David and I skated Springville. I worked the mini-ramp most of the time, working on fakie to BS 50-50s (a 270 turn?) without much luck, and board slides. The board slide thing I think I’m getting: keep your weight on the back foot, stay over the board, and you are glued to the grip as you come back in.
To do: boardslides on the mini-ramp
With a little time after work but before dinner, I spent just over an hour at the Mission Valley YMCA park, a favorite skatepark of mine thanks to it’s great bowl, a solid street course, a nearly perfect 3′ mini, it’s 12′ half-pipe and a beautiful wooden bowl.
The wooden bowl was in good repair, and I found several other middle-aged guys ripping it up. I found under their influence I rode more aggressively, if sloppily. At any rate, last time I was here I couldn’t pull off either a smith or rock-to-fakie, but managed both today.
I ran up to Encinitas tonight to skate the Ecke YMCA park only to find it closed, so I scuttled down to Carmel Valley, where the huge 6′/11′ bowl was empty and, to be honest, well beyond my meagre skills. But I rode it a few times anyway just to prove I could.
What I couldn’t do, was hit the tile. Next time, maybe.
So I spent the rest of the time in the street section, working my little 50-50s and smiths on the quarter and making ollie-like movements over the hips and banks.
Chad and I skated the new mini ramp at We Are One in Sandy. It’s a nice little 4′ design, but the pine surface is still really slick, and I spent most of my time getting used to it.
I pulled David out of engage-retirement to skate Springville, working hard across the park. I spent enough attempts on boardsliding the mini that I think I’ve figured out the balance, and weighting on the back foot.
Again I rose early to discover the Channel Street skatepark, a super-gnarly, independently constructed series of bowls under the freeway overpass in west Long Beach. Seriously, this park was several grades above my capability, but I did do my best on the smaller section, exercising my wits and reflexes on this tight and unpredictable set of walls:
Here’s the rest of it:
I rose early and found the Houghton Skatepark in Long Beach empty and beautiful:
I didn’t push myself nearly hard enough on this smooth and very tight little bowl, but still enjoyed a short session before starting the workday.
I managed a quick sessions at the Sandy park during my lunch break. Nothing special, just taking it easy and heating the blood.
Spent just 20 min warming myself up at the Sandy Lone peak skatepark during lunch today, working on cruising faster and carving stronger.
I couldn’t resist skating the Springville park despite a still-sore ankle, and my commitment to let myself heal until my trip to Long Beach next week.
Well, I took one fall without pads, but it wasn’t terrible, and otherwise, it was great to ride the mini after a long break.
