WakeWorld - Can wakeboarding still be "grassroots" ?

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- - Can wakeboarding still be "grassroots" ? (http://www.wakeworld.com/forum/showthread.php?t=399161)

Can wakeboarding still be "grassroots" in a "cooperate world" ? It could be just down the street. When you find it,what will you do with it.

Wakeboarding would not be what it is today, if not for the "corporate world" There are grassroots events happening all over, we had one this year in NJ. (See <a href="http://www.njwakefest.com" target="_blank">www.njwakefest.com</a>) Grassroots events need help from sponsors, too. Without their help, events like ours would not be the same. Thanks to all the sponsors of the 2006 NJ east/west wakefest! A good time for sure, soon to be repeated in 2007!

My brother found it. He killed it, brought it home, and we barbequed it. Tasted like chicken.

If, by "Grassroots", you mean broke a$$ sport, run by a bunch of broke a$$ people who got that way because they refused to join the "cooperate world" and remain selfish and marginalized. . . then, No. Anyone who tries to make money in this sport is a sellout in my opinion. Keept it real in 2007!

I think the whole Liquid Force Brostock thing was evidence of a good mix of corporate sponsorship and grassroots stuff. I didn't see much about it here, but I read an article about it in Wakeboarding Mag, and was pretty impressed. We need more stuff like that.

Well Moose, the Chrons must still be burning tough in Carlsbad. Your question is the most retarded ex-surf burnout dude-bro line ever. Wakeboarding has been corporate from the beginning, hell a Skurfer had been out for a couple years and Budweiser added it to the ski tour. Once I find soul riding you gotta hook me up with a rippin bro deal on a shred stick, the original no less. We should all worry less about the corporate element and more about the cookie-cutter lack of individuality that can stagnate the sport. I thank Alliance, Thomas Horrell, Danny Harf and riders like Benny G & Keith Lyman for keeping wakeboarding legit. Grassroots is a way of riding, unique and all about fun, if you get paid by Oakley to do so then kudos, its still core to me.

Good post Big Heavy.

I don't agree with the opinion that, "Anyone who tries to make money in this sport is a Sellout." It is my opinion that if you can combine the sport you love and the ability to make a living at it, then all the more power to you. As for me, I don't have the riding ability to make money behind the boat nor do I have the interest to create/market a wakeboard related product, so I've come to the conclusion that I will never make a living off of wakeboarding. Let me tell you though, if I did have a legitimate idea that could help progress the sport as well as make me some money in the process then you had better believe that I would jump at the opportunity. Why would I want to work in an office for someone else when I could work for myself, be around the sport I love, and still earn enough money to pay my monthly expenses, send my kids to college, and save for my retirement. As for my idea of grassroots, I think that grassroots doesn't involve any sort of organized event. Grassroots is getting a bunch of my WW friends and our boats together for an extended camping trip. There's nothing better than riding, camping, and partying all week long with your friends. The goodtimes and the memories are wherever you make them. You don't need to classify yourself as corporate or grassroots in order to have fun wakeboarding.

Thor "As for my idea of grassroots, I think that grassroots doesn't involve any sort of organized event. Grassroots is getting a bunch of my WW friends and our boats together for an extended camping trip. There's nothing better than riding, camping, and partying all week long with your friends. The goodtimes and the memories are wherever you make them. You don't need to classify yourself as corporate or grassroots in order to have fun wakeboarding." Amen to that }

IMO, you are not a sellout as long as you are giving back to the sport, even if you are getting paid to do it. You become a sellout when you are just living off the sport without contributing anything back. This is with any sport, not just wakeboarding. Wakeboarding requires a good deal of money to get started, much more than surfing and skateboarding. Therefore, you will get more corporate involvement, that's just the way it is....

So what is a Grass Roots wakeboarding? I think you have to define what your expectations are before you can talk about the impact of the corporate world. If Grass Roots wakeboarding is you and your buddies riding a 10 year old board behind a Glastron then I don’t see a lot of corporate involvement. If you want better gear and better tow boats then someone has to put forth the resources to push the envelope and make better stuff for you. Again I don’t know what Grass Roots means to you, if Grass Roots is similar to how USA Water Ski defines it, then it’s a low cost competition. If you’re happy with $8.00 trophies and a $6.00 T-shirt you can do it all on $35 entry fees and really don’t need any corporate sponsorship. If you want a prize war chest of $1,000 or more that money has to come from some place. I ran my first USA Water Ski Grass Roots competition last year. I ran the event purely not-for profit but I did solicit and receive corporate sponsorship. The event was sanctioned which provided insurance for competitors, sponsors, and the city (owner of the water way). If you’re going to hold a public event insurance is a must. Does insurance make this a corporate activity and not Grass Roots? The city and host club levied specific event requirements; the event had to provide sanitation, refuse, signage, and so on, all of that overhead have associated costs. Sponsorship went along way to meeting those objectives. Inviting a boat manufacturer to sponsor an event gives the sponsor an opportunity to demonstrate boats and gives riders a chance to ride the latest and greatest the sponsor has to offer. One primary reason I why I went to other events was to ride behind other leading boats. Wakeboarding is a darned expensive hobby, at least that’s what I keep hearing from my wife. A good tow boat runs from $40,000 to $80,000, a good board, good binding, and other gear can run well over $600. By comparison Stake boarding is cheap, all you need is a board; I suppose a good skateboard might run about the same as a wakeboard. So what does Grass Roots mean to you?

When saw the "Arby Awards" last week ,And "The Dice Man" & Tom Green gave out the Wakeboard Award ,That's pretty Corporate

CIE SPRING Ride, DRA at the point, Delta Hang Time. These to me are grassroots events that are put on by local riders for local riders. But really, who care about grassroots, corp. or sellouts. Were freekin' wakeboarding not inventing the wheel or a spaceship we are wakeboarding!!!most of us do it for fun some of us can make coin off it some can't, but bottom line we all are havin fun. I don't care if an event was sposored by Walmart if it was in my area I would still ride in it cause IT WOULD BE FUN. Stop over thinkin everything

Al, that's one of the best things I've ever read. I'm so sick of the "core police" worrying about what's "legit" and what's "corporate." I think if I spent more than 10 minutes worrying about any of the above, then I'd have to beat my own ass! <IMG SRC="http://www.wakeworld.com/MB/Discus/clipart/happy.gif" ALT=":-)" BORDER=0>

dave, i don't care what al said. your teal wetsuit will never be core! <img src="http://www.wakeworld.com/MB/Discus/clipart/lol.gif" border=0><img src="http://www.wakeworld.com/MB/Discus/clipart/wink.gif" border=0>

while bro fest was chill, it was liquid force's "company picnic". I dident see much grass roots there. My view may be diffrent than many though.