If there’s one thing marketing major Jimmy Smith knows, it’s busy. The senior, who graduates in May, is a full-time student, a part-time employee at two jobs and a competitive BMX and mountain biker in his spare time. Luckily for Jimmy, all of these activities have something in common: marketing.
Jimmy was born in Southern California, but his family moved to Hawaii when Jimmy was still young. It wasn’t until his sophomore year of high school that Jimmy moved to Springfield. It was also at this time that he got into BMX. Since he started riding competitively at 14 years old, he has moved from the amateur to the professional level. However, looking for something new to try, he recently bought a mountain bike and has begun training for races in the spring.
BMX stands for “bicycle motocross” and is a competitive racing or freestyle sport. In freestyle, athletes perform stunts and tricks at skate and bike parks. Jimmy was drawn to the action sport because he had loved riding his bike as a kid, but wanted to see what else he could with it. BMX, he says, is all about pushing yourself mentally. “You have the potential to do everything [tricks], but it’s getting over the mental barriers and trying them for the first time and just going for it and being willing to get hurt.” BMX contests are scored based on the use of the park, creativity and style, difficulty of tricks and height. Becoming a paid professional in BMX is a combination of how good an athlete is and who they know, as well as being persistent and sticking with the sport for a long time.
Having achieved the goals he set for himself in BMX, Jimmy realized he really liked the sport but wasn’t necessarily interested in making it a career. Last March, he started mountain biking and was hooked when he tried a few races at the professional level over the summer. He currently trains for a race series call Big Mountain Enduro, which he wants to do after he graduates. In contrast to BMX, Jimmy says mountain biking is more about pushing yourself physically. “In mountain biking, it’s very absolute and very precise. ‘This is your time; it is faster or slower than this person’s,’” compared to BMX, where scoring can be subjective. Jimmy trains at the Two Rivers and Sac River bike trails, but he’s also still running a BMX bike camp at the skate park in town.
Competing in BMX was the main reason Jimmy stayed in Springfield for college. He completed an associate’s at OTC and then came to MSU to get his bachelor’s degree in marketing with an emphasis in sales management. While training and going to school full time, Jimmy also works part time as a barista for Brick & Mortar, a coffee roasting company, and is a Student Brand Manager for Red Bull on MSU’s campus. “In action sports…Red Bull is kind of the pinnacle. If you’re sponsored by Red Bull, you’re the best,” he says. “Just thinking about careers in that industry, that’s obviously the benchmark.” He wanted to make connections now, so he met the marketing manager from St. Louis through mountain biking and was offered the job. This job, like riding his bike professionally, is all about who you know. His task is to find a way for Red Bull to market to MSU in a unique way.
One of the most influential classes Jimmy has taken in the marketing program is Sherry Cook’s Marketing Yourself class. “It kind of makes you slow down and look at all the stuff you’ve been learning and what it means and…your strengths.” His favorite part of the degree he’s getting in general is how it connects all of his different activities and focuses them. “[Marketing is] taking all of those connections I’ve built from doing all of the things I care about,” he says, “giving them an avenue for how they’re applicable to my career.”
Jimmy hopes to continue with the action sports industry after he graduates, although he’s not certain in what capacity that will be. With his background in both business and professional bike riding, he hopes he’ll work directly for a company like Red Bull someday. Having considerable experience making connections with people, being an athlete and marketing, Jimmy feels confident he’ll achieve these career goals just like he’s done with BMX riding.