by
Shanti Sosienski
The first time I ever realized that there was such a thing as Japanese pro
snowboarders was late last fall when I tagged along with Jimmy Clarke on
a photo shoot he was doing for a Japanese magazine called Fine. I guess it
makes sense that there would be pro snowboarders there, it's just so rare
that we hear about them in the US and so I had never really given it much
thought.
Jamie Lynn took the time to create individual artwork for every snowboarder who asked him to sign their jacket. No wonder everyone likes him so much. |
That day I met a snowboarder named Yuki Yamazaki. He was on the full Jamie Lynn program: board by Lib Tech, clothes from Sessions, and Dragon Goggles. I spent the day following Jimmy and a local rider named BJ Kaiser as they led Yuki off of cliffs, through the trees, and in and out of soggy, heavy powder fields at Alpental. The guy was a good snowboarder, but you could tell the riding he was doing that day was not his normal routine. He pulled it off well though, charging blindly off of hits that he couldn't even ask about because he didn't speak any English.
Yesterday I ran into Yuki again, but this time it was on his turf in Japan. Yuki is considered one of the best snowboarders in this country. There are only 40 pro snowboarders in Japan. The reason for this is that in Japan, unlike in the US., reaching pro status is very difficult and considered an honor only bestowed upon the best competitive snowboarders in Japan.
Only three men and three women can turn pro in snowboarding every year while the rest must remain amateur until they win enough contests to be invited to become pro. The invitation to turn pro is given by the Japanese Snowboarding Professional Association (JSPA), the only "true" snowboard association in Japan. There is another governing body called SAJ (Ski Association Of Japan), but this one isn't taken too seriously by the Japanese snowboarders because it's a ski organization.
In order to become a professional snowboarder in Japan, every year amateurs battle it out for a season in non-stop contests. The six Ams (3 women, 3 men) with the highest points at the end of the season are offered the chance to join the association and go pro. However, once they go pro they must pay dues every year to the JSPA, or they lose their pro status. The dues are around $800 per year. This may not seem like a lot, but in some cases a snowboarder may make only like 3,000-5,000 dollars per year.
If a pro chooses not to pay or forgets to pay, he loses his title and can no longer compete as a pro. A pro that gives up his title can once again compete as an amateur, but no longer has the opportunity to become a pro again. One of the main attractions for turning pro is that there are only three contests per year put on by the JSPA, which means that the pros get to spend a lot more of their time competing in other contests outside of Japan like FIS or ISF and traveling (like the American pros they work so hard to emulate) to far out locations for magazines like TransWorld SNOWboarding Japan, Snow Style, and Fine.
In past years going pro hasn't necessarily been that attractive of an offer for a lot of the serious competitors because it meant that they wouldn't be able to have a spot on the National Team (AKA the Olympic team). However, this season the old rule that stated only Ams could participate in the Olympics was revamped, allowing pros to be on the team if they qualified through the FIS competitions.
One of the more noticeable riders hanging out at the Jeff Fulton Snowboard Camp this week was Katsuya "Rio" Tahara. He's currently ranked number five in Japan in halfpipe and is a part of the national team. Last year he was invited to turn pro, however, he turned the chance down so that he wouldn't lose his spot on the Olympic team. Then the rules were changed, but he had already turned down the JSPA invitation. Now in order for Rio to turn pro, he has to spend another year clawing his way up the ladder and win back his chance to be pro.
Becoming pro is more important now to the 24 year old snowboarder because his current fifth place rank in Japan may not get him to the Olympics. There will only be room for four men on the team, and these four spots are being determined by the FIS contests that will finish up in the next few weeks.
One of Rio's teammates on the national team, Shinichi Atanabe, used to be a pro snowboarder. Two years ago he returned to amateur status so that he could get on the Olympic team. Now that the rules have been changed and pros can vie for a spot on the team against the Ams, Shinichi could potentially lose his spot, and he wouldn't be able to return to pro status.
The pro environment in Japan right now is a lot like it was in the US in the 80s. Because there are very few snowboarders in Japan, the opportunity for competitive riders to get recognized by companies is fairly good, but the pay reflects that snowboarding is still a young sport. In Japan it's very difficult for snowboarders to make a living off of their sponsors alone. This is one of the reasons why people become pro. Because the title is such an honor, a pro can get better contracts with sponsors.
Unlike the US where a top ranking pro will make upwards of $60,000 a year from one sponsor, a top Japanese pro may make $30,000-50,000 a year from all of his sponsors, and then will supplement his income.
Working at snowboard camps and helping run snowboard companies were the two most commonly mentioned side gigs the pros at Jeff Fulton's snowboard camp talked about. Another interesting thing that pros do is have videos or magazines that are solely about them. While this may seem strange in the US for anyone other than Terje, apparently it's a lucrative supplemental income option in Japan where hero worship of snowboarders is incredibly high.
Japan's number one pro vert skater Caba. |
Photo incentive is obviously another way riders make a fair amount of money. There is a lot of incentive for pros to work hard at getting media recognition because there are so few pros. Not that this is any different than in the US, but getting in the magazines in Japan requires a high level of name recognition. And then even with a big name the competition is fierce because of the high demand by the Japanese for pictures and stories about American and European snowboarders.
Competitions also net some prize money, but for the pros there are really only the three JSPA contests every year, and the prize money isn't very good.
Overall, being a pro snowboarder in Japan doesn't necessarily seem to be the most desirable career path in a regimented country like Japan. The people who live to snowboard, work in shops and try to surround themselves by the sport as best as they can. There is a small controlled industry, a few pros that are regularly seen, and a lot of recreational snowboarders who worship everything about snowboarding, fueling the fun for all those involved.
For more information on the Jeff Fulton Snowboard Camp in Tsugaike: www.hitpark.com
Day 2: Patience
Is Not An American Trait
Day 1: Welcome
To Japan: Now Get In Line