Wednesday’s Rail Jam event, hosted by ASUCD and the Ski or Snowboard Club (SOS), has been postponed due to a breached agreement between the Rail Jam promotion company and the equipment provider.
The event was scheduled for Wednesday from 5 to 8 p.m. at Aggie Stadium and was intended to showcase winter sports in a competition setup. ASUCD planned to bring snow to campus from Lake Tahoe and allow students to attend free of charge.
According to ASUCD Senator and event coordinator Jesse Rosales, the equipment provider previously owed the promoting company money and planned to compensate by providing UC Davis the equipment for the event. The equipment provider then backed out of the agreement, asking instead for $12,000, which ASUCD funds could not provide.
“We would have to be pulling too many things together at last minute,” Rosales said. “It wouldn’t be safe, and the quality of the show wouldn’t be up to our standards.”
As a result of the postponement, ASUCD owes Campus Events and Visitor Services (CEVS) $275 for labor already performed for the event. ASUCD does not expect any other financial impacts from various other service units.
To compensate for this “unfortunate circumstance,” Rosales said that Dan Jenco, co-manager of Galvanic Designs Promotion Company, assured UC Davis “a show that’s better than other schools next year,” and free publicity for the event.
“If we wait until the fall, the company will incorporate us on the next tour and it will be better for the student body. We felt it was a better solution,” said Casey Hauser, student brand manager of Red Bull and senior political science major. Red Bull works nationally with the Rail Jam tour.
All representatives helping with the event expressed disappointment at the breached agreement, although they look forward to providing a better show for students with more free apparel, features and time to plan the future event.
SOS President and junior managerial economicsmajor Ben Kugel was also optimistic for the athletic aspect of holding the competition in January.
“It’ll be a good event to get everyone excited about the winter season and the [SOS] team, as opposed to at the end of the season,” Kugel said. “It will be a more interesting event.”
Planning has already begun for next year’s Rail Jam and appears to be on its way to a quality show, Rosales said.
“It will be a great opportunity to see some professional talent at a local event,” Rosales said. “Not many college campuses have this kind of event, so [UC Davis] students can be proud of their school.”
LAUREN STEUSSY can be reached at campus@californiaaggie.com.
