How much money do pro wakeboarder’s make?

Board2die · Outlaw Joined: 10 Jan 2005 Posts: 244 City: Sacramento

Out of curiosity today I was perusing the Internet trying to find out how much money pro riders made. I was astonished to find out that the number one article that popped up only calculated these riders making 12-30K/year from sponsors. I know these guys get other perks like boats, trucks, equipment, etc., but this is all the money they make besides their tournament money. I think the reason I was so surprised is because some of these guys have really posh houses right on the water, so they must be making good money somehow. Take a look at the article, and tell me what you think.

http://www.dpcfilms.com/HowTo/Articles/GettingSponsored/Index.asp

itch · Posted: Jun 02, 2006 10:43 am Post subject:

No thats about right they also get photo and video incentatives as well as appearence fees and the comp money is all theirs.

Now the top five are a different story they have a larger paycheck but I would say the next 20 guys get enough to live on and that is about it.

Drew McGuckin was working a full time job till his buddy Gator picked him up.
ITCH

Dip_Krew · Posted: Jun 02, 2006 11:03 am Post subject:

i would suspect that they are well looked after, no pro with a major sponser will be going hungry as long as there putting out exposure.

by well looked after i mean, they wont be foced to drop boarding and get a job cause they cant make insurance payments, car loans ect...

jeff7 · Outlaw Joined: 06 Jul 2005 Posts: 227 City: Monticello

Well i don't know about some of the guys....but i found this on dallas fridays site:
Q: How much money do you make?
A: This is my least favorite question. To make it easy I will just say at the age of 15 I was earning in the 6 digits.

Dip_Krew · Posted: Jun 02, 2006 11:25 am Post subject:

jryoung · Ladies Man Joined: 19 Mar 2004 Posts: 7664 City: Man Jose

jeff7, Dallas isn't you're average pro. Plus doesn't she do some sort of cheetos commercial or something like that? Mainstream media is where the big checks start to roll in assuming they have a decent agent.

itch · Posted: Jun 02, 2006 1:50 pm Post subject:

The people I know don't get a cut of their boards and they don't get paid to be in videos. They get incentives like if they are first or last in it. Or if they get the cover of a mag or dvd. They get some if the get a half page or a whole page photo.
They do not get paid to be in ad that they are sponsored by.
Company posters are done out of obligation to your sponsor, appearances for said sponsor are comped but if they are invited to ride at a demo like the slider things they usually get a little cash from the event organizers.
If you win a pro tour event it is something like 6 grand if you win the tour itself it is like 10.
It all adds up they don't starve but they don't make what you think. The top five make a nice bank then it trickles quickly down hill.
ITCH

When I was sponsoring riders I gave free clothes and photo incentatives
50 bucks if you got a photo 100 bucks if it was half page,500 if it was a whole page and 1,000 if you got the cover same for contests.
I helped with entry fees and let their bigger sponsor pay for airfare.
Does that help?

JV · Posted: Jun 02, 2006 4:16 pm Post subject:

Buergday · Guest

If thats her "least favorite question" then why is she posting it on her website for everyone to read? Kind of a snobby showoff thing to do if you ask me

wake_quake · Posted: Jun 02, 2006 6:40 pm Post subject:

even if they didnt make much money they wouldnt have to spend much because they would a free boat, house car, boards etc

RUSSIAN · Posted: Jun 02, 2006 7:34 pm Post subject:

About $5 a flip. Another $3 for a tindy grab

Foote · Outlaw Joined: 23 May 2005 Posts: 190 City: Richmond

Andrew Adkison told me Mastercraft pays him enough to cover payments on both of his houses and he gets a new x-star every year so thats probably a good chunk of his income.

jpk · Outlaw Joined: 07 Aug 2005 Posts: 215 City: Redmond

Most of the pros have side jobs as instructors too, don't they? It's not huge money, but it probably gives them spending dough.

Thomas P. · Addict Joined: 16 Feb 2003 Posts: 717

a pro's boat has nothing to do with their income. Boat companies can not only provide their best riders with new boats every year but sell them as "(insert legit respectable pro's name)'s 2004/5/6etc make&model boat he personally used" provided it has not been trashed or sunk, for close to the cost of a new boat. then the boat company doesn't lose a lot of money in the process.

timmy · Addict Joined: 18 Jun 2003 Posts: 882 City: Jupiter, FL

rich parents

mplv · Newbie Joined: 09 Oct 2005 Posts: 46

parks myspace says over 250k

wakeboarder89 · Addict Joined: 15 Jun 2003 Posts: 637

mplv, so does mine.

thane_dogg · Outlaw Joined: 24 Jan 2003 Posts: 187 City: Corona

Se7en · Posted: Jun 04, 2006 9:36 am Post subject:

Ben Greenwood makes a decent chunk of change, I'm not going to say exactly how much because he asked me not to, but he lives pretty comfortably on just wakeboarding alone. Of course he's also got The WBC to help with his salary. Personally, I'd be shocked is Parks (Arguably the largest name in the sport) made more than 50k/year.

scott a · Ladies Man Joined: 13 Jan 2003 Posts: 9810

bjr · Newbie Joined: 07 Sep 2005 Posts: 35 City: St. Louis

I sat next to Dallas Friday today at summerfest, she is by no means a big baller

shadowfox · Outlaw Joined: 28 Jun 2005 Posts: 156 City: N Tex

Well, If you have your house, car and boat paid for, plus you get your travel expenses paid for 30K is alot of money. Think about all the stuff they get or gets paid for. take Adkison...

Houses Paid for
Boat Paid for
Car ???
Travel Expenses including Air, hotel and food - paid for
Clothes paid for - well the casual and play stuff

That is alot not to have to pay for. 30K before incentives, and tourny wins is a decent amount to live on.

Plus think all the hookups they get.

freerider4 · Posted: Jun 05, 2006 11:11 pm Post subject:

shadowfox last time I checked I was pretty sure the pros paid for there houses unless contractors are sponsoring wakeboarders now.

Rocket · Outlaw Joined: 11 Jun 2004 Posts: 127

I heard form a friends brothers girlfriends hairdressers other customer who once fell in a lake that they make a ten digit sum and get a free pass into heaven from the big man! Mr. Green

Se7en · Posted: Jun 06, 2006 5:33 am Post subject:

Bambamski · Posted: Jun 06, 2006 8:58 am Post subject:

I think there's a coupld riders in the industry that make over a 100k wakeboarding. Maybe 7-10, that maybe high? Other than that they're getting a free board, some gas money and some t-shirts and sandles. If you want your kid to strike it rich in sports, Wakboarding is not it I'm thinking.

If you want to stick with the boarding theme, snow boarding. There hast to be 500 times the amount of cash in that sport

BoarderX · Posted: Jun 06, 2006 12:11 pm Post subject:

Well its a pretty privileged sport to begin with you have to admit... Not all of them, but a fair majority of the pros grew up living in a house that was either on or right next to a lake they could ride on everyday. Which is how many of them got to where they are now in the first place. Some make some pretty fat cash between sponsors, instructors, and selling their free gear to good friends Wink

But half of them could quit and live off their parents anyways.. I'll probably get flamed for saying it, but that seems to be the case a lot. And to those who came up from nothing and found a way to get pulls until they could get sponsored without mommy and daddys money, I got mucho respect.

jpk · Outlaw Joined: 07 Aug 2005 Posts: 215 City: Redmond

It's probably comparable to golf, only not as much money. There are mabye 10 pros that make mad money, and the rest just get some free gear and whatever they can pick up from tournament wins and giving lessons.

CDawg · Outlaw Joined: 29 Jul 2005 Posts: 130 City: Bellevue

Rhawn · Posted: Jun 26, 2006 6:59 am Post subject:

jamesriver-rider · Posted: Jun 26, 2006 11:00 am Post subject:

ozwest · Outlaw Joined: 13 Jun 2006 Posts: 112

I guess my question would be...

How many of the Pros started out with hardly any money and didn't use their parents' money, etc.? Just wondering...let me know if you know of any rags to riches riders out there. I'd be curious to see if there are any.

jpminter · Posted: Jun 26, 2006 11:07 am Post subject:

Rhawn · Posted: Jun 26, 2006 1:18 pm Post subject:

According to the WB magazine article a few months back he is.

bamboo · Newbie Joined: 23 Jan 2006 Posts: 29

OK.... well, to put it into perspective...

There was some statistic I read last year that Friday was the first female Extreme sports athlete to make over a million in a year. Now, that's gross of course, although I'm not sure how much expenses she could probably have.