The UBC Launch Continues to Blow Up With A Spread In The New Issue of Rock & Ice! (And other notes from last week)
We just got our new copy of Rock & Ice magazine hot off the presses and we are PSYCHED! Not only is it the annual photo issue (which is always a favorite), but right there on the pg3 spread is the tour launch announcement for the UNIFIED BOULDERING CHAMPIONSHIPS!
Also, from last week, Deadpoint Magazine has a great write up with Chris Warner and me chatting about the upcoming Roc Comp and some of what’s going to make that event rock.
Finally, there’s an image from the 2009 Gravity Brawl on the front page of DPM connected to an interesting article by Matt Stark on what it’s like to be on the receiving end of the phone when people are asking for money and swag to sponsor their local comp. I think for me, the most interesting take home from that article is just to think about how many moving parts there are in the climbing industry and how many people will ultimately need to made happy for a pro tour to really take hold and help grow the sport.
Matt wasn’t writing specifically about us (at least I don’t think he was), but from where we’re standing it’s always interesting to notice how our work is perceived (or sometimes not perceived). It is a very simple thing to say “Comps would be so much better if__________”. It is a much different thing to pull back the curtain, look behind the scenes and actually try to communicate what is good about our sport without selling it out or pretending that some bastardized version is good enough. All while making sure that everyone involved, from athletes to sponsors to venues to the community itself that we ultimately serve, are happy. I don’t have some grand point to make about Matt’s article, it’s just interesting to see people writing about what it takes to get it done.
As the UBC Pro Tour launches April 23 & 24 at Earth Treks and we work to bring together all the talented and motivated people in our industry who will need to be working together to reach any of the milestones we’d all like to see (Quality broadcast, better cash purses for athletes, climbing in the Olympics, etc…), we will be working hard to make sure that the conversation Matt writes about goes as easily as possible for both parties. If the comp world is well organized and puts out a good product, then it’s a good investment for the industry side of that phone call and an easy sell for the comp producer.