With my Venture 5.8s back on I met Rob, Dave L and Kevin at Broomfield park.  I was the last one there.  For some reason I wasn’t feeling a skatepark session on a Saturday, but after a few warm up runs they suggested we bounce.  I don’t remember much of anything because I literally was only there for 10 minutes.  

We went to this school to look at some mini benches, but they had snow.  We went around the school and played on some curved ledges that could be pretty fun.  Dave almost got boardslide pop out.  Kevin almost got hurt multiple times.  Then we ended up in the nearby smooth parking lot.  Manuals, flippers were had.  Kevin did a quick up ollie several times.  I ollied it to axle stall.  A good old fashioned curb stall session ensued ignited by Rob with a pivot back tail.  Kevin did a switch front disaster and I tried, but didn’t get it.  Rob had more pivots to tail to almost 180 out.  Dave had fakie pivots.  

Then we ended up at this fun old bank spot.  The north facing bank had snow so it was a different vibe than normal.  In some ways I thought it was more fun because you were forced to roll in a certain way, but it wasn’t as fun to cruise that’s for sure.  Kevin and I had some fun b/s flips even if his was way better and landed much quicker.  Dave and Rob had some poppy ollies.  Rob struggled with crail blocks which was rare for him so he put an end to his very old board.  Dave had left.  Kevin did a Janoski flip out of the bank then fakie ollie into it which was way nuts.  I had almost done a biflip first try.  So instead of doing it quick I took like 20 tries to get a very bad one.  Oh well.  As we rapped by the car I did a kickflip on Kevin’s board that felt so good so I drove right to 303 after that and got some Thunders.  ha ha.  Gonna be 3-3 on setup changes to start the year.  Anyway, fun day with the crew and I’m hyped we got out of the park.  

(setup 8.25 303 deck, jessup ultragrip, venture 5.8 cast baseplate titanium hanger, venom 88a big bushing 91a small bushing, spitfire 52mm 99a f4 classic shape, new balance numeric 212 black/pink size 11.5, footprint elite mid insoles)
(pain level 3/10)

While waiting for Sean and Kevin to join I went over to the curbs and did some slappies. The board felt good. I did a couple kickflips. Kevin showed, we skated a bit then Sean showed so we left for campus. First spot we hit was the amazing little yellow ledge. Ha ha. There was ice on the run out and preventing it from being hit frontside with any angle. Kevin back 50’d it so easy and I tried to just do it too like it was nothing. But my mind had different ideas. I would never get a clean back 50. I don’t know how much the different Indys were to blame, but I was borderline focusing my board. Kevin and Sean had some fun lines. Kevin had also done fakie 50 halfcab transfer up, but then took a bit to get the line above. Sean had front 50, fakie 50, halfcab, front 180, kickflip, heelflip, ollie onto the tall ledge. I would kind of get some back 5-0s, switch nose jib, switch 180 the crack then ollie the stairs. But man I was bumming. After this we looked at some new areas, but didn’t really skate any more. Just kind walked/pushed and looked around. That new area has some serious potential for fun.

(setup 303 8.25 deck, jessup ultragrip, 144 indy mids, bones medium bushings,  spitfire f4 99a classic shape, new balance numeric 212 black/pink size 11.5, footprint mid elite insoles)
(pain level 4/10)

Getting out of work early for NYE I met Jake at Broomfield park. It was almost warm and the park was popping. Lots of lurkers though so it wasn’t too bad. Warming up was alright. I was pretty sore from Frederick the night before, but it worked itself out quickly. Jake had a new board too. He got first try kickflip, I got it second try. He got fakie flip second try, I got it first try. We both got varial flip first try. Halfcab flips came quick. Jake got f/s flip quick, I got b/s flip. Then Jake got a really good treflip in a few tries. I didn’t and it was the started a rage in me that wasn’t healthy. I tried for quite a while and could not land it. Treflips were the only reason I was trying Indys again. Argh. We moved on to the black ledge and had some similar lines. Boardslide the rail then crooks. Front 180 into the bank then halfcab noseslide. Jake didn’t struggle with the frontside stuff like I was though. Ugh it was bad. I could barely front 50. Jake had 5-0 and tail. Then I said 3 more ledge tricks each before a game of SKATE. Jake got fakie front nose right away. I got a fakie front 50 coming out switch and switch nose 270 shove. I think Jake got fakie back tail. Then we both did front 50 shove. The game of SKATE was pretty fun. I landed kickflip, fakie flip, halfcab flip, f/s halfcab flip, varial flip, heelflip, fakie bigflip and somehow Jake was only to SKAT. He got me with f/s flip, pop shove body varial, a really good fakie 3 shove, switch shove then broke his brand new non-null deck on a switch front shove. We had been trying treflips. Both of us close, neither of us getting it. Jake had to stop because his deck was too cracked to skate. I would get a treflip, but it wasn’t pretty. Goodbye 2020. I hope to relearn treflips in 2021.

(setup 303 8.25 deck, jessup ultragrip, 144 indy mids, bones medium bushings,  spitfire f4 99a classic shape, new balance numeric 212 black/pink size 11.5, footprint mid elite insoles)
(pain level 4/10)

On a cold night I drove out and met Dave at Frederick.  The park had more snow and ice than we had thought.  The manny pads weren’t an option.  The bump to ledge/hump and curb areas were about it.  And the two weird benches by the dumb sculpture.  We basically had the park to ourselves except when shoveler Patrick showed up for awhile.  We skated the hump and curb area the most.  We skated for over a couple hours so it’s hard to remember all that went down.  Warming up wasn’t as bad as you would think.  Dave did a lot of curb stalls/transfers/grinds.  All of which were made harder by limited run up.  Front hurricane, boardslides, noseslides, nose stall reverts and the amazing back axle to rock to revert transfer.  Wow.  He also had some incredible lines that had switch shoves on the hump to quick wallrides.  I mostly posed flip tricks and got used to my new trucks.  Yes, new trucks again.  This time Indy Mids.  Had to try them, they felt great before the bushings totally froze up.  I had a line of caveman grind then b/s flip the hip.  I couldn’t get a regular kickflip over the hip.  I posed hardflips for awhile on the little bank and got kind of close. I took too long to get a varial flip over the hip.  I lost interest when Pat stole my trick.  Then after he left I tried again and got a couple weird feeling ones.   I tried a line of fakie flip on the little bank then f/s halfcab flip over the hip, but was really struggling.  Dave’s lines were pretty amazing.  It’s hard to describe the crazy curb transfers then switch shoves on the hump to quick wallrides and the smoothness.  We ended on the weird sculpture benches.  I was unable to switch noseslide either way.  I guess the Indys might not be so good for ledges.  But I had some alright crooks and a fun noseslide shove.  Dave had a good line of front noseslide to fakie, fakie flip on the tiny bank, noseslide to fakie.  Oh yeah then we hit the bank for a bit.  Dave did some great fakie ollies.  I did some weak ollies to fakie.  

(setup 303 8.25 deck, jessup ultragrip, 144 indy mids, bones medium bushings,  spitfire f4 99a classic shape, new balance numeric 212 black/pink size 11.5, footprint mid elite insoles)
(pain level 3/10)