Reynolds, Cole and Sheckler at the 2008 Maloof Money Cup. Photo: MORINformed

Amongst humans it is always asked, who is the best? It is a subjective question that for some reason mankind always finds a general answer to. Who is the best this? Who is the best that? I'd like to think everyone has different preferences for what the best is. And then, I guess the person who is able to transcend the whole spectrum, is the one who gets coined "The Best."

The sports world is constantly asking and answering this question for an obvious reason, the whole damn thing is based on competition. The best basketball player ever is Michael Jordan. The best hockey player ever is Wayne Grtezky. The best golfer ever is Cheetah, I mean Tiger Woods and his new hit show the "Birdie Bunch." The best soccer player ever is Pele. And so on. These are certainly not truths, for I like to think people are original enough to have independent thought, but they are certainly the leaders when it comes to majority control.

Then there's the world of this site, specifically skateboarding, and the subjectivity that encompasses it. Some consider it a sport, some consider it art, and some consider it both. If you want to call it sport, then it's very unique when it comes to the sports world. Skateboarders watch video sections of skateboarding more than they watch contests. It'd be like if more Michael Jordan fans watched montages of his best and most stylish plays in practice, than actually watched Bulls games. Although, there are the guys that like to compete in skateboarding, and I've see enough from the X Games to know there's a lot people who want to watch. And let's face it, competition fuels progression, even when it comes to the video section guys. When you're throwing yourself down 20 stairs over and over again in hopes of landing that one elusive trick, the one that will make your section that much better, maybe even the best. Or trying to perfect the most technical arrangement of tricks on a ledge for the same reason. Or even trying to put together runs with the most eye catching style you could ever imagine. Guess what? You're jocking out a little, because that my friend is competition, and it's good because once again, it fuels progression.

The reason skate videos keep getting better and better, is the same reason communism never really worked. People need incentive. For some it's money. For a much smaller group of people who are doing their one true love, it's to be the best. Girl's Mouse and Toy Machine's Welcome to Hell, two all-time classics when it comes to skate videos were both released in 1996. I'm pretty sure Mike Carroll/Rick Howard and the Girl crew knew what Ed Templeton and the Toy machine crew had brewing, thus healthy competition. Those names just mentioned: Carroll, Howard and Templeton also own the companies that were making those videos for, Girl and Toy Machine. So they weren't only trying to be part of the best video, or have the best section, but also to make their brand the best. To do that, not only do they try and bring you the best skateboarding, but the best skateboard products, which once again equals progression.

And that brings me to the point of all this. Who is the best skateboarder in the world? Yes I know, skateboarding has Tony Hawk, and to the non-skateboard world he is still the best, which is kind of funny because he's a vert guy, and he achieved his celebrity status from skating vert ramps. Vert used to be king, but right now it's all about street, so who's the king of street at the moment? I think it would be pretty, pretty, pretty (said like Larry David) hard not to say it's Chris Cole. This year alone he won the big contest stuff like the Maloof Money Cup and the Dew Tour Championship. Then he turned around and won the core stuff like the Battle at the Berrics and the Bust or Bail contest at Wallenberg. And he arguably had the best section in Zero's new release, Strange World. Not to mention all the clips and shots he's gotten for the different magazines and media the skate world has to offer. Now, it has been announced that for the second time he is Thrasher Magazine's Skater of the Year. Best skater in the world? I don't know, but it looks like the majority may think so.