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Feature - Sponsors wanted

The life of a professional athlete/billboard

Winter is whispered of. The turkey sale a-gobbling. The Buyers Guides have hit the shelves. It’s time to start thinking about Very Important Things. Like, what boards are you buying this season? And, how do you budget for the season pass, the rent hike, the bike you’re still paying off AND deck yourself out for winter?

What you need is a sponsor.

Well, here’s the bad news, baby.

If you’re just starting to think now about how you can line up some free gear, you’ve missed the boat and are standing on the wrong dock. But it’s never too early to hitch a ride on the Midnight Express, the Gravy Train of Life as a Sponsored Athlete. Start planning for next year.

Whistler is HQ for pro-athletes. They head out of the valley on secret missions – photo shoots in Spain, guiding trips in Argentina, a filming stint in Bella Coola, trade shows in Las Vegas. In Whistler’s glory days, they’d swing by the Southside Deli on their way back into town, and there, their swag was as good a currency as any other. There’s still a black-market in traded swag. Everyone seems to know someone who’s hooked up with a pro-deal.

Just being in Whistler is going to open doors, right?

Wrong.

One locally based sales rep says Whistler is a very difficult place for sponsorship opportunities. "Everyone here thinks they’re a superstar. They just want to be given free stuff. They don’t realize it’s a job. Don’t realize they have to bring some value back to the table."

Arc’teryx’s Athlete Manager, John Irvine, echoes the idea that the overconcentration of athletes in Whistler makes it harder for people who live here to get sponsorship. "We already have so many athletes centred in the West Coast of Canada, whereas in Colorado, which is an equally important market for us, we only have two or three athletes. So I need to concentrate on other areas where my reps need more help."

Manager of the Adult Ski School at Whistler Blackcomb, Otto Kamstra, comments that being in Whistler can be a disadvantage to ski pros looking to be hooked up with sponsorship deals. "Sponsorship for ski pros, first of all, depends on where you are in the country. If you live in Ontario and are a Level 3, you’ve got a good chance of picking up an equipment sponsor. The full deal – skis, boots, bindings, poles, gloves, goggles. But here, there are a lot of Level 4s who can’t find a sponsor. You need to have put more time in the business. Companies want to see that you have a higher than average profile."

This isn’t going to be as easy as I thought.

Pro skier Cara Dolan brings me even further down to earth. "Five years ago, companies would sponsor handfuls of talented skiers just to get their name associated with the new skiing movement. However more and more, companies have narrowed their focus to athletes who have an impact on the ski and snowboard market. Gone are the days when a company would simply sponsor athletes because they ‘rip’.  Athletes need to be in a position to represent and promote their sponsor’s products on and off the hill."

Companies typically have a multi-tiered hierarchy within their talent stable. Tier 1 athletes are the celebrities. The rock stars. The disciples of NOW. They generate their own buzz. You know their names – that’s the whole point. By associating with them, with their image, the bigger brand gains street credibility. It’s the Michael Jordan/Nike symbiosis. It’s no secret that between them, CEO Phil Knight, and walking billboard Michael Jordan, were grossing more than the GDP of the countries where Nike’s factories were actually making the product. It was a synergy that turned Nike into a global sportswear company and Jordan into a 24-hour commodity, grossing $100 million a year. Image sells. People are more willing to fork out cash for a dream than for a pair of shoes, a jacket, a skateboard. It’s never actually about the shoes.

Local marketing executive, Shawn Owens, explains: "From a marketing point of view, what a company is going to look for in an athlete is a solid background in the sport. They will become a marketing platform for a company. Are the athletes poster athletes? The athlete’s value comes out as a testimonial. Testimonials sell products."

Pro-skier, Lee Anne Patterson definitely fits the "poster athlete" bill. Her image has appeared in countless magazines, poster spreads and films. Patterson still does some guiding, and coaches ski camps. At the Rossland Women Ski Camps, the demographic tends to be younger than the typical ski camp, and Patterson says, "I’ve definitely had women in their late teens/early 20s coming up and saying, I saw this picture of you in a mag and I’m superstoked to ski with you."

Images sell. According to Powder magazine editor, Steve Metcalf. "At Powder, images are paramount. If an athlete works hard with good photographers and creates spell-binding images, they will naturally be put in front of the public eye. Anyone can get in our pages if they are skiing well and someone clicks a tack-sharp image."

Working with a photographer to get some images splashed across the magazines is one of the keys to the kingdom. Finding a photographer willing to go out with you may take a little more ingenuity. Snowboard and skate companies recommend making a short video of your best stunts, but end up wading through a lot of long, boring videos from guys who suck. Local photographers end up dodging a lot of wanna-be’s who are anxious to accompany them on a shoot.

The home video, though, remains one of the aspiring pro-rider’s best tools. Rex Thomas, who exclusively wears his sponsors’ gear on and off the hill, got started this way. "When I originally thought that I might be good enough to be a sponsored athlete, I went at it full throttle," he explains. "I took the outlook that I was going after a job that I really wanted. First off, I made a resume containing personal info, goals, skiing background and some photos, and of course, competition results. I coupled that with a short video that I had put together that my friends and I had shot over the previous winter." Thomas now rides for Atomic, "w" Helmets, Scott USA, Jib Culture, Comor and Kuu.

"Competition is another way for an athlete to gain media credibility," explains Metcalf, citing Squamish-based Aleisha Cline as an example.

Cara Dolan, cites competition as her access point: "When I was getting started in the ski industry I competed on the IFSA World and North American Tours and had some podium standings which helped get my name out there. Then I began doing skiercrosses and helped Rossignol launch the RPMs (their skiercross specific ski)."

Dolan is now on a photo incentive with her sponsors (Rossignol, Rip Curl, Zeal Optics, and Leedom Helmets), and keeps a profile through guiding, freelance writing and making television and film appearances.

Photo credits and competition results are the way you become a tier 2 sponsored athlete, an "up and comer". But good results alone are not always enough.

Lee Anne Patterson is one of a select group of athletes who not only receives product, but earns enough from her sponsors to make a year-around living wage, but it’s been a long process.

"I went from getting free product, to earning a little bit of money, to actually making enough to live on."

Patterson’s versatility as an athlete has held her in good stead – but the doors haven’t always been swinging wide and welcoming. She recollects, "Aleisha Cline and I were sponsored at one time by a Canadian clothing company which no longer exists. We competed at the 2001 US Nationals IFSA finals, and it was us and Jen Ashton and we finished 1, 2, 3. The marketing manager of that line was at the competition. We had this podium finish and Aleisha and I asked if the company would do some ads with us, co-operatively build our image. He looked at us point blank and said that he appreciated how talented we were, but he’d never do an ad with us. The two of us didn’t have enough sex appeal."

For a lot of companies, though, a sex-kitten image is not as important as being inspiring in what you do, and professional in the way you handle yourself.

Shawn Owens explains the marketing rationale: "What the athletes have to take into consideration is that it is not just wearing the gear but it is a job. If they are top in their sport and don't have the tools of being well spoken, well groomed and professional then they will only get to a certain level of sponsorship."

As a sponsored athlete with Head/Tyrolia, Mountain Hardware, Uvex and Leki, Lee Anne Patterson has enjoyed a longevity that has surprised her, and her professional attitude is an obvious key.

"I never thought about it lasting a long time," she explains. "I thought that I was super fortunate for this to be happening and allowing me to do what I wanted. I was thankful for what was going on, and I thought about trying to give back, give the sponsors what they wanted. I love the sport, I love skiing. I think professionalism and being an ambassador comes if you’re doing it for the right reasons. People can see you really love it. Bottom line, the sponsors want you to turn other people on to the sport."

Powder’s Steve Metcalf reiterates this: "Companies want ambassadors. Not only do you have to be the best at something in your genre and gender, but you also have to be really nice. Humility goes a long way. Long-time Whistlerites such as Mike Douglas, Shane Szocs, and Rob Boyd are still respected because of their athletic ability – they're still sponsored because of their fantastic personalities."

Being sponsored is a good deal for the athlete. They get paid to do what they love – in exchange, they’re asked to attend trade shows, do a couple of photo shoots, appear in some filming. But is there a price to pay when you become a walking advertisement?

"Am I a walking billboard?" Patterson laughs. "Well, that’s a good question. Yes and No. To a certain degree, I do feel like I am, but that’s what I’ve agreed to do. It’s something I’ve decided I’m willing to do for the people that sponsor me. The sponsors I have right now, I believe in. I think they make really good product. So I don’t have a problem endorsing them. And it gives me a chance to do the stuff that I really want to do.

"For me, I definitely have to like the product. You might think there are certain changes that would improve a product, but you often get to have input into the way things are made or designed. The company will take your input. In the whole industry, every company makes really good stuff. But things can always get a little bit better. That’s the other part of your job, to figure out how to improve it."

The sponsored athlete essentially provides three things to their sponsor: they influence consumer opinion, they act as the on-the-ground interface with the market, and they field test.

Arc’teryx’s John Irvine explains: "Definitely, there is a component of field-testing in what our sponsored athletes are doing. They have a significant impact in the way products are brought to market, and they work seriously with our designers, providing input. Those athletes are the ones that have a lot of initiative and drive. Some athletes, you send them some product two-three times a year, and you don’t hear much from them. Some, you hear back on every single thing, comments about the fabric, the design, the comfort etc. That is really valuable. And I reward that."

Patterson explains the thrill of seeing what goes on on the other side of the company’s walls. "When you get involved with a company that is making this kind of outdoor gear, the more people you meet throughout the company, the more you realize they all have this level of passion for making gear that echoes the level of passion I have for the sports that I do. So any little piece of information is important to them. The industry itself is kind of cool, because you meet a lot of people who are really absorbed in what they’re doing and want to do it well."

As a sponsored athlete, if you want to move through the ranks and have some longevity in your career, you need to appreciate that you are part of a marketing team. But you’re only a small part. Acr’teryx devotes 15 per cent of their marketing budget to the athletes, and otherwise focuses on media advertising, reviews with journalists, catalogues, Web sites.

Relationship building is the key for a tier 3 athlete. You’re not likely to become a recognizable name, except within a niche market, say, as a mountain guide, as a ski pro, as a snowboard coach. You build relationships with fellow-industry-professionals, retailers and sales representatives, the governing body, and your clients. By living the lifestyle, as a professional, coming into contact with a lot of people, having a client base, you can exert a different kind of influence. This impact-related athlete is in a position to directly recommend product.

The trend towards retail sponsorship is the best option for a lot of Whistler locals wanting a pro-deal. Most of the town’s outlets have incentive programs to collaborate with athletes who will help them establish a customer base, who have an influence over consumers’ spending habits. As one ski pro and entrepreneur quips, "If you have a good number of loyal clients willing to throw down $600 a day to ski with you then you should have no problem getting them to spend that on equipment."

If you’re not comfortable with the sales aspect that comes with a pro-deal, your options of a free ride are pretty slim. Consider getting a job in retail and hoping for some decent staff perks, being strategic about who you sleep with (a single photographer is a good catch), or asking your local grower to sponsor you. (After all, they’ve always got cash to move).

Guys might contemplate having a sex change.

Patterson is frank about the different opportunities that exist seeking sponsorship as a woman. "Well, I’m glad I’m not a guy. I think there are fewer opportunities for women, but the opportunities that exist are better. Which makes sense – it probably represents the numbers in adventure sports. It’s more competitive for guys because there are so many performing at a really high level. For them to be that one step ahead, to be the one who gets the support, it’s not that they have to work harder to get it, I think we work just as hard as they do, but we might not have as much competition to get through."

Perhaps one of the best things about being sponsored, apart from all the free swag, is the implied endorsement of your chosen lifestyle. As Dolan says, "Being sponsored can definitely give athletes a greater career viability because you are being recognized and in a way justified for your chosen lifestyle. If a big brand name believes in you enough to have you represent their product you must be doing something right."

Her advice to up and coming riders looking for a sponsorship gig? "Make sure you have something to offer a company that is either impact or image related."

The bottom line is that being a sponsored athlete is a job. Competition is fierce. (Colorado looks good.) Craft your own brand. Build up your resume. Network. Be a legend, but be nice about it. And remember, there’s only room for so many rock stars in the green room.

See you at the turkey sale.



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