Element has a past with not recognizing ams for their potential and fucking it up in general. I think the only people they've turned pro (in my memory/when i started to care about that stuff around 2000) have been brent atchley, levi brown, and tony tave. While Levi still seems to be an important part of the brand, Brent and Tony seemed like they didn't want that kind of responsibility (being pro for a Billabong subsidiary) and they have lost a lot of young talent over the years. Let's see, those who made it like tyler bledsoe, collin provost, and dallas rockvam (in europe tho i guess) and then theres some who had potential but were cut like jimmy lannon, justin schulte, or mike barker. They lost some of the guys that I associated with element when i first started skating like kenny hughes, tosh, jake rupp, colt cannon, and so many more. And most recently they cut Darrell. It's like every time they make a good move or support someone who deserves it they fuck over another person, and have lost a lot of people as a result. Let's hope for the best in Evan Smith's future, a dude who clearly deserves pro status (if not now, soon). Regardless, I would never buy element stuff so I guess its all irrelevant.