On a nice night I went out to Frederick for the first time in months to meet Dave and Garrett. I had a new Christmas Complete. And I hated it the entire time. I had mostly enjoyed my last stint on Indy mids, but they were too heavy. I thought maybe the hollow version would help. Nope, they felt no lighter. Add in a new 8.3 deck and 52mm Spitfire classic shapes. Patrick was there too happy to skate after his knee injury. We were in the back mellow bank/curb area for awhile. Dave did amazing front nose to fakie then fakie tail. He also started with some crazy step off trick on the bank that I couldn’t grasp, but Garrett got second try. I took too many tries to get a kickflip fakie then couldn’t quite get a front heel. Garrett did cool fakie tre out of the bank then fakie flip into the next one. Then it was all over for awhile. I was able to push pretty well so that was nice. I couldn’t quite get up the taller ledge, struggled to noseslide anything, flip tricks were impossible. Ugh. Dave and I did the 180 then switch front noses. Garrett did the manual tricks like it was nothing. Dave did switch front shove on the bank after a cool wallride to fakie. I dragged a lot of heel on a b/s flip on the attempt in between posing hardflip variations. Eventually we all got tired and called it a night.

(setup null smoke valley 8.3, jessup ultragrip, indy hollow mids, spitfire f4 99a 52mm classic shape, splay freestyle shoes size 12 custom thin nb# abzorb insole and naboso activation insoles)
(pain level 2/10)

On a nice night I went to dog park and met Rob and Nick. There was only a few other people there. After my lack of pop and flip in Berlin I put Thunders on. Hated them. Rob was either there early or warmed up incredibly fast. He lined out a boardslide on the picnic table. Took him a few tries, but he did it. Nick had a lot of boardslides on the curb and flat bars. I had gotten really tired right before skating, I guess jet lag had caught up with me. I skated with less pop than normal. I had a couple halfcab flips. The best I had was a fakie bigflip followed by a quick little nose slide the end of the picnic table. Then I cleaned it up by doing the same line again next try. Fakie bigflip felt cool, noseslide felt weird. That pretty much the end of my energy and I went home.

(setup 8.3 null mc hesher, jessup ultragrip, thunder 148 hollows, spitfire f4 101a 51mm classic shape, splay freestyle shoes grey size 12 custom nb# abzorb insole)
(pain level 2/10 achilles didn’t hurt at all!)

On a breezy, but warm day I met Rob, Eric, Sean and Nick at dog park. It was crowded with some skate lessons or something, but would clear out some quickly. I liked the kicker onto the pad though because I could finally manual it ha ha. I started out on a board with Indy 149s, but immediately traded them out for Ventures. And boy it felt good to be back home. I really liked how the Indy mids skated, but man, they are too heavy. Way too heavy. Maybe if they make a titanium version I’d try them again. At one point I had two halfcab flips in a row which has been awhile. I had too big of wheels on, but it was fun. I got a few nose manuals, didn’t commit to kickflip up the ledge or off, had a lot of fakie flips. Played with the quick up onto the pad then noseslide also crooks. Got a few of those with halfcab nosesldies before. Until the camera came out and then I couldn’t do it. I ended by getting a new trick on taller pad. Fakie front 50 to back board. A Joe H special. It was bad, but still pretty fun. Nick was fun to skate with. Lots of boardslides, front 50 nolie shove. I don’t know which kids Eric was competing with, but he told me a couple times they beat him to tricks. Doh. Rob had the back 50 nollies out again, manuals, halfcab noseslides, back 50 back 180 out, nollie front 50 back 180 out. Was hyped to see him get halfcab back 50. He came really close to fakie nosegrinds on a bench. Sean did what he does best, kill it with style and speed. The ease at which he can 50 the upper deck is amazing to me. He got fakie nosegrind, halfcab nose manual shove, front tail 270, ollied the hydrant like it was nothing, nollie back 5-0s, lots of kickflip and heelflip variations.

(setup 8.38 null mc hesher, jessup ultragrip, venture 5.6 cast plate v-hollow hanger no big washer, 53mm spitfire f4 99a classic shape, splay freestyle grey size 12 nike sb zoom air insoles made into wide toe insoles)
(pain level 4/10 winter/wind sucks)

After work I went to find some flatground to skate, but there were either cars or not enough lights so I ended up at dog park. It was very crowded when I arrived. I hit a stop rock within 1 second of setting my board down. Luckily I did not fall. I had setup a new board – 8.3 and put my Mindys on it. It actually felt pretty good. I did quite a few grinds on the taller pad. It’s crazy how much better new Indys grind than titanium Ventures to the axle. I did not skate well though. I don’t even remember anything beyond some bad front 50 180s. Near the end I forced myself to do 5 flip tricks. Boy did I struggle. I skated incredibly slow and without confidence. But I would get 5 tricks. Kickflip, fakie flip, halfcab flip, varial flip and ended with f/s halfcab flip that took way too long. I had also gotten close to treflip and halfcab heel. Barefoot shoes are not easy to heelflip in for some reason.

(setup null 8.38 mc hesher, jessup ultragrip, indy mids 148 with hollow cast baseplate, bones medium bushings, bones 52mm v1 stf 83b 3 washers inside each, splay freestyle grey size 12 lems insoles)
(pain level 4/10 forgot how much i hate winter and wind)

Went to dog park on a cool night armed with a happy medium deck of 8.3 with venture 5.8 titaniums. I went on to skate like garbage as is the trend for me lately. I couldn’t manual or pop up ledges easily, crooks didn’t work, I even took like 5 tries to get a switch front nose. Didn’t get past fakie flips on flip tricks. Did get a couple slow front 50 180s out followed by halfcab noseslide then nollie back tail. There was a group of kids there kinda of annoying, but whatever. One other kid skating by himself charging hard who was cool. I had a lot of manual attempts and failed. Settled in on a line of ollie up the little pad, nollie front tail off, ollie onto the taller pad, curve around then front shove off. I was really close to getting that when I had a couple failed ollies up the first curb and focused my old board. Ugh.

(setup 8.3 spanbauer night deck, jessup pj ultragrip, venture 5.8 titaniums no big washer, bones 52mm v1 stf 83b washers outside, splay freestyle gray size 12 with naboso activation insoles)
(pain level 2/10)

After a couple days off I went across the street to skate some flatground. But on the walk there my achilles started hurting pretty bad and got worse as I tried to skate. I had done a few 180s, shoves, but not gotten to the kickflip stage. Argh.

(setup 8.25 nullosaur, jessup ultragrip, venture 5.2 awake lows with 1/16″ riser and bones medium bushings washers on top and bottom, 52mm spitfire f4 99a tablet with 3 washers inside axles, es swift 1.5 white size 12 naboso activation insoles)
(pain level 6/10 it wasn’t terrible pain, but this is how the achilles injury started last time – never wearing Es again)

On a cool rainy night I went out to the little space in my garage and skated flatground. Rather than use the putter I went the opposite direction – 8.5. It felt alright. I started with several basics which these days means 180s and shoves. Then got a few kickflips, fakie flips, heelflips, b/s flips then went in on treflip. It’s so hard to do treflips in that little of space. I think it’s partly why I do 270 flips a lot because I can’t lean forward enough for fear of hitting my head on the garage door if I hang up. Anyway, I got one in about 15 tries, then the funny fall shortly after that, then eventually two in a row that made me happy. I tried some nollie varial flips after that, but never got one.

(setup null 8.5 smoke valley, jessup pj ultragrip, venture 5.8 cast base titanium axle, bones medium bushings, 54mm bones stf v3 99a washers outside, new balance numeric 288s grey size 11.5 no insoles)
(pain level 2/10 some achilles pain)

Not feeling so good on a cloudy Saturday morning I ended up at dog park and met up with Rob, Brian (and more from Square State), Eric and Jack. It was tough to find lines with the crowds, but it worked. Saw Brian rip the barrier with boardslides, front rock, also some feeble attempts on the beam and called me out for not smiling. Ha. I really didn’t feel well though so it was tough. I was on a different setup, imagine that. 8.25 with wide trucks. It felt good even though I didn’t land a whole lot. My flip tricks felt good even though I didn’t land much. The theme for me was to get close to a lot of stuff, but not actually roll away. I guess that’s okay. I did get the nollie front tail shove in a few tries, finally noseslid some of the upper deck, lots of fun front slappies, close to kick back 50. Rob had some good nose mannies, back 50 nollies out, back 50 180 out, back 180 fakie 50. Eric heelflipped a parking block all casual, mannies, 50s, looked good. Jack did a messed up line. Manual, bluntslide, pop shove crooks fakie. Also some solid flippers.

Then after a run to Sk8 Ratz I met Nullers at a barrier spot. It was fun. I just did some rock ‘n rolls on it. Jack did a messed up kickflip, blunt to disaster. I missed Hayden’s 5-0 shove fakie, but he also did back disaster revert. Joe was trying 50s from flat. Donnie had massive ollies and front 5-0. Garrett did front hurricane then one with a funny 180 out. Next we went to TVHS where I watched and filmed. Bo 50’d the rail! So sick. Joe got up on front crooks it was so gnarly. Jack warmed up with back 50, front nosegrind then got a couple bangers that will grace his Null part. Fun day with fun dudes.

(setup 8.25 glenosaur, jessup ultragrip, venture 5.8 v-lights, bones medium bushings, old 52mm v1 bones stf 103a washers outside, new balance numeric 212 cream size 12 with 272 insoles)
(pain level 2/10)

On a nice night I went to the dog park for the first time at night in a long time.  The lights were way better than I remembered.  There was only a few people there, the dudes Denis and Paul who are fun to skate with and a beginner.  My new Satoris were already pretty flatspotted.  Argh.  Everything felt off initially and I had a pretty bad slam on a flatground pop shove.  I couldn’t land a kickflip either.  Not sure what’s up with that. At no point did I do anything great, but I did skate okay and do some basics I liked.  My board felt extremely slow and I pretty much hated the non F4/STF wheels.  I did one line that took way too long of switch front nose the metal bench then halfcab board the small flatbar.  Couldn’t get the heelflip after.  Had some okay crooks, front slappies, weak front tail attempts, slow front 50s, same old stuff.  Stoked on it being a good night spot.  Although the two loud dudes that showed up later were pretty annoying.

(setup 8.3 null spanbauer night skate, jessup ultra grip, venture 5.8 titaniums, venom 91a bushings no big washer, 51mm satori achtley wheeels washers on the outside, new balance numeric 288S grey size 11.5 no insoles)
(pain level 2/10)

After another terrible day of work I went to Broomfield park shortly after dinner on a cool night. There was just a few other people there besides Kevin. I had changed my setup once again. 8.3, venture titaniums, 50mm wheels. It felt mostly dreamy. After a brief stint in the blue pad / quarterpotty area I followed Kevin over to the black ledge where he was trying to do his age in tricks (36). I hadn’t skated a tall ledge like that in months. Kevin was rattling off tricks and verbally counting. I had some fun noseslides, crooks. Took a long time to get halfcab noseslide, couldn’t get crooks shove, struggled to ollie up onto the pad but front 180’d up first try. Didn’t get many flippers even though they felt alright. Took a long time to get a super slow front 50. Kevin had finished his 36 tricks with a banger two in a row – kick back tail then front blunt. Wow. All in all I’m happy I skated even if it was terrible. Pushing felt fine at least and I was starting to pop again.

(setup 8.3 null spanbauer night skate, jessup ultra grip, venture 5.8 titaniums, venom 91a bushings no big washer, 50mm spitfire f4 99a classic shape all washers on the outside, new balance numeric 272 black size 12 custom split insole)
(pain level 2/10)