Do you want to attain Snowboarding Sponsorship and Recognition? Are you looking for support that allows for travel around the country and the world to ride and compete while you work to develop you athletic snowboarding career?
It can be an incredible adventure, and an even better way to make a living....
Feed that dream. Using motivation, determination, equipment, terrain to ride, growing skill sets, personality, physical training, mental training and access to the information you will plan your season around. You can do it!
Take control of your direction and use every talent, tool, contact and opportunity you have to actively create your own unique athletic path, image and persona.
- On this page -
Sponsorship Example 5 R's Companies How-To get Sponsored Post Your Resume
Terje Haakonsen, The Legend, Sending a Method at Mt Hood. July 2013
Do you want to be a famous snowboarder?
The most important thing to question as a ripping rider with rising skills and sponsorship dreams is:
What are you really trying to achieve?
I mean map it out, where does your dream lead YOU?
Regardless of the style and venue you want to pursue, I would suggest that your ultimate goal may be:
To become a valuable marketing asset and a productive representative
for the companies that you would like to ride for and work within a snowboarding sponsorship relationship.
What?
There are many levels of sponsorship and the basic, entry level or "roots" level sponsorship is much more simple than this. Early sponsorships should help the rider learn and progress their approach to the business of the sport and promoting themselves in it.
Progression from there, for long term progression and successful marketing of oneself as a sponsored rider,
you must learn and execute the Five R's.
Before that though let me give you an example of how and why sponsorship works in its most primitive form.
Imagine this:
Lil Johnny is riding up the chairlift at his home mountain in Minnesota. He's been having a super fun day. Riding all over the mountain, working on his tricks. Riding Switch is challenging and he's having a hard time with cleaning the down rail or getting much pop with his ollies off the little jumps. He is riding equipment that he received from his unkle for Christmas 2 years ago. It works, but he is excited to get new gear soon and he's anxious to progress his riding, and learn more tricks.
The sound of a rider on the mountain up above him grabs his attention. He looks up and sees a rider that he recognizes (but doesn't really know), ripping down his home turf. The rider hits the biggest jump in the park and does a perfect Front-Side 360 Tail Grab. "Damn" Johnny thinks to himself. "That was sick!!" He watches as the rider makes a couple turns and then cleans the down rail with a perfect backside lipslide. "Wow" he thinks to himself.
Impressed, he focuses in on the guy as he rides under the lift, heading for the line to come back up. As he passes, he sees that he has a sticker for The House, a local shop and that he is riding a GobleSplat Snowboard. "Thats a weird board brand name, but Dang" he can't help but think, "that must be a good snowboard."
On his way home to St. Paul, he talks his parents into dropping by The House Snowboard Shop. Once there, he goes in and asks an employee about the Goblesplat boards. "Right over here buddy, check them out.", says the shop guy. "Just curious how you've come to be interested in Goblesplat. They're handmade by this funky little troll up under the 3rd street bridge".
Johnny is amazed and excitedly spits out, "No way, I saw this guy on one on the hill today that was killing it". The shop employee proudly boasts, "Ohhh! Yeah, that must have been Bobbie Trey. He is amazing and lives right downtown. He's riden for us for 2 years now".
That is how snowboarding sponsorship works. The House just received a new customer and now, Johnny (new customer) is excited about The House and the new weird boards he learned about, which is good for the shop and the board company. He also has been introduced to Bobbie Trey, the rippin rider to watch for on the hill. This is good for Bobbie Try, as it will help to grow his reputation and further his value as a rider representative to the GobleSplat Snowboards name.
Sponsorship is all about give and take like this. It is about professional relationships where everyone benefits. If for whatever reason the rider or the sponsor are not getting support and representation from the other, the snowboarding sponsorship will break down.
Below I have listed and described the keys to getting and maintaining a snowboarding sponsorship. It takes work, desire, focus and an idea of the desired outcome. What are you willing for the company to expect from you?