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Clear line between pro or am?

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h_bar
Posts: 1611 - Karma: 506
I know that in skating there are a very clear line wheternot your a pro or a am. Its like, everyone know about Ryan Sheckler and Simon Dumont, obviosly they are pro. But what about some years ago when only people with special interests knew about Tom Wallisch and Mike Mo Capaldi? Mike turned pro last year, but i down know about Tom.

sparknotes: When can you call yourself a pro in skiing?


please dont make this a thread about sponsorships.
May 1 2009 6:59AM
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Silence
Posts: 16030 - Karma: 149
When skiing is responsible for being your predominant source of income.
May 1 2009 7:00AM
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jeppenator
Posts: 299 - Karma: 2,681

well.. when you skii all the big comps like "Dew Tour", "Joss", "Winterjam", "X-games" and all of those i think you can be considerd a pro!

Someone who is pro can ski all season without working, they get cash for skiing? then they start to appear in skimovies and magazines too.

TOM is defenatly pro, he hase come a long way since his superunknown edit back in 07!

May 1 2009 7:03AM
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shea.
Posts: 1606 - Karma: 193
the lines are alot blurrier than they used to be, obviously, like 5 years ago there were say 10 huge pros and then all these young kids that were coming up but just wernt quite there, now its awesome that there are so many ams and young kids that can keep up with the pros. i think the blurrier the line becomes the better, more pros means larger diversity of styles, more edits being made, means more kids being stoked on skiing. ide like to see skiing go where skateboarding has gone, there are street skaters, and vert skaters, the big jumpers like danny way, but even in street skating there are so many different styles that there will be so many smaller niches and every1 will have such a different style to the next kid, hope that all made sense..
May 1 2009 7:10AM
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Silence
Posts: 16030 - Karma: 149
^ where do you draw the line between pro and am though?
May 1 2009 7:57AM
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whistlerpow
Posts: 115 - Karma: 10

thats fuckin dope

May 1 2009 8:02AM
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shea.
Posts: 1606 - Karma: 193
why do you need a line? why the diff between pros and ams?
May 1 2009 8:05AM
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Silence
Posts: 16030 - Karma: 149
^ Only that it was the topic of discussion
May 1 2009 8:33AM
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strongmark
Posts: 3278 - Karma: 883
the reason that it is so cut and dry with skateboarding is that "going pro" means getting a pro model skateboard, which translates to getting a cut of board sales.  skiing aint the same.
May 1 2009 11:07AM
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chewy15
Posts: 674 - Karma: 60
ye
May 1 2009 11:20AM
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Greenish
Posts: 2047 - Karma: 367
getting paid a salary from sponsors? like not just photo/video incentive, but just straight annual salary
May 1 2009 12:04PM
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DutchhGutss
Posts: 896 - Karma: 124
Competitions where you can enter as a pro and sponserships that pay your ways in a lot of different trips, ect.
May 1 2009 12:07PM
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KapitolPhoto
Posts: 1392 - Karma: 3,025

Pretty much says it all.

I think the line becomes blurred when people begin to look at the amount of "influence" a skier has on the scene and adds that into the equation which can make it a bit confusing.

But when looking at income and it as a job, then I think its all in the semantics of the word "professional."

May 1 2009 12:43PM
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[~_~]
Posts: 20239 - Karma: 1,273
professional = payroll, travel budget, comp pay

am = travel budget, comp pay

it varies from company to company, of course.
May 1 2009 12:57PM
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steezemunkey
Posts: 99 - Karma: 16
Pro = Name in orange on NS
May 1 2009 2:17PM
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*Nefarious*
Posts: 1072 - Karma: 4,208
In the Winter 2007 edition of SKEEZE magazine that K2 puts out, Pep Fujas wrote an awesome article on this subject. here's a little snippet...

"The amateur level in individual-driven sports like surfing or skateboarding begins when an athlete is named to a company's flow team team and ends when he or she is named to a company's pro team. In skiing, the level is vague and without definition- I know, because though I'm now officially a "pro," I was never officially an "am." ... (Pep Fujas)

basically i consider someone a professional skier when they are making money from skiing. not just getting a little money (cuz in this day and age "ams" get $$), but actually MAKING money
May 1 2009 2:19PM
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dowalibeast
Posts: 3339 - Karma: 207
ha ha no.
May 1 2009 2:41PM
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Nico_G
Posts: 1480 - Karma: 15
I think basically what everyone else said how the professional is exactly that, someone whose made it their profession to ski and make money off that. I think anyone whose making money is a professional although some may be bigger than others and the ones who only make that money off skiing are the real professionals. Jon is an example of a professional whom makes a good amount of money off his own skiing but also has other jobs such as the goggle company and all his other products.

I think skiing is soo cool in that sense how the amateurs can be just as good as the big name pros. It seems like almost anyone who puts in a good amount of time into skiing and progressing themselves can become good and be at the top of the sport. Bobby Brown is a good example of that cause he jumped onto the scene this year huge and got invited to JOI which was sick when last year he was just another kid lapping Brecks Park. All the super unknown kids im sure have some sort of sponserships now and will probably be the next generation of professional skiers when the older ones stop filming.


 just my 2 cents/
May 1 2009 2:42PM
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K.C.Deane
Posts: 1730 - Karma: 315
NO way, I know alot of guys, that ski all winter, but then work there ass off all summer long so they can ski in the winter.  Shit look at guys like chaz, he rides for DC and is one of the top snowboarders, what does he do in the summer? he works his ass off, plumbing, construction whatever.

I think that to be considered a pro it would be nice to say skiing is predominantly your main source of income ,  but how can it be considered that if your scraping by living off unemployment.  I dont think the line of being pro is when you are making a living soley from skiing, and you dont work any other jobs.
I think there are only a handful, or a few handfuls of skiiers in the world doing so and there are definetly more pros in skiing than just a handful or so.   O'Connell just referred to skiing as" oversatured with pro skiers" , so if thats the case where are all these "pros" making all this money.
May 1 2009 2:49PM
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Holte
Posts: 10730 - Karma: 7,744
I think someone's status on a team can be a deciding factor, in certain uses of the word pro. For instance, "he's the new Surface pro" or "he's the local pro."
May 1 2009 3:32PM
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Brock.
Posts: 5698 - Karma: 1,327
very well said
May 1 2009 3:44PM
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eheath
Posts: 61107 - Karma: 118,280
When you make enough money to support yourself without any other income, then you are pro.
May 1 2009 5:23PM
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sklermang
Posts: 2981 - Karma: 1,953
my friend's a pro.
May 1 2009 5:32PM
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The_Future
Posts: 1418 - Karma: 607
I would have to say that a Pro would number one have to be on a Company's pro team.... also they would be getting at least a full product sponsorship if not money.  They would be competing at high level competitions and getting exposure in professional films and magazines.  An AM would be one who gets product sponsorships and competes in smaller local events and may get some exposure in amatuer flims.
May 1 2009 6:31PM
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