So U.S. skaters assigned to Tayside Trophy need to pay their own travel/hotel expenses?
2024-25 USFS International Assignments
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marshallpond
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Yes, everything. And to several other competitions this season.
So you have skaters doing gofundme for competitions they are assigned and has to pay on their own like https://www.gofundme.com/f/trophy-metropole-nice-cote-dazur-2024. So would be great for fans to support these skaters
ice coverage
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I wish the U.S. competitors at Tayside well.
But it's not a win-win for everyone if a skater cannot accept an international opportunity because of money -- as has been discussed in this thread and elsewhere on FSU. I will always wonder whether there are skaters in that category, but I respect their privacy and do not expect/need to ever hear about any specific example.
There already are many worthy requests for skating-related crowdfunding that are not tied to one assignment. I don't think I am the only fan who is not in a position to donate endlessly, although I wish I could.
But it's not a win-win for everyone if a skater cannot accept an international opportunity because of money -- as has been discussed in this thread and elsewhere on FSU. I will always wonder whether there are skaters in that category, but I respect their privacy and do not expect/need to ever hear about any specific example.
There already are many worthy requests for skating-related crowdfunding that are not tied to one assignment. I don't think I am the only fan who is not in a position to donate endlessly, although I wish I could.
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kwanfan1818
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It is a good thing for a given skater’s immediate goals to be able to be able to raise money for a single competition, whether to gain experience, get a score that allows them to go forward, etc. It’s a smaller and seemingly more attainable ask to raise 3K or 5K for a competition than to raise 25K for a season’s training costs. Plus people can do what they want with their money.
I doubt that this is a good thing for the sport in general or even for athletes in the long run, when there is donor fatigue or the expectation that successful fundraising can be repeated.
I doubt that this is a good thing for the sport in general or even for athletes in the long run, when there is donor fatigue or the expectation that successful fundraising can be repeated.
It is not a win-win. It has become pay to play. I know many families who cannot afford to pay the exorbitant amount associated with self-funding. The skater’s family is responsible for all travel (flight and hotel); registration fee; coach’s travel (flight and hotel) and coach’s daily competition fee; meals, and a lot of the times, the skater is a minor which means all chaperone’s costs as well. A competition like this can easily add up to be $5-7k.
For some families; this is just not in their budget and would rather use the money towards training.
Also, the skaters can buy team USA jackets. So again, becomes pay to play.
For some families; this is just not in their budget and would rather use the money towards training.
Also, the skaters can buy team USA jackets. So again, becomes pay to play.
ice coverage
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My concern is that the U.S. model for some international competitions is becoming "pay your own way" and (apparently) "raise money via crowdfunding if necessary." Of course. Skaters can make whatever kind of crowdfunding solicitations that they want, and individual fans can make case-by-case decisions whether to donate (or not).
What I was saying is that my reality is that I can give only small amounts of financial support to only a few skating-related causes, and I must pick and choose among many deserving ones. In my own thought process, I won't automatically place lesser importance on raising money for one assignment -- but I won't automatically place greater importance on it either.
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Karen-W
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Oh, for pity's sake! I'm pretty sure that you can rack up $3-$5k in competition expenses domestically with one or two of the more prestigious domestic competitions that exist.
We have plenty of domestic competitive opportunities and no restrictions on competing at those events, right?
The USFS and Skate Canada also have given permission to their athletes to enter domestic competitions in either country without explicit federation approval, right?
As long as you have the money, you can fly across the continent as many times as you want to compete, right?
And you're still going to need to pay your coach to accompany you to those competitions, right?
As far as I can tell, the only difference between skaters who are being allowed to compete at Tayside Trophy and those who compete at, say, Lake Placid Ice Dance International, is... One is in July in the US and the other is in October in Scotland. The USFS has, essentially, opened up some minor international competitions (especially at the junior level) to anyone on the ISP the same way that LPIDI is open to anyone on the ISP.
The same has been true of Cranberry Cup and John Nicks IPC in seasons past. Any skater on the ISP could enter and compete as long as they could pay the entry fees and competition costs. I'd bet hard cash that the junior categories for both of those events this season were open to anyone on the ISP.
And, as far as I can tell, the level of competition at Tayside is about the same as LPIDI, Cranberry and John Nicks IPC - it sort of varies from season to season.
The plain and simple truth is that skating is and always will be an expensive sport. It is not as if these skaters have done nothing to earn the opportunity to compete internationally if they can afford it. They are, after all, good enough to be included on the ISP.
Some of the posters here are sounding very personally bitter over... Well, the fact that the skater they know on the ISP is good enough to be on the ISP but not quite good enough to be earn JGP, Challenger or GP assignments which are still expensive competitive opportunities but at least have some portion of the travel/lodging costs paid for by the USFS or host federation.
Also... Comments like "the skaters can buy team USA jackets. So again, becomes pay to play" are petty and ridiculous. I can buy a Team USA Paris Olympics Closing Ceremony jacket from Ralph Lauren - does that make me an Olympian? No, that makes me a sucker, willing to shell out $1000 because the US is a consumer capitalist economy. If someone wants to shell out $200 for a USFS Team USA jacket, more power to them!
As far as I can tell, the only downside to this is not to the skaters themselves, if they're able to afford this competitive opportunity, it is to the college admissions officers and hiring managers who may see a "Team USA figure skater, finished 10th at Tayside Trophy/Cranberry Cup/Trophee Metropole Nice" and think it means that applicant has legitimate Olympic aspirations. Most people aren't going to be assholes like I was about 12 years ago when a young woman in my nieces' youth organization who skated locally was telling our state leadership that she couldn't attend mandatory events the following three statements:
1) "I dream of making the 2018 Olympic team."
2) "I have a figure skating competition in Belize."
3) "I competed at a Junior Grand Prix in Estonia."
Of those three statements, only the first was true. I remember sputtering at the mother of another girl when she told me #2 was the girl in question's excuse for missing an event, saying "There are no ice skating rinks in Belize! And there are no international competitions in early August!" Little did I recall LPIDI, I guess, lol.
The real tipping point for me, though, was hearing #3 the following year at the annual convention banquet where all of the state officers were honored. I got so flipping mad at what I knew was NOT true (lots of reasons why I knew it wasn't true, not the least of which being I'd never seen her name on any Regionals entry lists at any level) - that I went back to my hotel room, got on my laptop and started searching the internet for her skating results. The only hit I found was that she'd successfully passed a pre-preliminary or preliminary test the previous year. At the end of the convention, when the girl was appointed to a different state office for the next year, I was the b*tch who walked up to her local chapter's lead adviser and told that person "you need to have a conversation with her about not exaggerating her figure skating accomplishments - I've been a FS fan for 25 years and she's never competed for the US internationally at any level - and if I hear the lies about her figure skating again, I'll have a conversation with the state adult leadership about it and I'll bring receipts to prove it."
The chances of running across a Karen-W in the real world are pretty minimal and there's not really much harm in being able to, truthfully, put on your application the fact that you placed 10th at some minor international competition representing the USA. What's more, I don't see this change in policy as truly changing any skater's competitive trajectory in the overall scheme of things.
There are more than enough domestic competition opportunities available to anyone who can afford them already, and the skaters who are talented enough to warrant JGP, Challenger & GP assignments are going to get them. And not getting them, or not getting more than one the season before they turn senior certainly will not limit them if they are that good - see Ava Ziegler or Sarah Everhardt as the two most recent examples of junior women who got little international exposure (one JGP each) but went out and won an early Challenger the following season and earned GP assignments as a result of that. The cream will always rise.
We have plenty of domestic competitive opportunities and no restrictions on competing at those events, right?
The USFS and Skate Canada also have given permission to their athletes to enter domestic competitions in either country without explicit federation approval, right?
As long as you have the money, you can fly across the continent as many times as you want to compete, right?
And you're still going to need to pay your coach to accompany you to those competitions, right?
As far as I can tell, the only difference between skaters who are being allowed to compete at Tayside Trophy and those who compete at, say, Lake Placid Ice Dance International, is... One is in July in the US and the other is in October in Scotland. The USFS has, essentially, opened up some minor international competitions (especially at the junior level) to anyone on the ISP the same way that LPIDI is open to anyone on the ISP.
The same has been true of Cranberry Cup and John Nicks IPC in seasons past. Any skater on the ISP could enter and compete as long as they could pay the entry fees and competition costs. I'd bet hard cash that the junior categories for both of those events this season were open to anyone on the ISP.
And, as far as I can tell, the level of competition at Tayside is about the same as LPIDI, Cranberry and John Nicks IPC - it sort of varies from season to season.
The plain and simple truth is that skating is and always will be an expensive sport. It is not as if these skaters have done nothing to earn the opportunity to compete internationally if they can afford it. They are, after all, good enough to be included on the ISP.
Some of the posters here are sounding very personally bitter over... Well, the fact that the skater they know on the ISP is good enough to be on the ISP but not quite good enough to be earn JGP, Challenger or GP assignments which are still expensive competitive opportunities but at least have some portion of the travel/lodging costs paid for by the USFS or host federation.
Also... Comments like "the skaters can buy team USA jackets. So again, becomes pay to play" are petty and ridiculous. I can buy a Team USA Paris Olympics Closing Ceremony jacket from Ralph Lauren - does that make me an Olympian? No, that makes me a sucker, willing to shell out $1000 because the US is a consumer capitalist economy. If someone wants to shell out $200 for a USFS Team USA jacket, more power to them!
As far as I can tell, the only downside to this is not to the skaters themselves, if they're able to afford this competitive opportunity, it is to the college admissions officers and hiring managers who may see a "Team USA figure skater, finished 10th at Tayside Trophy/Cranberry Cup/Trophee Metropole Nice" and think it means that applicant has legitimate Olympic aspirations. Most people aren't going to be assholes like I was about 12 years ago when a young woman in my nieces' youth organization who skated locally was telling our state leadership that she couldn't attend mandatory events the following three statements:
1) "I dream of making the 2018 Olympic team."
2) "I have a figure skating competition in Belize."
3) "I competed at a Junior Grand Prix in Estonia."
Of those three statements, only the first was true. I remember sputtering at the mother of another girl when she told me #2 was the girl in question's excuse for missing an event, saying "There are no ice skating rinks in Belize! And there are no international competitions in early August!" Little did I recall LPIDI, I guess, lol.
The real tipping point for me, though, was hearing #3 the following year at the annual convention banquet where all of the state officers were honored. I got so flipping mad at what I knew was NOT true (lots of reasons why I knew it wasn't true, not the least of which being I'd never seen her name on any Regionals entry lists at any level) - that I went back to my hotel room, got on my laptop and started searching the internet for her skating results. The only hit I found was that she'd successfully passed a pre-preliminary or preliminary test the previous year. At the end of the convention, when the girl was appointed to a different state office for the next year, I was the b*tch who walked up to her local chapter's lead adviser and told that person "you need to have a conversation with her about not exaggerating her figure skating accomplishments - I've been a FS fan for 25 years and she's never competed for the US internationally at any level - and if I hear the lies about her figure skating again, I'll have a conversation with the state adult leadership about it and I'll bring receipts to prove it."
The chances of running across a Karen-W in the real world are pretty minimal and there's not really much harm in being able to, truthfully, put on your application the fact that you placed 10th at some minor international competition representing the USA. What's more, I don't see this change in policy as truly changing any skater's competitive trajectory in the overall scheme of things.
There are more than enough domestic competition opportunities available to anyone who can afford them already, and the skaters who are talented enough to warrant JGP, Challenger & GP assignments are going to get them. And not getting them, or not getting more than one the season before they turn senior certainly will not limit them if they are that good - see Ava Ziegler or Sarah Everhardt as the two most recent examples of junior women who got little international exposure (one JGP each) but went out and won an early Challenger the following season and earned GP assignments as a result of that. The cream will always rise.
Please get your facts straight. Ava and Sarah went to JGP more than once.
Ava’s competitive history:
Ava’s competitive history:
- 2023 Finlandia Trophy – 5th
- 2023 Lombardia Trophy – 6th
- 2023 Cranberry Cup – 2nd
- 2023 Coupe du Printemps – 3rd
- 2023 U.S. Championships – 9th
- 2023 Eastern Sectional Singles Final – 1st
- 2022 Skate Canada International – 4th
- 2022 Budapest Trophy – 1st
- 2022 Philadelphia Summer International – 4th
- 2022 U.S. Championships, Junior – 2nd
- 2022 U.S. Championship Series, Junior (Norwood, Mass.) – 1st
- 2022 U.S. Championship Series, Junior (Leesburg, Va.) – 1st
- 2021 Junior Grand Prix (Slovenia) – 7th
- 2021 Junior Grand Prix (Slovakia) – 6th
- 2021 Cranberry Cup, Junior – 1st
- 2024 Lombardia Trophy – 2nd
- 2024 Cranberry Cup International – 1st
- 2024 U.S. Championships – 4th
- 2024 Eastern Sectional Singles Final – 1st
- 2023 Junior Grand Prix (Poland) – 6th
- 2023 Cranberry Cup – 6th
- 2023 U.S. Championships, Junior – 13th
- 2023 Eastern Sectional Singles Final, Junior – 3rd
- 2022 Junior Grand Prix (France) – 10th
- 2022 Philadelphia Summer International, Junior – 1st
- 2022 Egna Spring Trophy, Junior – 7th
kwanfan1818
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Since USFS is the gatekeeper on international competitions except invitationals, including deciding whom to submit for GP assignments, the only justification I can see for supporting pay-as-you-go for international competitions is if USFS is blocking a true contender from all chances to capture the technical minimums when those minimums would be meaningful. Of course, USFS would have to approve those skaters (even if the ISU ignores its own rules, like letting Miki Ando apply to Nebelhorn and be accepted as an individual, not a nominee of the Japanese Fed.)
There's a big difference between domestic competitions that 1, US skaters can sign up for without USFS' blessing and 2. all competitors are expected to pay their on way to and international competitions for which USFS is the gatekeeper and moneybags.
Karen-W
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Oh, pardon me, they had TWO JGPs each - Ava's were in the same season - her first that she competed internationally for the US; while Sarah's were in two different seasons, and her rise and international junior competitive opportunities were spread out over three seasons.
Also, it might do YOU some good to recognize that the USA had 14 JGP spots in 2021 and 2022, and 8 JGP spots in 2023. Certainly, it can be argued that Sarah would have probably received 2 JGPs last year had the USA had more spots than it wound up with, but if the top skaters aren't producing the necessary results at Jr Worlds to maximize the JGP spots, then the USFS has to look elsewhere for competitive opportunities and it also needs to be exclusive with how it funds those opportunities because the money pot isn't limitless.
You keep on doing you and b*tchin' - just remember, no amount of money is going to make a skater better than they, intrinsically, are.
Such hostility. Just shows how much you know about skating. Money matters in this sport. Yes, there are intrinsic talent but those with no financial constraints can afford more lessons, more ice time, more competitions now that you can self-fund, meaning more competition experience.
Skating is one of those sport that requires a lot of repetition and muscle memory. It is also very technical. If you can have resources to have more lessons or uplift and move to a bigger name coach, progress is bound to happen to a certain extent.
Like most expensive elite sport, those on top might not necessarily be the most talented. They happen to have more resources due to $, and parents have more time to dedicate to their skater, either always being at rinkside day in and day out, and/or moving with the skater to a bigger name coach.
Skating is one of those sport that requires a lot of repetition and muscle memory. It is also very technical. If you can have resources to have more lessons or uplift and move to a bigger name coach, progress is bound to happen to a certain extent.
Like most expensive elite sport, those on top might not necessarily be the most talented. They happen to have more resources due to $, and parents have more time to dedicate to their skater, either always being at rinkside day in and day out, and/or moving with the skater to a bigger name coach.
AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)
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Looks like I picked the wrong week to stop drinking
jlai
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Regardless of the situation, two things are true:
1. skating is not as popular as before, USFS money is running dry, yet it has to send out more skaters to assignments than it has ever sent compared to a decade ago, and it's still not enough assignments to go around.
2. Skating is an expensive sport. Skaters can't afford to pay for all these assignments.
We see situations like China where everything is paid by the state, and we see the parents-driven funding system here. I am not sure if I like either.
I do not know the solution to this. It's not a black and white thing.
Perhaps a larger conversation should be how the sport should be funded, knowing neither USFS nor parents have limitless resources
1. skating is not as popular as before, USFS money is running dry, yet it has to send out more skaters to assignments than it has ever sent compared to a decade ago, and it's still not enough assignments to go around.
2. Skating is an expensive sport. Skaters can't afford to pay for all these assignments.
We see situations like China where everything is paid by the state, and we see the parents-driven funding system here. I am not sure if I like either.
I do not know the solution to this. It's not a black and white thing.
Perhaps a larger conversation should be how the sport should be funded, knowing neither USFS nor parents have limitless resources
So true. Read a comment about us juniors doing so horribly and how even Chinese girls coming out of nowhere winning JGP.
Like you said, China is stated funded and they have quite the budget. They hire many big name coaches from all over the world and they also send their skaters to train in Russia. The Chinese girl who won the recent JGP trains in Russia.
Developing US skaters are mostly dependent on parental resources. Often times that can be limited.
Also, unlike countries like Korea and China, US skaters have to do some type of schooling and some have aspirations to go to college. If a skater is on team Korea or China, they are exempt from a lot of schooling requirements.
There isn’t an easy answer. But I applaud those skaters who don’t have unlimited resources and who are working hard trying to improve and reach their goals!
Like you said, China is stated funded and they have quite the budget. They hire many big name coaches from all over the world and they also send their skaters to train in Russia. The Chinese girl who won the recent JGP trains in Russia.
Developing US skaters are mostly dependent on parental resources. Often times that can be limited.
Also, unlike countries like Korea and China, US skaters have to do some type of schooling and some have aspirations to go to college. If a skater is on team Korea or China, they are exempt from a lot of schooling requirements.
There isn’t an easy answer. But I applaud those skaters who don’t have unlimited resources and who are working hard trying to improve and reach their goals!
Karen-W
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Competition experience does not need to be had internationally - the bulk of the competitions you listed for both Ava & Sarah are domestic - and one of the "internationals" they both had was Philadelphia, which is in the same category as Cranberry, LPIDI and John Nicks for junior and advanced novice level skaters - the USFS doesn't restrict entry as long as you're on the ISP and can pay for it.
No skater is going to get international opportunities without already shelling out a LOT of money competing domestically. But no amount of money spent on going to competitions, domestic or international, is going to get a mediocre skater to the top.
Yes, tell that to... Oh, Liza Kulik - who certainly would have had access to the very best coaches, unlimited ice time, the money to enter any and all competitions - and yet... Money alone did not get her to even US Nationals let alone international competitions because, hostile as it may come across to you, she simply did not have the innate talent to rise to the top.
Again, not every single skater who has $$ to pay for all of that is going to rise to the top and win. And there are plenty of stories about skaters who rose to the top despite financial challenges. Talent is recognized and supported. Personally, reading your posts, I have the impression you're a disgruntled parent who believes that if you had unlimited financial resources your child could compete with someone else. I have no idea whether or not that's true, but what I will say is that if your child was as promising of a talent as you believe then there would be financial assistance made available to get additional ice time and lessons and if that's not happening then... Well, perhaps there are other life lessons to be taken from putting in the amount of money necessary for participating in elite sports.
Karen-W
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Do you have the receipts to back up your assertion here about educational requirements in South Korea or China? I imagine that some of our more knowledgeable Asian posters would take great exception to this blanket statement. Collegiate aspirations are even higher in Korea than they are in the US.So true. Read a comment about us juniors doing so horribly and how even Chinese girls coming out of nowhere winning JGP.
Like you said, China is stated funded and they have quite the budget. They hire many big name coaches from all over the world and they also send their skaters to train in Russia. The Chinese girl who won the recent JGP trains in Russia.
Developing US skaters are mostly dependent on parental resources. Often times that can be limited.
Also, unlike countries like Korea and China, US skaters have to do some type of schooling and some have aspirations to go to college. If a skater is on team Korea or China, they are exempt from a lot of schooling requirements.
There isn’t an easy answer. But I applaud those skaters who don’t have unlimited resources and who are working hard trying to improve and reach their goals!
Also, you may want to check out the Chinese skating news thread if you really believe that the state-funding for their training is unlimited. There's a reason why China rarely sends skaters to international competitions unless it's JGPs, GPs or ISU Championships - and it's most definitely because they don't have the unlimited financial resources you're trying to convince us they have.
Really, honestly, though, neither Japan nor Korea have unlimited funding for their skating programs and they don't send their junior skaters or even their lower-level senior skaters out to compete internationally to the same degree as the US. Heck, Korea has a tiered funding system for JGP assignments - not every skater they send out on the JGP has it fully funded; some have to pay their coach's expenses; some have to pay for both themselves and their coach - even if they finish high enough to earn the assignment. I cannot imagine the level of griping in here if the USFS instituted a similar funding structure for the JGPs.
But, no, we're instead focusing on just how unfair it is that the USFS is opening up an additional international competition path for skaters because some may or may not be able to afford it. Maybe they should go back to limiting those international competition opportunities, since they can't seem to win for trying.
Liza Kulik competed in Junior at 2017 Nats.
Karen-W
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Well, bully for her. The point still stands. She made it to Nats once at the junior level. What prevented her from being in the 2022 Olympic conversation? It certainly wasn't because Karen Chen or Mariah Bell were podium contenders.
She unfortunately suffered a lot of injuries as she was growing. She is one of the most talented skaters I have personally seen. You’re username is very fitting “Karen.”
And please don’t assume that I am a disgruntled parent with an untalented kid. You know nothing about me.
And please don’t assume that I am a disgruntled parent with an untalented kid. You know nothing about me.
Karen-W
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And yet, neither talent nor money is enough to make any one skater successful. It takes an incredible amount of everything, including a fair bit of luck. And, again, nothing you've stated is a convincing or compelling argument against the USFS' decision to allow skaters to compete at some minor internationals if they're able to fund the cost of the trip themselves.
Ooooo! Sick burn!
The more you post, the more you reveal about yourself. You come across as very resentful of the current situation. Whether you're a disgruntled parent or not is irrelevant - and I did make sure to say that I had no idea whether or not my impression is correct/accurate/true. If not, so be it. You're still, obviously, disgruntled about what you perceive to be the inherent unfairness of it all and that's not an argument that is going to move me. Been there, done that, seen it happen in other youth activities. It may not be fair, it may not be right, it may limit some kids from some opportunities, but that is a part of how American society works in the 21st century.
Personally, I understand how it can sting to see someone with tremendous potential passed over because other people believe the financial support for certain opportunities does not exist. At least with the USFS they are opening the chance to have the opportunity up to anyone who raises their hand - I've been in situations with my nieces & older nephew where they and others weren't even given a chance to raise their hand and say "hey, give me a chance" and then given the opportunity to crowd-fund or extended-family-fund that opportunity. I see what the USFS is doing as being far more equitable than that and I appreciate it, even while acknowledging it's a huge expense that not everyone will be able to shoulder.
this is a DISCUSSION forum. i was merely stating that this is not a win-win situation IMHO and that this can be potentially slippery slope for pay to play situation. i am in no way disgruntled. you are the one who sounds disgruntled and taking personal offense. in fact, it sounds like you are bitter that your niece and nephews didn't get the chance to raise their hand and say "hey, give me chance."
we can beg to differ, but no need to be so defensive and tell me that I am "bitching" when it is merely a discussion. and what does "bully for her" even mean?
we can beg to differ, but no need to be so defensive and tell me that I am "bitching" when it is merely a discussion. and what does "bully for her" even mean?
Karen-W
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Oh, trying to be cute and turn the psychoanalysis back onto me again.
Again, money is only ever part of any equation when it comes to opportunities. And, that's not to say that they didn't have plenty of opportunities - sometimes they themselves didn't make the most of the opportunities they had, a fact they acknowledged even in that moment. And, here's a dirty little secret, even in that moment, we all recognized that the "opportunity" could just as easily turn into fool's gold.
Probably the best words to describe my feelings about those missed opportunities are bittersweet and reflective.
In the here and now at that particular moment, sometimes it's hard to see what the life lesson in the experience - whether the opportunity is offered, not offered, taken or not taken - but nothing you've said has changed my view that the "potentially slippery slope" is 1) going to prove too slippery, or 2) that it's not worth the risk-reward for the USFS and the skaters who take the opportunity if they can.
bully for someone
1. used to show that you do not think what someone has done or said is very…
Rukia
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lol that's a very old phrasing that basically is a sarcastic "good for her"
I agree with everyone who sees the inherent inequality in this system. Yes it's good to give more opportunities to skaters, but anyone who has paid for skating competitions know that the coaches fees for this kind of comp would be enormous. I mean you're talking about paying all their fees for lessons they are missing, travel and lodging, and who knows what else some coaches will charges for. It's not as simple as telling people to raise funds because some people simply can't do that. The fact is that people with more money and resources will in fact benefit from this more.
I don't know what the answer is, but I think it's still worth acknowledging the issues.
jlai
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If a federation has no money then should the fed let folks pay their way or simply not send anyone?
I am not talking usfs but just hypothetical.
I don’t see a good answer to this. Neither is a good answer
I am not talking usfs but just hypothetical.
I don’t see a good answer to this. Neither is a good answer
i know of a skater who was offered one of these newly self-funded competitions. he is very talented, put in the work, and made ISP year after year. his family has limited financials and due to limited spots this year, this is probably his only opportunity for an international competition this season. due to his family's financial situation, he was unable to accept the offer. i feel for this skater. must not be easy to see others who are able to self-fund and compete internationally when he was equally deserving but for his family's financial situation.
as an aside, competitions like cranberry, lake placid, john nicks, and these self-funded competitions, the skaters have to be selected by the international committee still and there are limited spots, meaning, entries ARE restricted. the skater can't just say i want to go, i can afford it, so therefore i am going.
as an aside, competitions like cranberry, lake placid, john nicks, and these self-funded competitions, the skaters have to be selected by the international committee still and there are limited spots, meaning, entries ARE restricted. the skater can't just say i want to go, i can afford it, so therefore i am going.
tangerine dream
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Agreed that the coaching fees will be very expensive. Perhaps some skaters in larger training groups can enter the same competition and be able to split the coach's fees 2 or 3 ways, as well as share hotel rooms & transportation.
Private Citizen
"PC." Pronouns: none/none
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Pay your own way is better than denying everyone the opportunity. Money is a reality of life, and most skaters from cash-strapped families have dropped out way before pay-to-play Senior Bs.
Neither Dundee nor Nice are terribly expensive places, especially in the off-season. I suspect the total economy travel cost could be $1,000 per person or less from the US with a little bit of advance planning and good airfare luck. That doesn't account for coaching costs, but there's nothing requiring a skater to bring their coach, no?
Neither Dundee nor Nice are terribly expensive places, especially in the off-season. I suspect the total economy travel cost could be $1,000 per person or less from the US with a little bit of advance planning and good airfare luck. That doesn't account for coaching costs, but there's nothing requiring a skater to bring their coach, no?
