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If anything, the takeaway from the event is that this topic is not black and white. For starters, not even the debaters (on either side) seemed totally convinced that one view trumped the other. The “no” team consisted of Graham Turner and Alex Warburton, while Dave Rouleau and 33Mag’s own Brian Hockenstein bravely defended the “yes” side—although both sides occasionally switched to the opposing team’s point of view.
The panel
The fuzziness of the issue at stake was evident right off the bat as the debaters made their opening statements. Each debater presented totally valid issues and well-thought out ideas, though it was clear that the terms “snowboard industry” and “sold out” were a little murky and merited additional discussion.
The snowboard industry, for one—is it the retailers? The athletes? The sponsors? Our debaters brought up some fantastic points: on the one hand, business is business, and businesses have the goal of generating a profit; on the other hand, when you vest your interest in the snowboard industry in particular, you should know that the very soul of the sport is not just about making money. Alex raised the point that most snowboard companies are, in fact, not making a whole lot of money, and astutely said that if the industry is selling out, then “Where’s my cheque?”. Brian lamented that the money is being poured into the pockets of the very few A-listers at the top of the pro pyramid, while the “middle class” athletes, the up-and-comers with raw talent and unlimited potential, are getting left behind with relatively few resources.
Dave Rouleau is a passionate dude and it really showed through
“Selling out”—there’s another term that is open to some interpretation. Our debaters attempted to define what it means to sell out, but I don’t know if a true consensus was reached. When does an industry jump the shark? Is it when gnarly riders grow up and become responsible adults? When corporations try to force the “rebelliousness” of the sport, making it look desperate and lame? Is it when shredders trade their board in for new skis? Or when we are forced to rely on energy drink companies to sponsor events and competitions, because we can’t get the money anywhere else? Did snowboarding sell out to skiing—or did skiing steal our cool?
Graham Turner has worked in the retail industry for decades
See what I mean? There are a lot of ideas that could be explored on this theme, and our debaters did a great job at beginning to tackle these topics. What started off as a simple question quickly turned into a discussion exploring so many aspects of a sport we all love, from the sport’s history to the lifestyle to the business and politics. When the floor opened up and audience members were invited to participate, the debate got even more intense. This was true audience involvement, with some legendary industry insiders throwing ideas back and forth.
Jack Crompton moderated the evening, which was not an easy feat. He did a great job at tying the questions and themes together and challenging both the speakers and the audience. The crowd got to vote for the “winning” side, and although two thirds of the audience said the sport had NOT sold out, I suspect there is more to the story. I personally voted that it did not sell out, but I wanted to add several qualifiers and disclaimers.
This winning team!
The best part of the event was that it brought passionate people together. If they made this a weekly series, I would totally go every time, and I bet you each week would bring different thoughts and discussions. “Stimulating” is the best word I can think of to describe the evening.
As a final note, I encourage my fellow Whistler residents to attend the events put on by the museum and by the library. Between the two facilities, there are at least a few events per month to attend for free or on the cheap ($7 for museum events). It’s a refreshing way to connect with the members of our awesome community, and it’s nice to stimulate the ole brain every so often.
