Since we first published Jason Stone's Op-Ed piece Final Thought: Sponsor-Rider Relations, has much changed? Compared to most other pro sports, Kiteboarding is a relatively small industry. Yet some brands are doing a good job of building the image of the sport, supporting teams of pro riders with travel budgets, free gear, and in some cases large salaries. What brands do you think are doing the best job of promoting and building a positive rider based image of the sport? Is it important? In these tough economic times some brands are trimming team budgets. Is focusing on gear development enough? Can that be done properly without a good quality pro team for feedback? What do YOU think?