First day I woke up in a couple of weeks and didn’t feel pain in my left achilles on my first steps. I lounged around, did some exercises. Around 1pm I went to dog park for an hour. Spencer was there so that was cool. Valmont was completely overrun with striders and mountain bikers, which is what I guess Evergreen built the park for. I started really slow and was happy that I didn’t feel much achilles pain. I did a few kickflips, front 50s on the curb, crooks on the bench, boardslides, noseslides, switch front noseslides. After a while it started to hurt a little and I didn’t want to push it. Did a couple ultra basics on the tiny part of the barrier and called it a sesh.

(setup 4/10 8.25 null abstract, jessup ultragrip, ace af1 44, spitfire f4 99a classic yellow 52mm, new balance numeric 440v2 wide high black size 12 half 574 insole and currex runpro insole)
(pain level 3/10)

After work met up with the dudes on another hot September day. Warming up seemed okay for us all. I had new 440v2s and they felt much better than the 1010s. We all seemed to get close to tricks, but not get them. Paul almost had nose manual shove and he was quite obsessed with sticking to it. Rob was popping lofty ollies off the grate to start a line, manual around the lurb then try nosegrind the curb. He had a slam, many close ones, but never quite got it. I had a couple of kickflips up the lurb, one nose manual, some crooks. But I couldn’t get nose manual shove, kickflip 50, nollie varial flip, treflip, so close to rick flip. After Rob left Paul and I played a game of SKATE that he won again on a treflip. Argh I hate getting letters on treflips these days! At least I did have a string of 4 tricks in a row that felt pretty good: Backside flip, halfcab flip, fakie bigflip, heelflip. Probably shouldn’t have done so many flippers, my achilles is hurt.

(setup 6/10 null beatles 8.25 deck, null grip, slappy low profile 8.25 trucks, 51mm bones stf pj 103a wheels, new balance numeric 440v2 black size 11.5 with half 574 and currex runpro insoles)
(pain level 7/10 left knee and achilles no bueno)

On a really nice night I had thought of slacking, but decided to take advantage of students still being gone and went to campus. I had no intention of ending up at the flagstone ledge to warm up, but the way traffic and bikes were I just stuck on the fun downhill bike path and it spit me out at the ledge. I had a new board/ setup change that I hope to stick to. 8.5 with the bigger 14.5 wheelbase and aces. Anyone reading this knows the chances of me sticking with a setup are zero. But I did have a fun first session at least. I mostly skated the ledge and didn’t try a lot of flippers. I couldn’t get crooks. Front axle took a while to get. I was happy to get a front 50 and an accidental 5-0. Seemed like I gained a little confidence and could maybe do them moving next time. Then I went nearby and did a line of ollie up a 2 stair, kickflip, front 180 down the two stair. Then over to the business building as it was getting dark. Got a couple lines I liked. Boardslide the tall ledge, kickflip, noseslide to fakie the wood bench, fakie flip. Then noseslide the tall ledge followed by a crooks on the wood ledge, then a bailed backside flip. Lastly I tried to ollie up the 3 stair. I got myself to commit mentally, but my back leg wasn’t having it and I hung up. Then I walked back to the car. Fun session, tried hard.

(setup 5/10 8.5 nullosaur, jessup ultragrip, ace af1 hollow 55, 52mm spitfire f4 99a classic, 440v2 wide white size 11.5 with half 574 vulc insole and currex runpro insoles)
(pain level 5/10)

After a bleak day of work I went home for dinner and chilled a bit as thunderstorms rolled through. It cleared up and I had kind of obsessed with the Folsom Field bank to curb spot so I went there. It was a fun downhill roll there going kind of fast at times being scared of hitting a crack. Made more scarier by a setup change and new shoes. It was very humid out. Well, very humid for Colorado which is probably only like 50% or something. But it almost felt hard to breath at first and I was sweating like crazy. I warmed up with some noseslides to fakie without olleing onto the bank, just a quick little push. And it actually took a few tries to commit to the role off the curb. Geez. This spot has always been way harder for me than it looks. Then I started ollieing on and doing flippers on flat and stuff. Would get several of the 180 stalls that are really fun. My dream is to do a kickflip out. It felt realistic at time, unrealistic at times. I got through quite a few flippers, but was kind of running low on energy. After a while I left and ended up at the little manny pad parking lot where I only manualled and came close to switch 180 manual and nose manual 180. Then nearby I tried to front 50 a waxed part of the banked ledge, but a cop drove by so I left. I hucked a few nollie bs flips that felt close. Then I went to the little tiny downhill curb ledge where I completely struggled to front 50 it, but man I was close to some slow uphill switch flips! Fun session though, I skated hard, it was fun.

(setup 7/10 8.5/14.25 null 20 year, null grip, thunder 149 hollow lights with royal bushings, 52mm spitfire 52mm yellow classic shape f4 99a, new balance numeric 440v2 white size 11.5 wide, half 574 insole and currex runpro insole)
(pain level 3/10)

Nice day, pretty warm.  Picked up Neil, Rob and Dave and we rolled to the plaza park in Greeley.  We would meet Sean, Joe, Garrett, hardflip Joe, Donnie and Richard!  With this line up it is obviously impossible to remember everything.  I’ll say Rob quickly did manual followed by back 50 180 and did a really cool drop down 50 to bank ride.  Joe boardslide the long downhill rail, did all his tricks on the ledges.  Garrett 270 flip the hip, treflips up the euro.  Hardflip Joe did barefoot hardflips and fakie barefoot skiers.  Donnie some cool wallrides on the sculptures.  Neil was doing his thing quickly, manuals, nose manuals, no comply up the 2, wallie the barrier.  Dave back 180’d up the euro so easily and would go on to switch front shove it up it too, as well as destroy the park in general, kickflips to fakie, fakie ollie the bank to ride on grind the bench.  I got overly frustrated and I don’t even remember why.  I think taking too long to kickflip up the euro.  Had some noseslides on the upper part of the ledge, 180 up switch front nose off going ultra slow, one accidental front 5-0 on the main ledge, couldn’t do a slow treflip.  Sean shut the park down with some fast 5-0 combos and kickflip up to nollie back nosegrind 180 that was nuts.  

Then we ended up at Peak View which was unexpectedly chill and we almost had it to ourselves.  We were beat, lost most of the crew.  It was Joe, Donnie, Neil, Rob, Dave and I.  Dave skated some of his best I’ve ever seen.  Feeble transfers the spine, sweepers the qp, 5-0s the diamond cut hip, b/s flip the hip, nollies into the bank, stalefish boneless.  Donnie did more crazy high speed lines to metal sculpture rides.  After a second try bigflip on the bank I thought I was in for a good session.  Instead I spent an hour trying kickflips to fakie on the bank and almost lost my shit trying.  I stuck with it and somehow my board handled all the cry baby throwing and ended on a good note getting noseslide 270 shove, a slow front 50 on the bench and a flatground treflip. Rob had frontside grinds the diamond cut, no complies on the bank, some ledge moves.  Neil ollied onto the bench and back 180 off, I’m blanking.  Joe admitted he was tired, but still did a lot of his tricks on the bench, kickflip to fakie the bank, halfcab flip on the bank. 

(setup 8.5 w/thunders first park then switched to 8.25/slaces at 2nd park new 440v2 black/gum shoes)
(pain level 6/10)

After work went to Square State since Brian was having a little anniversary of his new hip. I walked in to a session on the tiny qp with several excited kids. It was such a change after a quiet day at work. I kind of just messed around. Did one ghost front rock, front d, front 50. Tried a few kickflip front 50s which felt remotely doable. Brian got kind of busy with the kids so I took off. I hadn’t had a chance to fix my setup so I was skating my 8.5 slace setup which I did not like at all. My calf wasn’t really very happy skating. I wore some new 440 wides and liked them, seemed to help a little.

So I went home, put the low truck on the front of my 8.25 setup and went to the school. Pushing felt bad on the calf, but I was just skating slow just kind of hucked flip tricks. It was funny, I like really hucked. Like barely even tried regular tricks, just rare or hard ones. I landed on a varial heel with my hands down, a couple were close to being good. I randomly started hucking bigflips and they felt so close. There were a couple that felt so close, but a few ones I landed on were just varial flips with bad pivots. I couldn’t quite get a treflip or heelflip. Had a few kickflips, fakie flip. Most tricks kind of hurt so I left before it got too bad.

(setup 8/10 8.25 pmg, jessup ultragrip, ace af1 44 lows hard bushings, 52mm bones stf v2, new balance numeric 440v2 wide sea salt size 11.5 currex runpro insoles)
(pain level 7/10 calf is risky)

Met Nullers at Broomfield park with the purpose of filming a little skit for the new shirts. We skated for a while at the park. I was trying to break in some Strike MVMNT “Transit Street Trainer” shoes. Wow they are thick and stiff. I skated pretty bad. I don’t know if I can even remember a trick I did. I know I was switching between my 8.5 and 8.25 setups because of how the shoes felt, but ultimately stuck with the 8.25. Garrett had some great back tails on the ledge into the bank. Bo somehow couldn’t treflip. Joe’s front crooks on the ledge into the bank were great. Sean being Sean was awesome. Then we went to the nearby school and had fun shooting hoops and dunking. Then to another school with a low wall rail that everyone got denied on.

(setup 8.25 pmg, jessup ultragrip, thunder hollow light 148 royal bushings, 52mm bones stf v1, strike mvmnt transit street trainer black/gum size 12 currex run pro insole)
(pain level 6/10 from the day before)

I was sitting around feeling sorry for myself over my swollen painful knee and somehow got a spark to get out and skate a little. I had new shoes that I had taken a couple of walk in, some Tom Knox NBs. They are a bit stiffer/thicker than I normally like but we’ll see. Maybe they were the inspiration to skate a totally crusty crappy spot. I started the evening by backing into a pole in the van. Ugh. Luckily it wasn’t too bad but I’m bummed for sure. Warming up was super hard, mostly because my left knee is very stiff and can barely bend. First warm up line was slappy crook the terrible yellow curb, ollie to fakie the bank, fakie bigspin on flat. Then I got distracted by the curved bench for a while. It was really hard to skate. I managed a few noseslide jibs going slow, but couldn’t get crooks. I tried a very long line of noseslide, ollie a tiny flat gap, slappy crooks, kickflip to fakie. There were so many rock and cracks I was flailing all over the place and cracked my board on the tiny flat gap ollie. Doh. Not bad at least. Then I tried to film a slappy crook again and it took like 5 minutes and it took that whole time to get a fakie flip in the alley which was weird and slightly downhill. Last up was the kickflip to fakie which took way too long and my knee was killing me. Fun night though, street skating is so much more rewarding than parks. I wish it was easier to get speed for the little bank.

(setup 4/10 null sample 8.5/14.25, jessup ultragrip, venture 5.8 v-cast/ti royal bushings flat top washer, spitfire f4 52mm classic shape, new balance numeric 600 tom knox black/gum size 12 thin es insoles)
(pain level 7/10 feel like this is my norm now)

Actually went to the doctor for the knee pain I have in my left knee. The good news is the swelling doesn’t seem to be caused by an injury. The bad news it’s probably an arthritis flare up which is kind of annoying since I’m already gluten free, mostly dairy free and almost never drink anymore. Oh well, at least skating shouldn’t make my arthritis worse. So yeah I went across the street shortly before sunset with no real plans. Had a fun warm up line of backside nollie on the little bank, slappy crook, nollie back 180. Then kind of went in on a long line of front 180 a manhole, switch f/s ollie the bank, switch front 180, slappy crook which was really fun and I think I may have done a b/s flip after. I posed some treflips over the manhole which seemed more doable than ever, but I didn’t put my feet on it. I had a wider board and new shoes so felt a little off. On the way out I made myself do switch front 180 into one of the curb cuts and kickflip out. Took way more tries than it should, but whatever.

(setup 3/10 null 8.3 abstract33, jessup ultra, venture v-cast/ti 5.8 royal bushings no big washer flat top washer, spitfire 51mm classic f4 101a, es swift 1.5 black/blue size 12 no insoles)
(pain level 6/10)

Somehow slept really well and after a banging breakfast at our hotel we went out to see some sights. Swiss Air had lost my luggage so one of the first things on the agenda was to get me a new board and shoes because I didn’t want to delay and then not have a board. So we went to the big mall store Titus and I walked out with a an 8.25 of some Flower brand, some hollow ventures and the smallest wheels they had. The family and I were walking nearby at a city park that has a fountain dedicated to the Grimm fairy tales. I did a quick search in maps and it turned out there was a skatepark like 500 feet away so I of course had to go check it out. I had it all to myself so after a couple of laps around and trying to figure out my new setup I kind of just filmed everything. It was quite a fun session surprisingly except how I couldn’t lock into crooks. I thought I’d only have like 5 minutes, but the family ended up being gone for like 40 minutes so I got a decent little session in. Especially considering my complete and shoes were like 1 hour old. The kickflip flyouts were pretty fun as were the back 50s down the steep little escalator qp.

(setup 8.25 flower, mob grip, venture 5.6 shake junt v-hollows, spitfire 51mm f4 99a classic, new balance numeric 288 b/w no insoles size 11.5 (they didn’t have 12s))
(pain level 3/10)