Am I talking to you? I’m talking to one person out there, and I’m not sure if it’s you.

I know that right off the bat, 80 percent of the people who click onto my profile won’t read ANYTHING in it, but that’s not who I’m talking to. I don’t need them. I want to talk to the person who reads everything on this profile. Twice. I have something to tell that person, something that is the most important thing they’ll ever hear. Is that you? Are you sure? Ok, then here it is:

Snowboarding is yours.

That’s it. Pretty simple right? Kind of obvious too. But listen to what I’m saying because it matters. When you own something, you take care of it. And a lot of people have worked really hard for this little thing that you own, so I want to make sure that you take care of it.

Sometimes it feels like somebody else is making the rules out there, like Snowboarding is controlled by some rich guys at some big companies, but I guarantee you that is not the case. You own it because you are the one person reading this who cares enough about it to make it your life. Snowboarding isn’t like most other businesses because the act of snowboarding is different. We’re not just selling nuts and bolts, or coffee, or buying and selling stock. We’re letting people in on something really special, and the price of admission is loyalty.

Some of your friends are just doing it because it’s cool right now, some just want to meet girls or meet guys. Some will be over it by the time the season is over, but you will still be thinking about it in August, because you are the one I’m talking to. Everything that happens in snowboarding happens because somebody who loves it makes it happen. When some giant multi-sport corporation comes along to try to take over snowboarding, they will fail because it’s not theirs, it’s yours. They don’t love it, they don’t understand it, and they can’t have it. You have to love this thing to keep it alive, and that means giving it your time. That’s the most important thing. Give your time to snowboarding and you will never go wrong.

That doesn’t even mean you have to ride 300 days a year, because in all seriousness, there are about 8 people in the world who really ride that much. It means that when you have a chance to go on a road trip to ride somewhere new, you say, "I’m IN!". When there is a local contest, you are either in it, shooting photos/videos of it, or you are running the thing. When your parents tell you to get a job, you keep bugging the guy at the local shop till he hires you. Assignments in school, guess what, they’re going to be about snowboarding too. Because when you give snowboarding your time snowboarding becomes yours, and all the corporate marketing in the world can’t change that.

And what does it mean to own something? Well you get to change it however you want. You get to make it into the sport you want it to be. And how do I know that you’ll do the right thing with this precious gift? Because I know you, and I trust you. I know you because I am you. I live it and love it. I’m trying to change it because it needs changing and the time is right.

Is any of this speaking to you? Snowboarding needs you as much as you need it. It needs more people who grew up doing it, and fewer people who saw it for the first time in a marketing proposal. Corporations want to own snowboarding so that they can make it work for them. They’ll turn it into whatever they need to sell more crap to more people. We need to fight them off, with fists and bats if that’s what it takes.

You know how you beat them? Spend your money on brands that give back to snowboarding. Don’t support a company unless they have given something back to your local snowboard community. Do you think some soft drink company is going to sponsor a kid in a small town in Ontario? f*ck them, I’d rather drink water. Write to snowboard companies and ask them who they sponsor in your area. If they say "nobody" ask them "why not?" Local reps should have a budget to take care of at least one amateur rider, if they don’t, then ask them "why not?"

I want you to start thinking about these things every time you pull out your wallet, because the money you spend is your vote in a popularity contest. The only way we’re going to maintain ownership of snowboarding is to vote for the companies who have been in it for the long haul, who understand and support snowboarding at the grass roots, and who are committed to the future.



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Published by dspphoto: 2:00 AM
Views: 66