A recent article in the Idaho Mountain Express reports on the challenges that athletes face in securing financial support during their quest for Olympic glory. The Sun Valley Ski Education's Cross-Country Olympic Development team is profiled.
“It is always, in the best of times, a challenge to help them (athletes) secure the funding and the sponsorship that they need to be able to keep racing and make it on the national team,” said Rick Kapala, the foundation's cross-country program director.
Kapala said a typical ski racer spends about $20,000 per year on training and competitions. To complicate matters, he or she often has to train 20 to 30 hours each week, which makes working a full-time job next to impossible.
“It is really hard to have a full-time job and train,” Kapala said. “How do they pay for the car insurance or the rent?”
Cross-country racing is also, he adds, not trendy.
Read more from the Idaho Mountain Express:
Local athletes struggle to keep and find sponsorship
