It’s that time of year again! No, not the holidays. Thrasher’s highly coveted Skater of the Year 2021 award is up for grabs, and it’s almost time to start voting. You can cast your ballot starting next week, but first, review who’s in the running.
- Andrew Allen – AA’s been highly productive and his recent Vans part caught our eye.
- Silas Baxter-Neal – Thrasher’s 2008 pick recently shared his deep connection with nature in “Out There.”
- Kanaan Dern – Dern’s been all over the place with an excessively gnarly part in “Painkiller” from Zero Skateboards.
- John Dilo – Manuals have come a long way, and “Red Tiger” proves it.
- Chima Ferguson – If you haven’t seen his footage in “Nice to See You,” you haven’t been paying attention.
- Justin “Figgy” Figueroa – We’re not over “THIS” yet, and neither should you be.
- Didrik “Deedz” Galasso – “Ace” is exactly what makes skate videos worth watch.
- Breana Geering – After recently going pro for Girl, Geering popped up and stood out in both “Nice to See You” and The Dime/Vans Video.
- Yuto Horigome – This gold medalist has wowed us time and time again this year.
- Dashawn Jordan – Dashawn did SLS, BATB, and went pro in quick succession. Amazing.
- Rayssa Leal – This SLS finalist and Olympian has collected quite a few trophies in the last year or so — is the SOTY next on her list?
- Louie Lopez – August’s “Worldly Goods” was 11 minutes of world-class skating, no doubt.
- Nick Michel – Another “Nice to See You” participant, this rising star has been welcomed into the skate community with open arms.
- Filipe Nunes – Nunes’s “Limitless” had the fans screaming for a SOTY.
- Joey O’Brien – The filmography, trick selection, and energy of “[untitled] 005” is goals.
- Jack O’Grady – Heavy is not a strong enough adjective for this “Pass~Port” part.
- Jaakko Ojanen – “Nature Calls” is a beautifully balanced, ultra-inspiring part for Element.
- Roman Pabich – His “Sponsor Me Tape” is just plain fun. Who wouldn’t sponsor?
- Max Palmer – This guy is in everything these days, just cranking out solid trick after trick.
- Collin Provost – Provost’s clip from “Programming Injection” was a definite highlight, and he hasn’t been slacking, either.
- Carlos Ribeiro – Some of the smoothest, most natural skating comes from this consummate professional right here.
- Oski Rozenberg – The Oski Documentary was a breath of fresh air this summer, and Oski’s regular contributions keep that spirit alive.
- Ronnie Sandoval – After a sentimental visit to Burnside this summer, he attacked an especially killer drop in “My War: Ronnie Sandoval.”
- John Shanahan – John’s Pangea Jeans promo levels up your everyday ledge tricks.
- Evan Smith – Evan’s had a big year, with “Grimplestix: True Full” and Gas Giant “HYDROGEN” parts at the top of his list.
- Mark Suciu – I swear, we can’t go a week without seeing Suciu drop new footage. Definitely not complaining, though.
- Grant Taylor – One of many excellent features in Nike SB’s film “Constant”, Grant Taylor managed to stand out.
- Zane Timpson – Sadly, if Zane wins the 2021 SOTY, it would be a posthumous award, but well deserved all the same.
- Franky Villani – “Alone with My Demons” proves that Franky has more than a few tricks up his sleeves, and he appears to have a lot of fun with them, too.
- Kyle Walker – Walker’s skate spot selections, fresh filmography, and highly original take on rails make “RUBY” a gem.
- Kyle Wilson – Wilson’s heelflip-heavy part in “BEYOND THE 3RD WAVE” was fire, hands down.