SponsorHouse.com Brings Grassroots To A New Level

Intense Bikes and SponsorHouse.com teamed up in 2005 to organize, strengthen, and structure their Sponsorship Program. Intense incorporated the SponsorHouse system to offer solid grassroots sponsorships to deserving riders. After sponsoring and securing the new 2005 Intense Racing Program, we ask the newly hired Team Manager, Nick Sunseri, some questions.
First of all, how is the new Job?
It’s great. Intense is a company that has a rich racing heritage that started with Palmer and it had grown by leaps and bounds ever since. Our team is the most predominate on the race circuit, both in image and race results, so it’s a real privilege to be able to spear head a program of this magnitude.

Who is on the 2005 Factory Intense Cycles team this year?
We have Chris Kovarik and Sabrina Jonnier. Chris missed the entire 2004 season due to a motocross accident that left his leg in pieces, but he has recovered quite well and is hungry to get back on the circuit. Sabrina had a great year last year, but it was cut short due to a liver laceration at the Crankworx festival in B.C., so she is very pumped up to get back into the circuit. In addition to Kovarik and Jonnier, April Lawyer riding with us as a factory support rider and with her top three overall finish in the Norba ranking last year Intense is looking at a very strong team for 2005.

How has SponsorHouse made your job easier?
SponsorHouse makes the sponsorship portion of my job very easy to manage. The old way to get a sponsorship was to send in a resume via mail, and after getting a couple hundred of those each year it can be quite taxing. SponsorHouse offers athletes a formal method of contending for support, and it gives team managers the ease of viewing the athletes profile without any clutter, and in team management, that is a good thing! I have secured a small core of great riders from different regions by utilizing SponsorHouse, and due to the fact we do not have an scouting program, we are very happy with what SponsorHouse has offered us!

How many athletes sent you sponsorship requests?
I had about 180+ request this year, and it was tough to pick the best riders out of that whole group. We are honored that so many riders are interested in riding for us, and we urge them to keep on trying!

How many athletes will you sponsor this year?
We sponsored about 10 amateur level riders this year. We look for athletes in the Expert to Pro Levels that exhibit certain qualities. Good results, character, and overall presence all have a significant role in our decision making process. We are actually tossing around a few ideas to add an extra level of contention for those looking for sponsorship in 2006. I can’t release any information on that program at this time, but I can tell prospective riders that it will behoove you to stay in shape during sponsorship season this fall!

What makes your company's sponsorship program unique?
It’s unique in the fact that we are allowing amateur level athletes to contend for a possible factory support ride. This position is open to those who work their way up to the pro level and give consistent top 10 finishes in the NORBA circuit. Sponsored athletes will have the assurance that they are racing on the best racing frames made, and that allows the rider to focus on his/her riding skills and not have to worry about the bike.


Describe a day in the life of a TM?
It’s very busy. It’s simple to look in from the outside and presume that it’s a plush job, but that is the furthest thing from the truth. I have to arrange everything from securing sponsors, travel and lodging arrangements, Licenses, Visa’s, Tech Spots, race bike prep, etc…and that’s only a small portion of what needs to be handled. It’s a very important position that commands all of ones energy, devotion, and attention to detail.


How do you plan on using sponsorhouse in the future?
We look forward to utilizing SponsorHouse for the 2006 race season. It was of great use to us this year, and I am sure that we will see a lot more resumes next year. SponsorHouse has helped tremendously in promoting MTB racing, and for Intense Cycles that is important because we are a race bred company. Racing isn’t dead and SponsorHouse is reminding everyone of that fact.