Well, I did a detailed calculation and was shocked! I guess the computer must have been shocked, too, as it locked me out of the session, and I lost my calculations ... I can't face adding it all up again (let alone converting litres into US gallons and pounds into dollars), so, the weekly cost is about:

Transport to the rink (petrol/gas is expensive in the UK, works out about 10 pence per mile) three times a week: about 18 GBP per week

Lessons (2 * half hours at 28 GBP per hour): 28 GBP per week (I used to do more, but cut down)

Ice time (3 * 2hours at about 3 GBP per hour): 18 GBP per week (I used to do more, but cut down)

Membership of National Association and a couple of clubs: 1.20 GBP per week

New boots and blades every couple of years (intermediate competitor, cost about 350 GBP), blade sharpening about 4 times per year at about 6 GBP: 4 GBP per week

Practice clothes (three sets a year, plus four pairs skating tights): 4 GBP per week

Competitions and tests (average two competitions per year, may include overnight stay, average cost 150 GBP; say two tests per year, average cost 50 GBP including transport/tights etc): 8 GBP per week

Competition/test dresses (At least one per year, sometimes two, at average 200 GBP): at least 4 GBP per week

Total skating costs: 76 GBP per week (but then I don't have any other expensive habits ... and it'd be a lot more if I hadn't cut down by at least 30 percent ... and that doesn't include about 15 GBP for sundry gym and Pilates etc ... scary ....)

School patch - £3.50; on some days I also pay for club patch - £4.00.
Lesson with coach - £7.00 (15 min)
Group lesson - £5.00, but I've only got 2 left and then I won't be bothering with them - rather take an extra private one.
Petrol: using £0.10/mile assumption - £3.00, but it looks more than that, probably because I'm driving not a very fuel-efficient car. Let's say £5.00
Parking: Sat: £1.50, Sun: 50p
Tea and snacks (energy bars and shakes from Boots) - about £5.00

So about £30/weekend just running costs

Plus, gym fees: £30/months; personal trainer (off-ice): £45/month

Workshops / skating clinics - so far spent £160, so it's about £40/month if I keep going at the same rate

"Setup costs": hopefully, one-time or at least bi-annual:
Skates: £100
Books/videos/DVDs - about £250? Have no clue... Need to check VISA statements.

A few instrumental music CDs - £45

One thing is for sure - it's less expensive than a 3D animation hobby I used to have last year. And I even managed to spent the same sort of money on such low-cost hobby as creative writing a few years back. My husband has a theory that I just need to "blow" about £200/month on some "passion du jour" of mine, otherwise I would feel depressed, unfulfulled and overall miserable. On the other hand, I'm successfully avoiding such popular hobbies as "shoe collecting" (did you know that according to statistics an average British woman spends £30,000 on shoes in her lifetime? ) or "clubbing (read: binge drinking)", so at the end of the day things balance out.

4-5 sessions a day @ 7.00 per
5-30 minute FS lessons a week @60 per hour
then there's the dance part...2-3 pair of boots per year @ 850 a pop. Dresses @ 400-600 for fs.

so....28-35 per day in ice x 5 = 140-175 per week for ice
180 for FS lessons per week so for a month 640 +720=1360 per month and that doesn't include dance.

Thank goodness I was once a stock broker.

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

Location: Dallas, TX

Cost of general sesssion: $6.00, but I have an annual pass for unlimited public skating that cost $250 (paid for itself--so to speak--in 42 skates i.e., less than 3 months)

Cost of private ice/freestyle session: Contract = $9 per hour; walk-on = $12 per hour

Cost of Private Lessons: $60 per hour from my coach (some coaches charge up to $100 per hour)

Avg amount of hours you skate per week: 4-6 hours

Avg amount you spend per week: Right now $60 a week to my coach (for 2 half-hour lessons) is all I'm spending since we've been doing both of my lessons on public sessions.

Nerd oin ice:
Which rink you go in Dallas? Where can I buy that annual pass for unlimited public skating? Thanks!

Ice time £15 per week (£30 for the two of us); lessons £35 per week for both of us. Total £65 per week, roughly $118 at today's exchange rates.

However, that doesn't include the costs of competitions, skating holidays, new dresses (I've had to have all new this year for obvious reasons, except my Tango dress, which looks a lot better this year!), NISA membership, etc etc etc.....

There are worse things to spend our money on!

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

Location:
North Carolina

Cost of general sesssion:
$7.00, I think. I don't skate at public sessions.

Cost of private ice/freestyle session:
$6.50 per session if you buy the largest punchcard.

Cost of Private Lessons:
Coach 1: $70 / hour
Coach 2: $60 / hour

Avg amount of hours you skate per week:
4.5

Avg amount you spend per week:
$100

One year, I foolishly calculated how much I spent on competing. I'll never do THAT again!

I skate at the Dr. Pepper StarCenters--mostly Frisco and Farmers Branch with a little Plano thrown in. The pass is a great deal anyway but what really makes it worthwhile is that it's good at all 5 locations.

Location: MA

I did some calculations and for the period September 1st through May 15th,
I am actually ahead by about $100.

I work as a skate guard and do an average of 2 sessions a week, more during school vacations. This offsets my weekly private lesson $30 for a half hour.

I get all my ice time for free since I work there and I skate an average of 20-25 hours a week.

During the summer it's a different story since my rink is closed. It costs me about $40 a week, but i skate a lot less.

__________________
Keeping School Figures Alive!!

Fall/Winter Session =$680.00 (Sept-March), 4 days a week approx. 5 hours
Spring Session =$200.00? (March-May), 4 days a week approx. 5 hours
June School =$100.00? (June), 2/3 days/week, 1 hour sessions
Summer school =$260.00 (July and August) 3 days/week, 5.0 hours/week

Coach for freeskate, skills, interpretive, choreography = $10.00/15 min. lesson
Coach/dance partner = 12.50/15 min. dance lesson

Test Days = 12.50 for each dance partnered

Competitions = range from $30.00 per event to $75.00 per event

Music = around $65.00-$70.00 for each new solo

Extras = when coach accompanies you to competitions, you're charged a fee, it's not very much. It depends on the # of skaters the coach has at the competition, the more skaters, the less you're charged because she divides expenses amongst everyone.

You've gotta appreciate what you've got when you look at those numbers. I'm so glad I'm able to participate in skating. It's a priviledge I'm neevr take for granted.

__________________
~*~Katie~*~ ...you, the ice, and the music...

Location: North Carolina (same area as Skaternum)

General Sessions: I don't do anymore.

Private Ice/Freestyle Sessions: $6.50ish ($135 for 20 sessions)
Moves Sessions: $5

Private Lessons: Primary--$22/30 mins
Secondary--$24/30 minutes (she's my group coach too)

Average Hours Skated Per Week: 3-4, and I want more!

Average spent per week:$40, plus add in group lessons once a week that averages out to about $10/week. I usually get in one group lesson, one private, two FS sessions and one moves session, plus the group ice time.

Small hick town Ontario

Ice
October to March club ice $375 (3 days a week)
"other club" $240, 1 day a week
April - June - big city ice $288
July-August - teeny dinky stinky rink publics only at your own risk, $72
plus the occasional public, private rental through the year, so lets say

ice = $1000 year

Coaching

1 hour a week @40 = $2000.

Dresses, tests, competitions, skates, all extra but all I did last year was test and I sew my own, so maybe another $250.

Total, for a "recreational" Preliminary adult skater = CAD$3250.

I work for skating also, and my boss knows that as well. :-)

er, I also have a bunch of kids that are higher up the skating food chain, I don't want to talk about how expensive THAT is.

Location: PA


Ice time: $11/hour

Sessions per week: 15

Coaching Rate: $72/hour (same coach charges over 90 in a different city ), $60 hour, $80/hour

Lessons: 2 hours/week (coach one), 1 hour/week (coach 2), 1 hour/week (coach 3)

Dresses, tights, etc.: $1500/year

Skates: $1400

Music: $250

Choreography: $800

Testing: approx. 6 dances/year ($360)

Trips to DC for partnering lessons: $1000/trip (approx. 3-4/year)

Insurance copays on anti-inflammatories, meds to protect stomach from said anti-inflammatories: $20/month

Grand total: $20,994, not counting off-ice, gas, competition/travel expenses, pads, gloves, CDs, etc...

Per week, that's about $375-400.

I'm impressed and slightly envious. I have been working on all of the above for just about two years and am STILL twofooting my PITA loop and flip jumps!

__________________
If you keep your eyes on God, you can walk on water.

Location:
Beijing, China

Cost of general sesssion:
30RMB (US$3.8) Monday to Friday during the day, 50RMB (US$6.2) all other times, session are 90 minutes. Or you can buy a 60 hour card for 1180RMB ($US145)

Cost of private ice/freestyle session:
As above, still need to pay for the session separately to lesson.

Cost of Private Lessons:
150RMB (US$18.5) per 40 minutes

Avg amount of hours you skate per week:
15 - 21 hours

Avg amount you spend per week:
745RMB (US$92), which includes ice time and 3 lessons a week.

Luckily in Beijing most other costs are low....because that's an absolute fortune here for the "average" Chinese. I am glad to be earning a semi-foreign wage.

Ice time: About $20 a week right now (1 freestyle @ $16, one public @ $4, but soon to go up to about $40 for ice time).

Coaching: $20 per week for 25 minutes and $35 for 25 minutes with my other coach. Right now, I'm only taking the cheaper lesson weekly, but I hope to book both for the fall at those rates. So that will probably be $55 per week.

Clothing: I've probably spent about $100 this year.

Testing: $70-$100, but that's for two tests.

I live just outside of Boston.

Ice time... 3 sessions a day 15.00 a day times 4/5 days a week.We can skate during ps but she needs to be around other skaters so we do fs ice as well.Dh works part time at rink to help with ice costs.

Coaching 1 hour a week 60.00 an hour Her ice dance coach is 64.00 an hour but that is only when he comes up from seattle, maybe once a month
Other coaching throughout the year... 75.00 an hour to do her program

Clinics, summer school type things, coaching by guest coaches...... at least 1500.00 a year.

dresses and tights.... maybe 500.00 a year.We buy alot off ebay but have had some dresses made as well.

Comp fees, maybe 100.00 each comp, do 3 a year Plus her coaches fees, a few hundred more

Skates.... 200 boot 200 blade

Travel for comps... right now 1000 a year. We have no choice but to travel, due to where we live. When she moves up, alot more :{


That doesnt even count child two skating costs.

luckily, I quit skating when my brother started having 30 grand a year bills. But I found another expensive hobbies..I got a $10,000 flute, had 75 an hour flute lessons and then went to university..hehe

I didnt even included one hour of gymnastics per child week, and the ballet class they both have once a week. Or the tapes we have bought, off ice pilates ect ect ect lol

I have tried to discuss even doing comp gymnastics, it has to be cheaper but no..... dont take my skating away mom is what I hear

I dint know flutes cost that much WOW

Only in the beginning. My son was a competitive gymnast for 5 years and once you get past the badges and into serious training it also gets pricey.

__________________
If you keep your eyes on God, you can walk on water.

When I was skating as a teen I discovered how much ice time and coaching and etc costs, now I have learned to lower down my expense and so here are my solutions...

Freestyle sessions: I sneak in most of the time and I pay 3 out of the 7 times I go skate.

Music: Kazaa - online

Coaching: My camcorder, friends, and maybe a lesson with a coach 1x - 3x every 4 to 6 month time.

Costume: I recycle costumes

Travel: 1 to 2 times a year, when I go out of state. $300 - $400

Hotel: I shack up with my friends and split up the total $150 - $300

Competition fees: $200 - $300 total per/year

Testing: $150 per year

__________________
Tim David's Website

Not, I suspect, as pricey as my niece's sport - she is a competitive dressage rider (and on the under-21 British team, boast, boast!). I think that must be the most expensive sport in the world!

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

I'll promise to share if everyone promises not to tell my husband!

Ice time: 15 hours X $7.00 (if I remember to pay in advance - otherwise it jumps up to $11.00)

Lessons: 2 1/2 hours a week X $60.00 and even more if my skater has an upcoming test

Gas: around $70.00 per week for now - maybe $1,000 per week if gas prices keep escalating

The first year we spent $150.00 a week on skating and I thought that was crazy. Obviously I'm past being crazy now - but then again, my kid just jumped three levels in the past four months!

The elite skaters at our rink spend even more. A lot of them do an hour to an hour and-a-half of lessons each day. Plus, they skate 4 hours a days and also do off-ice conditioning and jumps. Add competition fees, costumes, and music fees and you have a truly astronomical amount.

Yes, when you go into skating you have no idea how much it costs. My mom's job basically was to pay for my brothers skating. It's easy to get up to 25-30 thousand a year. It would have been more but he lived at home so my parents didn't have to pay boarding costs.

Location: Ontario, California

Public/General Sessions: $5.50 for a 90-minute to 3 hour session, depending on the day

Freestyle Sessions: $65 pre-paid for ten sessions; 85% of the time I have the ice completely to myself when I skate before going to work

Triple nonfat latte that is desperately needed after an a.m. freestyle session so that I won't be a zombie at work: $4

Private Lesson: $32 for a half-hour lesson

Avg. # of hours skating per week: 2-3 hours; It used to be twice that amount when I lived in SanFran; no wonder I've been stalled.

Avg. amount spent per week: $48