Question to "skimboarding"

[TEEZERZ]

i hear that most pro surfers pay for what they ride even some asp and top pro's and for sure the ams if there is anything is true to that but don't really know if it is as true and blue but it got me thinking about how many skimboards get given out for free a month or the whole year...
and what ever else goes "$$$" to a rider other the "paid contest travel/matching of earnings" at that contest...


i mean vic has 47 listed riders in the U.S.... - damn.
didn't look anywhere else but i bet its a nice little number...

baby tear sniff sniff "SKIMBOARDING is so small and needs to be bigger"
"skimboarding makes NO MONEY YET NEEDS MORE MONEY"

i buy boards... and don't get paid and still skim the same as if i did. i feel better now that its this way to.
its all for me myself and I and i am "SUPPORTING" the sport if and when i buy another board...?
(kinda not what makes you good)


SO IS SKIMBOARDING GIVING WHAT LITTLE MONEY ITS MAKES AWAY?

[Aaron Peluso]

yes. ?

[Aaron Peluso]

I have heard the same thing about surfboards under pro riders feet by the way.

The big difference is that pro surfers have six figure salaries from clothing sponsors, so grinding down lowly shapers is just bad tact. Also, the surf industry is fractured into thousands of different 'shapers' which as I have been saying on here for years, is a big threat to skimboarding if we were to follow down that path.

And yes, you buying boards definitely does support the sport. Thank you.

[Kyle Willcox]

Also, the surf industry is fractured into thousands of different 'shapers' which as I have been saying on here for years, is a big threat to skimboarding if we were to follow down that path.

I agree. Zap, Slotty and Apex on the East Coast while Vic and Exile center on the west. DB is huge for flatland. IMO

[skimcentral]

"fractured" into different shapers?? I get what you are saying but if people love to make boards more power to them, forget the industry!

And yeah Teezers, for once we agree.

But i have known plenty of ams and pro surfers that got free boards or at least trade-ins

[slotty]

Teezers hits the nail on the head. 15 years ago, you could count up the sponsored riders and not run out of fingers and toes. All those sponsored riders had such a high skill level they are still talked about today by people in the know. Nowadays, practically any kid who can 360 shuv and is busting with love for the sport thinks themselves sponsorship worthy. I understand that cranks up ones beach cred and companies should back the cream of the crop and promising and committed am's, but too many freebies hurts sales in the long run and degrades the significance of sponsorship.

[skimcentral]

Agreed.

But most people soon realize that there is not really anywhere to go with their sponsorships anyway. It's a short ride for most.

[Aaron Peluso]

Teezers hits the nail on the head. 15 years ago, you could count up the sponsored riders and not run out of fingers and toes. All those sponsored riders had such a high skill level they are still talked about today by people in the know. Nowadays, practically any kid who can 360 shuv and is busting with love for the sport thinks themselves sponsorship worthy. I understand that cranks up ones beach cred and companies should back the cream of the crop and promising and committed am's, but too many freebies hurts sales in the long run and degrades the significance of sponsorship.

There are definitely more sponsored riders today (in total) than there were 15 years ago. There are also far more skimboarders. I think the ratio of sponsored vs unsponsored might even be less than it has ever been. But its hard to say....

On the example of Victoria, Vic has always had a team roughly that size, my entire life.

Slotstik also had a team in the mid 90's of at least 20 - 40 people. The ones you remember are the best ones, but there were a lot of others as well.

I agree that the focus of a lot of kids on "getting sponsored" at any and all costs is kind of frustrating. Kids should concentrate more on becoming worthy of being sponsored and being proud of who they ride for rather than trying to get free shit at any cost. No doubt...

[skimcentral]

How many more skimmers do you think there are now compared to the boom of the late 80's?


I think you might be right about the only remembering the best ones thing though.

[Aaron Peluso]

Oh, like 500% growth minimum over late 80's levels. Especially if you are counting "high end skimboarders". If you count everyone with a wood in the 80's I dont know... but I really dont consider most of those people skimboarders so much as people who owned a wood skimboard.

[skimcentral]

World wide or just the USA?

[TEEZERZ]

yes. ?

sick!









:d

[slotty]

I am well aware of the number of sponsored riders Slotstik had at any given time over the last 23 years. My 'fingers and toes' comment was understatement intended to make a point and was low ball. In the mid 90's Slotstik had 10 riders ( give or take ) who received free boards ( half of todays number ) and 3 paid pro's. The number overall skimboarders today is much higher but so is the number of manufacturers, both domestic and foreign, and has created what seems like a huge number of sponsored riders.
Victoria, Exile and Zap have all had an impact in growing the sport by supporting competitions and creating or sponsoring media. There is also a lot to be said for the lifestyle side that generates new enthusiasts when someone randomly witnesses skimboarding for the first time and gets hooked. Both competition and free skimming are equally important, in my view. With continued focus on what brings people in and keeps them in, skimboarding will continue to grow much like it has: slow and steady.
And, Aaron is right. When deep pockets get involved, skimboarding will experience it's long overdue explosion in growth and worldwide appeal. The talent will be able to make a living and take the pressure off board makers, allowing them to focus on board making.

[Aaron Peluso]

All good points.

I can think of a lot more than 13 riders in the 90's who I at least thought got free boards. I would be surprised to learn that they were paying... but possible I guess.

Mike, I would say 500% easy in the US. But thats just my impression...

[TRKYSUB]

buying boards is the new sponsored

[TRKYSUB]

i'm glad i bought my exile fish darwin board. its kush

[TEEZERZ]

I am well aware of the number of sponsored riders Slotstik had at any given time over the last 23 years. My 'fingers and toes' comment was understatement intended to make a point and was low ball. In the mid 90's Slotstik had 10 riders ( give or take ) who received free boards ( half of todays number ) and 3 paid pro's. The number overall skimboarders today is much higher but so is the number of manufacturers, both domestic and foreign, and has created what seems like a huge number of sponsored riders.
Victoria, Exile and Zap have all had an impact in growing the sport by supporting competitions and creating or sponsoring media. There is also a lot to be said for the lifestyle side that generates new enthusiasts when someone randomly witnesses skimboarding for the first time and gets hooked. Both competition and free skimming are equally important, in my view. With continued focus on what brings people in and keeps them in, skimboarding will continue to grow much like it has: slow and steady.
And, Aaron is right. When deep pockets get involved, skimboarding will experience it's long overdue explosion in growth and worldwide appeal. The talent will be able to make a living and take the pressure off board makers, allowing them to focus on board making.

...umm kinda didn't really answer anything that the "YES" that aaron typed didn't but frack man thats cool?....thanks

*

buying boards is the new sponsored

... tru!

[Ben Koscielniak]

hahaha

[gozdilla]

This is a good point, but even more importantly is what is happening to bring non-skimboarding companies in sponsorship. I understand Vic sponsoring the sport but when will Oakley, Nike, or someone else step up to the sponsor and what are we doing to push this forward. I am 30+ years old and have just started skimboarding this year and knew nothing about this sport even though I surfed throughout high school. Skimboarding could be used for different products to help the sport break out. I think a skimboarding mentos commercail would be awesome.

[scskimmin]

i'm not sure what this means. but the ratio of sponsored skimboards to total skimmers is much higher than sponsored surfers to total surfers. on a good day of skim its not normal for more than half the skimmers to be sponsored....its kind of odd considering skimming has so much less money, but such a higher ratio of sponsors

[Brew]

[QUOTE=gozdilla;1011864 I think a skimboarding mentos commercail would be awesome.[/QUOTE]

Aaron Peluso, the fresh maker!

[RexSkimmer]

This is a good point, but even more importantly is what is happening to bring non-skimboarding companies in sponsorship. I understand Vic sponsoring the sport but when will Oakley, Nike, or someone else step up to the sponsor and what are we doing to push this forward. I am 30+ years old and have just started skimboarding this year and knew nothing about this sport even though I surfed throughout high school. Skimboarding could be used for different products to help the sport break out. I think a skimboarding mentos commercail would be awesome.

big companies are not going to sponsor if we're already buying their stuff (which we are). Skimboarding is a very small niche market, and until it grows bigger, I think sponsorship will be limited to within the industry.

[3rd Coast Skimmer]

From the surf industry stand point, all the "Sponsored" riders with the exception of the ASP pros are paying "cost" for their boards

[Aaron Peluso]

Aaron Peluso, the fresh maker!

lol.

[Aaron Peluso]

big companies are not going to sponsor if we're already buying their stuff (which we are). Skimboarding is a very small niche market, and until it grows bigger, I think sponsorship will be limited to within the industry.

Yep. Thats pretty much the case. Skimboarders need to support the brands that do invest in our sport, and I wish there were a lot more of them.

Frankly, in the surf industry there are so many crusty old core surfer types, that they dont want to have anything to do with skimboarding no matter what. Too many either see skimboarding like bodyboarding/rollerblading or fear that it is perceived that way by enough of their customers that there is more risk than reward.

Established companies have too much to lose. New companies dont want to get branded as "a skimboard company" since no clothing company could make due solely off that image.

[espinho]

Slotty u give 2 boards to riders in Portugal that not even a 360 shove it are able to do.. and u come to message boards with that talk? that's BS ... don't take me wronthe g way i have nothing against Slotstick or you personaly, i just can't help to write when i see u talk like that and see this happening in Portugal... where we have like 60/70 skimboarders, 15 are good , 10 are kids trying to be good... and all the brands together sponsor like 30 skimboarders...

[Caboskimer]

Well, I know that when exile first starting sponsoring me they would make sure i was breaking the boards or returning them used up. It wasn't like i was trying to get boards to make money, I understood as a team rider you have to promote your sponsors in a positive way for them to be stooked on you.
Just putting in my 2 cents don't need any feed back, thank you.