- Joined
- Feb 27, 2012
team envelopes get a very small stipend, and there is the USFSA Memorial Fund that gives out (again, small) scholarships to off set costs for skaters.
Athlete funding opportunities
The team envelope funding is the most significant. I'm not sure where to find the funding amounts. I think it varies from year to year. I think Team A is into the 5 figures, so that would help significantly but not cover all expenses.
Scholarships, grants, and awards
These are less significant, less tied to elite competitive status, and mostly one-time only.
Agree with Toni and gkelly that the funding from U.S. Figure Skating is modest, at best.
From U.S. Figure Skating's official fact sheet:
Throughout the 2013-14 season, U.S. Figure Skating will directly distribute more than $1 million to its athletes through training grants and financial assistance. The funding — distributed through the Athlete Support Program (ASUPP), the Synchronized Team Envelope Funding (STEF), the U.S. Figure Skating bonus program and the U.S. Figure Skating Memorial Fund — reaches novice, junior and senior skaters.
Funding from the Athlete Support Program and synchronized team envelope funding will assist more than 230 U.S. figure skaters and synchronized skaters who were selected to the 2013-14 team envelope.
The U.S. Figure Skating Team Envelope system has been established to identify top figure skaters throughout the United States. Athletes are selected to one of four envelopes — Team A, Team B, Team C and Reserve Team — based on their competition placements from last season. The four-level system serves as a guideline when determining funding levels and privileges.
Funding from the Athlete Support Program and synchronized team envelope funding will assist more than 230 U.S. figure skaters and synchronized skaters who were selected to the 2013-14 team envelope.
The U.S. Figure Skating Team Envelope system has been established to identify top figure skaters throughout the United States. Athletes are selected to one of four envelopes — Team A, Team B, Team C and Reserve Team — based on their competition placements from last season. The four-level system serves as a guideline when determining funding levels and privileges.
$1 million divided among 230 skaters = not very much per skater.
Understood that amounts vary per skater, but my hunch is that even those belonging to Team A do not receive enough to cover more than a fraction of their training costs.
ETA, from the same fact sheet:
The Memorial Fund supports three programs, the Competitive Skaters Assistance Program (CSAP), the Academic Scholarship Program (ASP) and the RISE Youth Essay Contest. From these programs, qualified skaters receive support to help defray their training and college expenses. More than 150 skaters receive financial assistance totaling more than $300,000 from the Memorial Fund each year.