Competitions and coaches

[skategeek]

First competition coming up, and I'm wondering how coach time at the event is handled.  (Local event, so travel isn't necessary.)  Does the coach get paid for the whole time they're there with me?  Just the time around my events?  (There's about 2 hours between my events, so there will be downtime.)  Time spent helping me with hair and makeup?  (I'm new at that... I'm going to need help.)  Also, the competition web site mentions a coach fee for coaches putting skaters on the ice; do I cover that, or does she?

Obviously I'll be talking to the coach about it too; I just want to get a feel for what to expect.  Anything else I need to know?

[fsk8r]

I can't really comment about the coach costs. My coaches charge a fixed rate which seems to be about the cost of a half hour lesson and perhaps a little extra to cover gas. I've heard others want to charge for their time properly (which does seem fair enough as mine must lose out on money to travel to a competition with me).
But I did want to ask whether it's common for their to be a coach fee to be asked by the competition? I've never heard of that one before. I sincerely hope they don't introduce it over here, but we do already have to supply all our coach's details when entering and they're checked against the NISA database and because we're running all competitions as IJS, only IJS approved coaches may put you on the ice.

[skategeek]

Asked my coach about it this morning- she charges her lesson fee (half hour lesson).  The ISI coach's fee can apparently be waived if she volunteers to judge.  (So I suspect the fee is there to encourage coaches to help out...)

[twinskaters]

My kids' coach charges a half hour lesson fee for competitions.

[Live2Sk8]

My coach charges a half hour lesson fee per event.  Have not had assistance with hair and makeup but I know coach helps the kids.  Also stretches them out but has not offered to do that for me.  Maybe because I am an adult and can handle myself?

[Neverdull44]

My coach charges a half-hour lesson if it's an in-town competition.   She doesn't charge for a test, which I think isn't right. 

If it's out of town, all of her students pay a share of her costs (hotel, gas).  She rooms with another coach if able, and it's not bad of a bill. 

Some coaches, I've heard, will make their competing students pay for any "missed lesson" that they could have been teaching back at home during out of town competitions. I've not run into that.   Might be for the Olympic type coaches, I don't know.

[twinskaters]

Some coaches, I've heard, will make their competing students pay for any "missed lesson" that they could have been teaching back at home during out of town competitions. I've not run into that.   Might be for the Olympic type coaches, I don't know.

Wow! That could get really expensive!

[Loops]

Some coaches, I've heard, will make their competing students pay for any "missed lesson" that they could have been teaching back at home during out of town competitions. I've not run into that.   Might be for the Olympic type coaches, I don't know.

Wow- I'm with TwinSkaters on this one.  That would either 1) prevent me from competing or 2) I'd just go without coach....or is that allowed?  Makes you realise why it's good to ask that kind of question before signing on with a coach......

[TreSk8sAZ]

It's called a "missed opportunity" fee. Some of the coaches here do charge it, because by going to a competition they are missing out on other income opportunities they would have had otherwise. My coach doesn't, so I don't know exactly how the others calculate it.

I do understand why, in theory, as when these coaches take 10 skaters out of state, they are giving up the rest of  their lessons for the 3-5 days they're gone. If they're only charging expenses and a lesson fee per event, then they would lose considerable income. And, for these coaches, that is their livelihood, they don't have other jobs.

My coach charges 1/2 hour lesson fee per event (so if I do dramatic and fs, it's a one hour fee). Considering she spends at least an hour per event with warm up and everything else, then waits for results, it's more than fair. For out of town comps, all of her skaters split hotel, gas, etc., but she doesn't charge for food or other costs she would incur anyway.

And Loops, yes, you can go without a coach. That just means that you have no one that is allowed to put you on the ice (hold your water bottle, jackets, etc.). Friends, unless they have the proper certification, are not allowed down by the ice. Lots of adults do this regularly as it gets expensive to take your coach to out of town competitions, especially if you're the only skater.

[Gabby on Ice]

My coach charges a full lesson fee for the first event and half the lesson fee for each additional event. So, if I do FS and Dramatic, it's $30 for the first event and $15 for the second event.

[skatezilla]

I've only done ISI comps so far and my coach charges for a 15 minute lesson for every event. If we go out of town, the cost of her hotel is split between those of us going. My dance coach charges $20 for a test.