Status update:

Well... I hate to say it, but summer is about 1/2 way over.

Although another anniversary is coming up quick. The Oregon Trifecta.  This is a 3-day, 3-park skate contest.

Last year Noah and I went to the one in Tigard so I could see some professional skaters rip it up.  It was at that contest that I heard of "Old Man Army."  It's a company and website that is made up of skaters 30 years old and older.  I signed up in the forums and eventually met up with some of the Portland/Vancouver members.

This was last August.

Last August, I didn't skate ramps and parks very much.  I grew up skating street and big ramps terrified me.  The thought of skating a vert ramp was laughable.

But here I am, one year later.  I've put in a lot of hard work and have pushed myself to try things I've never tried before.  I can drop into a vert ramp like it's nothing now.

My goal is that over the next few months to a year I'll start being able to get air out of ramps.  I want to get up and above the lip and be able to fly.

I've learned this last year that I'm capable of so much more than I think I am capable of.  I can still surprise myself.  I can still grow and do things I've never done before.

If you put your mind to it, you can accomplish anything. -Marty McFly

I've still got a checklist of things I need to do this summer, though.  Here's a few of the highlights.

Glenhaven: Grind deep end of pool + grind big wall in bowl

Pier Park: Drop into 12' vert end + backside slash grind deep end.

Hood River: Grind over mousehole gap + Grind deep end of big bowl

Burnside: Grind big bowl + drop in on wall

Vancouver: Backside air in 6' end


Don't worry, I'll be filming all of these tricks (plus more). There's no point in doing them if they're not documented!

Failure is not an option.

Posted by jason | at Wednesday, July 28, 2010 | 0 comments

That's L I N *C* O L N

I know how to spell Lincoln!


Went out to Lincoln City this last weekend.  Hit up the skate park, of course.

I didn't get any video of me, but I was able to get my wheel up on the coping on the 13' deep end of the snake run. 

Here's a video of Doug, Joe, and Gabe tearing it up.

Posted by jason | at Monday, July 26, 2010 | 0 comments

Oh yeah.

I guess I never posted this here.

I dropped into a full vert ramp for the first time about a week ago.

My heart pretty much stopped but I ran back up and did it a second time.  That's just how it goes.  If you're scared of something, do it. Twice.

I went back to Battleground a couple days ago and started really getting comfortable on the ramp. Even almost got up to a grind.

Amazing how quickly progress happens once you pass those huge hurdles.

Posted by jason | at Thursday, July 22, 2010 | 0 comments

What a weekend of skating.



This was quite a 4th of July weekend.

Aside from my mom taking our whole family to Lion King (which was incredible) and being able to see the PDX fireworks from about 200 yards from the launching site, I was able to get out and skate a bit.

I decided that I need to put together a skate video for myself.  

I sat down and wrote out the list of parks and spots I want to film at and what tricks I wanted to do at each place.

Then we went out skating.

Location: McMinnville
Mission: Carve over the mousehole.

A giant doorway (mousehole) is cut out of the deep end of a bowl.  It's about 6 feet tall and 5 feet wide.

You have less than a foot of clearance above the door in which to carve over.

If you mess up, you get wrecked as you fall down and sideways... as seen in this picture:


It was the first time in a long time that I was actually scared about hurting myself.  

Which of course made me want to do it all the more.

Which I did.



That was Friday.


Then Sunday came and it was time to go to Vancouver.

Location: Vancouver
Mission: Drop into vert, air over hip.


Vancouver is a scary park. Very big, very deep, very fast.  The design for it was really ruled by the BMX community as they showed up en masse during the build phase.

I decided that this was the day for my first vert drop in. Jaqui and the kids happened to come along too in order to play at the playground.

I texted Jaqui: "Want to see me drop into vert?"

She came over and then this happened.




And of course I also did a frontside air over the hip.


Both missions accomplished.

I have checked these off my list and will now begin my next plan of attack.

I can't believe I have to sit in an office when it's so beautiful outside and I have so much skating to do!


Posted by jason | at Tuesday, July 06, 2010 | 2 comments