Half Pint currently has a team of eight skaters under sponsorship, including Riddiough, from across California and Nevada. During one recent week Crum received 10 e-mail messages and seven telephone calls from skaters seeking sponsorship. But he says he is selective, looking for talent, a good attitude and good parents.
"The majority of the damage control I've had to do as a sponsor of little kids is avoiding some of the parents," he said. "Whenever I come back from a road trip, I always come back to a couple of jaded e-mails."
But not all parents are seeking sponsorship. Larry and Shari Midler did not plan to raise a skateboarding prodigy. It just happened when they moved to California three years ago from Westport, Connecticut.
Alex Midler has shown promise, leading the league's Southern California series' 8-and-under division. That has attracted the attention of sponsors and skate shop managers, who want to give him free merchandise.
"As soon as he goes to a skate park and does a kick flip, people start surrounding him and asking, 'Are you sponsored?'" Shari Midler said.
Although Alex wants to be, the Midlers are still learning what it all means.
"With these younger kids, especially with clothing or shoe companies, they see somebody, there's a model," Catalano said.
The Midlers have sought help from Peter Townend, a former world surfing champion whom they met through a mutual acquaintance. Townend's son Tosh began skating in amateur events at age 11. Today, he is 22 and a top street skater.
"Without good advice, you just get eaten alive by all these sharks swimming around in the water," Peter Townend said.
De Ville Nunes has been trying to sign the Puehse twins to a contract. Nunes is the team manager for Powell Skateboards, which backed Tony Hawk when he turned pro in 1982 at 14, surprisingly young for the time.
Nunes typically scouts the league events in Southern California. It is a competitive milieu. Two skaters that he had sponsored, ages nine and 10, were signed by a rival company.
Nunes said he was impressed with the Puehse twins' willingness to try any terrain or trick. For now, the Puehses have simple goals. "My goal is to become a pro skateboarder and do the MegaRamp before I'm 10," Nic said about a nine-story ramp that launches riders more than 21m.
After that, the sky's the limit.
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