Daughter new to skating and expense

[grinnell]

Hello all -- new skating dad here, I suppose. My daughter, who is 12, has been taking group skating lessons along with a practice session once a week and then going to open skating for a couple of years. She is on the cusp of moving on to what I guess they call 'contract ice' and a coach. The expenses before were not cheap but pretty reasonable. These new expenses are astronomical. The coach, for a 30 minute lesson per week, plus contract ice is close to $300 per month plus there are costumes, skates, etc etc. In addition, she wants to skate in the synchronized skating team which is another $120 per month plus $805 for 'competition costs'. There is no way I can or will pay close to $7000 per year for her to do these things. We would have to sacrifice everything else from family vacations to saving for college and our retirement. We have a son who is 9 and he plays soccer which costs maybe $300 for the entire year. It's hardly fair to him to be spending 20 times what we spend on his activities on our daughter's activities. How does one set a reasonable budget and prioritize these sorts of things?

Thanks for any support. I am in a state of financial shock.

[Sylvia]

The "Moves In The Field" subforum probably is a better place for this discussion - perhaps a moderator can move your thread over there (I'll ask).

These are excellent questions to ask BEFORE you commit to anything major, financially. There are skating parents on this board that hopefully chime in with helpful advice/tips.

Edited to add that grinnell gone ahead and started a new thread in MITF - link is: http://www.fsuniverse.net/forum/foru...s-In-The-Field

[grinnell]

The "Moves In The Field" subforum probably is a better place for this discussion - perhaps a moderator can move your thread over there (I'll ask).

These are excellent questions to ask BEFORE you commit to anything major, financially. There are skating parents on this board that hopefully chime in with helpful advice/tips.

Thanks kindly. I can repost there and see if I can delete this one. Appreciate the feedback.

[4rkidz]

Hello all -- new skating dad here, I suppose. My daughter, who is 12, has been taking group skating lessons along with a practice session once a week and then going to open skating for a couple of years. She is on the cusp of moving on to what I guess they call 'contract ice' and a coach. The expenses before were not cheap but pretty reasonable. These new expenses are astronomical. The coach, for a 30 minute lesson per week, plus contract ice is close to $300 per month plus there are costumes, skates, etc etc. In addition, she wants to skate in the synchronized skating team which is another $120 per month plus $805 for 'competition costs'. There is no way I can or will pay close to $7000 per year for her to do these things. We would have to sacrifice everything else from family vacations to saving for college and our retirement. We have a son who is 9 and he plays soccer which costs maybe $300 for the entire year. It's hardly fair to him to be spending 20 times what we spend on his activities on our daughter's activities. How does one set a reasonable budget and prioritize these sorts of things?

Thanks for any support. I am in a state of financial shock.

The reality is the better your daughter gets the more money it will cost.. and then it will be even harder to say no.. you have to make your own decisions but seriously ask yourself are you willing to sacrifice everything from the rest of your family for a gamble that will likely not pay off?? I hate to be negative but the truth is $7000 is a drop in the bucket to what it will actually cost if she gets really good.. why not a compromise.. are there recreational synchro groups for less costs?

Can she also start working on her own coaching volunteer so as she gets older she can help pay towards her own costs? Upon my own reflection - my daughter stopped skating at 12/13 - to move into another sport.. at the time she stopped we were paying about $10,000 a year.. and she was 'middle of the pack' competitively with just an expensive future and no real shot at making it nationally in that sport... basically we were just funding coaches and the club - which was fair enough but we had our eyes open - my brother meanwhile - learned from us and made sure his daughter just skated recreationally - but did get her a few lessons - and she excelled in the recreational stream, had tons of fun.. did volunteer coaching and still had time for a social life and part time job..

A passion doesn't have to cost a fortune.. especially if you are realistic about her options and future.. you can pay what ever you want to pay in this sport..

[grinnell]

4rkidz -- thanks for the moral support. Will reply in the moves in the field subforum so as to not be posting in two places.