We just got our fall/winter/spring contract in the mail . I wanted to skate 4 days a week sooo bad this year but it costs so much (well for us its a lot!) its $40 a week to skate for 4 days plus 1 off ice. Its $33.75 to skate 3 days plus 1 off ice and thats just the ice bill, no coaches bills. I want to do 4 days SO SO bad so does anyone have ideas for getting money. Im 15, maybe a job or something? anyone else ever had this problem?? please share, it will make me feel better to know that im not the only one!

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SKATING: It's the feeling you get at the end of a hard practice when you pushed yourself to the limit. It's a part of YOU, something you LOVE and HATE. A bond that NO ONE ELSE understands, but that's okay, because every time you get out on the ice it isn't just you; it's all the friends and coaches, all the practices, the pain, the tears, the memories,the laughter, the "off" competitions. It may seem, skating is really a team sport, it's more than just a sport. IT'S A WAY OF LIFE."

Is that for as many daily sessions in that period? If so, how many?


Our ice bill is $600/year (September through mid-April) but for only 3 sessions per week (5.5 hours per week total). Not including club fees or teaching/coach fees.

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Skate@Delaware
Ah, show skating!!! I do it for the glitter!

$40 a week to skate one session 4 days a week and have one session of off ice a week.
So I would skate One session on:
Monday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
off ice-Saturday

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SKATING: It's the feeling you get at the end of a hard practice when you pushed yourself to the limit. It's a part of YOU, something you LOVE and HATE. A bond that NO ONE ELSE understands, but that's okay, because every time you get out on the ice it isn't just you; it's all the friends and coaches, all the practices, the pain, the tears, the memories,the laughter, the "off" competitions. It may seem, skating is really a team sport, it's more than just a sport. IT'S A WAY OF LIFE."

Twirlgirl: I would check to see if there are discounts available for other types of packages at your rink. For example, at my rink they give free unlimited public sessions to all enrolled in LTS. Even if you are more advanced it might be worth paying for the advanced freestyle class, a stroking class or something to get this kind of deal. Never hurts to work on things that you already know. I even approached the skate director to do a special class but getting others interested and was able to get the discount this semester.

Not sure what level of skater you are but I sometimes pay kids at the rink to skate with me who have more advanced skills. It helps me to remember some of the skills that I learned but now have to practice to have them do it first for me.

If you are a more advanced skater, you could ask the skate director if there are odd jobs or something you could do to assist in LTS classes as an aide to see if they would give you free/reduced ice time in exchange.

Of course there is old fashion baby sitting at your age. I would also think you might approach some of the adults to see if you could skate with their kids or even baby-sit rink side while they skate and then make enough to pay for your own skate time.

Skating is expensive, help your parents to feel better about their contribution by insisting you do some extra stuff around the house and they may find it is easier for them to consider the expensive package. Ask Mom for the grocery list and insist she gets her hair done or something while you get the weeks groceries by dropping you off first. Parents always need more time. Think what is reasonable for the amount of money they spend and contribute as you can. Look to see what your parents or neighbors hire out! Such as lawn mowing etc.

Good luck to you! If you were at my rink....I would pay you to skate with you! Be friendly with the LTS folks and maybe you can get some job leads! My true desire is to be a late adopted kid of some skating obsessed family...giggle.

Im open Juv, working on my double flip and soon to be double lutz.

Also, its not so much that they don't want to pay for it its more of, well we can but we would have to stretch to do so.
I really want to!!

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SKATING: It's the feeling you get at the end of a hard practice when you pushed yourself to the limit. It's a part of YOU, something you LOVE and HATE. A bond that NO ONE ELSE understands, but that's okay, because every time you get out on the ice it isn't just you; it's all the friends and coaches, all the practices, the pain, the tears, the memories,the laughter, the "off" competitions. It may seem, skating is really a team sport, it's more than just a sport. IT'S A WAY OF LIFE."

Rinks are often looking for people to hire for:

work at skate rental
work as a monitor at public sessions
help w/ LTS classes

Many rinks give LTS teachers either free ice or a hefty discount. My rink also exends this to the helpers.

If its any consolation, its rather expensive to skate in England also. Public sessions are around £6 each (well they are at our rink anyway) lasting approximately 2 hours. The summer season and school holidays seem to have brought an all day bumper price range for £3 all day including skate hire which isnt so bad.

For freestyle or patch sessions we have to buy a book of 6 which is around £25 - £30 (depending on rink) and works out cheaper than the publis sessions but still shelling out that much in one go is a bit of a pest, especially when you are on a low income.

Lessons in the Uk tend to be around £7 for 15 minutes.

So looking on a currency converter were lookin like

£6 - $11 (public session)
£3 - $6 (reduced holiday public session)
£25 -£30- $47-$57 (6 freestyle/patch sessions - 2 hours each)
£7 - $14 (15 mins coaching session)


of course the conversions are a rough guide.

Andreaxx

We are very luck at our rink. It's run by the city council, and they operate this 'slice card' scheme (which - even better - employees at our company get discount on).

I pay a flat rate of about £38 (that's roughly US$70) and that gives me unlimited access to the ice rink (patch AND public sessions), and I can also use it a council-run gyms - classes, gym and swimming.

S xxxx

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There is a very fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness"

I would be overjoyed with that deal Heck, I'd pitch a tent in the lobby and move in!!

Clare

My coach recently asked me whether I had done exactly that

Slice cards are wonderful things, even if I pay a bit more for mine than Sonic does - £41/month.

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"Every revolutionary idea seems to evoke three stages of reaction. They may be summed up by the phrases:
(1) It's completely impossible.
(2) It's possible, but it's not worth doing.
(3) I said it was a good idea all along."
- Arthur C Clarke

Hey, I've been complaining about how much ice skaitng costs too.. Until i checked out some private music schools, and realised that their 1hour classes for 1 month cost more than my 5 1/2 hour classes (with unlimited ice time for that day)!
ouch! Looks like most things are just plain expensive, especially when you're not earning. I guess even if you are earning, you still have lots of other things to pay for.

our classes are $190 = US$120 for 5 1/2 hour lessons
and each public session is $8 = US$5
so for about a month that would be US$200, if you skate 3 times a week. There's only one rink where i live, so its pretty much a monopoly and they can charge anything they like, people will still pay out of their ears. Oh our rink is really teeeny too, so some days its just impossible to get anything done. yuck!

All the best with your lutz

I guess it varies a lot, depending on where you are.
At our Association sessions it costs $12. Plus lessons. Because my daughter comes with me and has lessons, double it. Plus the petrol to get there, which isn't so cheap these days!

When I go to public sessions it costs me $10, even if my daughter comes with me because her school has a discount card with the rink. Small mercies.

Today I hired the whole rink for an hour, for $45. Bliss!

It certainly is an expensive way of life, once you add the boots, outfits, costumes and so forth, and have 2 in the family doing it. However, we both used to play cello, and I reckon that once you tallied up all the sheet music, lessons, strings, bows, accessories, music camps, plus the thousands for the instrument, skating may actually be cheaper. Or so I tell my husband.

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Karen

I skate - therefore I am

At my rink, employees skate for free at all sessions except club ice. That is a lot of savings! They also get to skate on unadvertised sessions (employee-only).

There are other jobs as well, babysitting, tutoring, animal-sitting, etc. if you are too young to actually work at the rink.

Good luck to you!

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Skate@Delaware
Ah, show skating!!! I do it for the glitter!

We pay £15 per week for as many training sessions as we want (there are 32.5 hours of teaching ice, spread over ten sessions), but the snag is we have to pay that £15 52 weeks/year, even if we are away, even if the coach is away, even if there is no early morning ice, as there isn't next week due to hockey school (btw Clare, there isn't any public ice on Monday, either, as there is filming going on). But it still works out worth it. Single sessions are a fiver a throw. Plus lesson fees, of course.

Some coaches will arrange an all-in "package" for their student, so much per week to include ice time and a lesson every day - and more if there is time, which probably works out cheaper than paying separately.

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Mrs Redboots
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I love my computer because my friends live in it!
Ice dancers have lovely big curves!

I pay £600 a year for entry to any sessions. And £100 for a locker. We only have 1 ½ hrs of official lesson ice a week (yep each week not each day!) so I can use my pass for public sessions as well. It works out cheaper as our rink is £9 per session whatever the session and so if you skate at least twice a week you are saving money. And I pretty much always skate that if not more - all year round.
And then there are lessons on top of that. Does get expensive. And because the rink is in Central London, rent for the teachers is high and so lesson prices are in turn quite high. Although, on the whole its not bad at all in comparison actually - there are a couple of teachers who are very expensive - over £10 for 15mins.
I just feel sorry for the mother's of 2 or 3 kids - £9 for each admission and then lesson fees! I'm glad I only have to pay for myself.
If I didn't skate, I could afford to move - but skating takes most of my disposable income. I'm enjoying it while it lasts!

Well, Kate, when you think that there are skaters in their 70s who are still competitive.....

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Mrs Redboots
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I love my computer because my friends live in it!
Ice dancers have lovely big curves!

I'm never going to have any money! Ah well - at least I'll be happy and skating......

Thanks - I noticed a sign up last night saying that Monday was off limits. Not a chance of escaping from work this Monday anyway to hit the daytime session so no inconvenience for me this time. If I could just get a job in Streatham...

So, while I find myself in this thread...as a newbie, I'm just starting to settle into a regular spending pattern which I've realised I can deal with much more easily if I don't actually think about it!!

Each 6 week block of Skate UK lessons costs £55 plus £15 for my weekly private lesson along with £6 for each public session and I aim for 2 publics per week alongside my group lesson on a Thursday (admission is included in the £55 for the 6 week block), more if I can manage it.

Clare

At my rink it is either:

1) US$8.75 for each 40 minute freestyle session or
2) US$300 for unlimited skating each month. There are approximately 6 morning sessions and 6 afternoon sessions Monday - Friday, and 4 sessions on Saturday morning.

Since I can't skate that much during the day, I end up paying for 2-3 freestyle sessions a week, and then I also skate 1 or 2 public sessions.

Rob

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Geriatric Figure Skating Crew - President for Life!
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"I'm too old to die young, and too smart to be happy" - Kinky Friedman, The Mile High Club

2010 Adult Nationals - earning a gold - "Priceless"
2009 Adult Nationals - competing with a cold is not much fun.
2008 Adult Nationals - Too little sleep, too much vodka!

I worked at my rink when I was 15 - just doing skate rental, the snack bar, and sometimes being a skate guard (which was fun!). I didn't get any free ice from it, but I did earn some money to pay for sessions (and saved to buy a car). And it wasn't too bad of a job. I liked working at the rink a lot more than babysitting

For the London/near to London rinks what level do you have to be to be able to pay a set amount for public/patch etc?

I love skating though I've only started lessons (skated as a kid) and would love to skate as much as possible. Me thinks my next move will be next door to a rink

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Skate at: Lee Valley
Date started: October 2008
Level: 6 (UK skate levels)

Aiming for Figure club

try having two skaters, both skate 4/ 5 days a week for 2 plus hours a day.
I work at the rink for ice, at least that helps a bit!!


good luck !!

I agree with a few previous posters. Maybe you can help during LTS and get some free ice time. Or even work the snack bar in exchange.

Heck maybe you could offer your babysitting services to some other skater parents Moms are always looking for babysitters!!

I know it's tuff...but I wish my dd could skate 4 days a week for $40. How many hours is that? It's $13 an hour in the morning and $17 an hour on the weekend - and only 3 hours weekday ams available so we have to pay the $17 ice for her to get enough time. I had to cut back my time to afford time for her. Fortunately she's gotten on as a junior coach at the club and has a few students. $12 a half hour while her friends are flipping burgers for 6 bucks an hour. Plus she gets paid for teaching Learn to Skate.

j

What gets worse is when you have to work out whether to eat this week or skate, or get evicted or skate!!

I worked out the other day how much I spend a month on skating and it was shocking (almost £250, although I have now cut down. That includes my lesson time). Sometimes ignorance is bliss!