words: Ally Watson
photos: Ashley McQuestion
It was with strong intentions that this year’s Pitch Sessions was scheduled to follow day one, and encourage discussion and collaboration throughout the week, which it absolutely succeeded in. This year’s panel was made up of an influential group of speakers from various pockets of the industry including Barrett Christy, Jill Perkins, Jess Kimura, Megan Pischke of B4BC, Yulin Olliver from Wasserman sports agency, and Bobby Meeks from WE ARE CAMP, all moderated by our very own Mary Walsh.
Presented in collaboration with IT’S TITS, B4BC, Wy’East Mountain Academy, and High Cascade Snowboard Camp, Pitch Sessions was supported by event sponsors Fat Tire, Yeti, Sun Bum, Suja Organic, Stance, and Coal. The evening kicked off with a social hour and skate session while riders piled onto campus, gathering outside of BOB, the indoor skatepark where the session would be held. Swag bags were acquired, B4BC raffle tickets were purchased, and beers were consumed before attendees were herded into BOB to settle in for discussion time.
IT’S TITS! riders and industry professionals gathered inside, taking seats among concrete transition, ledges, and coping to engage with the panel for the next few hours. Mary introduced the panel and their stature in snowboarding that let’s be honest, the heavy hitting group of speakers barely needed an introduction in front of this audience.
The discussion was opened with the topic of finding the meaning of marketability and what it means to people on either end of the spectrum. Whether that is a brand or a rider, the panel and audience began to bounce back and forth sharing insights, experience, and opinions on the topic. The rapidly raising hands didn’t slow until the end of the evening, while BOB quickly morphed into a pinball machine where ideas were the balls, and perspectives were the flippers.
Brand insiders from The North Face, Airblaster, and others shared their insights as to what draws them to a rider and what keeps the relationship strong, while riders like Taylor Elliot, Naima Antolin, Desiree Melancon, and Taylor Davies spoke to being authentic and finding a sense of self and community within your career while bringing others up.
Barrett expressed her devotion to elevating women in snowboarding while also encouraging them to expand their horizons and become involved in the industry in different ways. Meg Pischke spoke with passion about her involvement with B4BC and how it has allowed to her to find depth and meaning in her career without compromising her relationship with the sport. “Let’s transform these companies from within,” said Yulin Olliver, a sports agent with a proclivity for representing marginalized individuals and diversifying the action sports field. The panelists continued to encourage the audience to build relationships, strengthen community and maintain this lifestyle for as long as possible. Audience members Abby Furrer, Savannah Golden, Alexa McCarty, and Ellie Weiler spoke further, with Alexa stating that to want to be involved, “You better fucking love it.”
While Jill Perkins’ dog Sammy did the rounds and our chilly bums got tired from the concrete, the session wrapped up with the B4BC raffle, some one-on-ones, and “until tomorrow” goodbyes.
Pitch Sessions was created to take the conversations, feelings, and goals that occur on snow into a mediated discussion space that seeks to compliment and uplift what event attendees are going through or working towards. Starting the week off with a broad and more formal panel discussion gave participants time to collect their thoughts and questions in order to pose them concisely and foster productive conversations in the more intimate off snow sessions to follow. These included a media panel hosted by Jess Kimura sponsored by The North Face, Skate Like a Girl Allysk8 workshop hosted by Kim Woozy, and Mental Meetup moderated by Laura Rogoski.
Building off-snow sessions at events like IT’S TITS! creates a platform for the conversations and connections that arise through the week to come to life in a communal setting. As women’s events continue to grow, so do the opportunities to foster valuable relationships and uplift women within the community. Pitch Sessions seeks to achieve all the above and will continue to do so in the future.
