"So, you're all set, then?"


This is the most common response I used to get when I would tell people I was on the U.S. National Speedskating Team, as I was last year. By "all set," these people would mean that they believed that all national team athletes had all their living and training expenses paid for, and that all we had to do is train and race. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Sure, some athletes on the team are "all set," but these are the people who are on the podium every World Cup weekend. The money they make comes from their winnings, and from the sponsorships that they have managed to find for themselves.

An athlete such as myself, who was competing in World Cups and finishing "twenty-somethingth" there, is entitled to the following:
1. An annual stipend of approximately $1500 from U.S. Speedskating
2. 3-4 meals per week
3. Ice time and coaching
4. Physical therapists and sports science support
5. The chance to live at the high altitude house in Park City (where your transportation costs for driving to the Oval every day would negate any financial benefit of the free housing - one of the reasons why some skaters choose to live in the Salt Lake valley)

In order to pay for their basic living expenses, such as food, housing, and transportation, almost all the skaters who are at this level have to work.

Now I will share a story that may illustrate the contrast between U.S. athletes and those from some other countries:

My friend Vlad, who used to work at Genta with me, was hosting a Russian skater at his home during the 2002 Olympics. Vlad took the skater up to Park City, and they happened to stop by an ice cream shop there. Inside the ice cream shop, the Russian skater saw a U. S. National Team girl he knew working behind the counter.

Surprised to see her there, he asked what she was doing, and she replied that she had to make some money to support her training. The Russian skater was shocked that an American national team athlete needed to support herself by working in an ice cream shop.

...Do you hear that? That is the sound of the Russians laughing at the idea that a skater of the caliber of, for example, Chris Callis, has to go push carts at the Home Depot.

I'm not saying that the situation is worst for American athletes. There are skaters in other countries who have it even worse, and their countries will not send them to competitions even if they qualify because their national governing bodies have so little money. However, I believe that the problem here is more about the image that we present to the American public, because for some reason, people think that our athletes are being helped out a lot more than they actually are.

I really believe that if American companies were more aware that our athletes need help, then they would be more open to sponsoring us.