athletes

Sponsorships

Sponsorships are agreements between the sponsor and the athlete only — U.S. Figure Skating is not involved in this agreement. The only time the athlete should question their eligibility is if the sponsor asks you to participate in an event that is not sanctioned by U.S. Figure Skating. If this occurs, the athlete can still accept the sponsorship if they complete a form called the Eligible Skater's Compensation Agreement (ESCA). Once this is completed, submitted and approved by the Executive Director, the athlete's eligibility will be protected. Click here for information regarding the Eligible Skater's Compensation Agreement.

The most important question sponsors ask is, "Can I get tax benefits from this?" Well, it depends on whether this is a business or a personal sponsor. If the sponsor is a private person wanting to assist the athlete with their expenses, then the answer is no. If the sponsor is a business wanting to sponsor the athlete, then yes they can get tax benefits. Tell them to talk to their accountants to find out the best way for them to handle the sponsorship. One option for a business to get tax benefits from a sponsorship is to use the athlete as an advertisement since advertising can be a tax write off for a business. Examples of how to do this is to have the athlete carry a duffel bag with the business logo on it, or the athlete can wear a warm-up suit with the logo on it and this is considered advertising. This is just an idea; the best suggestion is to have the business check with their accountants regarding the specific laws and regulations.

Other questions are, Can the sponsor donate to the Memorial Fund and earmark it for a specific athlete to receive the tax benefits from the Memorial Fund's non-profit status? The answer is no, you can not donate to a nonprofit organization and earmark it for a specific person. The business can donate to the Memorial Fund, but the money will be put into a general account and distributed to many U.S. Figure Skating athletes. The same applies when donating to a club with non-profit status; you can donate to the club but not a specific athlete. The money will go into the club's general account and be allocated according to the requests of the club's board of Directors.

How does the athlete accept the sponsor's money? The athlete may have a "skating account" that the sponsor can write checks to or they can simply make the check payable to the athlete. Again, this is a decision for the athlete and sponsor.

Please click here to download the Sponsorship Information and Suggestions packet. This packet gives very valuable information regarding sponsorships and how to acquire them. This information is useful for single, pairs, dance and synchronized team athletes alike.

Synchronized Skating

There is also a sponsorship packet tailored specifically to synchronized skating. Download it here (PDF).