Thrasher Magazine announced that professional skateboarder David Gonzalez won their coveted 2012
Skater of the Year award on Tuesday.
The 22-year-old, Medellin, Colombia, native and member of the Flip skateboards team is the 22nd professional skateboarder to be named Skater of the Year (SOTY) by Thrasher.
Gonzalez put on a serious show this year to woo Thrasher editor Jake Phelps' vote with a barrage of gnarly video parts -- including
Possesed to Skate -- and tons of photos that ran in the magazine throughout the year. Huge rails, horrible slams and super-fast skating made Gonzalez edge out other notables such as Justin Figueroa, Guy Mariano, Cory Kennedy, Marc Johnson, Austyn Gillette and Nyjah Huston.
Originally, the SOTY award was handed out by Skateboarder magazine in 1977, with Tony Alva taking the first honors. As Skateboarder waned in popularity through skateboarding's lean years, Thrasher picked up the mantle in 1990 and Tony Hawk was awarded the SOTY title. Throughout the past two decades Thrasher has awarded the coveted trophy to some of the most legendary skateboarders in the sport, including Mike Carroll, John Cardiel, Brian Anderson and Mark Appleyard. Grant Taylor won the Skater of the Year in 2011.