On a cool night I met up with Cass, Ladd and Will as it got dark at Lafayette park. I have not been there in a couple of years and was quickly reminded of the weird scene there as a fight unfolded. That always makes for a weird vibe. I had put the longer 8.5 on and did not like with the exception of feebles on the tight qp to curb. It was mostly a random session. Ladd ripped the transition before having to leave pretty quickly. We did some slappies on the tight qp to curb. Are they still called slappies? I don’t know but they feel like slappies. The ride on grind line was fun although clearly pretty dumb and random. We hit the hubba area kind of. Trick on the spine thing, hubba, tall ledge. I never quite got a full line but was close to kickflip on the mellow bank, noseslide part of the hubba, noseslide the tall ledge. Jake and Nick showed, was cool seeing them. Took way too long to do a sketchy 5-0 on the ledge. There was a bunch more randomness, that park is fun to cruise around and just do odd tricks.

(setup 4/10 8.5 nullosaur, null grip, venture v8 baseplate titanium 5.8 hanger bones medium bushings, spitfire f4 99a classic 51mm, new balance numeric 440v2 wide navy/brown size 12 with half insole and currex runpro insoles)
(pain level 3/10)

Went out in the garage after a week of feeling sick. Did some warm ups and about 5 kickflips that weren’t easy. Had some new 440v2s.

Went out to the garage after dinner because I was too tired to motivate and skate outside in the colder weather. I skated an 8.5. And I liked it. After some warm up 180s and stuff it took me a few tries to get a kickflilp, but then I did like 6 in a row. Which didn’t happen on the smaller 8.25 last time. Did a fakie flip. Hucked some nollie flips that only had one close one. Went in on treflips. They felt weird at first, but eventually started to feel like every one of them would be a make. But only two of them were makes. At one point I slipped out on my slipper concrete floor and it kind of spooked me. Did a heeflip. Hucked a few switch front heels that felt like a 2% chance of success. So you’re saying there’s a chance. Turns out I was so tired because I was once again getting sick. Ugh, I get sick way too often these days.

(setup 7/10 8.5/14.25 null 20 year, null grip, venture v8 baseplate titanium 5.8 hanger bones medium bushings, spitfire f4 99a classic 52mm yellow, new balance numeric 440v2 wide black size 11.5 with half insole and currex runpro insoles)
(pain level 5/10)

Met up with Sean, Darin and Chase at Broomfield park in the early afternoon on a completely perfect day. I was tired from a late night seeing Pissed Jeans. Sean and I were there first. The warm up period felt okay. I started trying real tricks and nothing good really happened. I struggled with pop, things were super waxed, flip tricks didn’t go well. At one point Darin did a treflip, Chase did a treflip and then I did perhaps the worst excuse of a treflip ever. Sean had a good line above. I randomly hucked some f/s halfcab heel noseslides that felt doable, treflip noseslides felt doable but were not remotely close. I left and went to Birch where the big crack prevented me from trying wallie nollie up onto the blue wedges. But they were fun to 50 and I had a fun line of noseslide, kickflip, 50 before I left.

(setup 2/10 null flaherty 8.25, jessup ultragrip, venture redrilled v8 5.6 v-hollows with royal bushings, 51mm spitfire f4 99a classic shape, new balance numeric 440v2 wide black size 11.5 half 574 vulc insoles and currex runpro insoles)
(pain level 6/10)

After doing my 51 exercises for my age and some chilling the snow had mostly melted. I went to Douglass which was mostly melted save for some water on the main ledge. After some initial warming up I waxed up some other sections and went in on some lines and struggles. The main ledge being unskateable really changed how to skate the spot and threw me off. About the only good thing I did was some noseslides to fakie. I almost destroyed my ankle on some crooks that I didn’t make it up onto. I could barely kickflip up the curb and halfcab flips were the only flip trick that worked. Did a couple axle stalls, but couldn’t front 50 a ledge. It was a very depressing session.

(setup 3/10 null flaherty 8.25, jessup ultragrip, venture redrilled v8 5.6 v-hollows with royal bushings, 51mm spitfire f4 99a classic shape, new balance numeric 440v2 wide black size 11.5 half 574 vulc insoles and currex runpro insoles)
(pain level 4/10)

On a snowy night I went back to the garage for another hour of flatground. I started off better, got a couple kickflips right away after some warm up shoves. Then could not do another kickflip to save my life. I was losing my mind. Would eventually get a couple and move on to first try fakie flip and b/f flip. Halfcab flip turned into a depressing battle. Luckily heelflips made up for it and I got a few of them. Was insanely close to switch flip, remotely close to nollie flip. Took way too long to do treflip even though most of them felt good. Not close to varial heel or nollie inward heel.

(setup 5/10 null flaherty 8.25, jessup ultragrip, venture redrilled v8 5.6 v-hollows with royal bushings, 51mm spitfire f4 99a classic shape, new balance numeric 440v2 wide black size 11.5 half 574 vulc insoles and currex runpro insoles)
(pain level 4/10)

Snowy night, too lazy and unmotivated to go to a parking garage. Cleared out some space in the garage and skated in there for the first time in what feels like forever. It was really fun. I put on an old mix tape on the cassette player and dork out. The very limited space was rough at first. I did some basic 180s and shoves to start. Then went to kickflip with the goal of doing 5 in a row, but I kept not quite getting there. So I moved on the fakie flip. Then tried 20 switch flips in which some felt very close. Never landed both feet on one but was fully committed above the board and if it had flipped faster I think I would have landed it. B/s flip took a bit and was scary spinning in such limited space. Halfcab flip. Heelflip took a bit. Was really close to the elusive nollie tre. I think that is one of the few flippers I’ve never landed in my garage. Got a treflip in 5 tries. Hucked some nollie inward heels and kind of got the feel but, was not close at all to committing. Same with switch f/s flip. Fun times.

(setup 6/10 null flaherty 8.25, jessup ultragrip, venture redrilled v8 5.6 v-hollows with royal bushings, 51mm spitfire f4 99a classic shape, new balance numeric 440v2 wide black size 11.5 half 574 vulc insoles and currex runpro insoles)
(pain level 4/10)

I left work and it was basically dark, a few snow flakes in the air. But I wanted to skate and I stopped at an empty dog park and ended up having a fun session. I had the park all to myself save a scooter toddler who followed me around for a while until I told him to stop. Couldn’t get a halfcab flip to start a line, but did have a fun one to get start. Boardslide the flat bar, kickflip on flat, crooks the bench, then up onto the wood manny pad and a wallie off the round metal wallie thing. Also had a good feeling halfcab noseslide on the bench, back 50 the curb, ollie (with an accidental bonk) the kinked flatbar. Had some mediocre front 50s on the bench, one with a shove out. Couldn’t get a treflip, but my bushing had totally locked up in the cold. Which is really annoying because normally the Royal bushings are good in the cold. I skated about an hour then ran out of energy. The wind and snow had picked up anyway.

(setup 7/10 null flaherty 8.25, jessup ultragrip, venture redrilled v8 5.6 v-hollows with royal bushings, 51mm spitfire f4 99a classic shape, new balance numeric 440v2 wide black size 11.5 half 574 vulc insoles and currex runpro insoles)
(pain level 4/10)

On a beautiful morning Dave and I went to check out the remodeled Windsor skatepark. We met up with Hayden, Bo and Witman and Alex showed too. As well as a lot of scooter youth, but whatever. When we arrived there was also an old guy crew that had the very telling signs of an old guy crew. Andy Anderson boards, full pads, punk music and bags sitting on the ledge. The new stuff was all good with maybe the exception of the bank to ledge. I had some fun crooks on the middle sized ledge and a few slow back 50s on the lurb. Hayden first try front 180 fakie manual! Dave was over at the mini for a while then did some manuals and nose manual on the pad. I filmed Hayden treflip then switch front board then I did the kickflip up. The euro is kind of scary, but so fun. Hayden and I alternated for a bit him doing switch heel up the euro and I did b/s flip over the hip. Took me longer than it should have, but it was super fun feeling when I got it. Bo has such crazy pop, ollieing over everything. It was cool skating with Witman, he has such a cool casual style. His friend Alex was rad too and wearing D3s. I’m somehow not remembering much during the middle stretch. Dave’s line was cool. Skating the miniramp was fun. It’s nice skating a mellow mini instead of the standard concrete mini that’s super tight. I took way too long to get a front d but at least I got all my front 50s. I skated the ledges more, but didn’t really get anything. I got really sore. At the end Dave and I were just watching the session. It was cool, at that point it was all skaters. Some of which had crazy hairball style. Cool park, would like to skate there again.

(setup 8/10 null flaherty 8.25, jessup ultragrip, venture redrilled v8 5.6 v-hollows with royal bushings, 51mm spitfire f4 99a classic shape, new balance numeric 440v2 wide black size 11.5 half 574 vulc insoles and currex runpro insoles)
(pain level 6/10 not so bad initially but became unskateable after a while)

On a warmer than expected Saturday morning I showed up late to Broomfield park. Met up with Ladd, Paul, Sean and then some Crisis kids showed which was awesome to see. I had gotten into a groove of trying a line starting with a flatground trick, trick on the bank to curb, brick qp trick, noseslide to fakie the bank to ledge. Never quite got it, but never really stuck to a certain line. I hadn’t done a back 50 on that qp in a long time, felt fun. Sean showed and after some catching up we stuck to flatgound below the stairs .. for like two hours! I took a long time to get a treflip, nollie treflip and fakie bigflip. Heelflips and halfcab flip were quicker. But man, the nollie tre felt so good. Paul almost did one too and almost had switch varial flip. Ladd was getting used to a larger 8.75 deck, but still rattled off nollie heel, treflips, nollie flips, and more. Sean went through like all of the tricks he can do. And they looked good. It was great seeing Maty and Chase. Fun session. Need to skate flatground more.

(setup 7/10 null flaherty 8.25, jessup ultragrip, venture redrilled v8 5.6 v-hollows with royal bushings, 51mm spitfire f4 99a classic shape, new balance numeric 440v2 wide black size 11.5 half 574 vulc insoles and currex runpro insoles)
(pain level 5/10 sore from having a couple drinks the night before)