Up pretty early I did some yoga then went to campus since the forecast said intense winds and it was already breezy. It ended up being really nice until about the time I left. I started right by the tunnel to the hill. I don’t normally do yoga right before skating and I felt a little weird, but not very sore. I messed around with some stalls on a step then ended up doing a fun little warm up line. Front tail, nollie front shove, nollie back shove, grind up the curb cut, noseslide the ledge, wallie nollie the bank to brick wall. I messed around with some kickflips and b/s flips, got noseslide to fakie. Then mostly just skated the ledge for awhile going slow because the downhill scares me. I got crooks, boardslide, switch front nose, took way to long to get halfcab noseslide then ended with a crooks to fakie. I went around the corner and made myself ollie up the rounded two stair a couple times, 180 off, then switch front nose, also a crook. Then I ended up at the stadium bank. Did pop shove to fakie, first trick kickflip to fakie and b/s kickflip. Then I went in on treflip. Aka the trick I kind of hate more than anything right now. It’s not that I don’t think they rule, it’s that I cannot do them. I tried probably 50 treflips to fakie and never got me feet on one. Not even close. It’s like it’s physically impossible for me to land them anymore. I left campus after this with mixed emotions.

After dinner I had nothing going on and was still mad I hadn’t landed a treflip. I changed to the forged baseplate in hopes it would make my board feel more flippy. It did. Warming up went pretty good I got kickflip and fakie flip right away then went in to the 5 way rotation (variations of kickflip, heelflip, nollie, switch, then a treflip). I got first try halfcab flip and b/s flip and had some of the best heelflips I’ve done in awhile. I was very close to nollie varial flip and setup the phone to maybe capture it. My rotation was fakie varial flip, halfcab heel, nollie varial flip, switch flip, treflip. For 30 minutes straight I did not land a single trick and I didn’t even get both feet on a treflip. It was so incredibly depressing. Maybe it’s time to go back down to 8″.

(setup 8.25 colfax deck, jessup ultragrip, venture 5.6 cast/forged baseplate v-hollow hanger, venom 88a bushings, spitfire 52mm f4 99a classic shape, new balance numeric 212 black/pink size 11.5, footprint mid elite insoles)
(pain level 3/10)

Feeling anxious early on a winter day I went over to the school armed with a 10 x 10 list. I warmed up a bit, got kickflips and then started on the list.
halfcab flip – made myself do fakie flip first so it was kind of a line. Got a couple.
heelflip – Got one then made myself do another one after a halfcab flip.
fs flip – Got a couple really bad pivoted ones
front heel – Kind of landed one. It could maybe count if it was a game of SKATE between two 60 year olds and it was on defense.
fakie bigflip – Couldn’t get this one. Made me mad.
360 flip – Didn’t get very close. made me mad.
nollie tre – Didn’t get very close. Also made me mad.
rick flip – remotely close, but it would have come to a halt.
switch flip – remotely close.
cab flip – remotely close. There were a couple that I landed on the front wheels and almost got around, but fell off.
I had posed other tricks in between, but didn’t really land anything. Still I was hyped on skating an hour of flat early before eating.

After some food I met up with Jake and Rob on campus as the sun and a breeze came out. Jake and I had arrived first at the new meet up spot and warmed up with some flatground. Around the time Rob arrived Jake and I were trying the warm up line of kickflip, no comply 180, fakie flip. I got it in a few tries. Angry Jake started to show when he would land on a bunch of fakie flips, but not get it. Rob and I went up the stairs and started goofing around on the double snow section. It started as ollies, 180s and graduated to manuals and kickflips. Ha ha. I had a fun one of switch front 180 then back 180. Also ollie then kickflip. Was trying kickflip then b/s flip, but never got the kickflip with the added speed. Jake got front 180 then f/s halfcab. Rob shut it down with the gap in/out manual. Jake would get the kickflip/no comply 180/fakie flip line and we moved into campus. We did some jersey barrier wallrides. Then ended up at the little downhill curb/ledge. I think Rob got slappy crooks, back 50 and front tail. I don’t think Jake liked it very much. I had a couple fun line. Halfcab flip then front 50. Heelflip then front 50 shove. Next was the micro bump to hill for a frustrating, but fun session. Jake beat me to kickflip and returned the beam favor from earlier. But then would go on to struggle with frontside flips. I got a few flippers. Kickflip, fakie flip, first try halfcab flip, super slow backside flip, a battle of a treflip but it did feel pretty great, f/s halfcab flip and ended with a fun no comply 180. Rob was struggling with kickflip then tapped into his inner Neil and lined it out with a no comply shove. Jake had tried fakie 3 shove too. I couldn’t get heelflip. We left and on the way back I forced myself into getting a heelflip. It was a fun day. I had more energy than I’ve had in awhile. Maybe it does help to take a day off once in awhile.

(setup 8.25 colfax deck, jessup ultragrip, venture 5.6 cast baseplate v-hollow hanger, venom 88a bushings, spitfire 52mm f4 99a classic shape, new balance numeric 212 black/pink size 11.5, footprint mid elite insoles)
(pain level 2/10!!!)