The fun of skateboarding makes many people forget that it is also a job, and it is also a "means" for some people to make a living. Like the work you and I do, there are only a few nuances.
If you're curious about the work of professional skaters, today's article [Skateboard Scrap Point] will tell you the "secrets" of 16 professional skaters!
1. Professional skaters make more money from online stores than from board shops
Depending on the skateboarding brand or distributor, some skaters can earn up to $10 on a single board if a consumer buys directly from a sponsor's website. Skaters can still make money through the sales channels of skateboard shops, but the online store is where they get the biggest share because it basically cuts the middlemen and makes more profits.
2. Professional skaters do not always own the copyright to their lenses
As Roger Bagley puts it, it's "the person who records the footage, or the person who pays to record these things." Given the partner nature of the skateboarding industry, this practice will certainly lead to the occasional "hostage" situation where the cameraman doesn't hand over the camera compilation until they feel they're fairly compensated. For example, videographer J. Strickland asked Kirchart to pay $10,000 for the video of the film Sight Unseen. Sometimes, if the videographer feels they're not getting the rewards they deserve, the entire video clip will never be released. One way to solve this problem is to have professional skaters make deals with them and pay them directly for time and man-hours, but this rarely happens.
3. Vans was the first footwear brand to sponsor skaters
The first "professional" shoe contract was for Stacy Peralta, who became the first skater to sign a $300-a-month contract with Vans. The deal was made to promote Vans and their new shoe, Skate-Hi, starting in 1973.
Today, nearly 50 years later, a simple shoe contract pays about 10 times that amount each month. But every contract is different in terms of taking photos, travel allowances, social media regulations, and anything else.
4. Mark Appleyard wins his first million-dollar contract for skateboarding shoes
Back in Mark's C1rca era, he got one of the most "lucrative" contracts in skateboarding history, which was a good option for him, but those days are behind us.
For a large company, a pair of signed shoes will still be fully invested in six figures of the full cost, if the design is done well, can make more, but millions of dollars are not immediately earned.
5. The color scheme of the shoes is not as much as you think
Many of today's professional skaters don't design professional shoes from scratch, but choose the colors and materials of existing models. Professional skaters can expect to get around $5,000 in color deals, or sometimes take $1 out of every pair of shoes sold.
6. Not every professional skater will use the products they sponsor
Not everyone can work for their first choice brand, so many people get paid from their third or fourth favorite brand, which is why if you look closely at those photos, some professional skaters don't use sponsors' bridges or wheels.
A mysterious Gravis professional skater dressed in his more favored Dunk was selected for several magazines. There have been instances of skaters drawing the logo of another brand on different shoes, and it's done so well that you can't even tell the difference. As long as you cut off the logos, do photoshop processing on them, or edit the logos when you publish them, you're probably safe.
7. Many professional skaters increase their income through low-end slang products
Professional skaters typically receive more products per month than they think, and what to do with them is another challenge. Thrift stores and used stores easily solve these puzzles, and it's another thing to have your friends sell it for you on their Devop.
In the early days of energy drinks, bringing a box of Red Bull to your local bar meant at least one free liquor night. The entire staff at the Long Beach Burrito Shop was mesmerized by the local professional skaters with C1rcas, so he and the boys enjoyed free food for several years.
8. Health insurance is not provided by most sponsors
Some skateboarding companies have tried to reconcile health insurance costs with their skaters. This method doesn't always work because several skaters are in arrears in their payments and are no longer insured.
9. Professional skaters sign contracts individually, not their employees
Professional skaters who contract separately with sponsors must be very proficient in what they can deduct during tax season. Travel expenses, clothes, and food are all part of the norm, but if you're brainy, mini ramps or private boarding may seem like a reasonable part of the equation.
10. There are some doctors who are helping skateboarding culture
There are doctors who are fans of skateboarding who go out of their way to work with skaters and help with anything they need. There was even a doctor who even accepted them to pay for the product like a flow skater. If it is beyond the doctor's expertise, they may have these injured skaters contact other specialists to solve their problems.
11. The sponsor may help fund the skaters to build the backyard board
Companies like Redbull and Monster both help skaters "train" by paying for skaters' backyard skate courts. Even companies like Gator Skins, which make ramp materials, may help them do things for free. So the next time you see a big ass sign in someone's backyard, you won't be surprised.
12. Some skaters refuse to use the red top of the board
When it comes to what kind of skateboarding surface skateboarding is used, different professional skaters always have a variety of quirks. Some professional skaters will refuse to use skateboards whose first layer is red wood grain. Professional skaters who give them red-topped panels are also seen as taboo by some companies.
13. Professional skaters only need to participate in the competition to get paid
Over the past time, the Street League paid skaters $5,000 just to compete and skateboard. However, in a race like Tampa with 100 skaters, there is no appearance fee, only free beer after the game and some pleasure time.
14. They can also double the tournament prize money
Every contract is different, but some race skaters have a "match match clause" in their contract. This means that if the skater wins $10,000 from the race, the sponsor will also pay $10,000. The higher the skater's ranking in the competition, the higher the prize money and the more the skater's sponsor pays.
15. The tricks in the photos are not necessarily all done
Usually, the photos that are released are the ones that look the best, but they don't have to be made. In Tristan Funkhouser's case, he took down the terrain of China Banks with Ollie without a photographer. When he and Marco Hernandez went back to take re-photographs, he almost recreated what he was wearing at the time.
16. Once you become a professional skater, you are basically a professional skater for the rest of your life
First, the only way to stop a pro is to retire like Heath Kirchart or Daniel Shimizu. If you continue to call yourself a professional skater, even if no one is going to put your name on anything they want to sell, you're still technically professional.
You don't need to hoard products in the skateboard shop to still maintain the title of professional skater, as long as you can do it with an attitude that can make this kind of thing last, so brothers, keep skateboarding alive!
Text: Christian Senrud
Image: Aubrey Fisch
Translation & Editor: Little Monsters
Source: Jenkem Mag