halfcab heel. Cass got me with hardflip, backside bigspin and ended me on fakie tre. At least I had gotten a fakie bigflip on defense, I would have been mad if I lost on that one. Eric had shown and wasn’t his normal raging ball of energy. It’s nice to know he’s human, he still had some good back 50s, front tails and more. But it was kind of a bummer to see him struggle. Oh well, skateboarding can be like that. Dave had some cool quick manuals, back 50s, boardslides. I’m not sure if anyone had a great session, it seemed we were all kind of out of it. Maybe Ryan did. Everyone took off, I was going to try and do some more before leaving, but I ended up going to Safeway.

I really wanted to do a kick back 5-0 shove after getting a kick back 5-0 recently. After some not so easy 50s both ways I went in on flipping in. I stuck with the 8.25 setup even though I was struggling. For the most part I wasn’t close on most, but I did get into a few and got a couple sketchy kick back 50s. I probably tried for an hour and gave up.

Trying to torture myself even more I went to the nearby ballfields that I haven’t been to in years. I stiffened up quick. This would be some of my worst skating ever. Which really says a lot. It was the kind of session that made me question if I should keep trying. I would go back and forth trying to line things out. Had some terrible halfcab noseslides and the slowest front 50 ever done on the little ledge on the far side. On the tall ledges I was able to get noseslide and a crook jib. Front 50 seemed beyond impossible. I didn’t successfully ollie up the ends of a ledge, but was able to ollie up in the middle where it was lower. I had another one of those halfcab flip bails that I just kind of came to a halt and fell off my board. It was so miserable. I managed to leave without hurting myself or my board, but man it was one of my most depressing sessions ever. I was scared of rolling my ankles in the 440s so had switched back to my 306s which then resulted in knee pain. Gotta love being me.

(setups 8/8.25 ventures new balance 440s no insoles then 306s with nike sb insoles)
(pain level 4/10)

After a really busy day of work I went across the street in a cool afternoon shortly before sunset. I was on my 8″ board and the 288s. I did some slappies to start that didn’t really go that well. My mind was mush. There was a kid there learning how to skate and he seemed annoyed I barged his session so I went to the side of the school to skate flatground. I sucked it up. Hard to describe how badly I sucked, but I skated for about 30 minutes and only landed kickflip and fakie flip, maybe a heelflip too. I was close to treflips, but could not get one. I hucked a lot of tricks, but just didn’t have the mental capacity to commit to tricks. I left after bailing a treflip and just staring at my board wondering why even bother. I really don’t like the 288S much anymore, they just don’t flick well.

(setup 8″ null archway deck, jessup ultragrip, venture 5.2 (cast baseplate v-hollow hanger), venom 88a bushings, 52mm bones stf v1 103a, new balance numeric 288S maroon size 11.5, no insoles)
(pain level 4/10)

Another beautiful day so I skipped out for a very short lunch break to get some slappies in.  I hadn’t done a lot of exercises so I was kind of stiff.  Slamming into the curbs helped to get the legs moving.  I was on the 8.25 setup.  It wasn’t the best slappy session, but still fun.  Had some fun front and back slappies, took a bit to get front crook.  Tried switch front 50s and got into a few, but didn’t land it.  Got on switch slappy crook.  Ended with a front slappy.

Then after dinner I met up with Mike and Skelly then Garrett at Broomfield park.  It was pretty nice out and the park wasn’t very crowded.  Warming up was tougher than I thought it would be.  I had done lots of exercises.  Skating earlier I had worn the 288s and for this I went back to the 306s.  They hurt as the shoes and Nike insoles have gotten really thin.  Anyway, Mike and Skelly were mostly hitting the blue wedge area.  Skelly had a pretty good slam right away hanging up on the edge.  Ouch.  He would go on to get front shove to fakie also a quick ollie on then ollie off the side.  Mike was slappying the bottom curb somehow even though it’s oververt.  I was kind of all over.  I 180’d up the black ledge which made me kind of happy.  That was about the time Garrett showed up.  He had a line pretty quickly that was amazing.  Front 50 up the escalator ledge, back tail black ledge,front tail 270 shove the black ledge.  Also treflip into the bank.  I struggled with front 50s and it made me mad.  I switched to my 8″ setup because I couldn’t get the halfcab flip on the bank.  I still struggled with it, but would end up landing it.  I did several of the switch noseslide shoves.  I had some alright crooks on the 8″ setup, but not so much the 8.25.  Mike had some good front noseslides on the black ledge.  Skelly did some little front slashes on the brick qp, but they were really rad.  I slammed boardsliding the little rail, but would go on to get it a few times.  I got really close to a halfcab heel noseslide.  Flip tricks weren’t going very well.  I think mostly because my shoes were so thin I was afraid to commit.  Which of course just hurts more.  Justin was there ripping.  As Garrett tried the manual combo I hucked flip tricks.  Couldn’t get a treflip.  Decent night, I tried hard. Fun crew.  

(setup 8.25/8 nulls / ventures 288s/306s blah not worth all the details since I switch all the time)
(pain level 4/10)