what are your sponsors if u have any?

mine is icy waves, cwc, and malibu powersports center

DoUCarve.com but not for wake skills, for photography/writing stuff

I sponsor myself.

thats pretty cool

i hate the word sponser

y because u arent sponsored

Woah... little touchy there Taylor??

careful taylor, nobody likes kooks.

i agree with josh...
i also sponsor myself.....

this is a horrible topic. you dont ride to get sponsers you ride for the sake of riding.

yes riding is for fun but u can have sponsors and get free stuff while riding. if u want it to be ur career u need a sponsor.

liquid force, hyperlite, obrien, gator, connely, ronix, double up, new schnitzel, krown, jobe, j-star, malibu, mastercraft, sn, free motion, jetpilot, blindside, cwb, nice, HO, moomba, flower girls flower shop, bass master, home depot, and mcdonalds....among others

ding ding ding.

ok benjamin has it made...uh

Some people prefer not to be sponsored. For example, There are many freeriders who could compete more often and pick up sponsorships if they wanted. Likewise there are many riders who are sponsored by product they would prefer not to ride on/with.

Tyler: My impression from your post is that sponsorship denotes success, for many people that isnt true. Many people have different views on success, whether that is being sponsored, riding well, competing well, pushing the sport in a direction they see fit, or simply sharing the stoke.

your funny tyler lol!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

taylor oops

taylor, listen to what these guys are saying to you. notice how your post kinda got shot down. if your profile is true and your only 14 you got a lot to learn, and its called life experience. to make it as a "extreme sport athlete" is very difficult. sponcers come and go. you win contests you lose some. you blow out a knee and now what. the ticket to being a rider people will admier is being humble. let your style and ability do the talking, not what stickers you have on your board. Josh Smith said it best in the opening of Delta Sessions 2, if your not riding for style your not riding for yourself.

amen, i agree Bryan you said it. Josh smith is the man
little shout out, norcal wakeboard camp

Why would I want to ride for myself when I can ride for someone else and get free stuff. Your logic makes no sense.

Hey this Larry using Dad's name.
Tyler post a videq of your self so we can see what you got. I'm sponsored by Sherrif Joe here in AZ.(haha).whay would you brag like like that

ITS ALL ABOUT RIDE FOR YOUR SELF !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Matt who prefers not being sponsored. If youre out there ripping and someone is going to give you free stuff, why not? I can understanding not conforming to become sponsored but wakeboarding gets expensive and I'm sure every rider wouldn't mind a little help.

I'm sponsored by my wife...

..unfortuneately, she's sponsored by me!

im not saying being "hooked up" is stupid im just saying braging is

I have never understood watch sponsorships. I dont think it is comfortable to wakeboard with a watch, and why do you need to know time on the water? I think that is a sponsorship that people take just for the money.

My Dads visa sponsors me



...well it used to when I was younger!

thats funny tyler

"Your logic makes no sense"

I think a couple of people in here are missing the point. free stuff is great, no one said any other. but lets look a little deeper than some sponsors that give you a whole wakeboard and maybe a shirt and hat. lets all look at each others profiles, under "favorite rider." wow, alot of big names out there, ya. well do you see one of those riders on here bragging about how great they are? about how much money their making? or that they only ride when their sponsors tell them too....... didnt think so. they let there riding do the talking. why do you think we all look up to these riders. well i know why i do. because they inspirer me to go bigger. and at the end of the day when i got a nose bleed, concussion, sore knee and cant move all i can think about is the next morning and trying that HS BS 180 to blind again and again. any of you ever got to meet your favorite riders, maybe even ride with them? what ever, im out, you get my point. ride for style, ride for yourself, and if you get sponsored promote yourself and our sport in a positive way. lates

(Message edited by westsiderippa on January 21, 2007)

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quote:

if your not riding for style your not riding for yourself.

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i never understood that the day i heard it for the first time, and i still don't understand what the heck that means.

so, by that quote, if i'm riding cause it's fun (whether i have style or not), i'm not riding for myself?

(Message edited by dakid on January 21, 2007)

its an open inturpritation quote. style is endless. thats the point, its YOUR style and nobody elses. its the way you express yourself when your riding. sometimes im serious and focoused, most of the time when i ride im singing and yelling because im so stoked. your style is like wakeboarding personality and joe hit the nail on the head "FUN" being the key word.

The wife 'sponsors' me just by allowing me to ride occasionally.

I agree Joe. As much respect as I have for O.G. Josh, I didnt understand that (in itself) either.

I "think" what he was trying to convey is: "If you were to watch a video of yourself riding, does it impress you (as in yourself)? If not, then your not riding for yourself." Which is kind of obvious.

The undertone (as I understand it) is kind of like this: My favorite rider is Harris, yet I dont go as big, nor do as many spins, grabs etc. (I am working on that on a personal level, lol). But, if my favorite rider is Harris, and I dont ride anything like him, am I riding for myself or more focused on the tricks themselves rather than the look? I think everyone has been there where they are driven to land a trick solely to say "I landed a ______" rather than pushing to make those tricks in your bag more of an influence of how you want them to look.

As far as riders not wanting sponsors here is how it works. Getting sponsored as a freerider is WAY harder than getting sponsored as a tournament rider IMHO. I personally don't like the idea of competing in tournaments every weekend, nor do some others I know. Most sponsors want you (their rider and rep) to rep the product at large venues. What if thats not how they want to spend their weekends? Maybe they would rather go take some sets with their bros than sit around in the hot sun all day waiting for a chance to link 8-10 of their most consistent tricks together behind an unfamiliar wake. I am not saying that contests are bad or anything like that (heck, maybe one of these days I will enter one,lol), some people just prefer to spend their time doing other things. If they competed every weekend, they would most likely pick up a couple sponsors but they choose not to.

Matt, very well said.

Now Taylor, I know you and I know the guys that sponsor you very well. I don't think they would like for you (as a 14 yr Rider) to be posting things like this. Wakeworld is a prestigious site for the love of the sport and many great riders are on here. I hope these posts humble you a little and if they don't I will be sure to make that happen. This site is for advise, news about our world, and feedback. Use it for what it is. Take the advise these guys are giving or your "sponsorships" will be short lived. If you want to talk about it, you know where to find me!

Hey this is Larry, Chris if you know this guy can he ride as well as he thinks? Humble I know alot of guy's 14 to 16 that just rip but I have not seen them post a thread like this in the 4 years I've been riding. It just makes you look like a BIG TOOL, and will not help you in the road to becoming a PRO. Use what you can out of this thread it can only better you as a person.....

OH ya Chris that's why my Dad would not let me have my own wakeworld account and know that i'm 16 and read alot of post I understand. Think before you press THE POST MESSAGE KEY..Later

He is a decent rider, but nothing special about it. His older brother rips it up pretty well, and no he doesn't post a lot on here. Just a cocky kid with parents that are well off. You know that type. He needs a little guidance!!

Ya that's most of the problem lot's of money less up stairs. Hey I see your from NC do know Greg Hodgins he owns go board go .com, He's in Ashboro
I think,

I don't know Greg, I am in the Charlotte area so I know pretty much anyone from Lake Wiley or Norman but other than that not to many from other places.

Getting back to the point, Taylor, sorry everyone is being harsh on you, but at 14 you do have a lot to learn. For starters, NOTHING in life worth having is FREE. If you are being sponsored, you will do as the sponsors want. It's is a business relationship, and future sponsors will ask your current or past sponsors how you upheld your side of it. Good luck to you...

I can't stand rich people. And yes, it's 'cause I'm not rich.

I think that for the younger kids they have this idealized view of professional wakeboarding where its just parties and boats and girls and hanging out with cool people 24-7. WBM and the advertisers definately flout this image that in reality has very little place in the real business aspect of the sport. It sells boards yes, but it also (helps)create a generation of "give me everything, though I don't deserve it" kids. Its all about what they got, what they can get and who is gonna give it to them. Once this kid grows up a little, hopefully his parents make him get a job or he will see how hard the industry works to get your $crilla, he will learn that its more about work than play. Yeah it can be a fun industry to be involved in, but it can also be very frustrating because no one is getting rich in wakeboarding. The top few riders are making good money but there are legions of lesser riders that hack their way through to eek a living. Personally I love wakeboarding far too much to make it a job, as a 14 year old its all I wanted. Then I worked in a shop for a year and realized that I want wakeboarding to be my escape from work, not my work. Then there are others that try too hard the other way, its all about style, W$R blah blah blah. Just ride, have fun, get sponsored, put your own steeze on it and let everyone else(14 year olds especially) figure it out for themselves.

Heavy nailed it.

I don't get what the big deal is about being sponsered, I think i'd be cool to see who out there is sponsored and what companies are doing the sponsoring.

Hey Stephan, I'm coming over for the Boat show in L.A. It's going to be a great season. P.S. this is Larry

I don't blame Taylor at all. He's young and all and has a few things to learn but maybe this thread should've been about which companies you like to represent. Board, Bindings, rope, boat, etc. No baggin on WSRers either.

I guess I'm sponsoring MasterCraft, CWB, Bulletlines, Jet Pilot because I paid for all of it myself....

I'm sponsored by Advil, Ben Gay and chevron.

damn...this poor kid got a lecture fest.

he sure did...growing pains.

BTW- I just got picked up by viagra

No schit! I couldn't get the viagra guys to call me back!

I guess when you're younger you don't mind working on other people's schedules. I couldn't take being required to ride a certain number of times at certain places. My sponsor is my job, teaching. It allows a full summer of riding as often as my body can handle it. If my riding sucks that day, oh well, it's a still fun and I'm more motivated for tomorrow. Good luck Taylor, I'm sure you're just proud to be sponsored. I probably would have wanted to tell the world if I was a 14 year old sponsored wakeboarder. At 35, I wish wakeboarding existed 20 years ago.

Actually, I think Viagra is sponsoring all of the Russian Wakeboarders. It does, however, take a couple days for it to kick after riding though. The little guy is afraid to come back out. Coooooooldd

I'm sponsored by Mastercraft and Malibu.

And Costco.

hey sorry about everything i have done i understand what u guys r saying i was just wondering who u guys were sponsored by. but sorry about that stuff. but i dont have an older brother.

No worries Taylor! Just remember this is a discussion board for people to gossip and people tend to think thier personal attacks make up for what they lack. Ur 14 and i don't think most of these guys would say stuff like that in person to you if you asked them what thier sponsors are. Just go have some fun and don't let no one get to you. Keep ripping bud!

Since when does PSC sponsor?

I think Chris (wsrwilliams) nailed it. "Just remember this is a discussion board for people to gossip and people tend to think thier personal attacks make up for what they lack. i don't think most of these guys would say stuff like that in person to you if you asked them what their sponsors are." BTW, I'm currently un-sponcered & if there are any handouts by Coors Light, Chevrolet, Marlboro, Prozac, Nicorete, Astro-glide, Trojan, Fig Newtons, tampax,(anyone see Ricky Bobby haha) what ever...count me in

This is a very entertaining thread...... There's no money in Wakeboarding. Kids, go back to school, get an education and get a real job. Ride because you love it and it's fun. If you ride well enough to get a few sponsors, then enjoy it while it lasts.

taylor: were u trying to be cocky or just wondering?

he was probably being nieve and just wondering, give the kid a break, props to you for having sponsors, but as ppl said, sponsors are not the end all be all of the sport, there is much more to the sport than scoring free schwag, its all about the soule mannnnnn (just kidding) just have fun and rip it up, don't forget why you started in the first place (because wakeboarding is bad A$$ and wicked fun)

I think we need to realize the different perceptions and definitions of the word sponsored. At young ages (me personally included) I think sponsorship is taken as a shop or someone who hooks you up with deals, maybe a few freebies every now and then. (Therefore your parents are more than likely your "sponsor"). Once reality checks in it is realized that sponsors give a lot of gear, and may pay for entry fees. I can be totally wrong, but I don't see a free malibu on the "resume", I see a shop hookup, discount etc. I always laugh when I talk to people who know someone who wakeboards and is "sponsored" by a boat company. Promo-ing is different than a sponsorship to me, and I would think I would have heard of a lot of these sponsored riders. Reminds of how when I was young-teen my board was splatted with all my favorite brand stickers (Dragon really never gave me anything). Now it has one, and that was the shop who gave me the board. No more free marketing.

I have a WakeWorld sticker on my board. They sponsor my daily wake talk fix during the off-season.

I think the word sponsor is kinda entertaining in itself.... Kids need to keep in mind that nothing in this world is free. When you have a sponsor you are in essence working for them as an ambassador to the sport. The guys making a living from wakeboarding are not only riding, but they're traveling, working boat shows, filming video parts. Don't get me wrong there are a ton of plusses to being a paid rider, but don't forget to factor in that it's still a job.

Tube Lite and sub rosa.