ESPNDeportes is probably the ONLY Spanish-language media outlet that covers Winter X in detail. Amazing if you think about it considering the scope and size of the Latin youth market. If there's another resource out there, I'd like to check it out...
QUIEN: ESPN Winter X Games y Aspen Skiing Company
QUE: Fechas del evento Winter X Games 13
CUANDO: 22 al 25 de enero de 2009
DONDE: Buttermilk Mountain, Aspen/Snowmass, Colorado
Now its just a matter of time before diverse athlete talent integrates into the Winter X Games lineup...I'd be willing to bet that snowboarding is the sport that leads the charge.
ESPN Deportes, with fairly regular effort, has added action sports content in Spanish. A story involving surfers going snowboarding got my attention.
Here it is in English or Spanish.
This story's events took place last season. Though its not fresh information, its an attempt to translate the experience to another audience Plus whether or not by design, the focus on taking surfers into snowboarding works the message in a little better...why?
For the most part, Latin Americans come from warm climates. Beach culture and lifestyle is already a familiar to many. Seeing and understanding snowboard lifestyle's roots in surfing helps get the message across. It flattens perceptions. You breakdown those mental barriers and you open folks up to possibilities...willing to try something new.
This a cool contest that Coast Body Wash is running...rider above Jamie Madrid.
I already know one kid that should be in the mix. Glad to see the need to be an individual of substance.
Check out the story of Brazilian surfer Maya Gabeira, daughter of Fernando Gabeira, a famous political dissident and founder of the Brazilian Green Party.
Gatorade has decided to invest in the action sports market. It's pretty obvious they see the multicultural youth market as means of connecting by inking Chaz Ortiz and Nigel Sylvestor to deals. Both are emerging athletes...
The brand signed a multiyear deal with Ortiz that sources valued in the low to mid-six figures annually. He will be the cornerstone of Gatorade’s action sports campaign and will be featured alongside its marquee athletes, including Derek Jeter, Dwyane Wade and Peyton Manning. Via - Sports Business Journal
For Immediate Release
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
CONTACT: Jill McGranahan 720-913-0633 or 303-880-1827 (cell)
Jennifer deBerge (WP) 970-531-0248 (cell)
DENVER
– Returning for its third year, Ruby Hill Rail Yard brings the
excitement and energy of skiing and snowboarding to Denver with a
one-of-its-kind ski and ride urban rail yard.
Scheduled to open on January 17, 2009, Ruby Hill Rail Yard will feature six rails of varying configurations and levels of advancement. Weather permitting, the rail yard will be open through the end of February 2009. To prepare the park for the rail yard, snowmaking equipment will pump out more than an acre of snow.
Opening day will feature demonstrations by Winter Park athletes, live music and guest appearances by KTCL 93.3, giveaways and free snowboard lessons for local youth interested in trying a new sport or fine tuning their already learned techniques.
New this year, Denver Parks and Recreation is teaming up with Christy Sports to provide Free ski and snowboard rental every Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday from 3:30 p.m. – 8 p.m. and every Saturday from noon – 8 p.m. Geared toward ages 8 – 16, youth who want to use equipment must have a parent present to complete a release and waiver. Forms will be kept on file at Ruby Hill throughout the entire railyard season, so only need to be completed once for each participant.
Returning for the second year is Jibbin’ for the Kids in partnership with Snowsport Outreach Society (SOS). Every Tuesday and Wednesday from January 27 through the end of February, SOS and Denver Parks and Recreation’s outdoor recreation team will provide lessons to local teens. Lighting and generators will be at the park every evening until 9 p.m., facilitating evening access for youth and parents who want to come with the children after work.
Ruby Hill Park is located off of South Platte River Drive and West Florida Avenue. The Rail Yard will be open every day from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Ruby Hill Rail Yard is made possible by the generous support of Winter Park Resort, Burton Snowboards, Christy Sports, Johnson Controls, S.O.S., 93.3 KTCL and Wahoo’s Fish Tacos.
For more information, call Denver 311 or visit the Web site www.denvergov.org/rubyhillrailyard.
This week the New York Times, 'A Faltering Economy is Felt Even on the Beach', reported on the state of the surf industry. The current economic climate is definitely having an impact on an industry that does $8 billion a year.
“This is an aging market,” Case said, owing to diminished birth rates 12 to 16 years ago.
There were 2.4 million surfers in the United States in 2007, according to Case, up from two million in 2004. But more than 50 percent are older than 25. In 2007, the average surfer was 29, which has hurt surf retail.
“The 25-plus market, they don’t buy as many T-shirts or pairs of sandals,” Case said. Via - The Faltering
Again, can't help but notice the need to reach younger consumers. Like snowboarding, surfing is going to need a better job of marketing itself to the changing demographics found in the youth market.
Must repeat this stastic...one in four teenagers in U.S. is Hispanic. By 2020, the Hispanic teen population will have grown 62% compared to 10% for everyone else.
Still wondering where the future young surfers are going to come from?
Is it really out of the question to imagine a Hispanic kid, who honed his or her skills at Ruby Hill Rail Yard, to be representing Denver at the 2018 Olympics? Only time will tell...the city may very well be in the running for the Games.
So I took this little survey at ESPNDeportes and was not surprised by the results. Yeah, sample size is not huge. I'm going to check back in the near future and see how much has changed.
Regardless, from this data we can see that snowboarding, in this case as entertainment, makes a strong impression on a bilingual or Spanish speaker watching events taking place in Aspen Colorado.
Question: What is your favorite event at the Winter X Games?
