I wish I had £250 spare to send on skating. I could prob get away with £100-150

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

Aiming for Figure club

When I was 14 and wanted to skate I got a part-time job in a retail store to pay for my skating.

I kept track of my skating costs for my first 14 months, including a trip to Nationals. Including skates, club fees, coaching, and the expenses of the trip it was just shy of $10,000 Considering competitive youngsters at the higher levels invest in excess of $50,000 per year, that's CHEAP!

I now skate a 7-9 a.m. session three days a week - ice card is $125 for 20 sessions - a real deal if you don't mind getting up at 4 a.m. Coaching is about $100 a month. This year's Nationals will cost about $3,000.

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Dianne
(A.O.S.S.? Got it BAD! )

That's not too bad for Australian costs, SkatingOnClouds. Our publics are now $16 with your own boots for a 2-hour session; and hourly rink hire is - wait for it - not $45 but closer to $450!!! (Funnily enough, we don't hire the whole rink, and don't know anyone who does.)

You can get 10-session cards for $150 (saving one whole dollar per session - you can see they really are generous to their regulars).

The quarterly pass, which entitles you to every public and private session for 3 months, costs $565 (unless it went up - again - on 1 January.) Hubby and I haven't bought our quarterlies for January as we don't skate in the holidays - we have small kids home from school.

Warning: vent

The rink management conveniently ran out of session cards in December, and would not let those of us who used them advance-order until they come in (management says they're finally coming 31 Jan). So for the whole of the Christmas holidays, we've been paying full rack rates to skate. Of course, we only found out the session card price had increased - again - when management put the notice in the window that they'd be available at the end of this week. Now try telling me that wasn't planned!

Vent over now. Back to normal.

I try to look at it from the rinks point of view, you have a 200x 85 sheet of ice that has to be cooled most places have pretty high ceiling our rink is about 30 ft ceilings with seating for 700-800 people, prices for electricity doubled about 3 years ago. The ice costs 190 per hour to run. I get to skate contracted sessions for 7 dollars each and currently use about 6 sessions a week but several years ago I would average 20 per week. I am sometimes the only skater on the ice so 7 bucks to skate when I know the ice costs 190 isn't a bad deal.

Our sessions are 45 minutes long they only have packages in the summer for every 8 sessions I pay for I do get one free. Our contracts are generally 2-3 months long so I shell out about 400-500 bucks each time, and as I recover that number will go up.

Lessons which I have a lot of are the usual 60 per hour, and as noted above I also do time consuming events like figures and dance, speaking of which I must go find all my dance music which is on another computer in the basement.

Skating will continue to be a very expensive sport, it will help when fuel cell technology becomes more prevelant because that will remove one cost component but maintaining a rink is costly and skating is expensive. The first hint is that skates cost at a minimum $300 and blades 100, nothing is cheap ....anymore...

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Who me? Couldn't be....
http://www.youtube.com/bouldersk8r

If I get onto patch at Lee Valley it's £40 a month or £2.50 an hr

Novice have around 16hrs a month (weekend lunch times)
Junior have 64hrs (afternoons & weekend mornings)
Senior have 116hrs (mornings)

novice = beginner to NISA level 1
junior = NISA level 1 to junior competitor
senior = competition skater

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

Aiming for Figure club

Either our patch fees or our lesson fees (or possibly both) will be going up as soon as the coaches have agreed, or have agreed to differ. Don't know what to. Figure Club ice went up last week, although as we weren't notified until after the session, it effectively goes up today.

Let's see.....

Patch fees: £15 per week
Lesson fees: £8.00 per 15 minutes
Competition entry fees: anything up to £80 per class
Travel, hotel, etc: Goodness knows!
The joy of skating and competing: PRICELESS

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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 dread to think what it will be like once I get up the levels.

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

Aiming for Figure club

I pay £15 week for one 30min private lesson, plus £3 patch. That's the lowest price patch, the weekend lunch time one, the others range from £3 - £5 I think. I'd probably be better off getting a months pass (you can get them for a month, two months, 6 months and a year), which gives you access to all patch sessions. Haven't looked into them yet. Public sessions range from £5 - £7. Never added up how much it costs in a year...not sure I want to know

I think thats the reason football is so popular. All you really need is a ball. Ice skating may require wuite a bit of equipment but you should try extreme mountain biking! It's ridiculus.

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If in Doubt, Flat Out

At least you don't need to freeze the mountains yourself for that.

The really ridiculous one is dressage, which my niece does! Now, that's the one sport I've found that's more expensive than ice skating!

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

My cousin is on a top hockey team, and it costs close to $5,000 a year just to be in the league. That's not to mention all the equipment costs. There was one stick that my cousin wanted, it was over $200, and my uncle bought it for him as a birthday gift. He used it in a couple games, and then it broke. Now, he has to settle for the sticks that cost $110 a piece. He also had to go and buy some fancy clothes, as his team says that when they have an away game, they must show up with a tie.

Personally, I think it's ridiculous how expensive these things are, but it does keep him doing relatively well in school, motivates him to go to college, and keeps him out of trouble. But all these sports, especially once you get to the top levels, will cost a lot of money. It's the nature of the beast.

LOL yeah last time I was at our skating shop to get rollers mounted on my boots, there was this guy buying a hockey stick of over $400. Apparently it weighs next to nothing and is all fancy and stuff, but if you're so unlucky as to get a puck against it, it breaks right away. The skateshop guy said some unlucky chap had that happen to him within 5 minutes of the first time he was on ice with the thing.

As far as I know, hockey is a team sport. Most teams, even comp teams have lots of fundraising and sponsors.At least here, the travel teams have sponsors. Parents do shell out for part of it, but at least they dont but their own ice and private coaching.
We spend alot more than 5000. per skater.. I keep trying to get them to go to hockey but so far....

Not sure how long your sessions are, but the price you quoted for 4 sessions + off-ice does not sound too bad to me. I work in a rink where FS is $20/hr. If there are other rinks in your area, you might try shopping around. You might also consider lightly attended publics for stroking drills and such. Rinks also need skate guards, so you could earn $ while you are skating around.

Kay

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Visit my figure skating journal
http://www.skatejournal.com/

Well I calculated my monthly cost of skating and I almost passed out.

I skate 6 days a week and I typically have lessons 4-5 days a week for a half hour.

Ice time: $180 a month

Coaching: $480-$600 a month!!!!!!

I spend more than $8000 a year on skating!!!!!!!

And that doesn't include costumes and $1000 skates. (Dang Gold Seals)

No wonder I can't buy a new car.

For that much money, Where the heck is my triple axel LOL

I have no idea why this costs so much and why I have to have expensive hobbies but, it is what it is. Gosh, my music lessons cost way less than this.


BlackManSkating

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Proud to be one of the few black men out on the ice

Goals
Pass my Silver Moves Test
Finish Choreography for Silver Program
Land a Clean Double Toe and Double Lutz
Work on Double Axel and Rockers
Speed up back Camel

Gosh just feeding that horse costs more than my skating bills. LOL

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Proud to be one of the few black men out on the ice

Goals
Pass my Silver Moves Test
Finish Choreography for Silver Program
Land a Clean Double Toe and Double Lutz
Work on Double Axel and Rockers
Speed up back Camel

Ah, and having been a dressage rider since I was 11, I really appreciate my new "cheaper" sport, LOL. My saddle actually cost more than my horse! (Think skates are hard to fit? Try equipment that needs to fit you AND your horse! ) My situation was even more ridiculous than most, as my horse became very ill and cost me thousands and thousands in veterinary bills alone in his last year. It drove me crazy when people would assume I was wealthy because I had a horse--I was in college full time but also worked 2 jobs as well as taught riding lessons to pay for it all. I loved my horse very much, so it was all worth it, but it is insane.

I am saving my money now for vet school, but someday I'll get another horse, even knowing how much it can cost! Just goes to show what we'll do for what we love. And hey, those skating bills don't look so bad after all, LOL!

Skating is expensive. <shrugs>

You want cheap, take up running. Although even there, the costs for coaching and meets add up, once you get out of school.

Well I've got to say, after dancing the skating bills weren't that scary either. The dress- and equipment costs are a little bit higher but the monthly costs are the same.

You need a parent's permission to legally work, and maybe a note from school.

Are there cheaper rinks?

Some crazy ideas you could do at a rink (might also get free ice time):

Make skating dresses or outfits for other skaters.

Star in a movie about ice skating.

Other rink related jobs:

Work the pro shop.
Work the snack bar.
Be a cashier.
Volunteer to help a coach with crowded group lessons, on or off ice.
Teach an off-ice dance class.
Offer to recruit a group of kids to skate at the rink, use their lessons, or party there.
Babysit or tutor kids of skaters - maybe the rink would provide space.

Imitating this idea is a lot for a 15 year old to to organize or inspire: One summer about 10 years ago a world class ice dance coach made a deal: the rink scheduled lots of ice dance sessions. He taught a group lesson at the rink, convinced his competitive students to teach (and dance with) the group lesson customers during sessions he supervised, and he only taught there. The rink attracted customers, and maybe got a cut. The competitive students got experience (assistant) coaching and we paid them $15 for 15 minute lessons, less than the $80/hour the coach himself charged. Adapt the idea to the skating discipline you do, and play the competitive student's roll.

Some rinks have annual memberships, many have discount coupons if you buy a pack of 10 or 20.

It depends... some organizations do a lot more fundraising than others. Every bit helps, obviously. But there's a trade-off to being part of a team. While the costs get shared, it takes away families' freedom to cut corners- espcially on a travel team. In an individual sport like skating, parents are free to try and cut costs- not doing competitions that require a hotel stay, practicing in leggings and t-shirts rather than $75 dresses, not buying that $200 custom competition dress. But when you're committed to a team, expecially a travel team, there isnt that option to say, well, we're not going to that tournament. Or, my child's gloves/pants/helmet from last year still fit, so he's going to wear those even though the rest of the team is going to have blue ones.

Overall, I think for young ones (Mite or Squirt house-league hockey/Freestyle 1-4) the equipment for hockey ends up costing more than figure skates, guards, and a dress or two. Ice time costs are hard to compare, since at some rinks FS 1-4 kids would be skating on public sessions and at others they'd be on freestyle. By Pee-Wee hockey/Pre-Juvenile, I think figure skating would be coming out as more expensive. Make it that hockey team a travel team, and I'm not so sure. I know there's someone here whose son plays/has played travel hockey; maybe she could enlighten us.

I won't even start on the costs if you have a kid who's a goalie.

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Shae-Lynn and Victor: We knew you were champions, and on 3/28/03 the whole WORLD found out! Thank you for twelve wonderful years!

[QUOTE=CanAmSk8ter;353144

I won't even start on the costs if you have a kid who's a goalie. [/QUOTE]

LOL, my cousin wanted to be a goalie one year, and his dad quickly shot down that idea.Too much money, and on his team, most of the goalies work with goalie coaches, which cost extra. Also, the equipment itself is much more money. It's a good thing he didn't go to goalie though, he's now leading his team in points as a forward.

I believe hockey skates don't last as long as figure skates do, so that's another cost issue. But they also don't cost as much money as figure skates, and the sharpenings are cheaper and can be done by the pro shop kid. No matter how you look at it, it's going to cost money.

I also know on my cousin's team, I think there travel costs are included, but if a parent wants to come along, they pay there own way. My uncle is like insane hockey dad and will never miss a game, he's afraid that he will get hurt and he won't be there, as the one practice he missed when my cousin was little was the one he broke his collarbone in. So he travels with them everywhere, be it upstate NY or Canada or wherever, and they usually have a tournament every weekend.

Now that my cousin is old enough, he works at the hockey camp at Chelsea Piers in the summer, good way for him to make some money and learn some responsibility. Also gives him something to do in the summers so he's not just sitting around wasting away the days.

See? All we have to do is take up a really expensive sport first.

Oddly enough, our synchro team is a killer for cost; the parents pay huge for fundraising, costumes, and the coaching and ice time AND travel. I found it to be equivalent to competitive dance, especially if they're travelling out of province to compete. Plus, they get mandatory team jackets (every year different); mandatory team practice outfits; etc.

Now, as to the hockey aspect re: cost: our area's top level players do NOT get on the team without exceptional skills, which are typically honed at very expensive training camps (upwards of $1,500 CDN for a week, more than once a year); the $200 or more sticks; the league fees; the team jackets (often up in the $3 to 400 range); and they're dropping $600 to $700 on skates. Everybody wears UnderArmour; and they do require dress pants, etc. They train in the offseason, and even go out of province to summer hockey camps. I figure they are the equivalent of a Competitive stream skater for time and money commitment.

As for me? Go figure, with 3 kids on the ice, 2 of which are on 5 days a week and 1 baby on twice a week; 2 primary coaches, a choreographer, the variety of skills and dance coaches and partners; and a private club with sizable fees that at least ensure only 20 club kids on the ice at one time, professional sound system, and all that. But, I'd not trade the payoffs in maturity, life experiences, and simply 'keeping them out of trouble' for any amount of money ... and, hey, I get to sit around in arenas and read a book without feeling guilty about not doing the housework that is piling up at home!

and, yes, both kids do amateur coaching,as many hours as they can pick up, to help offset ice fees. Which I'm proud of them for ... they do it of their own volition, and are known as the kids you can always call if you need coverage for a session. (proud mom moment, sorry)

(and, yes, dressage is even worse; and our competitive dancers drop between $5 and $10,000 a year)