[pothead]

Hi everyone.

So im a local dirt jumper at a spot in my area and everyone has started talking about having a dirt jump competition or series so that it a.improves the riders skills by pushing them selves and b.getting the dirt jumping name out there.We all shave all these big ideas but we do not know where to start (eg.finding sponsors , advertising the event and the right way to do it).Please may you reply on how we can do this !

Thanks alot.

 

[insanitylevel9]

why hello there pothead

 

[If You Build It]

I don't want to burst your bubble, but I think the biggest obstacle you're going to have to overcome is personal injury liability. If the spot you ride at is on private land, the liability will probably fall onto the landowner. You'll need to talk to the landowner about whether or not they want to take that risk. If you're spot is on public land in a sanctioned park, then you should talk to the local parks and rec department. If the spot is on public land but is unsanctioned, you should just drop the whole idea. Drawing too much attention to an unsanctioned spot can end up in getting your jumps bulldozed.

Don't worry about advertising, sponsors, or anything else until you figure this out.

 

[nyhc00]

Do you have trails or are they dirt jumps?

 

[pothead]

We have spoken to the land owner and he said its alright as long as there is an indemnity form.They are dirt jumps!

 

[pnj]

Pick a date for the jam/contest. Contact companies that you would like to have support your event and let them know about it, ask if they are willing to support your event with products. Let them know you will/can put their logo on the flyer, etc...

If it's a contest, decide what classes you want to have (pro, expert, beginner,etc). Decide how you will judge the contest and how many judges you will have judging.

Have fun!

where are the jumps located?

 

[cmc]

Hi everyone.

So im a local dirt jumper at a spot in my area and everyone has started talking about having a dirt jump competition or series so that it a.improves the riders skills by pushing them selves and b.getting the dirt jumping name out there.We all shave all these big ideas but we do not know where to start (eg.finding sponsors , advertising the event and the right way to do it).Please may you reply on how we can do this !

Thanks alot.

Talk to your local bike shop. They may be interested in lending some of the organizational knowledge.

I have organized contests before, and it's not easy, but it IS worth it.
There's a lot behind the scenes for well-organized contests that people don't normally think about.

1) Location
2) Registration forms w/ waivers. Both pre-registration, and day-of registration.
3) Sponsors need to be clearly offered something in exchange for their sponsorship. What are they getting out of it? Banners next to jumps? Their logo on the flyer? Their logo on shirts? Etc.
4) Press Releases - If you want people from the general public to know and come, then write up blurbs for local news etc.
5) Posted schedule at the contest, with clear times for warm up/practice and event.
6) Good to have a rider meeting before the contest to explain generally how the judging works. Are you penalized for crashing or not doing a trick every jump.... is it best of 3 runs, etc... There's lots of ways to do it.
7) You need a good announcer and PA system. A good announcer will know all the riders' names and maybe something about them. It's not cool to be like "give it up for yellow shirt guy!!!"
8) If you have a PA, and music, you need reliable electricity. Designate somebody to be in charge of that, because you'll be too busy running around doing other stuff.
9) Make sure your judges are fair and don't just vote for their friends.
10) Make sure to post the results as well as announce them. Don't necessarily rank all the way from first to last place. No rider likes to get last place.
11) If the top three guys are coming up to get awards, like Podium style... make sure you've got someone with a camera to document it. Do a decent write-up with photos & results afterwards and mention your sponsors again, and both riders and sponsors will be happy.

that's all i can think of right now. hah !


.... OR you can just do an unorganized trails "jam" with little or no judging. those can be just as fun....

 

[If You Build It]

.... OR you can just do an unorganized trails "jam" with little or no judging. those can be just as fun....

That's what I would do. Then you could actually have fun instead of running around like a chicken with its head cut off trying to make sure everything goes right. You said that your main goals were

a) improve the riders' skills by getting them to push themselves
b) getting the dirt jumping name out there

Instead of working your butt off setting up sponsors and whatnot, just set up a grill and cook up some burgers, get a big cooler with a bunch of sodas, and have everyone invite their friends and friend's friends who ride.

With all of those dudes hanging around watching each other ride, the peer pressure element will get people to push themselves as they try to one-up each other. The free food will help draw in people who normally only ride street/park but may decide they want to get into dirt after being exposed to it.

 

[MTBKR415]

how many riders are you planning to have..?