How do I get on the Sandskater Team?

This is one of the questions I hear the most from all the up and coming groms.

And the simple fact is that there are no hard and fast rules to getting on the team – it comes down to a combination of skimboarding ability, commitment and attitude.

So with this article I am going to outline what I look for when considering people for team placements.

Firstly you got to be able to skim good. You are going to have to be good, and you are going to have be consistent too.

Before anybody gets put on the team, we like to spend some time skimming with them and getting to know their personality. If you are all agro, with no respect for other skimmers or beach users, swearing and losing your temper at people getting in your way, then you are unlikely to make the grade.

We want to see a passion for the sport, so if you just skim in the summer, but think its too cold in the winter to skim, then you probably won’t make it on the team. You are going to have to LIVE AND BREATHE SKIMBOARDING!!!

Additionally, we want people which will fit in the existing team, people that won’t cause conflict. The team is a good group of people, that can hang out and have fun. The ability to be able to take some stick is also helpful, as there is always friendly banter going on between the team members.

What you get

In terms of the actual sponsorship – it lasts for one year, and is will be reviewed after that time. New riders coming onto the team start with discount.

If you consistently represent the company well, conduct yourself in a professional manner whilst on the beach, and help push the sport of skimboarding forward, then you will have your sponsorship renewed, and your discount level re-evaluated at the end of the year.

Some of the more established team members get boards for free, and still get a nice discount too. They have proved to be valuable assets to Sandskater and the sport of skimboarding. Make this your goal – to be one of the best.

There are some additional perks too – team members have been used in TV shoots, and in 2008, 2 team members had their trip to the French International skim contest paid for them by Sandskater – but you will have to be good to get this – both riders placed in the top 10 of the Euro contest!

We do occasionally drop people from the team, usually because they have drifted out of the sport, or have no time for it any more. In these cases we aren’t going to be giving away free boards to people which get in the water once every 6 months, its not what we are looking for in a team member.

Our advice

If you want to get on the team, our best advice is to skim whenever you can. If you have an opportunity to skim with people which are at a higher level than you, then jump at the chance.

This way you will increase your skill level rapidly – this is exactly what Liam did in 2005. Within 4 months of taking up skimboarding he was on the team – because he skimmed at every opportunity, and hung out and learnt from people which were better than him

Questions? If you have any questions, drop us an email, or leave a comment below.