Getting sponsored

C omplete W acko B oarder · Newbie Joined: 10 Jan 2004 Posts: 42 City: Dublin

I just got back from the biggest comp in my country (me no1) and i was wonderin what the deal on sponsorship. I know in USA sponsors come up to you and stuff(correct m if im wrong) thing is there isnt really any sponsors here.

But i heard of this guy(13) who wrote to hyperlite in england tellin them bout himself and now hes sponsored by them. have anyone ever heard of that sorta thing?

midwest wake · Addict Joined: 13 Oct 2003 Posts: 629 City: Middleton

i don't think a sponcer would come up to you unless you are rediculsly good.

i think brian grubb the wakeskater got sponcered by hyperlite by writing them a letter and sending them a picture.

WakeBoardingManiac · Addict Joined: 12 Jan 2003 Posts: 914 City: Montréal

Well, yeah, you can send em a video of you or whatnot, but it's preferrable to just waut and get noticed...

And really, just change that sig of yours... Just plain bad

C omplete W acko B oarder · Newbie Joined: 10 Jan 2004 Posts: 42 City: Dublin

i didnt know it was optional

midwest wake · Addict Joined: 13 Oct 2003 Posts: 629 City: Middleton

WakeBoardingManiac, it has a more sentimental meaning than you probably thought of. i think only one person on this site knows.

WakeBoardingManiac · Addict Joined: 12 Jan 2003 Posts: 914 City: Montréal

Hum do I know you? His sig was simply a rip-off of an ad is WBM with parks in it, so it simply made him a prey for parks haters...

Mike.H · Posted: Aug 22, 2004 1:59 pm Post subject:

brian grubb sent hyperlite a photo of him going off a kicker and now look...

midwest wake · Addict Joined: 13 Oct 2003 Posts: 629 City: Middleton

i've had this signature for a seveal months. a that saying in an ad makes no sense.

WakeBoardingManiac · Addict Joined: 12 Jan 2003 Posts: 914 City: Montréal

I said in HIS sig, and it was 'The one who wins gets the most phone numbers' and it was in an ad in wbm just this month

Bruky · Guest

You can get sponsored by a boardshop/dealership. Tell them you are interested and they will ussually take you, if not you take them, out and show them your stuff. You don't have to be a full factory/sell out/centerfold/front page of WBM wake sponsored rider to get free stuff.

HyPeDwAkE · Posted: Aug 22, 2004 5:39 pm Post subject:

Thats what I think I am going to do, what Bruky said, when I get bette and can do tricks.

Liquid*Force*Rider · Posted: Aug 22, 2004 7:35 pm Post subject:

Just send in a resume like you would to get a job but with all your wakeboard tricks and history

and PIC/VIDEO

Bruky · Guest

I think they are more interested in how you will show off and advertise their product rather than if you can stick a 900. They want to use you as a tool. I dont think a resume will really help too much.

I went into the shop and simply asked if they needed any good advertising. I said if they hooked me up with some gear, I would wear their dealership's t-shirts and run their stickers. Pretty easy stuff. No contract either which I think is good because I'm not stuck to anything and I don't feel comfortable officially signing myself over to someone.

Liquid*Force*Rider · Posted: Aug 23, 2004 8:30 pm Post subject:

Bruky that is what that are looking for

C omplete W acko B oarder · Newbie Joined: 10 Jan 2004 Posts: 42 City: Dublin

Brit Rider · Posted: Aug 27, 2004 1:02 pm Post subject:

C omplete W acko B oarder, Hey Man, what comp was this? Wakestock in abersoch? the nationals??

Basically if you are at the comps and came first.. i'm amazed you aren't already sponsored.

Can we get some more details? who are you are where do you ride?

Theres loads of sponsorship going in the UK and Ireland... but if you can only do a tweaked method i find it hard to believe you won any major comps (not dissing your boarding at all, but i'd like to know which comps you have attended), after all.. their are some seriously good riders in Ireland.

Fill me and and maybe we can find you something....

Mike
Sales and Marketing Manager
Wakeboard Towers UK
www.wakeboardtowers.co.uk

Tyler~Moore · Posted: Aug 27, 2004 2:19 pm Post subject:

Brit Rider, who said that was his best trick? his profile sayd fav trick, not best

Brit Rider · Posted: Aug 28, 2004 12:45 am Post subject:

Thats fair enough, I'd jsut like to know a bit more. We run quite a large amount of sponsoship thru the UK - and so do many others... its strange that someone winning major comps hasn't been picked up.

Tyler~Moore · Posted: Aug 28, 2004 4:54 pm Post subject:

Brit Rider, I hear ya, maybe its major to him. like...a mojor local comp or something, ya know?

rekyn1 · Criminal Joined: 28 Aug 2004 Posts: 59 City: Reston

Tyler~Moore

Tyler -

where do you ride on the ol fort nasty? live close to jeff house?

Brit Rider · Posted: Aug 29, 2004 3:19 am Post subject:

Tyler~Moore, Yeah, proabably

C omplete W acko B oarder, My advice is - Keep going big and doing all the comps you can. you WILL get picked up. I am at as many comps as i can be, and so are heaps of others that are also involved in the UK Wakeboard industry. it'll happen dude - just keep pushing! and if you can, head over to wakestock in abersoch north wales next year. and also some of the smaller comps at places like WM waterski near birmingham and JB and TV ski in surrey. Those are the places to be seen.

In Ireland, Get in touch with Jonny Crawford of Mastercraft Ireland, He knows a lot of people and is running coaching behind an X2 this year. He will be able to push your boarding in the right direction and help you out (if you don't already know him)

Good luck

Tyler~Moore · Posted: Aug 29, 2004 9:11 am Post subject:

rekyn1, Jeff is down in tellico and Im up in Turkey creek, prolly 30 minutes away by water...

roundbaywakeboard · Posted: Aug 29, 2004 10:00 am Post subject:

Yeah, the trick to getting sponsored is being polite and enthusiastic. I have 2 sponsors and I got them both by sending pictures, comp results etc.. Start the letter you write with the last name of who ever the potential sponsor might be. IE- "Dear Mr. Wakeboard"...not "Dear Chris Wakeboard". Make the letter formal and sound smart. If you sound personable then the company will think of you as an excelent way to get out to more people. Done deal! AIM me if you want to see the letters I wrote to my sponsors to use as an example...I'd be glad to help!

Adam Greer · Posted: Aug 29, 2004 10:44 am Post subject:

my experience is that if a sponser sees something in you they will get in contact with you. Both sponsers i had in the past came to me. The board shop i used to ride for just talked to me one day when i was in there. He said that he had noticed that a lot of people had started getting there stuff there b/c people saw me riding and new i got my stuff there and asked me to join his team. After that he hooked me up with a reef proform and out at the HL demo they had a rep was there and he asked me to be on proform after he saw me ride.
Be patcient, if you are ripin up the sceen people know about you. You don't need to send videos places Just ride for the fun of it, and things will happen.
Also the industry is a small place. Be loyal to the people that hook you up and don't jump around. If you are lucky enough to have more than one sponser looking at you (say for boards) and you have already made a commitment don't just back out of the deal you already got b/c another seems to have more potential.

Being sponsered definitely is cool, but don't forget about why you do what you do!
Unfortunately the boardshop i used to ride for fired the only cool guy that worked there and now the shop is going down hill. Needless to say i don't ride for them anymore. But all the hookups i had are gone. Luckly i have a really cool sponser and good friends at Southtown who have helped me out a lot.
Good luck man and keep riding hard and it will happen