So I was cleaning out the office upstairs in my dad's apartment the other day, throwing away old random pieces of paper and junk, and among the clatter and clutter in one closet, I found an old accordion folder with my name on it. I flipped through it's contents and found a few old mags with my picture, and some old climbing resumes from when I was like 12; nothing much of interest. Then a couple other sheets with fiveten's old logo caught my eye just before I chucked the whole thing in the recycling... I examined the sheets of paper and had a quiet little laugh to myself as I was transported 11 years back in time to the snow valley boulder fest... timidly approaching the booming, 180 lb Reed Bartlett...

My memory isn't quite what it was once. The years have taken their toll. I do remember how psyched to get one of my first sponsors, just after winning my first junior nationals at Rock'in and Jam'in, in Denver, CO. Back then, my mom acted as my agent and got my hooked up with my first sponsors... I think FiveTen is the one sponsor who I've remained with since the beginning. Obviously, I'm gonna need shoes before anything else. FiveTen came through, over a decade ago! Peep the little pieces of history! Pretty classic huh?

In this ever changing and progressing world of technology and instant media updates, the obligations for sponsors have shifted a little- blogs, demos, facebook pages- but the basic concept still remains. Be a good ambassador for your company, climb well and good things will eventually happen. Also, it's a lot easier if  the company you represent makes the best product on the market! I am proud to have been with FiveTen for over a decade and hopefully we can continue our relationship for another ten years! Have a good weekend everybody. Be safe and stay dry!