Options for non-club members?

[skatemom0810]

My daughter started skating in the basic skills program at our local rink 3 years ago at age 4. She has special needs and we transitioned to private lessons after about 4 months in the program because she was unable to handle the group lesson environment. She loves skating and her coaches are incredible. She participates in 3-4 basic skills competitions each year and really enjoys learning her programs and moving up.

Last year we joined our skating club as a junior member as she was competing basic skills. Upon renewal time this year I learned that she could only do a junior membership for one year and we needed to purchase a full membership for her. Financially this is not possible for us right now. Her medical costs are very high despite insurance. Many of her therapies are not covered and we pay out of pocket for them.

She’s going to be in basic skills levels for at least one more year. She’s working on basic 5 right now with her coaches and competed at basic 4 earlier this year before our membership expired. Unfortunately now that we haven’t renewed our membership she can’t compete anymore.

Is there really no way for kids to compete at this small basic skills competitions without a membership? Or am I just missing something somewhere? There’s such a huge gap in cost and it seems crazy to pay so much for a membership just for a $30 competition.

I realize skating is an expensive sport. It has been an amazing thing for her, and she seems to understand that she can still enjoy it without competing for now. But I know she’s also sad and jealous when she sees her rink friends getting ready for competitions and she’s not.

 

[gkelly]

You should be able to get a Basic Skills membership. Can you join through the skating school at your rink, even if you're taking private rather than group lessons?

You might want to contact the membership department at USFS for advice about your options.

 

[Nycfa]

I would say the same....join thru the skating school at the rink. My daughter did that until she was ready to test (just this year) and joined the club for the testing. She originally was in group lessons for 9 months (which included a USFS number). Even when she switched to privates she continued to renew membership thru the skating school.

 

[RoaringMice]

My daughter had the Basic Skills membership through her rink's skating school for more than one year. Your daughter should be able to do that. It's less expensive. You can talk to the skating school director at your rink.

 

[skatemom0810]

Thank you! I will try contacting the learn to skate director and see what we can do. The previous director wouldn’t allow us to join through the LTS if she wasn’t in their group lessons. We just got a new director, maybe she will decide differently.

 

[loopy]

A competition is never 30 dollars. Add in a costume, coach fees, new tights, etc and you will pay more than you think. Many years we alternated competiton years with non competition years because of the $100+ membership fee. It comes at a hard time for us so I try to put aside $10 a month to cover that fee for the next year. When I can't, she spends a year not competing. It's not ideal, but we make it work.

 

[treesprite]

You might also want to look into ISI membership and cometitions. It is so much cheaper than USFS. The main difference is that ISI competitions and tests don't lead to Olympics. You may have to go to another rink to do it, at least for the purpose of testing and membership. You can ask specific instructors at your rink if they are registered with ISI through other rinks. My rink is no longer part of ISI, but we have a couple ISI registered instructors who also work through ISI member rinks in addition the this one.

 

[skatemom0810]

You might also want to look into ISI membership and cometitions. It is so much cheaper than USFS. The main difference is that ISI competitions and tests don't lead to Olympics. You may have to go to another rink to do it, at least for the purpose of testing and membership. You can ask specific instructors at your rink if they are registered with ISI through other rinks. My rink is no longer part of ISI, but we have a couple ISI registered instructors who also work through ISI member rinks in addition the this one.

Thank you! I hadn’t heard of ISI before. I’ll be looking in to it!

 

[skatemom0810]

A competition is never 30 dollars. Add in a costume, coach fees, new tights, etc and you will pay more than you think. Many years we alternated competiton years with non competition years because of the $100+ membership fee. It comes at a hard time for us so I try to put aside $10 a month to cover that fee for the next year. When I can't, she spends a year not competing. It's not ideal, but we make it work.

I realize it’s not $30. But honestly the last 5 cost me maybe $50 each? Coaches fees are pretty inexpensive. She has hand me down dresses from a family friend who thankfully was her size at one point, and is pretty careful with tights. Our club membership is over $300. Plus deposits for fundraising and volunteer hours, which you don’t have to pay the next year if you complete the previous year.

I like the idea of alternating competition years. That’s a great option.

 

[RoaringMice]

Your ice skating club membership is over $300/year? What do you get for that? Where are you? Do you both skate or something? I'd have you check other local clubs. I mean, even here, the most expensive club I've ever been part of was much less than that per skater, and this club doesn't require volunteer hours or fundraising:
http://northjerseyfsc.org/membership-application/

I'd very strongly suggest that you shop around for clubs, and find one that is less expensive and doesn't require you to pay in advance for fundraising and volunteer hours (or even one that doesn't actually require these things at all.) In addition, some skating clubs here have a special category for "special skaters" for skaters who have specific disabilities. I don't know if your daughter might qualify. But for example, that type of membership to one of my local clubs is $0.

 

[jf12]

I realize it’s not $30. But honestly the last 5 cost me maybe $50 each? Coaches fees are pretty inexpensive. She has hand me down dresses from a family friend who thankfully was her size at one point, and is pretty careful with tights. Our club membership is over $300. Plus deposits for fundraising and volunteer hours, which you don’t have to pay the next year if you complete the previous year.

I like the idea of alternating competition years. That’s a great option.

At the very last resort you can buy an individual membership from US Figure skating directly for 144$ a year. Club shopping is a good idea, though, because most clubs offer a membership to lower level skaters that's even cheaper than that.

 

[skatemom0810]

Your ice skating club membership is over $300/year? What do you get for that? Where are you? Do you both skate or something? I'd have you check other local clubs. I mean, even here, the most expensive club I've ever been part of was much less than that per skater, and this club doesn't require volunteer hours or fundraising:
http://northjerseyfsc.org/membership-application/

I'd very strongly suggest that you shop around for clubs, and find one that is less expensive and doesn't require you to pay in advance for fundraising and volunteer hours (or even one that doesn't actually require these things at all.) In addition, some skating clubs here have a special category for "special skaters" for skaters who have specific disabilities. I don't know if your daughter might qualify. But for example, that type of membership to one of my local clubs is $0.

Oh my gosh. I never realized how expensive our membership is. I just looked at 5 other local clubs and they are all at least $100-$150 cheaper for membership.

I’m in Michigan. Prefer not to mention the club name. There’s clubs everywhere around here. I don’t really want to leave the rink, as her coaches are so wonderful and have worked really hard to learn how to communicate with her and coach her effectively and I think switching rinks and coaches would be very hard on my daughter. This does give me a lot to think about though.

From reading the lists of benefits of the other clubs it doesn’t seem that ours does anything more than they do. We get a small discount on ice time, there’s a banquet, class offerings (that you still pay for), etc.

 

[jf12]

Oh my gosh. I never realized how expensive our membership is. I just looked at 5 other local clubs and they are all at least $100-$150 cheaper for membership.

I’m in Michigan. Prefer not to mention the club name. There’s clubs everywhere around here. I don’t really want to leave the rink, as her coaches are so wonderful and have worked really hard to learn how to communicate with her and coach her effectively and I think switching rinks and coaches would be very hard on my daughter. This does give me a lot to think about though.

From reading the lists of benefits of the other clubs it doesn’t seem that ours does anything more than they do. We get a small discount on ice time, there’s a banquet, class offerings (that you still pay for), etc.

You might not have to switch rinks or coaches at all - Usually, the rinks offer freestyle and public independent from the club, and clubs can contract to buy ice from the rink that only club members can skate on. She can still skate on the rink's freestyle or public without being a member of the club. Most coaches as well teach on any ice they can get, other rinks, different sessions - it's rare that a coach only coaches on one club's ice. You should ask them!

 

[VegMom]

I agree with the suggestion to look into ISI. It’s more recreational and the competition is not as challenging. Sounds like a much better fit for your daughter than USFSA.

Also look into “in house” competions. Our rink offers one each year. The kids just need to be enrolled in Learn to Skate or even privates at our rink. I think there’s no club fee related to it. It’s designed to encourage the kids and give them competition practice (it comes a few weeks before our rink’s big annual usfsa competition). At that event every single skater gets a medal. It’s very much ‘light and friendly competition.’ Maybe your rink or a rink nearby does this?

Lastly, does she *need* to compete?

One of the rinks in my area offers “competition simulation” freestyle sessions wherein skaters can get the ice to themselves and parents can video etc. something like that might be a good alternative to real competition for your family while finances are tight.

 

[sarahspiral]

I know you're not asking for a donation but have you thought about setting up something like a Go Fund Me Page? I'm sure there are a lot of people who would be willing to contribute some money towards your daughter's skating fee. You'd be amazed at how quickly $5 and $10 dollar donations can add up.