2013 has been an important year for blading. If nothing else, it will be remembered as the year skaters sank their claws into a new grassroots movement and proved that hard work and determination are suitable stand-ins for financing. It’s a year young voices became louder, scenes became stronger, and the fabric of blade culture became richer.
It’s the year social media took over message boards, former bladers returned in droves, and companies with a clear vision that stayed their course pulled away from the pack.
For all these reasons and more, we decided that simply naming a sole individual Skater of the Year and calling it a wrap just would not do.
So at the suggestion of Frank Stoner, a new tradition was born — the ONE Awards.
After carefully considering a list of categories — benchmarks of our growth and development as a community — we invited a select group of ONE contributors, supporters and critics to participate in an entirely open nomination process to select the TOP THREE contenders for each category.
Once that was done, it was time to vote on the TOP THREE nominees for each category. And with voting closed and final results tallied, we are proud to announce the winners of the first-ever ONE Blade Awards.
* * * *
[PEOPLE]
BLADER OF THE YEAR
Richie Eisler
Runners Up:
Franky Morales
Alex Broskow
BREAKOUT BLADER OF THE YEAR
David Sizemore
Runners Up:
Andrew Broom
Wake Schepman
HONORARY CHRIS EDWARDS AWARD
FOR MOST POSITIVE BLADE INFLUENCER
Jon Julio
Runners Up:
Brian Freeman
Richie Eisler
[EVENTS]
BEST EVENT OF THE YEAR
Blading Cup
Runners Up:
Bitter Cold Showdown
Winterclash
BEST CONTEST PERFORMANCE (BLADER)
Alex Broskow (Blading Cup)
Runners Up:
CJ Wellsmore (Winterclash/Bitter Cold Showdown)
Montre Livingston (Blading Cup)
OUTSTANDING BLADE EVENT SERIES
Texas Skate Series
Runners Up:
Windy City Riot (w/advance fundraising events)
Clash Series (Winter/Summer)
MOST HOSPITABLE VENUE
City of Santa Ana (Blading Cup)
Runners Up:
Modern Skatepark (BCSD)
Woodward West (AIL)
[INDUSTRY]
COMPANY OF THE YEAR
Valo
Runners Up:
Southern Scum
USD
PRODUCT OF THE YEAR
Seba CJ Wellsmore Pro Skate
Runners Up:
Valo v13 Skate
Kizer Level II Frame
BLADE SHOP OF THE YEAR
Aggressive Mall
Runners Up:
Roller Warehouse
Shop Task
ANGRY YOUTH AWARD FOR BEST MARKETING
Southern Scum
Runners Up:
Valo
USD
[MEDIA]
BEST EDIT OF THE YEAR (BLADER)
Richie Eisler (Canada)
Runners Up:
Billy O’Neill (SSM)
Alex Broskow (Originals)
BLADE VIDEOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR
Ivan Narez
Runners Up:
Dom West
Erick Rodriguez
BLADE PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR
Brandon Smith
Runners Up:
Jeff Stockwell
John Haynes
BLADE AUTHOR OF THE YEAR
Brian Krans
Runners Up:
Frank Stoner
Jon Robinson
2013 was another incredible year of BLADE LIFE and these people, events and companies helped make that possible. Let’s all take the time to give them the respect, appreciation and admiration they are due.
* * * *
Photos by Jeff Stockwell, Richie Eisler, Jonathan Labez, Jeff Linett, Brandon Smith, Daniel Le, and Randy Edwards
Special Thanks to Frank Stoner for the idea, and to everyone that participated, and Stefan Brandow for the logo design.