The result is in, and it’s official: Kyle Walker is Thrasher’s 2016 Skater of the Year.
The competition was fierce, but in the end, Oklahoman rail slayer Kyle walker beat out Tiago Lemos, veteran Dennis Busenitz, Evan Smith, flow-to-pro Daan Van Der Linden, Elijah Berle, seemingly indestructible Justin “Figgy” Figueroa, and death-defying Aaron “Jaws” Homoki to clinch SOTY honors.
While all the nominated parties had an incredible year, Kyle’s blatant disregard for the laws of physics (especially balancing on long kinked rails) is probably what gave him the edge. Between his Volcom Holy Stokes! part, his amazing Vans pro shoe ad, his Real “Surveillance” part and the Vans “No Other Way” edit, he is well deserving of the coveted award, which went to Wes Kremer last year.
While we would have preferred the award go to Brazilian ‘90s tech skating revivalist Tiago Lemos, we’re nonetheless super stoked on Kyle Walker’s win. Watch his year in parts below.
Congratulations Kyle!
