Ridiculous statement by SC CEO Pam Coburn

[Polish]

http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/FigureSkating/2003/03/30/54490.html

"Canadian programs have become the best in the world and we have 3,000 skaters in Canada aspiring to this level. My challenge is to try to fund the funds to get us from $1.45 million in development money to about $5 million. If we can do that, we'll be able to do magnificent things.''



If she's saying they need more money for the skaters, then why the heck did Skate Canada donate $500,000 to the ISU?

Oh wait, I forgot. To buy David Dore's ISU Vice Presidency. :roll:

[Lee]

Wrong...there was no donation to the ISU. $500,000 was set aside to put on the combined figure/speed competition in Calgary which was to have been held this past February. The event was to be for Pre-Novice and Novice aged/level skaters from all over the world, but it was cancelled in late December/early January (IIRC).

This event would have benefitted Canadian skaters as well, and the money was put aside 2 years ago -- long before Dore resigned as CEO of SC. I was at the AGM where this expenditure was announced -- it was a year before the ISU Congress in Kyoto. No money was given to the ISU as a 'donation' of any kind.

This is another one of those completely false rumours.

[hiphop2]

That's interesting. Two questions....Why such a large amount...$500,000 and did Skate Canada get to keep the money when the event didn't go ahead?

[Polish]

Originally posted by Lee
Wrong...there was no donation to the ISU.

Yes there was. The $500K gift to the ISU has been widely publicized in the Canadian press.

Originally posted by Lee
$500,000 was set aside to put on the combined figure/speed competition in Calgary which was to have been held this past February. The event was to be for Pre-Novice and Novice aged/level skaters from all over the world, but it was cancelled in late December/early January (IIRC).

Exactly. A $500,000 donation to the ISU so they could hold some bogus novice event.

Do the Russians donate this kind of money to the ISU? Or the French? Or the Americans? I doubt it.

Originally posted by Lee
This event would have benefitted Canadian skaters as well,

What, all FOUR Canadian skaters that would have been assigned to this competition would have benefited? :roll:

Originally posted by Lee
and the money was put aside 2 years ago -- long before Dore resigned as CEO of SC.

Exactly. The money was donated by David Dore two years ago to secure his position in the ISU.

Originally posted by Lee
I was at the AGM where this expenditure was announced -- it was a year before the ISU Congress in Kyoto.

Good timing on Dore's part.


Originally posted by Lee

This is another one of those completely false rumours.

Actually, it is another one of those completely true rumours that everyone in Canadian skating knows was a political move to help get Dore elected.

I would also like to know if the ISU has returned this $500,000 to Skate Canada seeing as though this "event" has been cancelled. Maybe Pam Coburn should inquire about this money seeing as though she's whining and complaining about a lack of funding for her athletes. $500,000 would go a long way in helping the National Team.

Based on her comments about funding skaters, maybe she and Dore have different priorities in terms of fiscal responsibility for the Association.

Also, why is Skate Canada giving money to the ISU for an event that includes SPEED SKATING? Skate Canada has nothing to do with speed skating.

[Lee]

Believe what you will -- the ISU received no money from Skate Canada.

The press got their infomation wrong -- got it from malcontents bent on creating a fuss, and some people obviously bought into it. Interesting how this 'story' of the s-called 'donation' appeared after the Kyoto Congress where certain people were 'not' re-elected to the ISU Congress and felt the need to go whine about it to the likes of Bev Smith et al. But of course, these people could not *possibly* have any axes to grind.

Where was this story the year previous to Kyoto when the competition was announced to all the delegates at the Skate Canada AGM? Why was there no outrage then, even when it was clearly announced the competition would include both figure and speed skaters? Where were the newspaper articles when the amount of $500,000 was clearly announced in the financial statements as being set aside for this event? The people who did all the whining in the media were at that AGM where this was announced. Why keep quiet about it for over a year if it there was such a deal?

Sorry, the only 'conspiracy' was the mashing of the sour grapes of those who didn't see things go their own way in Kyoto.

[Polish]

Originally posted by Lee
Believe what you will -- the ISU received no money from Skate Canada.

Once again you are incorrect. You are denying the ISU received money but yet you say "Where were the newspaper articles when the amount of $500,000 was clearly announced in the financial statements as being set aside for this event".

This $500 went to the ISU, Lee and you're wasting your breath denying it.

Like I said, if Skate Canada is so worried about funding for their National and Developmental Teams, why did they donate this large amount of money to hold a novice figure skating/speed skating event? Why didn't it instead go to funding the skaters?

You didn't answer my question. Did Skate Canada get this money back when the event was cancelled?

Originally posted by Lee
The press got their infomation wrong -- got it from malcontents bent on creating a fuss, and some people obviously bought into it. Interesting how this 'story' of the s-called 'donation' appeared after the Kyoto Congress where certain people were 'not' re-elected to the ISU Congress and felt the need to go whine about it to the likes of Bev Smith et al. But of course, these people could not *possibly* have any axes to grind.

Wrong. This story was publicized shortly after Vancouver Worlds, Lee. People and the media have known about this for a long time.

The donation was a political move to get Dore elected to the ISU. Everyone knows it too (everyone but Lee that is).

[Lee]

The ISU got the money? That's really interesting because the event was to have been held in Calgary at Father David Bauer arena. The organizing committee was made of up folks from the Calgary region and Alberta Section. How would money set aside for rink rental, accommodation and expenses for an event IN Calgary be sent to the ISU? Must be *very* creative accounting.

The stories coming out of Vancouver had nothing to do with this event. Those stories were still more people whose noses were out of joint for whatever reasons -- my guess is a long-standing beef about TSET and grudges against David Dore.

There is a certain faction of folks who have a serious dislike of David Dore and continually go out of their way to attempt to make him look sleazy. The Festival of Youth event in Calgary had absolutely nothing to do with Dore's election to the ISU Council. Of course, if you have proof to the contrary, please do share.

It's obvious the certain faction of folks will continue to believe what they want to believe about Dore, Skate Canada and the ISU, just as there are those who believe all European judges must be crooked. At this stage of the game, I hope people who haven't formed an opinion will look objectively at what the reality is and decide from there.

This is my third post on this topic -- I'm out of here.

[jp1andOnly]

Let's see...

The money probably wasnt ALL given to the ISU. In fact, it was probably made to look like a donation to host this event, and then the money went back to skate canada to help pay for rink rental, etc etc. Now that it has been cancelled I too would like to know what happened to the remaining money that probably went unused. Whether or not it was to help Dore get into the ISU has not been proven. There is no proof and therefore its all specuation. I personally think Dore is sleeze. He did a lot of good things with Skate Canada..no one can deny that. However, he has done some things that one questions.

Just my 2 cents

[PatC]

Quote:

I too would like to know what happened to the remaining money that probably went unused........



You could attend the SC ACGM in Victoria the end of May and ask at the General Meeting. And you could probably get a copy of the financial statement if you emailed SC and asked for one. You might have to be a member tho..............

:D

[skatemom]

jp1andonly probably hit the nail on the head! Nothing is ever as it seems with Skate Canada and too bad that some people believe everything they are told by them. The money was donated just as jp1andonly said and then was going to be used for the Calgary competion which, surprise, surprise, never happened. Come on people - we all know that it was to secure Dore's position and as harsh as that is to believe - well that is how things are done through the ISU. I too wonder what ever happened to this "donation" once the competition fell through. I could tell you things about Dore that are not "second hand" that are really not to impressive. I shall leave it at that. The guy is not to be trusted.

[dawnk]

To get back to the original title of the thread re: Pam Coburn's statement that Skate Canada needs 3.5 million$$ to be in good shape. This probably means that a)she will aggressively seek corporate sponsors and b)we may have seen the last of the affordable prices for all event tickets at Nationals. Can eligible skaters be required to wear corporate logos on their costumes?

[jp1andOnly]

HAHA..I can see it now. Feminine hygiene product advertisements on skating dresses. Oh brother :roll:

I think skate canada will get the money from those rec and test stream skaters. Why not hit up the ones who keep skate canada running. Elite skaters make up a small percentage, but cost the most.

Skate Canada will not be able to get the much needed money until skating in general (mostly the isu and judging) cleans up their act

[ice mommy]

I've seen it mentioned elsewhere, and after thinking about this I believe that there may be a core of truth to it. I'm speaking of the fact that right now there is no Canadian broadcaster signed up to televise ISU events. Does this mean that Four Continents could be in jeopardy? If so will Skate Canada have even bigger financial worries than they have voiced?

And to the person who suggested requesting specific information re budget, etc., let me say that the last time I did so I got the run around and what I was given wasn't specific enough for me.

[arena_gal]

Skate Canada nationally doesn't have a clue what happens at the grassroots level, and I'm talking about that average 8 year old girl trying her preliminary tests. What Skate Canada does know is that membership and test revenue has dropped off, it's been going down for a while and they're noticing that there's less cash flowing. The Sections are aware of what is happening but Skate Canada doesn't listen and doesn't involve the section chairs in much of the goings on. They are able to receive the pronouncements from upon high.

What I'm afraid of is that SC will hike fees in some way and give nothing back, and try to have us believe, those grassroots clubs, that they are there for us. They're not. They're happy to have the talent that comes out of these clubs, and I really appreciate that talent and hard work, but once a skater has gotten the attention of Skate Canada, it is very difficult to have them help the grassroots, although the skaters themselves desparately want to.

A good idea would be if Skate Canada would spend just a little bit of money on advertising CanSkate, just one 30 second spot during any of the Skate Canada or Nationals telecasts, that it would increase enrollment at the club level and make a connection that those little skaters count. (an aside, if I see "I jump, I fall" one more time I'm gonna puke). Then Skate Canada would get an increased enrollment and more money. We can be happy altogether then :o

Woa, I'm getting revved for the AGM aren't I :twisted: