So the Summer is at an end, and I've not been posting updates on this 'blog simply because there haven't been a lot updates to make. My progression has been a bit sluggish--flip tricks are still very very hard for me to land at anything close to full-speed.
I do, however, recognize my improvements most when I don't skate for a few days--after a few days away everything seems harder, and all my attempts seem weaker. So I worry a bit about what will happen over the Winter; will I be back at square 1 in the Spring?
Oct 17, 2007
Jul 12, 2007
New Deck: Almost Uber Light - Mullen
My new deck finally arrived yesterday (I swear UPS is slower than USPS) and I laid on the grippy, changed out my bearings, replaced my trucks' kingpins, and put it all together.
Before
After
I took it out skating last night, and was immediately impressed by how high this thing pops. It's like spaceman ollies!
The concave feels very deep, which I'm not quite used to. In fact, I fell a couple of times because my feet were so "glued" in place by it.
As advertised, it does seem to flip faster, and though I'm still having a hard time with kickflips in general, heelflips seem to be easier to initiate (though harder to control, as the board flips at least another half-flip from the same amount of effort).
Jul 11, 2007
New Trucks or Just Risers?
I'm currently riding some older Grind King trucks. This model is very light, and has what I thought at first was a very ingenious kingpin that has a hex bolt inserted the "wrong" way through the truck. But the problem for me is that I like my trucks very tight. I even bought some new Bones Hardcore bushings, which--though very cool indeed!--didn't prevent the problem I'd been having: when I tighten that kingpin on down, the kingpin bolt pushes into my deck, making a nasty little indentation/pit. 
Even though I haven't seen it cause a crack on my current deck, I know this could compromise the integrity of my deck. And while my current deck's pretty well out of life, but I don't want this to cause issues with my new deck, so I'm thinking of either swapping out the kingpin or buying some new trucks. I could try getting some rises on there to increase the gap between the deck and the kingpin, but that seems lame.
All Hail the Ankle Brace!
I'd been having problem with my right ankle while skating. I kept spraining it in--usually pretty minor injuries, but the fact that I kept using it and kept doing it didn't help.
So one of my co-workers, who does a lot of martial arts, suggested I get a little ankle brace.
I picked one up at Target for a dozen dollars, and it fits like a glove. It does make my shoe fit a little tighter, but what's most important is that it has significantly reduced my ankle strain.
I highly recommend ankle braces for your pushing foot to all skaters over 30.
So one of my co-workers, who does a lot of martial arts, suggested I get a little ankle brace.
I picked one up at Target for a dozen dollars, and it fits like a glove. It does make my shoe fit a little tighter, but what's most important is that it has significantly reduced my ankle strain.
I highly recommend ankle braces for your pushing foot to all skaters over 30.
Skateshops in Utah County
I haven't found a skate shop that I've been impressed with in Utah County yet, though I'm starting to get my bearings.
Board of Provo has been around for quite a while (I stopped in there once when they were on Main Street about 18 years ago!), and they still have the best name of any skateshop ever. But they seem smaller than before, though they probably have the best selection of decks in town. Too bad they have a crappy web site.
I really like the Vans store in the University Parkway mall. I picked up some shoes their a couple weeks ago. They also sell Pro-Tec gear, which I hope to come back for in the near future.
I've been to Milosport a few times. The guys that work there seem really cool, and they have tons of boarding equipment for snow, skate, and even wave, it seems. The first time I was there they hooked me up with a few inches of free grip for my tail. Very nice. I later went shopping for shoes but found they didn't have my size in nearly anything. Plus they were blasting this obnoxious rap crap from the store speakers. Duh. I gave them another chance and stopped in
over the weekend, and they helped me find some new bushings and bearings. Very friendly guys, so I'm going to swing in this afternoon to consult them on the problem with my Grind King truck kingpins.
Blackhole Boards is an online store with an amazing selection of decks and parts. I ordered my new Almost Uber deck from Blackhole last week, and aside from some UPS-related shipping delay I've really enjoyed the shopping experience. They have a kick-ass Board Builder web app that helps you store all your components for a complete as you shop. You can save your boards and come back to them in the future. Cool.
Jun 19, 2007
Rodney Mullen
As a kid Mullen was my hero. I remember when his freestyle board was focused on Rubbish Heap, and I dimly recognized that, yeah, freestyle is dead. That's about the same time I got out of skating.
Now more than ever I admire and look up to Mullen. Even today he projects nothing but a positive attitude that garners respect--a good example is how thankful he is for all the breaks he's had, and the people who have supported him. He's not afraid to admit his Christianity, which is fine by me; I'd rather have my son look up to a heartily religious pro skater than one who's amoral and befouls himself in public.
Yeah, I've totally set myself up as the old prude, but what do I care what anyone thinks? I'm right on this one. We need more Tony Hawks and Rodney Mullens. Skaters who are not only the best of the best, but decent people too.
Anyway, I liked this documentary on Mullen; you might too:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5332678536989755802&hl=en
Now more than ever I admire and look up to Mullen. Even today he projects nothing but a positive attitude that garners respect--a good example is how thankful he is for all the breaks he's had, and the people who have supported him. He's not afraid to admit his Christianity, which is fine by me; I'd rather have my son look up to a heartily religious pro skater than one who's amoral and befouls himself in public.
Yeah, I've totally set myself up as the old prude, but what do I care what anyone thinks? I'm right on this one. We need more Tony Hawks and Rodney Mullens. Skaters who are not only the best of the best, but decent people too.
Anyway, I liked this documentary on Mullen; you might too:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5332678536989755802&hl=en
Kids Today...
Alright, I was taking a break at Borders today, cooling off with a tasty beverage in the shade with a few magazines on my lap. Partly out of curiosity and partly out of nostalgia, I picked up a copy of each of the latest skate mags from the periodicals rack.
I have to say I was a little disappointed in the mags as a whole. As a kid I was probably far more fascinated with photos of skaters mid-trick, but now I find you have to read the captions to try to appreciate the combos. Also, skateboarding is so ubiquitously part of our culture that its no longer a treat to see someone on a skateboard--this simple occurence was a treasure back in the 80s.
More significantly, I was reading some interviews with pros in Thrasher and Skateboarding, and was stunned at how pervasive cursing, alcohol, drugs, and sex are in their normal conversation. To me its not a big deal how adults talk or act as part of their own private lives--so long as they're not hurting anyone else. But this lifestyle certainly doesn't represent what skating means to me. If this is indicative of what skating has become I can't say that I would support my own son's immersion in this new wave of skate culture.
This is not to say that when I was a kid skateboarding was squeaky clean. No way. Sure, we cursed. We listened to punk. We were generally rebellious and a bit obnoxious. But that was about it. When I think about how we poured over the pages of Thrasher and Transworld for pics, interviews, and news, I really don't recall it being offensive or startling. Most of the pros featured were there to help the sport grow and progress--not to be self-indulgent, self-important white-trash or ghetto punks sucking smoke and soaking booze, spewing out smack-talk and curses.
These pros setting a bad example for all the kids who will grow up idolizing and wanting to emulate them. You might say its not the pros fault--they didn't ask to be idolized; they aren't supposed to be a role model. Well guess what: they _did_ sign up. When they went pro they acknowledged that, yeah, people will watch me, kids will look up to me, skaters will look at me as the new "cool". The private life they once had is now made public, and by doing so it affects people.
At the very least I say the editors of these skate mags owe it to the kids to keep things a little cleaner. Thrasher's always been a little edgier than the other skate mag(s), but never R-rated like it is now. The whole encounter really bothered me, not because the content offended me per se, but because I thought, What can I show my son that's positive and encouraging in this sport? Do I have to be the filter for everything? Or does a parent just accept that modern life is becoming increasingly debased and amoral, and there's not much that can be done to protect the kids?
I have to say I was a little disappointed in the mags as a whole. As a kid I was probably far more fascinated with photos of skaters mid-trick, but now I find you have to read the captions to try to appreciate the combos. Also, skateboarding is so ubiquitously part of our culture that its no longer a treat to see someone on a skateboard--this simple occurence was a treasure back in the 80s.
More significantly, I was reading some interviews with pros in Thrasher and Skateboarding, and was stunned at how pervasive cursing, alcohol, drugs, and sex are in their normal conversation. To me its not a big deal how adults talk or act as part of their own private lives--so long as they're not hurting anyone else. But this lifestyle certainly doesn't represent what skating means to me. If this is indicative of what skating has become I can't say that I would support my own son's immersion in this new wave of skate culture.
This is not to say that when I was a kid skateboarding was squeaky clean. No way. Sure, we cursed. We listened to punk. We were generally rebellious and a bit obnoxious. But that was about it. When I think about how we poured over the pages of Thrasher and Transworld for pics, interviews, and news, I really don't recall it being offensive or startling. Most of the pros featured were there to help the sport grow and progress--not to be self-indulgent, self-important white-trash or ghetto punks sucking smoke and soaking booze, spewing out smack-talk and curses.
These pros setting a bad example for all the kids who will grow up idolizing and wanting to emulate them. You might say its not the pros fault--they didn't ask to be idolized; they aren't supposed to be a role model. Well guess what: they _did_ sign up. When they went pro they acknowledged that, yeah, people will watch me, kids will look up to me, skaters will look at me as the new "cool". The private life they once had is now made public, and by doing so it affects people.
At the very least I say the editors of these skate mags owe it to the kids to keep things a little cleaner. Thrasher's always been a little edgier than the other skate mag(s), but never R-rated like it is now. The whole encounter really bothered me, not because the content offended me per se, but because I thought, What can I show my son that's positive and encouraging in this sport? Do I have to be the filter for everything? Or does a parent just accept that modern life is becoming increasingly debased and amoral, and there's not much that can be done to protect the kids?
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