Volunteering at Crankworx

Crankworx Rotorua 2022

Crankworx Rotorua took flight in March of 2015, becoming the first festival outside of North America and Europe. Since then, it’s played host to some of the most memorable moments in Crankworx history and is now referred to “the soul of Crankworx” due to the unique ability to combine riding with culture.

How I Took Photos for Crankworx

After a quick conversation with my boyfriends housemate about Crankworx, an event I didn't know a whole lot about (my exposure to mountain biking was pretty minimal at the time), I was immediately intrigued about photographing for it. I had shot some riding sessions of Aussie riders Haz and Mike Ross in Canberra a couple years earlier when MTB was an just an unattainable badass sport to me for people with money to burn.

I reached out to the team at Crankworx a couple of months before the event with links to my website and socials, explaining how much I'd love to be apart of the team. They had responded not too long after saying that all of the paid media spots were full so unfortunately they wouldn't be able to assist me. I responded saying I'd be more than happy to volunteer my time, if it means I could get the exposure, experience, and use the photos for my own website. They were thrilled with this and happily let me join the team!

What Was It Like Volunteering For Crankworx?

I was greeted by a lovely group of volunteer managers each morning. Everyone is so happy to be there, rain, hail, or shine... And Rotorua in November has A LOT of rain! But the mood was always high... That was until you walked into the media room. Not that the mood wasn't high, but it wasn't buzzing. It's quiet, dark, and everyone is glued to their laptops, (understandably). Small chatter between teams and industry friends, but usually it was a getaway for photographers, videographers, marketing, and managers to turnaround content as soon as it came in. My first experience in this environment was nerve wrecking, as there was a clear divide in the room. One table were "the boys" - the photographers and videographers and "the girls" - marketing, bloggers, social media. I sat where I found a spot, thankfully next to a sweet guy from Canada, who I later found out on the second day was also a volunteer photographer.

It was almost time for a competition and the gender divide of the room became even more apparent as all the men closed their laptops, grabbed their gear and stood up to leave, leaving the women in the dark room to keep typing away. I honestly wasn't surprised, it's not the first time I've been outnumbered by men in the industry, but it still doesn't make the realisation any easier. That was until the second day came around, I was sitting next to Noah, and a women photographer walked in. Camera's strapped to her, blonde hair, big smile, and a warm presence. Rach Hadfield. An immediate idol. We spoke a little and she invited me on a ride, which at the time I accepted, knowing full well I had been on a bike once before this trip and riding with her might lead to immediate embarrassment.

Later on that day, I saw another female photographer around the competitions. After stalking athlete's instagrams, I found her too - Amelia Howler. I was gobsmacked! Her creative direction was like nothing I had seen before! After seeing these two ladies and their talent with the camera, I was more motivated than ever to get as close and creative as I could to the bikes. To try and bring my style into the biking world!

Crankworx demanded 2 things of me as a volunteer photographer, to get crowd photos and to get shots of the Kidsworx. The rest of my time was freeplay with my black, all access bib. I shot the Kidsworx until I was satisfied, and if I had time I would run into the media room to upload, if not, it would be straight to the main events to try to capture what I could.

Being a volunteer for Crankworx really allowed me the freedom to explore and take photos of what I wanted whilst also having to coordinate and time manage the tasks I had to complete. Communicating with managers about the photos they required and making sure I got them what they needed as soon as possible.

I learnt a few quick tips from longtime Crankworx veteran, Clint Trahan which made my workflow easier and a lot more efficient. I quickly learnt that time is valuable in the action sports event world. And being a volunteer really freed you up from some of the pressure the athlete and event paid team were dealing with at the time.

Ultimately, I loved the experience and immediately expressed interest to go back. If it wasn't for me being in Japan at the time, I would have been at the 2023 comp in the Southern Lakes area.

I would highly recommend anyone to volunteer at Crankworx. Whether that's photography, tickets, stalls, carpark. The crew are amazing, the volunteer recognition is 10/10 and everyone is so lovely! Volunteering in general is a heartwarming experience, but being able to attend an international sporting event for free and being around bikes all day, watching athletes throw down is the cherry on the cake.

How To Be a Volunteer

Crankworx has a fantastic volunteer system. Closer to the 2024 event, they will open a page on the website for you to apply for volunteering positions. Once they get back to you, you will be asked to download the Volunteer App on your phone. Here you can select which shifts you'd like to volunteer for. You'll need a certain amount to qualify for free entry, and can do as many as you'd like.

For any volunteer questions, check out their FAQ page.

Hope to see you there!