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before anything spend a good month on ns finding out all about skiing and where its at becuz ur new and itll help you alot. As for the sponsership, 11 is too young but keep working at it and yea unless your mad claiming your set for life. make a video next season and we can help you even more.
well u have some work to do, theres a crew at pc there all like between the ages of 9 and 13
and there stompin corks rodeos and 450's off,
Sponsorship Info
Norco Sponsorship information
We figured we'd take a second and map out a good strategy on how to get sponsored for all those of you who are looking. This is all drawn from our own experience, combined with what we've seen work for other people.
Before you even THINK of anything in the sponsorship world, you have to have a plan. Companies aren't just going to see you out riding one day and hook you up with a bike because you can rip it up or huck big. What are your goals with sponsorship? Why do you feel you NEED a sponsor? What do you think you can do for a sponsor?
See, sponsorship is a two-way street. Many companies, including Norco, rely on their team members to provide valuable feedback on parts and bikes, and that's where you come in. What makes you more sponsorable than anyone else?
It's always good if you have goals, like winning the BC Cup DH circuit in your category for instance. Without goals, it will be very hard for a sponsor to understand what it is you're looking to accomplish. You need to show that you know what it takes to succeed. A preliminary event schedule is a good start.
You must also take as second and question why you want a sponsor. If you're just looking to impress your buddies by saying you're on a team, forget it. Companies don't sponsor riders to boost egos. If you're just looking for a deal on a bike, get a job at a shop. This will be easier. If you're looking for a partner that will help you achieve your riding goals by taking away some of the hassle associated with the financial and logistical mess that riders can find themselves in, and you want to make a difference in the products a company offers, keep reading, you're on the right track.
Sponsorship is not a free ride. It's a job.
You must also understand the concept of sponsorship. It is a commitment. When you are sponsored, you are representing a company and all its products. When you are in public, you are expected to present yourself professionally and do everything possible to make your sponsor's products look amazing. This sometimes just means stopping to talk to curious riders trailside. You have to represent first and foremost. To get a company interested in you, a resume of race results and riding accomplishments is always a good idea.
Freeriding sponsorship is a little more difficult. While there are very few actual freeride events (and these are usually by invite only) you must really show that you are someone special. Riding in the Lower Mainland of BC, this is especially difficult, as the level of freeriding here is so far above average.
The thing that separates one freerider from another is exposure. Have you been in films? Have you set up photo shoots with photographers? Have you submitted your photos for posting successfully? A successful freerider not only rides the big lines, but does so for film. You have to get out there and make yourself known BEFORE companies start throwing stuff at you.
Now, the actual nuts and bolts of GETTING sponsored is another story. Before you do anything, call the company you're considering and ask who is in charge of sponsorship. Get the correct spelling of their name and their position within the company. This is NOT when you want to speak to them directly, though. Usually the people who run the teams have other super-important stuff to do at the company and only have limited time each day to spend on team issues. Talking to them on the phone will waste their time and yours.
The next step is to sell yourself. Get all your race results together (or just the highlights if you've been racing a while) with any press clippings, TV exposure, video footage and action shots of you and put together a written proposal. Without something in writing delivered to a sponsor's door, your quest is hopeless. If you just fire off a three-line email, it'll be trashed with all the other junk. Ya, that's cold, but it's reality. Sponsorship is a big commitment, and you have to show a team manager that you can make a commitment. This proposal is usually the only chance you have to make a good impression.
In your proposal, talk about what you have done in the past and what you intend to do in the upcoming year. You must show that your goals are attainable by supporting them with your past results, as well as mapping out training and/or event schedules. If you've finished mid-pack in Junior Sport DH for 3 years straight, the odds of your first senior year being spent on top of the national DH podium are pretty slim. If you sincerely think you can do it, show what training you intend to do. To achieve this goal, find a plan and present it, then be prepared to back it up.
Most important every step of the way though, is professionalism. Sponsors don't only look at your results. They look at you as another ambassador for their products. If you act like a jerk in public, mouthing off or kicking puppies, you will not get sponsored. This especially applies to your conduct if you've crashed out of a race, and even when you're not suited up. People need to respect you, and being a jerk in a chat room or out on the trails somewhere will likely not bode well. Sponsors would rather support the nice guy who finished third than the idiot who won.
Also, make sure every piece of written communication between you and a potential team manager is spelled 100% correctly. Read it over several times and have someone else check it? If a manager sees that you can't even take the time to spell correctly, how are they going to have confidence in you arriving to events on time, being prepared and representing them properly? The easiest way to get a request ignored is to write a letter asking for "sponsorship".
The key to getting sponsorship is marketing. What have you done that makes you a more vital candidate than anyone else? Approach it like a job interview. There are thousands of people looking for the sponsorship hookup. What makes you better than them? Sell yourself.
Also, don't get bummed if you don't get the hookup first year. Sponsorship is something you work toward, and it usually takes time to build your rep.
Norco's Nitty Gritty Team Info
Now, as for Norco's team sponsorship, there are a couple of routes you can take. While we are known for supporting riders at the national and local level, a lot of our non-factory riders ride through the Grassroots sponsorship program we set up through our dealers.
If you are a local riding favorite, and your talent has yet to get noticed on the race circuit or any other trails, Norco's Grassroots program is your best bet. It'll get you on a Norco bike with a huge discount of the regular price and a Grassroots jersey. OK, so maybe it's not a six-figure salary, but everybody has to start somewhere.
Here's the official skinny on Norco's Grassroots sponsorship program:
Norco's Grassroots program
At this time of year we receive many requests for sponsorship. Amongst those requests are questions about our grassroots program and how it operates. Hopefully the information supplied below will clarify how it works and enable you to get your grassroots applications into the right hands sooner. It will save you time in the application process as sending them directly to Norco only delays things as we do not handle grassroots sponsorship from our main office here in Port Coquitlam, BC.
Our Grassroots programs are run through Norco reps and Norco dealers right across the country. It is the decision of the individual rep or the manager at the dealer to determine the level of support they can offer a rider. The degrees of grassroots sponsorship vary. Some shops are able to sponsor riders doing both cross-country and downhill, some not. It really depends on what your relationship is with that particular shop. If you are unfamiliar with the Norco dealers in your area, go to the dealer locator on our web site. This will start you in the right direction.
A grassroots deal is the best way to work your way to start up through the "rungs" of sponsorship. It helps you understand the two-way street of sponsorship and better familiarizes you with Norco Performance Bikes as a company.
Being an excellent ambassador for the sport of mountain biking and for Norco on any grassroots program will serve you well, in the event that you one day apply for a position on the Norco Factory Team. Activities like helping out with trail maintenance days, teaching clinics, working with kids, all while promoting our bikes, is much more valuable to us than simply hucking yourself off of a 40-ft. cliff. Although we obviously appreciate talented bike handlers. Our bikes wouldn't be where they are without team rider feedback and testing.
The requirements for being sponsored involve being personable, accessible, approachable and positive. You should plan your approach to your local dealer with a clear plan as to what you will do for them and how you will go about doing it. This plan should somehow show a dealer or rep how it will be beneficial to you and to them to work together in your quest for support. If you just want free equipment, think again.
Norco's Factory Team programs
The Norco Factory Team is selected each year from the hundreds of resumes we receive starting in August. There is no specific formula for what level of support any one rider is going to get. Rest assured, almost every Norco rider has a source of money that has nothing to do with Norco. Most Norco riders are not living off their sponsorship. We sponsor one of the largest, most visible teams in Canada, and we do so by giving a lot of talented riders support. If we didn't spread our budget out the way we do, we figure a lot of riders would suffer by not getting the support they deserve. The riders on the Factory Team don't have to worry about their bikes or equipment, so they can just pay attention to their riding. If you're serious about riding on the Factory Team, odds are we've already heard of you, or after we get your proposal we'll be asking, "Hey, who's this guy/gal?".
If you apply and don't get the thumbs-up for this year, use that beautiful proposal that you put together and with a few small changes hit up a dealer for the Grassroots program. Work hard at your exposure and results to make the cut next year. It's all about improving your riding and meeting your goals, and we'd love to be able to help any way we can.
