for anyone interested

[Ski]

Rome-area native hits the big time in snowboarding

 

By BRIAN FEES, Towanda Daily Review, The Associated Press

September 11, 2005

 

 

 

In the world of professional snowboarding, Eddie Wall is a star. He has endorsement deals for nearly everything you can imagine, from boots and bindings to goggles and boards.

 

He's been featured in a number of videos, and if you're a fan of ESPN you could have seen him in the past two Winter X-Games, where he took ninth in the slope style event last year.

 

Want more evidence of his popularity? Check out the October issue of Transworld Snowboarding. It's an international magazine found in just about any newsstand and you'll see Wall right there on the cover.

 

That's the Eddie Wall the world knows. The Eddie Wall who is one of the best in the world when he takes to the snow.

 

What many of those people don't know is where this all started. Before he was a snowboarding star. Before he appeared in his first video or got his first endorsement, Wall was just a young kid in Rome going to Northeast Bradford.

 

Yeah, it's true, one of snowboarding's big stars didn't grow up out near the mountains in Mammoth, Ca., where he currently lives. In fact, Wall didn't really know anything about snowboarding as a child.

 

At the age of 13, Wall got his hands on a skateboarding video and that's where his journey began.

 

"I started watching the video and it was just the coolest thing ever," Wall said. "I started skating all the time.

 

"In the winter I couldn't skate so I went up to Greek Peak and tried snowboarding. After a while I started getting really into it."

 

 

 

The thing was, when Wall got into the sport, he was alone. This was 10 years ago, before the snowboarding scene really took off and Wall knew few people into the sport.

 

"I was definitely the only skateboarder/snowboarder in school," he said. "My whole life I was the only one, I didn't have friends in the sport."

 

At the age of 15, Wall headed to Wilkes-Barre to attend Wyoming Seminary. He could go to school there and snowboard at Montage Mountain.

 

Still, for Wall, learning the sport took a lot of time.

 

"The learning curve was ridiculously slow," he said. "I didn't have anyone I was working with. It wasn't until I moved out here to the West coast and met other kids like me. From there I started learning more and more and was able to do tricks."

 

It's in California where Wall got his first breaks in the sport, where his professional career really began.

 

While Wall got his big break in California, it was a challenge. Wall didn't just come to the West Coast and become an instant success, he had to work for it, more then most people probably realize.

 

Some people in the world of extreme sports have it easy. They try and make it in their sport while their families support them financially.

 

It was never that way with Wall. His parents gave him love and support, but he had to support himself.

 

"They never gave me any money," he said. "I worked as a nighttime janitor, a dishwasher, whatever it took."

 

It wasn't the most glamorous work by any means, but working at night meant Wall had his days free to spend at the slope.

 

It's where he wanted to be, where he knew he should be. That doesn't mean his family always felt the same way.

 

"I really wanted him to go to college," Eddie's mother, Elaine Wall, said. "But, he really loved snowboarding and, like he's said, he needs to try it while he's young. He's a really hard worker and a good kid, so we support him."

 

For Wall there really was no decision at all. He wanted an education, but he knew that professional snowboarding is something you can't put off until the future.

 

"For me it wasn't a hard choice at all," he said. "I thought to myself that I can go to college in 40, 50, 60 years. You don't have to be young to go to college. But, this is the only time I can pursue something like this."

 

While his mom would have like to have seen her son in college, she knows how hard he works to be successful.

 

"It was very hard," she said. "My other children went to college, they graduated and I had hoped Eddie would to.

 

"But, he did a lot of work. He had been renting a lot of videos and he went out and worked hard to see if he had the talent. When he first went out to California he didn't know a lot of people and he did go to college for a semester, but this is what he wanted to do and he's worked to do it."

 

For some, the world of professional snowboarding begins and ends at events like the Winter X-Games.

 

And, while Wall competes in these events, he knows that they are far from the most important things to a professional.

 

"Basically we are independent contractors," Wall said. "We sign contracts with board companies, bindings, goggles, everything you can think of. Basically our main focus is to film a video part.

 

"The biggest thing for us is snowboarding movies along with that magazine coverage and then the contests."

 

To date, the biggest deal for Wall is probably the magazine cover which brings him international exposure.

 

"That's huge," he said of the cover. "That is a huge international magazine. You find it in every airport and every 7-Eleven you see."

 

While Wall has been on the cover of a major magazine before, in Japan, he knows how rare an international cover is.

 

"It's an amazing thing," he said. "There are major, major professionals who are crazy famous in our world and they've never been on a cover before."

 

After the magazine cover, the videos become a lot more important for Wall than the competitions.

 

"I've done the competitions like the Winter X-Games and the Las Vegas Rail Contest," he said. "But as far as sponsors go, the goal is to be marketable. To have kids want to emulate you.

 

"If you do a contest only, it is one day and then it's over. Sure the X-Games might replay on TV a couple of times, but that's it. With videos you can get a 2 1/2- or 3-minute part and the kids watch the video literally every day."

 

They say fame is fleeting, that everyone gets their 15 minutes.

 

Wall knows that his career won't last forever, that not everyone has young kids wanting to be like them.

 

"It's really cool," Wall said. "I've definitely been fortunate, I just want to keep doing it while it lasts.

 

"I'm really just trying to enjoy it for what it is, a 100 percent dream come true. I really am appreciative of what I have, I really have been fortunate."

[parkbuilder]

Thats crazy... I remember seeing danny cass get his big break on bluetorch TV. Before that he was just a local kid from jersey riding at creek everyday, now hes an olympic medalist (and a bit of an asshole) but "hey, you never know"

[DHarrisburg]

Eddie is probably my favorite rider and definately a big reason why I moved to CA. Too bad I'm not as good as him :/

[VTmark]

wow he must be good if DH is holding him up.

[Papasteeze]

In the recent issue of Ski Racing - there is a great article on what one week is like in the off-season for Lyndsey Kildow. She started at Buck Hill - 324' vert

A little off topic, but it is along the same lines of what self determination does for you. BTW - I had heard that there were some management changes at Ski Racing and the Issue that we just recieved really shows it. I get several magazines and this is one that I read front to back twice!!

[DHarrisburg]

wow he must be good if DH is holding him up.

32930[/snapback]

 

He's from PA, his parents didn't bankroll him, and he's a genuine down-to-earth nice guy.

 

He also just so happens to be one of the sickest rail riders out right now. He's the only guy I see at Mammoth that will make me stop taking laps and watch him ride. Hopefully some day I'll be able to get to his level and make back 180 s/w 50-50 front 180 out on a down rail a "lap trick."

 

Also, even though I could probably get free/discounted boards from other companies, I'll still probably pay to buy his first pro model this year.

Edited September 13, 2005 by DHarrisburg

[DHarrisburg]

In other Eddie Wall news, Jeenyus updated their website.

[RomeOp]

speaking even more of eddie wall. We just got derelictica in the shop(nestors) and eddie's part is sick again this year.