Figure skating club prepares for nationals

The IU figure skating club faces intense practices, long road trips and the chance of serious injury.

The club, composed of about 30 undergraduate and graduate students who participate in synchronized skating or competitive freestyle, also known as intercollegiate skating, is preparing for its national competitions in March and April.

The club also offers a non-competitive freestyle team for recreational skating.

While club skating has similar expectations – to compete, practice and travel – as varsity athletics, the club lacks the same recognition and has the additional challenge of raising money for the club.

The team receives only a small portion of funds from the IU club sports program.

“Fundraising is certainly an issue,” said club president Sarah Bradbury, a second-year graduate student.

Lizzie Millis, senior and vice president of the freestyle component, said the team’s budget largely exceeds the allotment of funds at $40,000 to $45,000.

The cost of practicing at a local ice rink each week is one large expense for the team.
“The ice time alone is $140 an hour, and we have six hours of ice a week ... so that adds up quickly,” Millis said.

To offset the costs through fundraising, they send out letters to relatives and businesses asking for donations and sponsorships.

“We try to fundraise, but a lot of it is from the girls and their parents,” said Rachel Mark, junior and vice president of the synchronized component. “It gets really expensive.”

The members pay dues every semester, which cover ice time, travel expenses and competition outfits.

Another challenge for the team is getting permission to miss classes because of figure skating commitments.

“Girls on the team have had problems with teachers not excusing them for things they say only varsity athletes can do,” Mark said.

The club requires commitment from its skaters – the synchronized skaters’ practices are mandatory and come with a penalty for each one missed. Mark said the penalty can range from required additional practice time to not being allowed to participate in competitions.

Despite the obstacles, the club continues to recruit skaters every year.

Team members reach out to potential recruits by providing information at competitions and on their Web site.

The club holds a recruitment weekend in the spring for high school juniors and seniors to show them the campus and team atmosphere.

Mark said the warmer climate of Indiana, the educational opportunities at IU and the opportunity to skate for a nationally ranked figure skating team are the major selling points for recruits.

“I couldn’t have imagined going to a school where I couldn’t skate,” Millis said.

The club gives many of the members a final chance to skate competitively.

“After college, it’s basically the end of your competitive career,” Mark said. “People will either move onto coaching or life.”