Bill Robertson – a.k.a. Dr Skateboard – hasn’t really been involved much in the freestyle scene in recent years, but he was one of the few people to have a pro model from Bobby “Casper” Boyden’s Casper Industries in the early 2000s. You’ve probably seen that board before and not even realised; weirdly, it was photoshopped into a now-famous photo from the Dark Knight to make it look like the Joker was doing a kickflip over a prone Batman.
The first paragraph of this article has aged about as badly as the collage of skateboard parts – imagine a skateboarder having a paper resume and a business card in 2025! – but it’s amusing how little the rest of it has changed in two decades. Apart from the X-Games thing, anyway.
A lot of people are interested in getting sponsored, and who wouldn’t want to do so? It is often a great way to get free products, and is a gateway into lots of other unique opportunities including contests and videos. The key for anyone interested in pursuing a sponsorship on any level is to be organized and professional. This means first having a resume, which is a paper with your personal and skateboarding information, contest results and interesting facts about yourself. You will want to include your email, website address, phone numbers and mailing address. Next, a promotional video should be established. It should be no longer than 5 minutes and should include your best stuff, as well as any news or other video items that have been taken of you. Finally, you will want to add any interesting photos or articles (including printed things off your personal web site) that have appeared on you too, along with a business card.
Sponsorship can take on a variety of forms. There is local sponsorship, factory sponsorship and professional sponsorship. With local sponsorship, you are usually riding for a shop or other nearby source of product and opportunities. This is probably the best place to start. Often, a shop will give you a discount on its skateboard products. A good amount to ask for (if you get the chance) is a 50% discount. Realize that this is the point where the shops buy their products, so they are letting you buy or earn product for the same price the are getting it for themselves. It is a good deal all around, because you give them exposure and they give you constant source of current product at a reduced cost to you. This is how I started and it works really well. I still try and work with local shops no matter where I go, because this really represents the lifeblood of the sport.
For a factory sponsorship, you would get free product sent directly to your house from a major company such as Shorty’s, Tracker or World Industries. Often, they will send you enough flow (or product) to keep you going for a few months. Depending on the deal you can work out, this could be up to four boards at a time, a couple sets of trucks, wheels, bearings, hardware and of course, shirts and other gear. If you are fortunate enough to get to this point, you are definitely in the elite, doing very well, and your skateboarding will improve greatly. Getting free stuff, especially the same stuff you ride all the time, will allow you to concentrate solely on skateboarding. Of course, the company will expect something from you too, whether it be competing in contests, performing in demonstrations, or appearing in videos.
Finally, a professional sponsorship means that you are receiving all the product you need, plus a salary that could reflect royalties on products that sell or a deal with a company for promoting them exclusively. This is a great point too, since it really is the point where skateboarding is not only your lifestyle, but your job too. It will allow you to travel the world (possibly), hang in cool spots and perform at the biggest demos and contests such as the X-Games. Yet, it also comes with a price too. You have to be willing to train and work in the business, and of course, the bottom line for any company who sponsors you is selling product.
Whatever happens, be sure that you do it first because you love the sport. Keep skating hard, and all the sponsorships and opportunities will certainly come your way for all the right reasons.
