Mark Suciu Talks Thrasher Skater Of The Year Win And Adidas Skateboarding x Paradigm Capsule Collaboration

Some model of the comment could possibly be heard again and again all through the skateboarding world in 2021—in conversations with writers and editors; in YouTube feedback; on social media.

“Simply give Mark Suciu SOTY already.”

SOTY, in fact, is Thrasher’s Skater of the 12 months award, given out yearly since 1990 and one of many highest honors a skateboarder can earn from their friends. Previous winners embody names which have develop into synonymous with skating, from Tony Hawk to Danny Option to Eric Koston to Bob Burnquist.

However SOTY isn’t restricted to skaters who’ve made their names profitable medals in contests. There’s a wholesome illustration of skaters who’ve chosen to focus their expertise on filming and touring, showcasing their skating via the artistic lens of a video half somewhat than the construction of a contest.

In recent times, a number of the finest avenue skaters who don’t seem on the competition circuit have taken the award—like Tyshawn Jones in 2018 and, in 2021, his adidas Skateboarding teammate Suciu.

Certainly, everybody clamoring for Suciu to earn the crown in 2021 bought their want; he was acknowledged with the dignity after placing out a whopping 5 video elements final yr, every of them intently following a theme or idea and all showcasing Suciu’s impeccable mix of technical and artistic skating.

Why was Suciu so prolific this yr? The metaphor he makes use of is that of a dartboard. All yr, he was throwing darts on the bullseye—his video half for the third episode of Justin Albert’s “Flora” Thrasher collection. He was impressed by an thought he felt hadn’t actually been carried out earlier than—“to make a video half with a whole lot of a whole lot of handrails and a whole lot of tips that fold in on one another and make a brand new form for a video half.”

Suciu’s imaginative and prescient required such particular tips that many occasions, he’d exit to shoot and wouldn’t get what he wished for “Flora” Episode 3—which meant he ended up with a whole lot of different usable footage.

“The best way I arrange a relationship with this video half and with the will to meet it, that made me actually productive in a means I hadn’t been,” Suciu advised me by cellphone. “The construction of the method, that just about by accident made me actually productive in different realms. I used to be solely making an attempt to hit the bullseye only for what I used to be going for, however as a result of it was so exhausting to hit, I simply ended up throwing darts all day. And those that didn’t find yourself within the bullseye had been nonetheless good and I used to be nonetheless excited to make use of them.”

The outcome was one of the crucial buzzed-about video elements of the yr, but it surely was simply a part of Suciu’s spectacular output in 2021.

The 29-year-old additionally put out his “Blue Dog” adidas half (additionally with Albert), “Curve” Habitat half; “Spitfire” half and his “Ground Glass” half with Jenkem.

Suciu and Albert, who each hail from the Bay Space, have been filming collectively for adidas since 2013. When Thrasher supplied Albert the chance to do the online collection that might develop into “Flora” in 2019, Suciu was excited for his shut good friend, at the same time as he was residing throughout the nation in New York.

“His first episode was so dialed, so crisp, clear {and professional}, that I at all times knew I wished to contribute a bit of bit each time I may,” Suciu stated. “It simply made me really feel like, ‘Wow, that is one thing I might wish to be part of even when I didn’t know this man.’”

The success of “Flora” Episode 3 is undoubtedly an enormous a part of what landed Suciu SOTY honors—a lot of the reward he rightfully bought from it facilities across the perception that he’s progressing skating and exploring what’s attainable in a video half with out merely making an attempt to making an attempt to do the toughest tips over essentially the most stairs, a mentality that has develop into tied up within the contest facet of the game.

However in the remainder of his physique of labor this yr, Suciu demonstrated his thoughtfulness and creativity in different methods. For “Floor Glass,” videographer James Thomson DMed Suciu to gauge his curiosity in collaborating on an element. It is a widespread incidence, Suciu says, however Thomson’s message managed to chop via the noise and catch Suciu’s consideration.

“He stated, ‘I might like to make a full 16mm movie half with you,’” Suciu recalled. “I used to be like, ‘This man is loopy, that’s gonna price a lot cash!’ Each roll of movie, which is sort of a minute of skating, is like $50, and also you’re not going to make use of that full minute.”

It’s true there’s a purpose why 16mm skate video elements are uncommon, however Suciu was impressed with Thomson’s work and agreed to satisfy up. Taking pictures on such costly movie is usually a traumatic expertise, with skaters pressured to make the trick on the primary attempt.

“James was asking me to do some exhausting tips, low-key technical tips that weren’t gonna be first attempt, however he was chill about it, not like, ‘You’re losing my movie,’” Suciu stated. “It was this very nice tenor for the undertaking the place I used to be relaxed and I knew I didn’t need to movie one of the best stuff ever as a result of we had been working with dearer movie, but it surely was gonna look stunning and it was going to have a much less aggressive really feel.

“We met up at spots I wish to skate round Manhattan, my ordinary routes. I did some tips that felt strong; it’s not B-roll but it surely’s not the toughest trick I’ll ever do. It was virtually meditative. It was actually empowering.”

Popping out after Suciu’s official SOTY announcement, “Floor Glass” took on the tone of a well-deserved victory lap.

There’s no query profitable SOTY is one thing Suciu has deeply wished and labored for, however relating to contextualizing the win, he’s at one thing of a loss for phrases—which anybody who has learn or listened to Suciu’s interviews is aware of isn’t widespread.

“I undoubtedly attempt not to consider it an excessive amount of as a result of it stresses me out,” Suciu admits. Individuals knew his identify within the SOTY dialog as a result of he had been a contender in 2019, the yr Milton Martinez finally received. (Although anybody who had been paying consideration knew Suciu actually entered the dialog in 2012, at 19 years previous, along with his Thrasher “Cross Continental” half, which stays one among their most viral skate segments thus far.)

Why, lastly, this yr?

“Once they noticed me placing out all this footage that was my finest stuff, folks may inform that I used to be on my A recreation,” Suciu stated. “They only bought excited, the talk from 2019 bought reignited, and I already had momentum so folks simply had enjoyable with it once more.”

As for what the dignity means to him, Suciu once more has issue placing it into phrases.

“It’s simply the hugest, hugest honor. As I stated, it stresses me out to consider it. I simply really feel like…fuck, I don’t know,” Suciu stated.

“I simply really feel like, in the easiest way, I simply really feel absolutely acknowledged as a skateboarder,” Suciu continued. “Type of like skateboarding has advised me, ‘Hey, you’ve carried out nicely; we like what you’re doing and you are able to do no matter.’ It’s the largest inexperienced mild conceivable. It’s relieved me of any stress that I may need ever had about, you understand, ‘Oh, am I an excessive amount of of this type of skater, an excessive amount of of a technical skater, an excessive amount of of a avenue skater.’ Any little ideas and questions are simply type of gone from my thoughts. I really feel completely validated and acknowledged.”

Suciu thinks video half conveys “a powerful sense of ability, expertise, versatility, and id.” There’s no query every of his elements from 2021 met his personal rubric; SOTY voters clearly thought so, too.

In 2021, Suciu additionally labored with sponsor adidas and longtime good friend Theo Constantinou, founding father of the New York Metropolis-based e book writer Paradigm, on a digital quick known as Unfold Gentle, Go away No Hint. The mini documentary explores the idea of sustainability via the lens of skateboarding, artwork, tradition and neighborhood, in addition to Constantinou and Suciu’s shared affinity for literature.

Unfold Gentle, Go away No Hint was created in help of the adidas Skateboarding by Paradigm footwear and attire capsule that launched December 18. As a part of the collaboration, Paradigm launched a companion e book, Life Earlier than.

Within the e book’s introduction, penned by Suciu, he poses the query: “How can we discover the thought of a life earlier than a weaponized local weather begins to alter our relationship to the world?” Fourteen artists and writers then ruminate on that idea within the pages that comply with.

The six-piece assortment, together with a Gazelle ADV shoe, monitor jacket and pant, tech shell, jersey and tote bag, is anchored in sustainability. It options adidas’ eco-tech Primegreen, a collection of high-performance recycled supplies, and Primeblue, made partially with Parley Ocean Plastic.

“I’m tremendous happy with it,” Suciu stated in regards to the adidas x Paradigm capsule. “It’s so past vital and so horrifying what we’re doing proper now to the atmosphere.”

“I’ve identified Theo for a very long time; he’s at all times made actually nice books,” Suciu stated. By way of Paradigm, Constantinou has printed books by people who find themselves engaged in serving to push again in opposition to local weather change and are curious about issues like the best way to stay sustainability.

When the chance arose to collaborate with adidas, Constantinou realized, “If we’re gonna do that with adidas, such an enormous producer of sentimental items, we now have to make it sustainable for us to have the ability to stand behind this,” Suciu recalled.

“I used to be there with him all through all these conversations; it felt so good to be on the within of that and attempt to open up this dialog,” Suciu stated. “A giant a part of it’s being very clear with the information that that is little or no what we’re doing when it comes to the sustainability effort, but it surely’s additionally a beginning place and a spot for dialog. And for acknowledging the hurt that we’re doing. This isn’t a solution, we’re not saying now that we’ve carried out this we’re good, we’re not accountable for local weather change; that is an admission of how massive the issue is and the way all of us should be a part of the answer.”

Suciu has lengthy been curious about problems with sustainability and the atmosphere— match along with his eco-friendly board sponsor, Habitat—in addition to literature; he studied the topic, together with artistic writing, at Temple College, then moved to New York to attend The New Faculty.

The adidas x Paradigm collaboration, then, is an ideal cross-section of his pursuits and model.

For years, trade gentle items firms got a pat on the again for prioritizing sustainable manufacturing, however lately, it’s develop into much less non-compulsory and extra a requirement of the market.

Retailers are shifting to recycled supplies for merchandise, exploring vegan merchandise and utilizing much less water, vitality and chemical substances within the course of. In 2019, adidas produced greater than 11 million pairs of footwear utilizing recycled plastic waste from seashores and coastal areas, in comparison with 5 million in 2018 and 1 million in 2017.

However manufacturers are additionally seeking to their athletes to be a voice of change, and that’s a job Suciu takes critically.

“As a professional skater it’s fairly alarming how a lot we undergo, what number of commodities we undergo and the way a lot waste we produce to maintain skating at this regular excessive stage,” he stated.

“For me, I attempt to do what I can to equalize that within the areas that I can. It’s a customized for a sponsor to only ship you T-shirts on a regular basis, so I simply realized I don’t want all these things. I’ve spoken to my sponsors about solely sending me what I ask for. I skate my boards so long as attainable and look out for methods I is usually a voice of change, like this with Paradigm and adidas. Habitat could be very open to issues like this too due to their eco-friendly angle.

“We’ve got some concepts about ways in which we will placed on demos and name consideration to local weather change and waste and materials manufacturing. It’s an enormous dialog,” Suciu added.

The adidas Skateboarding by Paradigm footwear and attire capsule is obtainable on adidas’ on-line retailer and choose specialty skate retailers, with retail costs starting from $45-$200.

Life Earlier than retails for $50 and is now accessible for buy on Paradigm’s web site.