After a long drive down from the mountains with my brother I got away for about an hour of skating at valmont/dog park. I started in the park at first. I was on my 8.5 setup. It felt big and also better. I had a couple kickflips to fakie that took more effort, but felt really good. Also a few grinds, but the pump trackers showed up and made it not worth it. Went over to dog park where I still did not skate very well, but somehow had more success with flippers. Kickflip, fakie flip, halfcab flips both ways. Halfcab noseslides felt better, pop was okay, hucking was kinda fun. Achilles didn’t feel very good.

(setup 8.5 null smoke valley, jessup pj ultragrip, venture 5.8 cast baseplate titanium hanger, bones medium bushings, 50mm spitfire f4 classic shape 99a, new balance numeric 272 black size 12 custom split insoles)
(pain level 4/10 achilles and soreness everywhere probably from drinking and eating like crap)

Woke up super early because I was stressed out about work. Rather than login and work another 10+ hour day I went skating. I started at Valmont park. Oh, and I had changed my setup. Considering my unhappiness with my skating I wanted something that makes me happy. 8.25 with Venture lows. That’s my jam. However this time I put some larger wheels on – 53mm Spits. It made for a good ride, didn’t feel as low as normal without tiny wheels. And somehow with both washers the wheelbite wasn’t bad. I pumped around, laughed at some of the stupidity of the Evergreen park, struggled with b/s flips on the bank, did a lot of ollies to fakie on the triangle wedge. Last run was pretty fun something like a little front slash the tiny qp up top, somewhat wallie the barrier corner, kickflip to fakie the bank.

As I rolled over to the park there was a tweaker dude smoking weed and he said “Are you a bitch ass cop?” Cracked me up. I was like ‘Do I look like a cop?’ and he said ‘You’d be surprised at how many times I’ve had the cops called on me.” No, actually I wouldn’t. But he played some good Dr Dre and kept his distance so it was cool. There was a big puddle near taller manny pad which prevented skating it like a ledge which was a big bummer. I didn’t skate great, but probably the best since hurting the achilles. I would get a few slow flippers like kickflip, fakie flip, halfcab flip, b/s flip, fakie bigfip, heelflip, almost nollie tre, but couldn’t get close to treflip. I had a nose manual on the small pad, manuals on the taller pad and tried front shove out of a few. No real ledge stand out tricks. I ended it with a fun line of switch front 180 a parking block, back 180 the parking block mound, fakie flip on flat, fakie 50 halfcab out the tiny curb.

(setup null 8.25 glenosaur, jessup ultragrip, venture 5.2 awake lows with 3 washers inside each axle, venom 91a bushings both washers, 1/16 riser, spitfire f4 99a 53mm classic shape, new balance numeric 212 cream size 12 with 272 insoles)
(pain level 1/10)

After a super shitty day of work I ended up in the new area behind steelyards shortly after dark. I pushed around for awhile. My regular pushing felt the best it has felt in months, but I still mostly pushed around switch. I ended up at one well lit area between some building with some random stuff nearby and tried some flatground to get used to the 8″ board. At no point did it feel very good with the exception of landing a few heelflips. I did some gap to axle stalls. Then put together a couple lines that sound okay on paper. Heelflip, noseslide a tall bench, ollie a 3 stair. Halfcab flip, boardslide, front 180 3 stair. I rolled around some more then left once again feeling quite bummed out. Work is killing me.

(setup 8″ null archway, jessup grip, venture 5.2 cast baseplate v-hollow axle, venom 91a bushings, 50mm spitfire f4 99a classic shape, new balance numeric 212 cream size 12 numeric 272 insole)
(pain level 0/10!)

Another day, another setup change. This one seemed to work. NB 212s, 8.25, Thunder 148 Team Hollows and Bones 52mm. I started at the Valmont park to pump the legs and get them working. I tried to skate the little pond area with the fun noping all. I just did a couple basics and managed to avoid not getting hit by bmxers. I heard a young scooter kid ask his rollerblading dad “Is this another pump track?” Yeah, that’s how much it resembles a pump track. I tried to skate the bank for a bit, but the flyouts were too much. So I went over to the ledges. It wasn’t crowded, but the two sets of people were filming everything. I would skate my best since hurting my achilles. Which isn’t saying much, but I did a few thing that made me happy. Finally nose mannied the little pad, my first front 50 shove on the little ledge, halfcab noseslides and crooks the benches. Kinda close to a no push line of boardslide a bench, crooks the next one, kick back 50 the little pad. Had several frontside slappies and slappy crooks, a slow back 50 the little ledge, a few fakie flips and halfcab flips. I had pushed kind of normally for awhile, but then my achilles started to hurt and I got tired so I called it a day even though I hadn’t done a treflip.

(setup 8.25 nullosaur, jessup ultragrip, thunder 148 team hollows, bones 52mm 103a v1, new balance numeric 212 white size 12 with nb# 272 insoles)

Got to dog park shortly after sunrise. Jake was already there skating the barrier so I joined him. We worked up to tricks. I did a bad rock ‘n roll on the tall section, he did a frontside grind. Then we played in the dreamy new ledge section. I was wearing skate shoes this time, 272s. They felt decent. We mostly skated the small curbs/lurbs. Jake got a manual, 50s, back 50s, crooks, fakie 50, almost back tail. I did some front 50s, some with front 90 or 180 out, crooks, switch front noseslides, a first try front smith that didn’t really grind, the tiniest jib of a halfcab noseslide, slammed on back 50s, posed kick back 50s. We played a game of SKATE. I forget most of it, but I had Jake to SKAT and we were trying treflips. But neither of us could get one and I had to go to work. We were both close, both landed on a few, it was a frustrating ending to a fun session.

(setup 8.3 null spanbauer night skate deck, jessup ultragrip, venture 5.8 cast baseplate titanium hanger bones medium bushings, 50mm spitfire classic shape f4 99a wheels, new balance numeric 272 black size 12, custom high/low insole)
(pain level 0/10 for real!!!!!!!!)

As you can see in the background of this I was once again playing with my setup. I switched between 8″ with Ventures and 8.25 with Thunders, but mostly skated the 8.25. The 8″ felt too small, but the Thunders felt like garbage. In about an hour of skating I landed kickflip, fakie flip, halfcab flip, fakie bigflip, b/s flip. Ugh!

(setup 8.25 null glenosaur, jessup ultragrip, 148 thunder hollows, 52mm bones stf v1 103a, lems navy chillum size 12)
(pain level 2/10)

Woke up early and felt like skating the new park in hopes of it not being crowded. I got my wish and had the parks to myself. I had put a big washer on to stiffen up my trucks, but it was too much and made for some weird turns throughout the session. I warmed up in the skateable pumptrack section. Sure wish one of the quarterpipes had a flat top, but maybe I’ll get used to the weirdness. I never got a good noseslide, but didn’t really care to keep trying. I messed around with some of the quarterpipes along the edge that would be more fun if they had a deck. Then I took quite a while to do a kickflip to fakie on the bank. I did have a few pushes that felt alright.

Then I went over to dog park and had a very humbling session. I had a few things, but was amazed at how little pop i had. I could barely ollie a parking block. I got a couple little crooks, little front 50 on the little ledge, switch front nose, some boardslides. Got halfcab flip followed by b/s flip at one point, one terrible heelflip. I left for work feeling pretty down.

(setup 8.25 null glenosaur, jessup ultragrip, venture 5.6 cast baseplate hollow hanger, 50mm spitfire f4 99a classic shape, lems navy chillum size 12 no insoles)
(pain level 3/10 some hot pocket pain when I missed front 50s)

After another busy day at work and a quick dinner I met Kevin at dog park. I was wearing Lems and had a slightly larger board with smaller trucks. It felt flippy and surfy. Kevin was already in his groove doing hitting the ledges. I had a line that made my day and last month of not skating. Although I’m not sure I remember it but it was something like fake flip, switch 180, no comply 180, fakie bigspin. I couldn’t crook the ledge though. Had noseslides again, one really slow front 50 on the low manny pad. We went over to the Valmont park, Saul joined. The flyout laps were in full effect. Saul did some laps, but had to go because of knee pain. Doh. Kevin and I mostly skated the hump area. He did a great line. Grind the rainbow, pivot, slash, slash, nollie frontside flip the hip. Also a switch flip on the bank followed by a back 180 over the rainbow rail. Yes, all 1″ of it. I posed some treflips, but couldn’t get my speed or flick right. Going the other way I had some fun on the bank with first try no comply bigspin and bigflip. Both made me quite happy. Kevin was killing it manualling the volcano, back smith the barrier, nollie flip the bank. Mess around in the transition a little, the lack of a flat quarterpipe is annoying. We hit the hips for a bit at the end, but did not commit to b/s flips over the euro hip. Then we played a game of SKATE in the lights at dog park. I got a first try halfcab flip which also made me happy, but other than that didn’t land much. Kevin got me with switch flip, a couple more then ended with nollie tre which I was close. Kevin left and I tried to skate the manny pad ledge. After how decent of a night I had it really exposed how I couldn’t ollie. At all. It took me like 15 tries to get a very bad 50. Ugh.

(setup null 8.3 spanbauer, jessup ultragrip, venture 5.2 cast baseplate v-hollow hanger no big washer, spitfire f4 99a classic shape 50mm, lems navy chillum size 12)
(pain 3/10 still scared to fully push because of achilles)

After how bad my achilles hurt form the short session in Denver I decided no more skate shoes. I wore some old Xero Hana shoes and honestly they felt incredible. At no point did I feel like I have my normal skate pains. But I guess the big thing is I really didn’t try much. Kevin was there first and he was hitting the ledges. I kind of messed around but was super cautious. After awhile I did a kickflip! It did not hurt and man it felt good. Dave showed and we eventually all ended up skating the barrier area. We did some silly rides to fakie, Dave had a rad one where he grinded back down it. Kevin charged some to back 50. Kevin was unable to get front 5-0 and slammed hard on the crooks. He had to take off. Dave and I kept it mellow. Dave’s pivot shove feeble line was great. I did a few more kickflips, a rock to fakie followed by a fakie flip which Dave would get too. Then Dave and I went over to the pump track. I mean, the concrete pump track/ scooter kid flyout park. It was mellow though and we were able to have some fun. The bank area is pretty cool. I did the line with the barrier ride then kickflip fakie a few times. I tried another one with a rock fakie then halfcab flip, but never got the right speed. Had some fun side disasters, but couldn’t turn them in to fakie. Dave had some good nollies over the hip, the sickest switch board 180 transfer into the bank, switch ollies on the bank and more. All in all a fun day. I was only supposed to skate around 30 minutes, I skated close to 3 hours. My achilles was sore near the end, but not bad.

(setup 8.25 null glenosaur, jessup ultragrip, venture 5.6 v-hollow no big washer, 50mm spitfire f4 99a classic shape, xero minimalist hana shoe with lems insoles)
(pain level 3/10 still just cautious of the little pain in my achilles)

Was in Denver to see the Dr and he gave me the okay to skate a little bit. So I quickly ended up at one of my favorite spots – this granite ledge. Pushing two blocks to get there did not feel as good as I had hoped. When I got to the ledge I just threw down and tried crooks. I felt incredibly rusty and it took like 30 tries to get this mediocre one. Switch front noses still felt good. I hated being in skate shoes for the first time in a month.

(setup 8.25 null glenosaur, jessup ultragrip, venture 5.8 cast baseplate titanium hanger, 92a doh doh big bushing venture little bushing no big washer, 50mm spitfire f4 99a classic shape, new balance numeric cream 212 size 12, custom nike sb/es insoles)
(pain level 5/10 achilles but more of a recovery feeling pain nulike the pain when i started to hurt it)