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How we survive
Canadian Veronica Brenner, 26, is considered a veteran in the sport of freestyle skiing. The aerialist was a member of the 1998 Canadian Olympic team and won the 1997 World Cup title. Brenner, a native of Scarborough, Ontario, missed the past World Cup season after tearing her ACL but is back on track to make the 2002 Olympic team. Check out Brenner's diary on CNNSI.com as she prepares for Salt Lake City. November 1, 2001 It's the question many want answered but most are too embarrassed to ask. How do so-called "amateur" athletes train full-time and still manage to make a living? The truth is that only the top few do -- if your results slip, so does your income. Most freestyle ski teams offer some sort of athlete funding. It varies from teams like China and Belarus, which who fully fund all of their athletes (This is a necessity considering what an average worker makes in those countries. Otherwise it would take a couple of months' salary to buy one plane ticket.), to the U.S. and Canada, which fund their athletes based on results. As an A-team athlete (top five in the world) all of my winter travel and competition expenses are covered by the Canadian Freestyle Ski Association. In the summer, I receive some money to help cover rent and water ramp and gym fees. There is a hitch though -- if the association runs out of money (which comes from the government and sponsors), I run out of funding. This has happened.
For anything the team doesn't cover, there's my Canadian government funding. I refer to this as athlete welfare. Because I'm a senior carded athlete (again based on results) in an Olympic sport, I receive $1,100 each month to help cover training and living expenses (remember, that's Canadian dollars and I spend most of my time in the U.S.). Our development team athletes and athletes from non-Olympic sports receive less money or none at all. This welfare check is only guaranteed for a year. Grant money. This can be a big one. The Canadian Olympic Association now has a grant program in place that offers qualifying athletes (once again, it's results based) between $1,000 and $5,000 per year, depending on the quadrennial cycle (in 2001, winter athletes received $5,000 to help prepare for the SLC games, in 2002 we'll be eligible for only $1,000 -- obviously we won't have to train as hard in 2002). Once again there's a catch -- the program will last only as long as the money does. American athletes don't receive government funds, but the U.S. Olympic Committee offers a number of grants (totaling $32.5 million U.S. in 2000, according to The Associated Press). Select athletes can qualify for over $10,000 a year. In some countries, athletes are awarded money for Olympic medals. To Americans in Salt Lake City, a gold medal will be worth $25,000, silver $15,000, and bronze $7,500. Some federations kick in their own incentive. In Sydney, U.S. Swimming awarded its athletes $65,000 for each gold medal. While there is no direct prize money for Olympic or World Championship medals in freestyle, the International Ski Federation (FIS) began awarding prize money at World Cup events about eight years ago. Total prize money for aerials this season is estimated at $130,000 U.S. or $9,300 per event per sex minimum (up from $7,400 last season). That works out to $3,700 for first and the money is paid down to 6th (worth $185 -- or almost enough to buy a pizza in Zurich). Although prize money in freestyle skiing has increased over 30 percent in just three years, freestyle skiing remains the poor relative in FIS: alpine offers $61,700 per event per sex, ski jumping $30,800, and snowboarding $12,350. The best money-making opportunities for an athlete are individual sponsorships. Some athletes have sponsorship deals with equipment manufacturers. The most common equipment deals in aerials are eyewear, skis, boots, and bindings. These may cover equipment only, or include retainers (a flat fee) and/or incentive schedules. Incentive schedules provide bonuses for performance (usually podium finishes) or media coverage (TV time, photos in major newspapers, etc.). It is however, extremely difficult to find equipment sponsors for aerials. While I do have Bolle for my eyewear sponsor, I must buy my skis, boots, and bindings (at least I get them at reduced prices). The most important type of individual sponsorship is the headgear contract. FIS athletes are only allowed one of these. A headgear sponsorship consists primarily of wearing the sponsor's logo (usually on the athlete's helmet/hat/headband) in photos, during training, competition, media functions, and at any appearances. In addition to wearing the logo, the athlete may also be asked to meet with the sponsor's employees and clients, speak at schools or business meetings, sign autographs, or anything else both parties agree to. On top of the retainer that is negotiated, headgear contracts also often include an incentive schedule. So how does one go about finding one of these contracts? Well, despite what you may have seen in the movies, not all athletes have agents and those agents don't run around shouting, "Show me the money!" In fact, only two of the aerialists on my team have agents. For this type of service, athletes will pay up to 25 percent of any contracts arranged. Those of us without an agent have to rely on personal contacts, a lot of legwork, and a little bit of luck. In the past, my headgear sponsors have been team sponsors who wanted to be more involved with the athletes. This season, however, several of the athletes on my team who have already qualified for the Olympics (myself included) have yet to secure a headgear sponsor, even though this will be the most attention we receive for four years. In aerials, some athletes participate in shows to pick up extra cash. Skiers perform tricks off a small ramp into an airbag (a little dangerous), or on snow. In Olympic years, athletes are offered special opportunities. A large corporation has invited me to take part in its Adopt-An-Athlete program that will coincide with its Olympic Team sponsorship. This will give me the chance to share my Olympic experiences with their employees through visits to their plant and offices and emails from Salt Lake. Endorsements are almost non-existent for athletes competing in low profile sports like mine, even for those who are highly successful. Well, this is how we survive. Despite the opportunities an amateur athlete has to make money, income sources remain highly unreliable. This is true even if an athlete has won numerous medals at the international level. So the best of us may retire with a savings account, but many more will leave their sport in debt or barely breaking even. Yet we continue on, motivated by medals around our necks, not checks in the bank. -- Veronica
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