How to Get Sponsored

TALES OF AN UP AND COMING SURFER – GETTING SPONSORED

The next segment in our series, which chronicles the experiences of up and coming surfer Chase Fisher, focuses on the challenges of getting sponsored.

Who was your first sponsor and how did you go about connecting with them?

My first sponsor was Flojos sandals. I signed with them in 2003 and have been with them ever since. I sent them a package containing pics/resume/bio and received a call about a week later saying they would proudly accept me to the team. I think just by requesting a sponsorship from them, it made me push myself to prove I was good enough to be part of their team. They had a pretty stacked team when I signed with them so I had to do whatever I could to stick with them. I was constantly sending over new pictures, contest updates, and all around communicating frequently with them.

A lot of people think that being "sponsored" means getting flown around the world, shooting photos, and hanging with models. What kind of hook up did you score with Flojos at the start?

Yah you know there’s many different levels of benefits you receive from being sponsored. I remember, I was given a certain amount of product for each year. They also started me off with a photo incentive right off the bat which was really sick. I just kept to my game, was real enthused about it and just kept my hopes high. I started doing weekly check ins with them just to let them know that I held the deal in high regard. They have really cut their team down a lot since i first signed with them. They had a head count of about 15-20 riders, and in the past 2 years they narrowed the team down to about 5.

Once you had your first sponsor, did it help you to get hooked up with other companies?

Yah, it gave me self confidence with my surfing and started forcing me to better my ability. It also led me to a whole new world of connections. I remember, they sent me to the ASR tradeshow the year I signed with them which was an incredible yet overwhelming experience. It opened many doors and before I knew it, I had some solid sponsors under my belt.

So now that you have some solid sponsors, what’s the key to getting to the next level?

It's about positive representation and proving yourself as an established surfer both in and out of the water. With backing, it puts more pressure on you to perform better and stay consistent in contests which always makes you better in the long run. Overall keeping consistent results in contests and performance is the next level up.