Since 1987

Wow. Besides family, and 1 friend, there is only one other thread that has been a constant in my life for the last 20 years... skateboarding. Friends have come and gone, even a wife has come and gone. I feel I've really lived 5 different lives (high school, college, Tucson, single, and today) and skating is there in each life. Skating faded a bit for about 2 years, but it was always there. I've always owned a board, vids, mags, and skated (at least once a month in the lean years when I even helped open a skatepark). My parents wouldn't spend money on something they thought was a "phase." I love the fact that my parents even remember me telling them, "I'll always be involved in skating. It's not a phase." Is there a bit of spite in my skate longevity? Definitely.

It has taken every bit of those 20 years to progress to this level of skating. It's really not that high. Hell, I JUST learned itty bitty fs grinds... but I'm at the highest ability level that I've ever been, and yes, I occassionally skate well enough to get the best skater compliment, "Are you sponsored?" But in a "sport" that prides itself on individuality and lack of a "team" atmosphere, I did not make this journey alone... it took changes in equipment, DRAMATIC changes in terrain, and a small group of friends to reach this level of enthusiasm and passion for this useless wooden toy. I say small, meaning just 1 or 2 in the early years, then 4 or 5, then I moved and skated alone (the lean years), and now... I have even more friends as passionate and dedicated to skating as I have ever been. I know of no other way but to simply say, Thank You Concretins... Here's to 20 more years.

/EndSappyRant

Session Recaps('cause apparently no one else will):
4th of July session was good, though I tweaked my knee REALLY bad, or so I thought. It quit hurting pretty quickly, but I gave it a couple of days. My HIP actually hurt more the following 2 days, I must have popped that joint... but all is well now. I'll not be trying lame one footers over a barrier any more. Oh yeah, and MoFo smoked a kickflip over it. Can't blame that one on ramp ownership. Gotta flex that moniker right? (note for the pedestrians, or new readers, MoFo is short for "BigFatMuddaF'rWhoMakesUsAllLookLikeAmateurs") We've started congregating in the deep end lately, I blame Travio. Everyone wants to skate faster and faster, so we do. I have my lines, and I can work the pipe (backside) pretty well, but I just watch everyone else and try to steal their gnar. I can ALMOST keep enough speed like everyone else and not have to walk out. That's so embarassing.

Sunday:
Almost a full on session, only Wade and OMP were absent. Gimpy was in from Ohio, Ward rolled in, Tony, and low and behold, NoShow too! It was really cool the way we all spread out. Deep end rippers, a few in the flow area for grinds and speed runs, and MoFo gettin' his street on, and Steve-O and NoShow gave the vert ramp some urethane love too.

Skidzilla was throwin' fs touch grinds everywhere, and high speed backside 5-0s in the 8' (and elsewhere) all in ONE RUN! He was "skating angry" but was always smiling at the end, he was ON. MoFo hit the tre-flip (twice even) out of the bank. He is human, and had to try that several times. I finally got nollie disasters on the 6' quarter, though I still wish I could bring them in faster. But I gotta tell ya, it was Gimpy's session. Grind class was in session. Full speed 8' and flow grinds, also made the manual, 5-0s, corner grinds, then 50-50s in the 8' vert... And NONE of them were sketch. They were all locked in. Oh yea, AND bs touch grinds in the REALLY big bowl! Damn, Gimpy. I have severe grind envy. Yep, I'm a lifer. All I need is the tatt...

Perhaps, just PERHAPS, there will be a video teaser put together soon... probably not though. Forget I said anything...