Cost, travel, time no object for one passionate skating fan

Mrs. P · Sep 25, 2014

pandaatlarge said:
IMO a passionate FS fan, or a fan of any sport, really needs to sacrifice something else in order to follow it closely. Sometimes I have to say no to weekend invitations because of mid night competitions. Sometimes I have to say no to a pair of pretty new shoes in order to save up for a competition or ice show in another city/country. And I bet many fans in GS do the same!

Sometimes it means going to a cold city in the middle of winter. :laugh:

Most people usually go to a WARMER place doing the winter, LOL.

Actually the early morning hours aren't too bad for me, especially on Saturday. I do long runs so I have to wake up super early anyway. So if there's a competition in Europe (which is 9-10 hours ahead, depending on the exact location), I can usually catch some skating before I head out!

chasingpolaris · Sep 25, 2014

Mrs. P said:
Also, culturally (and Newbie and our other Japanese fans can confirm) I believe it is tradition to live with your parents and/or several generations of family until you get married. I think it's actually a necessity given the high real estate prices over there! If you watch Korean dramas, you see the same housing situation. In fact in some cases, even if the child gets married, the married couple may still live with the parents until they get enough money saved up to buy a place.

I'm an American of Asian descent and I still live with my parents. Unmarried and also the first-born. I don't have a lot on my shoulders financially (aside from paying my portion of the apartment's rent) but I still can't afford traveling multiple times a year and pay for competition/ice show tickets. Even if I could, I should probably be saving it up for a house/condo of my own, haha. Note the word "should". LOL.

skatedreamer · Sep 25, 2014

cheerknithanson said:
Yeah sometimes I have a hard time sticking up for myself. And speaking up. But I'm trying to get better.

Don't ever give up on that one!

cheerknithanson · Sep 25, 2014

skatedreamer said:
Don't ever give up on that one!

I definitely am getting better. Like asking teachers for help.

I'm better at it on the internet.

essence_of_soy · Sep 25, 2014

Gosh, this reminds me of the time I went overseas during my university break to the US and Canada over twenty years ago and went on a backpacking / skating binge for a couple of months. I went to see Junior Worlds in Colorado Springs, Landover World Pro, US Nationals in Detroit (that's something I'll never forget!) and Canadians in Edmonton.

Back then there was NO internet, so all of my accommodation had to be made months in advance by post or spending big dollars by fax. It was scary not knowing if things had been confirmed, sometimes down to the wire.

Having said that, I met some amazing people I still keep in contact with. Pen pals became email pals and are now Facebook friends.

All up, airfares, accommodation, food, transport, and other expenses like gifts, going to movies, theme parks and museums ending up costing about $5000.

That's in 1993 dollars!

Spindrift · Sep 25, 2014

essence_of_soy said:
... I went to see Junior Worlds in Colorado Springs, Landover World Pro, US Nationals in Detroit (that's something I'll never forget!) and Canadians in Edmonton.

Greetings from Edmonton!

desertskates · Sep 26, 2014

Mrs. P said:
Skate Canada is pretty close to me -- about a 7-hour car ride -- but the lineup to Skate America looked slightly better and the flights weren't too bad ($500 or so or you could even get into the $450 range), so that's the one I was looking at.

But ultimately I had other people to see (i.e. MY PARENTS, LOL), so my husband and I will actually be traveling the weekend of Skate America, but we'll be in Atlanta, not Chicago.

And we just bought a new car too! That was not cheap.

May we be blessed with larger budgets next year. And, yeah I just did the parents trip, too. I need to go prune and fertilize that money tree...

karne · Sep 26, 2014

I'm saving my pennies very carefully. I hope that I might be able to attend next year's Skate America. I wouldn't mind trying for US Nationals except that...snow. umwhat?

Barb · Sep 26, 2014

chasingpolaris said:
The fact that she's been able to attend so many events in her own country is just astonishing, considering how big the sport is in the country. It's a frustrating and difficult process to get tickets in Japan for ice shows and competitions, so I admire her for going through all of that. Passionate fan she is.

Someday I'd like to spend a season traveling abroad for GP events. That would be the best kind of round-the-world trip for me.

It would be wonderful!! :love:

BlackPack · Sep 27, 2014

There are many passionate fans who travel for events - Olympics, GP circuit, Worlds, all sorts of shows. I have only attended a few shows. I spent my money elsewhere. I have always considered going to something but never did. I actually had all the tickets to go to '99 Worlds but didn't make it to Finland. Sad to think about it. I do like watching competitions from the comfort of my own home, chatting with fans online, devouring various snacks without appearing uncivilized, etc. Travel has become physically and financially demanding. It would be nice to meet up with other fans, except fans who hate the skaters you like

I would like to show up to a World Cup Final and an Olympics one of these days. Hopefully, I won't be too old by then.

Cost, travel, time no object for one passionate skating fan

Mrs. P

Uno, Dos, twizzle!

chasingpolaris

skatedreamer

cheerknithanson

essence_of_soy

Spindrift

desertskates

karne

in Emergency Backup Mode

Barb

BlackPack

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