May be there is a negotiation between Sasha and SOI....Meanwhile Sasha leaves every door open, just see how deals work out. And leaving doors/options open will help her making good deal.
May be there is a negotiation between Sasha and SOI....Meanwhile Sasha leaves every door open, just see how deals work out. And leaving doors/options open will help her making good deal.
One problem I have with eligibles making a lot of money is that it exacerbates what has always been an un-level playing field. The rich skaters make lots of $$. They invest some of their earnings back into their skating, hiring the best coaches, choreographers, personal trainers, dieticians, costume designers, PR people, etc. This gives these athletes a huge advantage over unknown skaters of lesser means, creating a sort of "ice ceiling" that is extremely difficult to crack. This is especially true in this day and age when skaters are remaining eligible for such a long period of time... because their federations are paying them (sometimes million$) to do so! That brings up a number of ethical issues. How can a federation conduct their competitions fairly under such a system? There are too many potential conflicts of interest.Originally Posted by attyfan
Sasha said at one point she wanted to be National Champion and World Champion. Perhaps she is waiting until after Worlds to see if she can go Gold and then make a decision about SOI. She could probably command more money with a World gold medal than with her silvers. Anyone wonder if Scott Hamilton is wondering how injured Sasha really is? He was the one that reported that she had a groin pull although Sasha refused to acknowledge that. Sasha has had a lot of serious injuries to her back and after the experience with Tara I would think Scott might be a little concerned about Sasha's physical condition (JMO).
Maureen
Why is this any different than the problems during the "cold war" when US Olympians, usually, had to support themselves, whereas the athletes from the Communist countries got a great deal of government support. It is also not any different than any other system, where it is easier for the rich than the poor. The main advantage to the current system is that any skater, from any where, no matter what the family economic background, can "make it", and support their continued involvement, whereas in the days when the US skaters could not earn money, they couldn't continue whether they wanted to or not -- they were forced out to earn a living.
This is also no diferent from some athletes being born to wealthy families (Hughes, Lipinski, Cohen, Stieglers) while others were not (Galindo, Kwan, Kerrigan).
I feel like if the athlete is going to be pimped out htey might as well take a cut.
he wasn't the first to report the groin injury... he just happened to be the one to talk about it on Olympic Ice
as for the Tara incident, that was a bit different than what Sasha is probably going through... and I think Sasha would play it a bit smarter than team Tara did...
I have no problem with the USFSA or any other federation subsidizing their athletes' training expenses (within reason), especially when this money goes to up-and-coming skaters who wouldn't be able to stay in the sport without extra help financially. But that's not what I was talking about in my previous post. I was referring mainly to national governing bodies getting into the professional skating business, putting certain stars under contract and paying them millions to appear in cheesefests and the like.
It was no different when they truly were "amateurs." It was the best skaters who got the sponsors. No one ran to sponsor an up-and-coming skater, but the top skaters all had virtually 100% subsidy. Also, coaches, choreographers and costume designers cut the top skaters breaks because they wanted the association. So although the skaters weren't earning the paychecks, it's not that different now then 30 years ago.
Personally,if a skater can get sponsors to cover most of their expenses then more power to them! You'd be stupid to turn down help if it's offered!Skating is EXPENSIVE! If someone offered to pay for my ice time,and dresses and coaching,heck i'd let'em!There are way too many really talented skaters that have to quit because they can't pay for their expenses.
OK the part I dont get is why coaches should be allowed to charges $300 for a 30 minutes session. No coach is worth that much. At least not in my honest oppinion.Personally,if a skater can get sponsors to cover most of their expenses then more power to them! You'd be stupid to turn down help if it's offered!Skating is EXPENSIVE! If someone offered to pay for my ice time,and dresses and coaching,heck i'd let'em!
Hi Sandra. Thanks for joining us and welcome to the forum!
About coaches' fees, I guess it's supply and demand like anything else. You hang out your shingle: "Skating lessons, $300 a pop" and see if anyone shows up at your door.
Mathman
I understand the potential problem, but I don't see what else should those Nat'l Governing Bodies, such as the USFSA, who don't get a lot of government funding, can do, except pay the big "money makers" enough to keep them making still more money than the NGB. Going by private sponsors isn't likely to reduce the problem -- wasn't there a fuss in Japan when Miki Ando got named to the Oly team, when Nakano has done better than Miki every time they've met this past season, but the sponsors had been "plugging" Shiz, Fumie and Miki?
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