We’ve alluded to the fact that Mark Suciu was robbed of SOTY this year in serval recent posts. Not to take anything away from Milton Martinez. He put out an incredible part with an ender that upped the ante at an iconic spot. But Suciu released four parts, including his magnum opus, that were years in the making. So next time really isn’t an option here. He breaks this point down in a very thorough interview with Chrome Ball Incident that was conducted days before the announcement was made.

So what is it about SOTY for you?

I don’t know, man. There’s just something deep inside me that is yearning for that achievement. I don’t really know how to say it.

Honestly, and this doesn’t speak to everything, but I was told in 2013 that if I hadn’t gone to school, I could’ve been Skater of the Year. And at the time, hearing that pissed me off so much. I just thought it was so stupid. I understand why it was said now, that it was more logistical… Because there’s just so much planning involved with SOTY. You need do things and be open for trips in order to stay on their radar. There needs to be plans made with all your sponsors. It really is a lot. Even after you win, there are still obligations to think about. That’s essentially what was said to me, I just didn’t understand back then. I took it as they thought I wasn’t dedicated enough to skating because I went to school. Like I didn’t deserve it.

So that fire was still burning in all this, for sure.

Gotta ask, what were your thoughts on seeing Milton’s part for the first time? And how does one even compare the two of you?

I had heard about the kickflip prior to the part. And seeing the cover was cool, it’s obviously such a gnarly thing to do. But watching the footage is just incredible. I wasn’t expecting for it to speak to me as much as it did. Because it’s so much more than just the representation of what I’d heard about. How he rolls way and his hat blows off, he doesn’t even bother to catch it. That’s just beautiful, you know? So fucking sick.

…I gotta say that SOTY has reinvigorated me so much on a personal level, which has been rad. But it’s also made me competitive in a way that I’m really embarrassed about. Because, as you said, how do you compare our skating? You can’t. Don’t even try.

It’s barely the same thing.

So yeah, I can’t wait for this Skater of the Year thing to be over.

This is selfish, but having faced burnout before, is it possibly better if you don’t win?

(laughs) Overall, SOTY has been good for me. I feel like after I left school, I needed to have some clear direction in this. It can’t just be “Go Skate” for me. I have to set goals and work towards them. Because it’s hard, doing video part after video part. It all starts to blend together.

SOTY has been good for this year, but everything that I’ve put out has taken longer than a year. So if I don’t get it, I can’t conceivably try again next year. I’d have to put it off a year, which would mean dedicating another two years in trying to accomplish this same goal that I got weirdly competitive over. That would be a little tough.

Head over to Chrome Ball to read the entire piece.

Image Via Zander Taketomo