Goal 1

June 9, 2016

---following up from previous blog post---

Goal 1 = Acquire Athletic Sponsorship. 

When athletes tell me this is their goal, I often scoff.  I think - they just want free stuff, but free gear isn't that important when it comes to development of an athlete.  I often tell the athlete that doing the work is important and don't worry about the sponsorship.  Get in the races and improve.  Beat people.  Beat good people.  (We used to call this a 'scalp'). 
But I get it.  To me, acquiring athletic sponsorship was important.  To me it meant that I was making it and I was being recognized for the work I was doing and the results I was hitting.  I wanted to be a part of something.  I wanted to continue to be on a team.  I wanted to be supported in my endeavors.  I applied and got accepted onto the Saucony Hurricanes team.  This club is a good idea and a pretty basic program.  At the time there were maybe 75 Hurricanes across the US.  I was part of something!  I got kit in the mail and shoes to wear.  I was outfitted and was like a walking billboard for the brand.  I did some social media for them and kept running better and better.  I let them know about it.  I hit a couple good marks and got a couple scalps.  I won some races and got some prize money.  I qualified for the Trials. 

I traveled out to Eugene for the meet.  The day of the prelims I met up with the manager of the Saucony Elite program.  He handed me a backpack full of new gear.  I no longer was going to wear the black & orange kit that night, but I got the teal blue one. 

He said I needed it and had earned it.  I believed I had earned it...and also the Hurricane kit was illegal according to all the uniform rules they have in track & field about logo sizes.... He welcomed me to the Elite team and dinner with everyone that night at the Oregon Electric Station.  I felt like I belonged.  I was 'in' then and that helped me calm my nerves on the warm-up and the starting line.  It made me feel more prepared, more legit, more like a contender.  I was serious.  And I was excited. 

Later that season I also applied to PowerBar through the recommendation of a friend.  I was fortunate to get picked up by them as well and learned a lot about marketing and social media through that experience.  I also tried every single flavor of every single product.

Again, for me, acquiring athletic sponsorship was a goal because it was important to me to feel like I belonged and was part of a team.

What, for you, makes you feel legit?  What do you like to have in place to lessen any feelings of intimidation or feeling like an outsider?  What do you do that makes you feel special or fully prepared?