SPENCER O'BRIEN
I had only been riding one season when I started following my older sister Meghann around to competitions. She was my inspiration and motivation in snowboarding, so naturally when she got sponsors, I wanted some too. I was horrible and got last at almost every contest, but I guess I really believed in myself.
I wrote a letter to the Burton headquarters when I was 13 only to get a very kind rejection letter back. They made the mistake of forwarding on my local rep Jeff Martino’s contact information. I spent the following two years pestering him with every little thing I accomplished on my board, whether it was a new grab or 10th place (out of 12) at a local comp. A few years later I got 2nd place at the Junior Nationals and he decided to hook a sister up. I ended up riding for Burton for 8 years before making the switch to Nike.
My advice to young girls coming up is to be persistent and to believe in yourself. You might get rejected your first or even third try, but if you believe you have what it takes someone else will too. I think making connections early is really important, so go say, “What’s up” to the people who work at your local shop, from those connections you’ll be able to meet reps and then eventually team managers. It’s a ladder and you’ve got to start at the bottom to get yourself to the top.
