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March, 2024

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Sponsorship questions and opinions

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Emersahn
Posts: 33 - Karma: 847
uh well im 12 years old and i sent my video to a couple small companies over about a months time and got no responses. does this mean im just not good enough or...?

This is my edit from spring break. which i sent to the companies. I've never really been told how good i am since im from michigan and dont get very much notice please just tell me what you think. thanks!
(i edited the video. the video didnt get very much attention either)


Apr 16 2013 11:55PM
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will_powder
Posts: 3194 - Karma: 5,445
Just keep progressing and making edits. Get your name out there. Enter contests and do well. Travel to bigger contests beyond just your home mountain. Show some originality and style. Show why you'll be a good representative for the company.
Apr 17 2013 12:01AM
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will_powder
Posts: 3194 - Karma: 5,445
And stop age claiming. No one likes an age claim.
Apr 17 2013 12:01AM
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bakerpunk
Posts: 884 - Karma: 1,125
no quad, no sponsor.
Apr 17 2013 12:03AM
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Poikenz
Posts: 1406 - Karma: 3,131
Just based on the fact that you said you don't get very much notice at your home mountain or on your video shows that no one is going to sponsor you. If no one cares for who you are no one is going to care to sponsor you, it is wasted money in their eyes, regardless of how good you ski. That is unless they see potential/ fame in the near future. How are you going to get word out about how awesome company x is if no one talks to you?
Apr 17 2013 12:11AM
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radish
Posts: 405 - Karma: 351
Don't just say you ski good and want to be sponsored. You need to do something to benefit the company.

You need to explain how you will help their company and how stoked you are on their gear. You might not get a full sponsor at first, maybe some kind of pro-form. But once you demonstrate how you will help them through contests and talking up their gear, maybe you will get more of a sponsorship.

Also film more/better shots and don't claim age so hard.

Just my two cents.
Apr 17 2013 12:13AM
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KingTaco
Posts: 2510 - Karma: 2,824
your day will come. you cant force it and itll feel like itll never happen. youll meet the right person when youre good enough and get hooked up
Apr 17 2013 12:13AM
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sugarman
Posts: 66 - Karma: 26
The sugarman's simple guide as to why you are not sponsored.

1. You are wearing a first drop suit. Sponsors probably already think they are hooking you up, same with the armada skis.

2. You look way older so they probably dont know how young you are. Probably should put your age at the beginning of the video.

3. Song was boring. People want a song that they remember, more profanity the better. Just look at "This Friday" shits huge already.

4. You are from Michigan so they may be concerned that you will want to continue skiing in Michigan even if they give you an awesome travel budget.

5. You should change your name to something catchier, i.e. Dash Kampe, or Sandy Boville. Something people will notice

6. Where are the fucking dubs? Start hitting bigger jumps and just send er, Not doing dubs makes you look like a pussy.

7. The edit is from breck, breck is the epitome of unsponsored ski bums who just smoke weed.

8. You need more weed smoking in the video, I know you are only 12 but that shits looks awesome in videos! Same with drinking beer, smashing bottles, or tying off to shoot up.

9. Do you have any gang or crew affiliations, get in with one of those trendy crews on NS. Something like YMR or Lmur, actually I am pretty sure I saw a thread about hoodcrew taking applications.

10. Sponsors dont like red, red makes you susceptible to random bull attacks, ski smart dont fuck with the bulls.

Good luck in your quest to self satisfaction!
Apr 17 2013 12:15AM
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Sklar
Posts: 8863 - Karma: 31,577
To get anywhere in skiing, be it on the skiing, media or business side you have to be super persistent and don't give up on your goal.


Before I get any deeper into it though, remember, skiing is fun and that's why we love it and try to make it more than just a sport/hobby. If that ever changes you should seriously reevaluate what you're doing.


That being said, you have to build your presence if you want to be sponsored, at the end of the day a company has to make money or they shut down, so it's all about what you can do for them.

To do that you can:
PUT OUT CONTENT! This means video, photo, trip reports, reviews anything! You HAVE to put your name out there and show people what you can do and get known.
Comps can be another good way to get your name out there, but aren't the only way.
Meet people/network. Introduces yourself to everyone, meet everyone, be socially active in the local scene. This is more of building your presence and getting your name out there.

From there all you can do is be persistent and motivated. Email everyone you can get your hands on, sometimes you just need to find the right person to talk to. Even if you don't get to the right people you can ask them to direct you the right way, and get your name out there. When cold calling(or emailing) you won't get responses a lot of the time, it sucks, it happens, keep pushing and keep sending those messages out, you never know when your break will come.

Good luck!
Apr 17 2013 12:33AM
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Miclovin
Posts: 1043 - Karma: 637
Ask splice
Apr 17 2013 12:40AM
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TimRiley
Posts: 1873 - Karma: 1,327

That's about as honest and nicely put as it gets.

Apr 17 2013 12:47AM
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suup
Posts: 1485 - Karma: 4,366
Your edit needs to be less boring try 70s rap also learn future spins so you have a gimmick ps not allot of company's sponcer 12 yr olds but keep at it mabey some day you'll be the next Tammy walnuts. Over all sick skiing
Apr 17 2013 12:48AM
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Blake.P
Posts: 9894 - Karma: 3,585
Unless you are some prodigy or insane skiing talent, a lot of what you get sponsored for us what you can bring to the company. Most would weather sponsor a decent skier that's always putting in the work, putting out edits, a d getting everybody else stoked on the product and skiing in general than somebody that is good but doesn't do anything for the company. Getting sponsored is not about what the company can do for you, but what you can do for the company
Apr 17 2013 1:22AM
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bnewbs6
Posts: 1919 - Karma: 1,462
At your age I think competing is the easiest way to get sponsored. If you get good, consistent results, a company will pick you up
Apr 17 2013 2:25AM
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Toaster-Tony
Posts: 3531 - Karma: 5,850
You're still young. Your glory days will come when you grow into your body, you'll have a shit ton of confidence and years more of experience. Be patient and do it because you love skiing.
Apr 17 2013 3:17AM
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EivindA.Holtet
Posts: 31 - Karma: 529
You must do backflips!
Apr 17 2013 9:52AM
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williams
Posts: 3083 - Karma: 9,070
You are a marketing tool. Make yourself marketable. Create value using your influence and skill in skiing.

Naturally, make a name for yourself (through video content) and companies will come to you. If your going out of your way looking for sponsors, your doing it wrong.
Apr 17 2013 10:06AM
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TristonHall
Posts: 194 - Karma: 564
Think about it, you good, although all you can do is like 3's and flat spins and best on rails is k-fed. Better than me. But not good enough for sponsors.























Bitch
Apr 17 2013 10:13AM
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first_rodeo
Posts: 2383 - Karma: 7,764

You are 12, I am 21    Chill out   you have your entire youth ahead of you.

Apr 17 2013 10:33AM
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milk_man
Posts: 5214 - Karma: 6,494
Companies will want someone who is different from everyone else. So do something that will set you apart. Just keep working on your own style
Apr 17 2013 1:40PM
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scarsimd
Posts: 668 - Karma: 773
send instead of sending the companies your edit, send them a bag of weed. it works every time and you will get literally hundreds of sponsors.
Apr 17 2013 1:51PM
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BoogieWoman
Posts: 408 - Karma: 664
Win some competitions and start putting our some more edits.

You're only 12, you've got all the time in the world. You may not think it now, but you have! Relax and enjoy yourself!
Apr 17 2013 1:56PM
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coldcuts69
Posts: 3718 - Karma: 1,890
holy fuck, just go skiing and have fun.

if you truly want to get sponsored, spend time learning new tricks and progressing, but dont rush it, if you have true talent and a unique style, companies will recognize you.

but really.

just go skiing.
Apr 17 2013 2:01PM
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Balbertt
Posts: 1585 - Karma: 4,723
Oh great another 12 year old that is good. Hate to break it to ya but saw a 9 year old doing dubs the other day. If anyone knows the video post it.
Apr 17 2013 3:03PM
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pjbagel
Posts: 94 - Karma: 555
This year I got sponsored by a couple of companies and I am by no means an expert on the matter but I can give you some advice:

Sending companies resumes and videos can work out but it is one of the slowest and hardest approaches to getting into the sponsorship world. These companies, no matter how small, receive thousands of requests a year so they frequently don't respond. THE ONLY WAY TO ENSURE CONTACT IS TO MEET A REP IN PERSON. I recommend going out and talking to all the companies tents on demon days and introducing yourself.

Hope this helps and remember that the people who are the worst at responding to emails are reps. They are really awful at it.
Apr 17 2013 3:06PM
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djensen
Posts: 56 - Karma: 69
*I'm. Companies love apostrophes. But honestly, you're doing great. Just get your name out there and keep getting better.
Apr 17 2013 3:37PM
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theabortionator
Posts: 51263 - Karma: 157,452
Best way to get sponsored is posting on ski forums like newschoolers. I'm hoping to get to 30k posts when I can get my first basic sponsorship from line. I think you need 100k posts to get a full sponsorship from any big companies.


It's a lot of work but if being a sponsored skier is your dream there's nothing else you can do.
Apr 17 2013 3:41PM
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SwitchMisty540
Posts: 1862 - Karma: 630
I'm a rep...all I can say is keep developing your skiing.  The fact that you are young is definitely to your advantage.  Groms who shred are in many ways more visible to the public eye than older cats and sometimes companies will latch onto them for that reason.  But I'll be honest, I know about 100 kids who are twelve or younger who can do just about everything in your edit.  What distinguishes you from them?  Beyond that, you have to ask yourself a few questions.

Why do you want to be sponsored?

Are you actually in a position where you can live up to your end of the deal if a company decides to hook you up?

Don't forget, sponsored riders have to ski a lot.  What's the point of hooking someone up with gear if they only ride a few times a year?  Are you going to be able to miss school to compete?  How are you going to get around to comps and events?  Are your parents going to miss work to drive you around?

These are things that you have to think about.  For the vast majority of entry-level sponsored athletes, it quickly turns into an unpaid job with no benefits beyond a bunch of free swag. 

But if you are really hurting for gear (which doesn't appear to be the case based on your vid) PM me and I'll hook you up with a pro deal on some stuff. 


Apr 17 2013 3:50PM
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BertBoyd
Posts: 734 - Karma: 2,253
Where in michigan do you ski?
Apr 17 2013 3:55PM
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Nikkekoivisto
Posts: 602 - Karma: 1,233
casabon? seriously, dubs mean nothing if your overall skiing and style is good and can do almost any other trick.
Apr 17 2013 4:00PM
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715.
Posts: 609 - Karma: 389
Click for larger image
Apr 17 2013 8:36PM
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keimel
Posts: 1231 - Karma: 2,250
No body cares bout your age. they only care about what you can do to help their company.
Apr 17 2013 9:56PM
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Thawg
Posts: 360 - Karma: 542
really, 70s rap?
Apr 17 2013 10:04PM
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*ninja*
Posts: 2108 - Karma: 1,143
I LIKE HOW THIS ISNT EVEN YOU BCUS YOUR PROFILE SAYS YOUR FROM MI, AND ALL OF THOSE SHOTS ARE FROM COLORADO.... so no u r not good and u sud poop on your face
Apr 17 2013 11:42PM
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BoogieWoman
Posts: 408 - Karma: 664
Dude, chill the fuck out. He already said he was from MI and the edit was filmed during Spring Break when he obviously went to Breck.

Also, to the OP, I actually liked the edit but the song kinda sucked. Change that and it'll be decent. Stick it up on YouTube and see if you can get yourself some views.
Apr 18 2013 1:22AM
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ScottyN
Posts: 376 - Karma: 455
about the age claim thing... dont you think especially in a sponsorship edit it is important, if that skiing was done by a 25 yr old theres no way youd pick up. But at 12, there is potential there, i think thats the point. A 12 year old isnt gunna pick up sponsors for being close to some of the best, hes gunna pick up sponsers for having the potential, in a few years, to become that.
Apr 18 2013 7:18AM
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skiSBmaine
Posts: 929 - Karma: 589
So companies will pick up a 12 yr old kid because he MIGHT get better? Excuse while I tell line that I might learn triples tomorrow
Apr 18 2013 8:09AM
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the.nile
Posts: 580 - Karma: 153
make the edit better, a lot better. take out the long black transition between every single shot, get a little bit creative with it, and for the love of god use a different song

if you're really serious about getting sponsored, hire someone to film you and put the edit together. someone who knows how to use something more advanced than imovie or windows movie maker

skiing was good, especially for your age, but you need to find your style and that will come as you get older and grow more. try to find a unique style that separates you from the rest of the kids your age
Apr 18 2013 9:06AM
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TristonHall
Posts: 194 - Karma: 564
I'm tired of seeing this thread
Apr 18 2013 10:30AM
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wisconsinsteeze
Posts: 1170 - Karma: 749
dont put a second of black between every shot.
Apr 18 2013 1:04PM
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AHREN*
Posts: 153 - Karma: 2,031
your good for being 12. Just be patient. I am currently sponsored by SPY, Nuun Propaganda, and Outdoor Tech but only because I entered comps, met people, and got my name out there. This is what I sent all those companies.......

Apr 27 2013 1:30PM
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SwitchMisty540
Posts: 1862 - Karma: 630
3:16 is priceless....seriously thought you were going to break your neck.
Apr 27 2013 9:06PM
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AHREN*
Posts: 153 - Karma: 2,031
haha yeah probobly the worst jump to throw a front on but i landed it so whatever
May 1 2013 10:04PM
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