Im hoping I can get some feeback and/or advice from parents, or even skaters, about skating sponsorship. Im a pre-juvenile level skater and my parents and me are looking into the possibility of finding a local sponsor, supporter, donator, etc, to help with skating costs. However, we are confused about a lot of things. First, is my level even high enough to be asking for support? Is our idea realistic? If anyone on this board has ever gotten a sponsorship for their skater, please give me some feedback! thanks. I tried applying for jobs to help pay for skating, but my schedule is very overwhelming already. I got accepted into our state's most academic-exceling high school, and with that comes oodles of homework. I skate 5, sometimes 6, times a week, and in the summer I go away to a skate camp at a big training center. This is the most expensive for my family(the skate camp), and we are really hoping to find a bussiness that would help us out.
I printed the sponsorship forms that the USFSA provides on their websites, however, they dont provide any info on how to go about finding a sponsor and more importantly, the appropriate skating level to seek a sponsor.
Any help would be great! Thanks.

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~Sk8Bunny~
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"I know you can be overwhelmed, and you can be underwhelmed, but can you ever just be whelmed?"

Well ive never actually been sponsered but there are alot of fundraisers always been held at are club.
So im getting the vibe from your post that you want some ideas on how you can fundraise for your skating?Am i right?
Well yes i do think your idea is realistic but fundraising/sponsering is a big job and it should be done in a big team so i advise you to get close friends possibly skaters (that would be even better ) To help you with this!
Next thing-Are you at a high enough level to do this kind of thing?
Well you see this is a tricky one.Most levels at the pre-Juvenile level dont ask for sponsership this early in there skating career but it seems like you really need the help.
If you could persuade people that you really need this money to continue skating..Im sure they would drop a few bucks into the kitty!
Secondly,You have been accepted into a high excellence/academic school.
Well here is a big tough decsion.It is a matter really of would you like to continue skating (Your schedule will get bigger as your skating improves and u will be skating more times a week)
As i said ..Do you want to continue skating or become something else?
Because if the homework is pilling up and you have to skate then ir will probably be too let to choose then.

Well i hope my advice helps.

My swimming club has asked many companies to sponser them for financial aid with meets, they usually ask finiancial centres,or insurance companies. Try going to places you actually are a client of. I'll ask around to see how they asked for the sponsership and Pm you later!

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beks~
"winning isn't everything... wanting to is."

" the only place where success comes before work is in a dictionary"

"It’s not necessarily the amount of time you spend at pracitce that counts; it's what you put into the practice."

I can understand your concern about the continuation of skating, and thanks for bringing it up, it was a good thing to point out.
Heres my take on school. I want to suceed and do well in my life, of course, but as for the school im in, my parents put me there. Wasnt my choice. So why do I do the work to stay at that school? Becuase its been made clear to me that school equals skating. If grades drop considerably, then my skating time goes with it. Im not a school-nerd, lol, but i do want to go to college. and yes, *continue skating*, definetly. In fact, my goal for a career is to become a sports psycologist, or sports phyiscal therapist for the USFSA or US Olympic Team. Lofty goal, but not only do i need a good education, by staying in skating, im sure it will help as well. So yeah, skating is definetly in the future!!!! Hopefully jr nationals(intermediate) next year or nationals(novice) in 2 or 3 years. *fingers crossed*. lol.
P.S. Thanks for the advice so far everyone.

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~Sk8Bunny~
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"I know you can be overwhelmed, and you can be underwhelmed, but can you ever just be whelmed?"

My friend is Pre-Juv and she has (or at least had - I don't know if she still has) sponsers, so no, your level is not too low...

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- Ashley

Here are some of the resources I know about:

Skater Support

New England Amateur Skating Federation
PO Box 6881
Providence, RI 02940

Sponsorship Seekers Toolkit

Athlete's Guide to Sponsorship

Fundraising for Dummies

Other tips are publicity in your local paper, especially if you have a win or have a unique experience that the paper might find interesting for their readers, seeking sponsors among businesses that you patronize (or any business contacts your parents or their friends might have), and preparing a good "marketing" package of your accomplishments, challenges overcome, and goals and dreams. A lot of this information you will find in much more detail in the books linked above. Best of luck to you--skating is an expensive business, and I applaud your ambition despite the financial obstacles!