In the final pre-pandemic year (2019), a skateboarding video was released that, whether recognized or not, changed the game. Concepts never seen in a video project were utilized for the first time, and the quality of skateboarding backed them all up.
Mark Suciu was, as they say, “gunning for SOTY.” But he did not win Thrasher’s Skater of the Year award that year. When Milton Martinez kickflipped off the roof of the carwash on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, the powers that be at Thrasher Magazine determined him the gnarliest of them all (that year). And without a doubt, to be fair, Milton ripped his way to the SOTY title. Long Live the Creature Fiends!
But let’s rewind a bit here… When Mark was young, we was merely a skate rat with a special talent in Saratoga, CA, just outside of San Jose. During his time there, he proved himself within the local skate scene and as a member of the team at Atlas. As life happened, Suciu considered universities to attend. His family was the type that valued education and encouraged this path. As his intellectual mind was so focused on the aesthetic of street skateboarding, Mark chose Philadelphia, more specifically Temple University.
Philly is where Mark marked himself as a special skateboarder, not soon to be forgotten. Making himself a fixture in a relatively unwelcoming Philadelphia skateboarding community, even having footage in the iconic Sabotage videos, he worked toward his first opus, “Cross Continental.” This video part was indeed a stand-out performance and immediate proof of his undeniable talent. It squeezed what seemed like ten minutes of footage into a tight six-minute edit and contained every type of terrain conceivable. Featuring several cities in multiple countries, Mark Suciu made a dent in our world.
Fast forwarding past years of skateboarding, turning pro for Habitat Skateboards, and earning two shoe models on Adidas Skateboarding, Mark published his second (much more complete) opus titled “Verso.” In 2019, Verso featured four songs spread over eleven minutes. With each section focused on one city or organized around a certain pattern of trick combinations, each had its own significance. And thanks to the filming & editing mastermind in Justin Albert, each part flowed together perfectly. For those true fans of Mark’s skating, this was what they all knew he was truly capable of. …and it happened to be revealed late in the year, as some see it in the thick of “SOTY season.” Many thought it was a wrap. Yet, the award wasn’t assigned to him.
Two years later, Mark is still on a mission. And to the surprise of many, he “dropped” three video parts within the span of one month. One for Adidas Skateboarding. One for Habitat Skateboards. And one for Spitfire Wheels. What else 2021 holds remains to be seen, but Mark is once again a SOTY contender.
Regardless of what the next month holds, we are excited to see some of the best skateboarding ever done. Skater of the Year is, after all, merely a bi-product of that. Could it be him? Could it be Dashawn Jordan? Yuto Horigome? Time shall tell, and we. Will be watching.
