How to Be Sponsored Part 1: ON THE GRIND

First? This is pretty good advice. Also Ian is the man.

This will get all the kids going

goodadvice, but if your super good at skiing but you dont really have a home mountain wherepeople talk about you your less likely to get sponsored than if your just good at skiing and have a big mouth sso you stick out of the people so youle get more attention, and being in the spotlight ( getting attention) is what sponsors are looking for

ian is neat!

hilarious that kid is garbage or prove me wrong and let me see what 100+ days of urban shots looks like cuz i will guarentee u this kid has simply just fit the surface mold and knew someone since day 1.

^I'd like to to see you come out and step to the shit that Ian hits on a nightly basis. I have personally seen him take some of the hardest slams get up shake it off and go at it again (with a smile on his face). He has one of the hardest work ethics out of anyone I have ever meet. He runs his own boutique clothing store, works at brighton, and goes to school and somehow still manages to get out and hit some of the gnarliest urban in SLC. Not to mention he is one of the coolest/nicest kids around. So please gfanuckaa take your unwarranted shit talking somewhere else.

photos>edits for sure!

i dont give a fuck if the kid can take falls or is nice or runs a clothing boutique??(wtf) whoever made this thread posted him as the example of what it takes to be as a sponsered or professional rider so show me video example of what it takes cuz u made him the posterboy. and ps everybody knows getting sponsered is about suckin the corporate d, i know plenty of riders some of which who are featured in level1's new flick that didnt get sponsered for a long time cuz they didnt suck that d they just did their thing and shred hard

Wait.

Have you honestly never heard of Ian Wade?

Gfanuckaa, what Surface and anyone else w knowledge is saying, is attitude fuels success. Nobody wants to work w entitled little bitches, talented or not. Wade has mad talent and positive energy. Haters hate because they wallow in mediocrity and negativity. Are you like 12 yrs old? Wade has been killing it for yrs.

BOOOOM!! i love it. sorry Gfanuckaa just stop.

Gfanuckaa did you even read the article? Because it seems like you are either having a hard time understanding what the message was or completely missed it.

The reason I mentioned that Ian runs a clothing boutique, along with everything else, is because it takes a tremendous amount of work to start and maintain a quality shop like the one he has. On top of all the work that Ian puts in at FRESH he also works park crew at Brighton and goes to school. (So we can say that he does not have a lot of free time...) Yet he still manages to get out and slay it on skis. He is able to do this because he works so hard at what he loves. (One of the main points in this article. Put in the work and you will be rewarded for it.)

As for your request for a video showing you what it takes to be a sponsored athlete, there is more to it than that. Sponsorship is not all about how good on skis you are, contrary to popular belief. It is also about how well you can market a product and yourself. What do you bring to the table that sets you apart from all the other people. What makes you special? Ian sets himself apart from everyone with his insane work ethic, a humble and down to earth personality, and is very knowledgeable within the sales industry. Oh and the fact that he murders it on skis doesn't hurt either.

Ninety percent of making it in any industry is who you know and being able to please your superiors, (sucking the corporate d, as you so eloquently put it) that's just how the world revolves. It is unfortunate that it works that way but it does. If that puts you off then the maybe being a professional athlete (or any other professional within the entertainment industry) is not for you.

I will say this again, please take your unwarranted shit talking somewhere else. It adds nothing to the conversation and only show's how ignorant you are.

well i think uve all proved my point, a whole lota yappin

^lol your a fucking idiot. surface doesnt have a corprate dick, theyre not even a public company. this article isn't really about how to get sponsered, thats just the title. really the only thing it is about is having some motivation to get out and do shit and thats how you go places. if you want some video how-to on how to get a spancership maybe you should go suck some corporate dick yourself and they'll hook you up. your a fucking joke dude, ian wade is a legit athlete.