Really tired after work I met Rob at dog park. Eric would show too but right when the rain started. I hadn’t really done much, was struggling to get going. I had a front 50 shove on the lurb that I liked, but I think that was about it. Saw Rob get some manuals and close to nose manuals. Then a sprinkle turned into actual rain and we bounced.

(setup 2/10 null 20 year 8.5/14.25, null grip, slace 8.5, spitfire f4 tablet 52mm 99a, new balance numeric 440v2 wide 11.5 half insoles and currex runpro insoles)
(pain level 5/10 )

After a day in the office, a nap and then dinner I mustered some courage to go skate campus. Had a fun ride down through campus and ended at the bank to curb. I should warm up before I come to this spot since it is way harder than it looks. At least for me. I had a setup change. 8.5/14.25, Slaces, tablets. It was alright. I did a couple noseslides to start with without the ollie up. Then started slowly popping and getting on the bank. A simple warm up ollie onto the bank then nollie to fakie is quite fun. Then noseslide to fakie. Took a while to do an axle stall. Then randomly thought about front shove 50 and went in on it. I had done a few flippers in between tries, but nothing beyond the first few normal ones. I got somewhat close to the shove 50. I decided to move on and skate some other stuff.

I ended up at this spot and spent way too long trying a really dumb line. From the top level in the back middle ollie onto the ledge then transfer off the other side, roll around then kickflip to fakie the little bank to the left of the 3 stair, then switch front 180 off the curb cut by the tree. See the bright red light in the background? That’s a new gift from the stadium. I hope it’s not on all the time because it was intense and would change colors every few seconds. Anyway it was embarrassing how long the first ollie on the bench would take. It would be cool to do it with a manual instead. The kickflip was hard in the dark and I struggled with the larger setup. When I finally got the kickflip the switch 180 was easy. I was walking back to my car and noticed the downhill hallway had working lights so I had to do a couple noseslides. I was really tired, didn’t skate great, but street skating is always so rewarding.

(setup 3/10 null 20 year 8.5/14.25, null grip, slace 8.5, spitfire f4 tablet 52mm 99a, new balance numeric 440v2 wide 11.5 half insoles and currex runpro insoles)
(pain level 3/10 )

After working for the first time in almost two weeks and still recovering from a late travel day I went across the street to the side of the school to do some slappies. I had put hollow ventures on my 8.5/14.25 and it was pretty blah. I did a couple front slappies, a few slappy crooks, a kickflip and some nollie shoves. On the way out I went to ollie into/out of the curb cut and ghost popped so goodbye Ventures.

(setup 2/10 8.5/14.25 null and hollow ventures)
(pain level 5/10)

On a very muggy morning after a bit too much wine I drove to a nearby town to check out their skatepark.  It looked kind of weird and janky in the photos.  It didn’t disappoint in the janky department lol.  Anything with wax was wet when I arrived so I brushed off everything then skated.   The bowl are was way weirder than anticipated and I spent very little time in it.  The only thing I really did was an axle stall then back tail transfer the hip.  I tried to do halfcab flip on flat then kickflip on the bank but for some reason the kickflip took me like 20 tries.   I was pretty over it at that point.  But I made myself do some crooks on the counter top ledge.  Around then another skater showed.  He was cool, had a deformed arm and a poppy kickflip.  He had some good 50s and manuals but took a wicked slam on a front 50.  He left after that.   I was really struggling so I decided on a nollie tre ender which I kind of got.   My clothes were basically liquid from sweat.  I’m not going to miss that much humidity.  Not the most fun session, but whatever, it was fun the get out and see a weird park.  

(setup 2/10 8.25 null is all you need, jessup ultragrip, royal 144 hollow kingpin, 52mm spitfire f4 99a yellow classic shape, new balance numeric 440v2 white size 11.5 half 440v1 insole and currex runpro insole)
(pain level 4/10)

Another warm muggy day in the NE.  Met up with dave at the Burlington park.   My fam walked to a beach on the lake and dave showed me a nearby DIY. We ended up staying there for the near two hour session.  It was rough, janky and fun.  Took me a while to get used to it. Dave was cruising doing lots of bonks off angle iron, manuals the little wedges, slashes on qps, riding through bushes.  I settled in on a little line with a slash, noseslide, bs flip a hump.  Took a few tries but it was fun.   I also had some little crooks but that was about it.   Dave had some cool grinds on the angle iron, kickflip over it.  It was a fun session.   Great to see Dave.  

(setup 3/10 8.25 null is all you need, jessup ultragrip, royal 144 hollow kingpin, 52mm spitfire f4 99a yellow classic shape, new balance numeric 440v2 white size 11.5 half 440v1 insole and currex runpro insole)
(pain level 4/10)

After meeting Dave’s kids we went to the skatepark on a very and muggy afternoon.  Dave didn’t have much time but we made the most of it. He’s still really casual looking on the board. Manuals, 50s on the ledges with ease.  The grinds on the little banks were cool.   He tried to 180 off the last step but couldn’t get it.   I was feeling pretty out of it. I hadn’t really gotten the feel of it before dave needed to leave so I skated another hour or so.  I mostly just tried a couple lines over and over.  Halfcab noseslide, quick up, 50 above the pad.   Then basically the same but crooks to start and front shove out of the 50.  I would eventually get a bad 50 shove and was a sweaty mess.  Messed around with a fun ride on grind , rock fakie, fakie 50.  Then a few runs in a small bowl that was fun before bouncing.  Until near the end I had the park all to myself.  People started showing up and it was so weird how much effort was made to not say a simple hello as they rolled by.  Weird scene.  

(setup 3/10 8.25 null is all you need, jessup ultragrip, royal 144 hollow kingpin, 52mm spitfire f4 99a yellow classic shape, new balance numeric 440v2 white size 11.5 pinnacle powerstep orthotic insole which left no board feel)
(pain level 4/10)

Feeling sore from several games of basketball the day before I biked to the skatepark.  I had to dry off the ledges.  Did some lines to get going.  Shove, fs ollie on the bank, boardslide.  Ollie to fakie then switch front nose and fakie flip.   Front 50 180 the low ledge.  Front 50 shove.  Couldn’t get halfcab flip after either.  Did a few ollies onto the low pad that were disappointing.  Struggled to get some front 50s on the upper part.  Couldn’t get kickflip 50.   Took a while to get Ollie to fakie on the bank then halfcab noseslide.  Then about 25 tries to do the noseslide 270 shove.  That was mostly it I think. 

(setup 2/10 8.25 null is all you need, jessup ultragrip, royal 144 hollow kingpin, 52mm spitfire f4 99a yellow classic shape, new balance numeric 440v2 white size 11.5 half 440v1 insole and currex runpro insole)
(pain level 6/10)

After a rough night of sleep and a tiring day in the office I arrived to Valmont first. I was debating if I should skate at all and decided to start at the park since it was empty. I quickly became obsessed with a run in the pond that kept getting longer and I would finally get it when Dave and Paul arrived. Rob had been there for a while, but was over at the ledges. The line started as backside grind then kickflip to fakie. I would get that then thought I should do a kickflip to forward on it. And once I got that I decided I should do a noseslide after. All of these weren’t so bad and I did them a few times and it was fun. But a final kickflip to fakie on the super mellow bank after became surprisingly frustrating. It felt cool to get all of those tricks though even if I was dying of thirst. Dave is a wizard at Valmont and doing lots of cool tricks like a halfcab kickturn front truck bash the pole jam. Seriously cool! Rob had joined after a while and we hit the park for a while. Rob was close to kickflip on the bank and had some nice b/s ollies the hip. I saw Paul ollie the hip too and to the rainbow once or twice. I went for front heels on the bank and would get several all while continuing the streak of heel dragging every single one. I couldn’t get treflip after. Dave’s kickflip over the hip was so casual, the no comply tricks so good too.

Then we went over to the dog park where Rob had a good idea of playing a game of SKATE, but the not-so-good idea of having Paul start. Paul would win the game without ever losing his turn. He had done treflip and fakie flip before dumbing things down for us on some 180s. I think the switch front bigspin was the death of Rob and Dave then I would go out on heelflip after even though I would get one the next try. Dave and I played on the little flat bar for a while, getting switch front boards which are so fun on it. I hucked some kick back lips which felt doable until actually trying to commit in which they seemed impossible. Maybe I should be able to do back flips first? Also tried a couple flippers then kickflip front board which was seeming possible until I got too tired. Dave did feeble to boardslide. Then Paul, Dave and I all tried switch flips for a while. Seemed like Paul was the closest this session. I left because I was feeling deliriously hungry.

(setup 5/10 8.25 null is all you need, jessup ultragrip, royal 144 hollow kingpin, 52mm spitfire f4 99a yellow classic shape, new balance numeric 440v2 white size 11.5 half 440v1 insole and currex runpro insole)
(pain level 5/10)

Woke up super early and went to Boulder park before work because I knew I wouldn’t be able to skate after work. It was cloudy and nice out. I struggled for a bit as one would expect for being so early and having had a few glasses of wine the night before. But ended up having some positives and fun. I had a setup change of course, 8.25 with royals and it was fine. Took a bit to get a noseslide on the bench the kickflip to fakie on the hump. Struggled with kickflips, but b/s flip on flat felt good. Had some easy ollies up onto some of the ledges, but struggled from the bump for some reason. Got to a point where I mostly just skated the bench. Would get boardslide, noseslide, noseslide fakie, crooks, switch front nose, halfcab noseslide, front nose fakie, switch nose, front 50, accidental front 5-0, front 50 180 and front 50 shove. Felt good to get up on that bench without an insane amount of effort. I guess the recent ledge work might finally be paying off (probably jinxed myself). I had also tried some bigflips on the hump, most of which felt unlikely, some front 50s on the hump to ledge, some frontside nollies on the turn around bank up top. It was a pretty fun session, too bad I had to go to work.

(setup 5/10 8.25 null is all you need, jessup ultragrip, royal 144 hollow kingpin, 52mm spitfire f4 99a yellow classic shape, new balance numeric 440v2 white size 11.5 half 440v1 insole and currex runpro insole)
(pain level 4/10)

After chilling most of a Sunday I went out attempting to skate flatground. I went to the Avalon parking lot and started things out. Kind of slow of course. Had gotten a few flippers: kickflip, fakie flip, halfcab flip, f/s halfcab flip, b/s flip, heelflip when I needed to head back to sell some boards to Ryan. After a delay I ended up at the flagstone ledge on campus where I went on to totally suck beyond any comprehension I had imagined. It literally took 10 tries to kickflip. I had somehow done a heelflip before kickflip. I was wearing true orthotitc insoles to reduce knee pain and it just resulted in less board feel I think. A lot less, a whole lot less. Everyone that walked by was so nice and I was so miserable. Couldn’t ollie onto the ledge or 50 it. Made me doubt everything. I would get a couple flippers, but eventually I just stopped and sat in the nice shade for a while before getting a nice text from Liz telling me to pick up some wine. Setup change incoming ..

(setup 3/10 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, pinnacle powerstep orthotic insole)
(pain level 4/10)