What does it cost to have a ski racing kid?

Coach Z said:   No matter what my kid is going to a kick butt skier as an adult.  At 9 he is better than I was a 22 when I started instructing.  He probably skis better than a good chunk of the ski school staff already.  I'm not willing to risk burning him out on skiing because of racing.  Skiing with him is the best part of my dad experience.  I know that the day is coming when he is better than me - its only a matter of time and the sooner the better.


Perfectly written and same here.  I can say exactly the same thing about my 7yo.        He skied on Jr. Dev for the past 3 yrs...placing him in race because its actually LESS EXPENSIVE .  So far.    $340 for 13 weeks of both Sat and Sun training,a full xmas week of training, Thursday night training---he only must attend 70% of the Sat and Sun, the rest is optional.    At 7, he does not race external to the hill.    Maybe he will be burned out by 9....when he can ski on his own with his buds while I work.     Boots $139, used skis @ $100 and no race suit, he beat all the under 8 racers last year with his coat flapping in the wind and no wax...MY BAD.   Free season pass.....becasue of my working there.   Great benefit.

I do have to sell $200 of 50/50 tickets.     Want one?    

This is a great thread.
FYI - you can apply this to almost all youth sports right now. Just make sure your kids try other sports. Too many kids focus on one sport at an early age. Always remember that puberty will change everything.

I think it is true of all youth sports these days. I agree with letting the kids play a lot of different things and then if they want to focus on one, so be it. My kids chose to play multiple sports which meant they were not going to be D1 caliber athletes. Every kid is different so it's important to read your son for what he wants.

I agree with previous posts regarding scholarships. If your son grows to be 6' 6", 250 lbs and can run a 4.6 40, there's lots of money around. Otherwise I would recommend hitting the books. A D1 soccer coach I know said they try and combine some athletic money (not much available) with some academic aid to create a package. Also keep in mind that college programs can be a real grind. My son is in engineering school and even if he was good enough to play on the school team, he really wouldn't have the time.

tom

One thing I see around me is year round soccer, hockey, lacrosse, baseball, etc.  One of the benefits of ski racing is that the season does end. Our kids rotate sports every season. They do not star in any one area, but it is amazing how they jump in and hold their own with kids who play year-round.  Maybe there is an advantage to putting a sport aside for awhile and coming back with a fresh mindset.

From what I've read, John McEnroe would actually agree with that notion. It's also built into his tennis program in NYC:

"John McEnroe Tennis AcademyJohn's passion and belief is that great players can be developed in urban settings, while still having the opportunity to live at home, pursue their educational goals, and participate in a variety of sports and extracurricular activities. Through community outreach, the Academy will work to recruit the most talented and the most highly motivated young athletes in the Greater New York Metropolitan area and beyond."

They play everything there.

Definitely  believe in multiple sports.   Not bragging but with my son just turning seven we have now been approached by his swim, lacrosse,  soccer and now baseball coach to do year round.    His baseball coach said that if he did not play the travel team this winter he was done and would nit be on the ten next tear no matter how good he is.    He's in top third and youngest on u8.... oh well.    Winter travel baseball is1200 plus uniform and 9 games out of town where hotel is needed.  


Were skiing.  :)

I:)skiing wrote

Definitely  believe in multiple sports.   Not bragging but with my son just turning seven we have now been approached by his swim, lacrosse,  soccer and now baseball coach to do year round.    His baseball coach said that if he did not play the travel team this winter he was done and would nit be on the ten next tear no matter how good he is.    He's in top third and youngest on u8.... oh well.    Winter travel baseball is1200 plus uniform and 9 games out of town where hotel is needed.  


Were skiing.  :)

Tell the baseball coach good-bye. He is all about money. Winter is ice hockey/basketball/skiing. If he is the youngest on U8 let him stay there and dominate. Nothing really matters until they step up to the big field in baseball anyway.  

I:)skiing wrote

Definitely  believe in multiple sports.   Not bragging but with my son just turning seven we have now been approached by his swim, lacrosse,  soccer and now baseball coach to do year round.    His baseball coach said that if he did not play the travel team this winter he was done and would nit be on the ten next tear no matter how good he is.    He's in top third and youngest on u8.... oh well.    Winter travel baseball is1200 plus uniform and 9 games out of town where hotel is needed.  


Were skiing.  :)

You must live downstate or in a big city / suburb somewhere.  What is nice about living near Whiteface is that kids sports are truely seasonal.  You can not play baseball out of season or any other sport for that matter with the exception of hockey.  We avoided hockey because as you said "Were Skiing".

I agree that kids at this age should play multiple sports but only one sport at a time.  The Nysef coaches seem to agree with this and I have been told that its great that my son is playing football since as a DB its great agility and conditioning training thru the fall that translates well to skiing.

I asked my son recently what sport he would want to be a Pro in - he said baseball.  I explained to him that his chances of making the World Cup in skiing were like a million times better than making the MLB.  Even so we will try to gain him some more baseball experience thru a camp next summer- kids should be allowed to dream.

DREAM....   yep.   A friend just died of a heart attack.    Son said when he grows up he wants to " solve that problem".   Yes!  I thought.    A few minutes later he quipped.... .....after I retire from the MLB.      

OK.    I'll take that too.

So Coach Z, did we ever answer your question?

not really

What is was looking for originally is that J4 costs X, and J3 costs Y, etc.

Your husband's blog is a hoot.  I loved his comments on changing the age categories names and then he goes into one of his very entertaining tangential rants

If you have estimates I'd be interested in hearing them

Get your kid racing on a HS team. It's way cheaper and the kids seem to have a heckova lot of fun. The money you save you can spend on their other sports...like equestrian!

Well a 9 year old may look kind of odd on a high school team plus as we have already covered a few posts back the HS that my kid will go to does not have a HS ski team

plus I hate Horses

Let me take a stab at it.   These estimates include:
NYSEF fees (inc pass), race fees, hotels, ussa/nyssra fees, race skis, boots, equipment (such as speed suit),

Does not include gas, food, clothing beyond race gear, camps either off-season or during season, tuning equipment for home and travel,  shop work (tuning/repair), banquets, club dues, club events.



U14 - approx $5k
U16 - approx $7k
U18 - approx $10k

These can fluctuate +/- 25% depending on level of involvement, especally if going out of state for the U18 level.  Also depends on how often skis are purchased.  Maybe just one set of SL and GS for the U14, but its SL and GS every year for U16 and up, plus SG one or two during career at a minimum.  

Add a camp each year for $1k to $3k.  Also tickets for the parents if they ski other mtns.

does that include the Nysef program fees?

it doesn't include tuition if the academy route is choosen for sure

Yes, includes the NYSEF fee which is currently $2k +  for U18

My husband is convinced that we cannot afford to have the kids skip racing.  I have some sort of meltdown every year about the cost and he has this pep talk ready to go about all the reasons we need to be out there.  The good news is that once you are out there, gear really does get passed around.  The most we ever paid for a speed suit was $20.  You can anticipate things you are going to need and keep an eye out for them.  Clearly, this is not an economical sport, but there are steps to take the edge off some of the expenses.  

Goreskimom wrote

I have some sort of meltdown every year about the cost and he has this pep talk ready to go about all the reasons we need to be out there.

This is something I think we all relate to.  Skiing is the only thing we spend money on as a family that is not essential for biological life.  I take that back. There is nothing we spend money on that is not essential.

Should we try to have a special thread in Gear X for racing gear?  Maybe not enough critical mass to make it work.

GSM is on my A list. Thanks for hooking Neve up this summer.

We only have one kid so no hand me downs but only one to pay for as well

We are going to the NYSEF ski swap the 3rd to look for a helmet and poles.  We should look for the next sized speed suit as well i guess.

As Mt employees we do get a break on NYSEF fees so that does help as well.  Nysef has also become our charity of choice with all the giving events they run.