I challenged myself to Manual a Mile in a Month. Not one solid manual but a lot of small manuals adding up to the total of a mile.

So how long is a mile? Lets do some math:

I never went anywhere without my trusty measuring tape! I would round down and subtract feet for obstacle that I would ollie onto, for the initial jumping and possibly dismount.

If I failed to complete a manual or scraped my tail, then it didn’t count towards my goal!

This was the most difficult of the skate challenges I’ve done so far. This would have been way easier if I just manualled in one location, but I did my very best to make the shots interesting.

Is there something you can work on this month? Something you can be consistent at, or work towards?

This is an ode to Jake Phelps and a message to always fall forward. Jake Phelps was an Editor for Thrasher Magazine and a legend in the skateboard community. He passed away in March of 2019. Tony Vitello, the current Owner of Thrasher said this about him: “He only knew commitment. He was going to go for it without hesitation, and there were only two outcomes. Either you’d see his triumphant fist pumping in the air or it’d be an earth-shaking collision with the concrete.” “He always fell forward. Leaning back meant there was hesitation and Jake was all the way IN.” I really like this quote and it has stuck with me.

So many times we fall because of a lack of commitment. By not leaning forward enough, and hesitating, we are often times setting ourself up to fail. When dropping into a ramp, or sliding on a rail, if you don’t commit you won’t be able to do it. It’s only when you lean forward and fully commit that you even have the change of succeeding. It’s better to fully commit and fail, opposed to hesitating and not following through. Skateboarding has taught me many life lessons. This is one of my favorites.

I challenged myself to land 100 kickflips. To really work on technique I spread them out, doing 10 kickflips a day for 10 days. Here is the compilation. Though a lot of the kickflips where pretty sketchy, I feel like my kickflips have improved. Hope you enjoy.