IFS Magazine

[LolaSkatesInJapan]

Why do people here often feel so offended when I just state my observations? You can totally reject them - tell me I'm wrong, disagree, but "resent the implication"? I didn't mean to insult anyone by saying they seem well-off.
Maybe my English is so bad that I don't get things across the right way, maybe I just sound rude to you, but I don't get why this is offensive??
I have compared it to other events - I am not familiar with the prices in the US, maybe entertainment events and hobbies are just more expensive in general there. It's also not the original topic of this thread, so this is likely not the place to go into details. But I am certainly not telling anyone how they are supposed to spend their money. I just observed that I find the ticket prices very high and that it astonishes me that it's possible to take them and I was trying to find an explanation. Nothing more.

I'm not in the USA either, not English native but you tell people if they spend the money on figure skating is because they're well off, it implies you tell them they're rich and/or have money to waste on expensive matters, when this is only a matter of prioritizing/budgeting, nothing to do with wealth/income. Where I live many people go everyday to bars, clubs, highly alcohol oriented socializing society and alcohol. expenses can get very, very high, however a person abstains from visiting the bar and buying alcohol everyday, he has money available to spend on things that are more important to him, for example.

I fully fund my figure skating life, my monthly income is irrelevant to this point, but I rarely go to a bar, rarely spend money on alcohol, don't go to the club either or to the cinema and can invest on paying my coaches, as much ice time as possible, figure skating clothes and such. And once in a while I go to ice events that interest me and I will purchase a ticket in a good seat. Because I'm not spending my money on other things besides my share of bills on our household. I'm not poor at all, but I don't think I'm close to being rich either.

How people choose to spend their money is their business only, but stating that only well off/rich people can invest in figure skating is far from an accurate statement.

 

[icewhite]

I'm not in the USA either, not English native but you tell people if they spend the money on figure skating is because they're well off, it implies you tell them they're rich and/or have money to waste on expensive matters, when this is only a matter of prioritizing/budgeting, nothing to do with wealth/income. Where I live many people go everyday to bars, clubs, highly alcohol oriented socializing society and alcohol. expenses can get very, very high, however a person abstains from visiting the bar and buying alcohol everyday, he has money available to spend on things that are more important to him, for example.

I fully fund my figure skating life, my monthly income is irrelevant to this point, but I rarely go to a bar, rarely spend money on alcohol, don't go to the club either or to the cinema and can invest on paying my coaches, as much ice time as possible, figure skating clothes and such. And once in a while I go to ice events that interest me and I will purchase a ticket in a good seat. Because I'm not spending my money on other things besides my share of bills on our household. I'm not poor at all, but I don't think I'm close to being rich either.

How people choose to spend their money is their business only, but stating that only well off/rich people can invest in figure skating is far from an accurate statement.

But then please read what I wrote. Of course people can spend their money any way they want it, it is indeed none of my business at all, and I definitely wouldn't tell anyone they shouldn't invest it in figure skating (no matter if they are rich, poor or middle class) and I didn't. I wrote my idea of why I thought that they did without complaining. Nothing more.

 

[LolaSkatesInJapan]

Rich is probably something very different, but I think many must be well off. Or they have just accepted the ticket prices.
I constantly wonder how a niche sport can have such very pricey tickets. If I wanted to see Messi and Neymar in the Camp Nou it was about 80 Euros. Okay, that's just 90 minutes, but man, these football/soccer players are incredibly high profile. It's also more expensive to go to most bigger figure skating competitions than to go to Glastonbury for instance.
I sometimes bring that up and people say they find the prices acceptable (not paying reluctantly), so my guess was that they are very well off. Other explanation of course is that they are very passionate fans in comparison.

Yes, here it is above what you wrote.
Why would someone complain about buying something that benefits them/brings them great joy?
This has absolutely nothing to do with wealth/income.

Maybe paying 500 euros was possible because the person saved money for months (poor). Or maybe the person can easily pay 500 euros and invite 10 figure skating friends along, making it 5000 euros and is not big deal to him (well off). Both go and have great joy without complaining.

I think what the other member and I point out is that you associate this with "being well off" which again is not accurate at all.
However if you think it is, then it's your opinion, you're absolutely entitled to it and apologies for questioning an opinion.
It's my personal opinion that what people buy, practice and invest in has absolutely nothing to do with their financial situation.

 

[icewhite]

Yes, here it is above what you wrote.
Why would someone complain about buying something that benefits them/brings them great joy?
This has absolutely nothing to do with wealth/income.

Maybe paying 500 euros was possible because the person saved money for months (poor). Or maybe the person can easily pay 500 euros and invite 10 figure skating friends along, making it 5000 euros and is not big deal to him (well off). Both go and have great joy without complaining.

I think what the other member and I point out is that you associate this with "being well off" which again is not accurate at all.
However if you think it is, then it's your opinion, you're absolutely entitled to it and apologies for questioning an opinion.
It's my personal opinion that what people buy, practice and invest in has absolutely nothing to do with their financial situation.

I wrote what I imagine are the reasons. That is not complaining, it is an attempt of analyzing/trying to understand! Maybe a bad one, but "complaining" like "I think they shouldn't do it" is something entirely else. I really can't say this any better or clearer, so I'll bow out now.

 

[Diana Delafield]

I’m in the same position with a prepaid subscription but considering the circumstances, I never considered asking for a refund. This wasn’t some major publication house but a one-woman show and her family doesn’t need the aggravation of trying to handle pro-rated refunds from subscribers around the world.

I've run into the same situation with other publications in the fan worlds of skating, ice sports, dance, genealogy, doll collecting. The majority of niche publications are one-person productions started at home by a passionate fan who is able to raise the money for each issue from subscriptions and a lot of hard work getting advertisers to put up their money. Eventually either a publication sank under a pile of debts, or the publisher got seriously ill or died suddenly. I couldn't really afford to lose the subscription money, especially if I had just paid for, say, two years in advance. But as a librarian, and a freelance editor and writer in my spare time, I knew how these publications worked and that paying for a subscription was a gamble. It never occurred to me to ask for a refund. I'd enjoyed the publication for the years I received it, but eventually the throw of the dice -- the subscription renewal -- came up with a losing number.

 

[Pixie Cut]

I've run into the same situation with other publications in the fan worlds of skating, ice sports, dance, genealogy, doll collecting. The majority of niche publications are one-person productions started at home by a passionate fan who is able to raise the money for each issue from subscriptions and a lot of hard work getting advertisers to put up their money. Eventually either a publication sank under a pile of debts, or the publisher got seriously ill or died suddenly. I couldn't really afford to lose the subscription money, especially if I had just paid for, say, two years in advance. But as a librarian, and a freelance editor and writer in my spare time, I knew how these publications worked and that paying for a subscription was a gamble. It never occurred to me to ask for a refund. I'd enjoyed the publication for the years I received it, but eventually the throw of the dice -- the subscription renewal -- came up with a losing number.

There is nothing wrong with asking for a refund, especially if you paid with a credit card. Don't be shocked if you don't get it, but no harm in trying.

 

[Diana Delafield]

There is nothing wrong with asking for a refund, especially if you paid with a credit card. Don't be shocked if you don't get it, but no harm in trying.

I would do that with a large publishing company. When I know it was just one person and they or their surviving family are in financial difficulties though, I don't think I could do that without feeling selfish. (Maybe it's just my generation . That's what I was taught.)

 

[Pixie Cut]

I would do that with a large publishing company. When I know it was just one person and they or their surviving family are in financial difficulties though, I don't think I could do that without feeling selfish. (Maybe it's just my generation . That's what I was taught.)

You wouldn't have to ask with a large publishing company. It would put in place another magazine to fulfill the subscription or offer you a refund. I respect your consideration, but I don't think it's selfish to ask. As I said earlier in this thread, in the matter of IFS I'd keep such requests to the credit card company as the owner is deceased.

 

[TallyT]

I would do that with a large publishing company. When I know it was just one person and they or their surviving family are in financial difficulties though, I don't think I could do that without feeling selfish. (Maybe it's just my generation . That's what I was taught.)

I don't think that's entirely fair though. Everyone has their own financial situation to consider and the OP did say the amount spent was too much for her personally to simply give away if she could get it back. I am fortunate in that I am in a pretty good financial position in a country that tends to weather bad economic times better than many (touch wood) and can indulge my more esoteric fancies for my fannish interests. But a lot of people I know stretch their budgets carefully to be able to buy just a few things for their passion. Expecting them to simply write off a large amount is not fair, when by subscribing in the first place they were helping to support that small publisher.

And regarding the image of the sport as one for rich people, no one said it was an accurate impression (classical music is as well, despite the fact that good seats often cost a lot less than big pop/rock concerts), but quite a few winter sports do tend to be seen as for the more affluent.

 

[skatesofgold]

I don't think that's entirely fair though. Everyone has their own financial situation to consider and the OP did say the amount spent was too much for her personally to simply give away if she could get it back. I am fortunate in that I am in a pretty good financial position in a country that tends to weather bad economic times better than many (touch wood) and can indulge my more esoteric fancies for my fannish interests. But a lot of people I know stretch their budgets carefully to be able to buy just a few things for their passion. Expecting them to simply write off a large amount is not fair, when by subscribing in the first place they were helping to support that small publisher.

And regarding the image of the sport as one for rich people, no one said it was an accurate impression (classical music is as well, despite the fact that good seats often cost a lot less than big pop/rock concerts), but quite a few winter sports do tend to be seen as for the more affluent.

People were talking about how expensive Olympic Trials are for gymnastics next year, and I was like those all-session tickets are still not as expensive as literally one Taylor Swift concert ticket from a scalper.

 

[jorge2912]

I knew the sad news about Susan, my condolences to her family and friends , I hope somebody can continues with the magazine because it would be saddest that also disappear the magazine definitely and what means for fans, figure skaters and ice dancers. I wonder if the magazine would continues, I used to read it since 2014 and is great magazine. Well If don't continues well as empathy toward her family (thinking the bad time they are living currently) won't consider ask about the refund of the missed issues.