Krux: June Saito
Skateboarding, especially if you've been involved in the scene for more than a couple of years, seems to be in quite a peculiar place right now. All the recognised industry standards for tricks and filming have been totally overthrown by the 'user generated content generation' and it's really hard for anyone to really say what is "in" or acceptable any more (apart from toe caps, we all know where we stand with those!).
Junes Saito and this brand new Krux part make a perfect example of this current state of affairs; though his ridiculous talent is undeniable, the idea that a dude static-camming himself doing incredibly illegal tech combos down the local park would get even a shop sponsorship a decade ago would be laughable, let alone have a part released by an internationally renowned brand. But now, in an age where quality control is no longer deemed necessary, guys like June can go out and film themselves having fun, safe in the knowledge "the industry" can't afford to categorize them as unworthy and knowing there is an audience for their approach.
Because of this companies are having to take note and, in all fairness, a stagnated industry is having new life breathed into it by a consumer base who couldn't care less about how dipped Mike Carroll's back smiths were. With this in mind it does seem as though June and his freestyle influenced cohorts have a place for the immediate future at least, just as long as he maintains the contents of his stomach; with that amount of spinning it's a wonder he isn't chundering after every trick!