The sport of figure skating is costly, and these expenses only increase at the collegiate level because it is typical for these teams to attend more competitions. My team, Western Michigan University has found that the best way to reduce this cost is by fundraising. We do several fundraisers throughout the season and even some in the off-season. Here are a few of the main ones that we do.
 
Our first and biggest fundraiser of the year is finding sponsors for our team. Our skaters will go out into the community and find local businesses to sponsor us for the season. We have four levels of sponsors: bronze, silver, gold and platinum where the level of the sponsor is determined by how much is donated. Each level has different perks within our club. This fundraiser usually lasts until November when competition season starts.
 
Another fundraiser we do is car washes. We do three each year, one in the spring, one in the summer and one in the fall at a local Applebee's where they provide the water for a hose, and we provide the rest. Car washes are a great team bonding fundraiser and bring in around $400 each time.
 
A similar fundraiser we set up is an on-campus bake sale. Every skater brings in at least one treat to be sold, then we set up a table in the center of campus for a few hours and sell to any students walking by. We typically set the price at $1 per treat, but accept any donation offered.
 
Throughout the season, we also shovel for multiple Western Michigan varsity hockey games and clean up the arena after the game. During games, we have six to eight skaters come to shovel the snow off the ice three times each period.  After the games, we pick up and sweep the bleachers of Lawson Ice Arena. For shoveling and cleanups, we receive a discount on our ice charges.
 
A less traditional fundraiser we put on is through a website called CharityMania. We call this our Football Mania Fundraiser. This past year was the first time that we've done it, but it was a big hit so I predict it will become a recurring one.
 
With Football Mania, we sold tickets to friends and family in September. Each week winners were chosen from these tickets and the person that purchased the ticket won a cash prize. This fundraiser was super easy and brought in a lot of money for our club since so many people were able to participate.
 
Overall, fundraising is a huge part of collegiate figure skating and can really help each skater with the financial burden of the sport. There are so many other fundraisers out there and every little bit helps!