In a couple of weeks I’m serving as one of the judges at the U.S. Open of Freestyle Skateboarding. This is, obviously, “open”, which means that pros and ams will be competing all in one big group. A chance for a good amateur to teach the pros a lesson!
Judging at freestyle contests can be a thankless job. It is hard. For quite a few years now people have been working on new judging systems, hoping to make it a bit more of a science. What is really needed, however, is good judges. People with years of experience in freestyle, who can judge with as little personal bias a possible, appreciate different approaches to freestyle while honoring the past and what I would call the “shared understanding” of what freestyle is, and hopefully a panel of three judges of different generations. I don’t think any system can replace knowledgeable and capable judges.
My goal is that we get the top three people right, and that there are no absolutely incorrect placings. I don’t want someone who should have been in the middle, for instance, coming in last.
The other two judges and I will do the best we can. Ultimately you want people who come to a contest to have a good experience.
In this episode, I talk about an upcoming contest and an award that apparently I may get, and my friend Chris’s new blog about skateboarding as you get older.
My friend Chris has started a new blog on which to explore his journey as a skateboarder now over 50 years of age.
I’m very much looking forward to reading his thoughts on this matter. As I will turn 60 this year, such things are very much on my mind, and maybe his writings and thinkings will inspire some new personal insight for me.
Before going to Pandemic Parking Lot to skate yesterday I went over to the Glenville ditch, which has been a spot I’ve enjoyed since I was about 14 years old. A few years ago they rebuilt the alleys on either side of the ditch. They really messed up the wall on one side. It is all still rideable, but one wall just isn’t as good, and they added a support wire for the telephone pole nearby on the other side. While the wire isn’t too much in the way, it still makes me feel like I’m going to hit it.
I’ll go back of course. The spot is still one of the better spots in town, and I’m glad they left it as good as they did.
A short line I filmed for a little online video sharing thing that Waltz skateboards is doing – any combination of a couple of heel-side end-overs, a couple of monster walks, and a rolling forward 360 spin. I went into it with a walk-around and then a little end-over/360 spin combo. Board is my 8.8 Cockfight blunt-pops shape, Ace 55s, 92a 54mm OJs.
Top: Ace 55 trucks (original version) with OJ 54mm 92a wheels - typical center-set newschool wheels.
Bottom: Indy 159s, 54mm 93a Powell-Peralta Nano Cubics - side-set wheels with more coverage of the axle nut.
Essentially the same footprint from outside edges of wheels. Fits this 8.8" popsicle deck, and would work on a 9" deck as well. Probably too wide for a narrower board, even just a bit narrower. Both fit this board perfectly.
Other pic - comparison of outside wheel profile. The Nano Cubics, while they do offer some offset and protection of the axle and axle nut, don’t offer nearly as much as the many dedicated freestyle wheels on the market.
It will be interesting to see how different the Nano Cubics feel. Wider contact patch, which will get significantly wider as the wheel wears down. Much more so than a typical street wheel. Close to the same hardness on both sets of wheels, but the Powell urethane will feel a lot different. Also expecting to feel the lip of the Nano Cubics deforming as I skate, but not too bad.
I really have no need for an offset wheel for this sort of setup, but I wanted to try the 93a Powell-Peralta formula.
I have clued a few more people into the existence of this blog. I’m going to stop posting much skateboarding on Instagram, though I’m sure I’ll do some. It’s not like this is a secret blog or anything, but I just want a few select people to be alerted to its existence.
Well, I just made my travel arrangements for the U.S. Open freestyle skateboarding this summer in Los Angeles. A bit pricey, but I had committed to be a judge. Gotta support the U.S. scene if it is to thrive. Maybe Paderborn will have to be next year.
Well, I’m still considering a trip to skate the Paderborn contest this summer. It will be happening in August, so even in Germany it will be hot, but not Texas hot. I’m hesitant just because it’s a long way to go for a contest, but that is where I like to see my friends from England and the rest of Europe. It has been nearly four years. I miss them.
I know I’m not really up for another road trip from England to Germany. I’ve done that twice. It is just too much after flying across the Atlantic and dealing with jet lag.
Here’s the thing. The years are going by. I need to do these things.
54mm Powell Nano Cubics vs. formerly 54mm Bones STF
A few years ago my friend Dale took this pic (from my About page) at the Budda Bank (misspelling intentional), riding the board from two posts ago. I’ve always dug it. We were playing with wide angle attachments for our phones. I kinda like the lens flare. As previously noted, this is a crusty little bank spot. The kind I love.
I have a couple of accounts on Bluesky that I used to follow a highly curated list of accounts about tabletop RPGs, Traveller RPG in particular, and science fiction. This morning I made the mistake of thinking “I’ll set up an account to follow random stuff” – one that would be seperate from my good accounts.
I immediately found that a non-curated feed there is 100% as bad as on the other site. Account deleted. Please, God, kill social media.
Years after I bought it, this 8.8" wide 15" wheelbase Cockfight pops still gets the job done. Obviously I have not used it constantly for the last seven years, but I always come back to it. The Ace 55 trucks fit it perfectly. It always feels super stable and while it’s a fairly large board it feels light when you pick it up and when you ride it. I put these 54mm 92a OJ wheels on it today.
This is a pretty good all-around board. It feels right in ditches and at skateparks, I can ride it for parking-lot-style freestyle. If I’m feeling particularly energetic I can do kickflips and 360 shove-its on it. The long wheelbase gives it a real nice flow. It has some inertia. I’m tall enough it frankly looks pretty good when doing footwork.
There is just something nice about being able to grab ONE BOARD when doing skating and feeling like I can do a little bit of everything on it, and feel nice and solid when going a little faster or when at a skatepark.
Skated with my friend Paul for his 60th birthday two days ago. We went to a couple of skateparks. Always great to roll around with Paul. He’s a ripper.
Regarding my previous post.
I have often jokingly referred to my “stream of unconsciousness” skating.
There is nothing more pleasing to me than when I go out to skate and just flow around with no real plan, following where the board take me, and it turns out really well.
In addition to letting the board roll, I have come to appreciate letting it go where it wants to some extent. If you are moving in a nice way and the board is going there naturally, I think it often looks better and feels better if you let the board do a little more of the thinking and influence it rather than dictate. There is a balance between commanding it and letting it do its thing.
A few years ago Spotify bought Anchor.fm, which was a podcasting platform that a lot of people got into. Cloud-based recording and editing and hosting. Now Spotify is closing the Anchor app down and replacing it apparently with a poor substitute.
Yet another reason to not ever tie your stuff to a company like Spotify. If you don’t own your domain name and have easy flexibility to move things around and control your process you are in a bad position.
