Dollars and Sense
There is no question that as your child enters the competitive domain and demonstrates significant talent, you will likely be faced with the questions, "How much support or how many sacrifices can we or should be make?". Skating affects the lives of parents and other family members. This is a values issue only you can decide.
Skating is not a sport that a child can enter into alone. Parents become an integral part of the experience. The financial aspect of the sport can take its toll on all members of a skating family. Many parents take on two jobs to meet the expenses. Other siblings find that less money is available for them and family vacations centre around skating competitions.
Paents must be careful not to impose the financial burden of the sport on their skater. Constant reminders of how much the family is sacrificing in order to maintain the expenses of skating can be a dysfunctional pressure for a child. It is you decision to spend the money. Thry to separate the emotional envestment from the financial investment. When you begin to question the desired results in the sport or "payoff' for the travel, remind yourself of your commitment to the child, no simply to the champion.
Parents have supported their child with annual budgets ranging from $1000 to $5000 to $20,000. There is no prescribed budget for the various levels of skating. It is more a case of how to best spend the amount of money you wish to spend on your child's skating.
The recommendations is to develop a skating budget at the start of each skating season. This budgeting process will help you balance the total amount you are prepared to spend with the skating activities your child may want to pursue. Through this process you will ikely make many decisions regarding what is best/most affordable for your child's upcoming season.
Included as Appendix 1 of this guide
is a sample itemized skating budget form. It will help you
identify
possible skating expenses while also accounting for some possible
income
sources. Ask your child's coach for some advice as appropriate,
such
as the prescribed equipment, number of lessons, tests and competitions
for the year and prioritization of possible expenses. You are
then
in a position to control the spending decisions and not dealing with
bill
after the fact.
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