It's getting to be that time of year again: Skater of the Year predictions time. Every year, at the end of November, or in early December, Thrasher magazine announces their annual pick for the Skater of the Year honor. This award, while specific to Thrasher, is roundly considered a gold standard in skating and an honor that pretty much everyone in the skate industry gives deference to. The reason for the roundly accepted level of respect behind this honor is that Thrasher's got a pretty great track record for anointing the right guy each year. The reigning SOTY, honored for his ripping in 2010, is Leo Romero who earned the honor with a barrage of print mag coverage and traditional video part dominance. There were some who felt that Romero should have taken the award in 2009 when he went gusto grinding up handrails. However, it's notable that Romero's jaw-dropping up-rail photo ran on the cover of Skateboarder magazine and not Thrasher. In 2010, the video evidence of Romero's up-rail onslaught appeared in his gnarly video part for Emerica's "Stay Gold" video. Romero backed up that performance with a full part for Toy Machine's "Brain Wash" and another part for the X Games 16 Real Street contest. Three video parts in a year is pretty hard to argue against.

In 2009, Chris Cole took the honor for a second time [he also won in 2005] after a hailstorm of coverage, several contest wins including two at Thrasher sanctioned events: the Wallenberg big four "Back to the Berg" contest and the Crossroads "Best Trick." Cole also put out a video part in Zero's "Strange World," won the Maloof Money Cup and won the Battle at The Berrics Game of SKATE that year as well. Cole earned it.

So who will take the crown for 2011? Really there are three heavy contenders: Grant Taylor, Dennis Busenitz and Nyjah Huston. All three are amazing skaters with serious feats in 2011. All three represent skateboarding progression in different ways. But only one will win.