The Cost of Success

Reading the title, you may be swayed into thinking this is an in-depth post about the psychological and physical drains, battles and mountains to overcome in Bobsleigh. Don’t get me wrong, they are everpresent, but this literally is about the monetary cost of success, in an extremely expensive sport.

Thank you Yokohama tyres UK!

It is grossly underappreciated how much  our sponsors help to get Team Nikki out onto ice. Without them, the season would just not happen. All in all, I would probably be able to afford 2 weeks at most; which when trying to be competitive, is almost pointless. Costs accumulate quickly in this sport and before you know it, what you would thought was a healthy budget may not even get you very far.

Let’s give you something to think about; I’ll list the essentials for a decent Bobsleigh season and you have a determine how much each may cost and then the grand total for a week on ice. There may be things on there that you may not even think about (N.B. This list assumes you have a fully equipped toolbox plus winter tyres and snow chains to go with them!)

-       Accommodation

-       Van hire

-       Fuel

-       Tolls / vignettes

-       Ferry/Eurotunnel

-       Coaching fees

-       Renting a sled (or 2!)

-       Food

-       Race entry fee

-       Consumables such as sandpaper to sand the runners!

Think you have a rough idea? I’ll give you the estimates. Bear in mind costs will vary in each country - Switzerland for example is rather expensive!

On the road again...!

 Here it is:

-       Accommodation: £750 - £1300 per week

-       Van hire: £750 + per month

-       Fuel: Full tank £120 does around 300-350 miles

-       Tolls / vignettes: Could be £100 in a single trip, depends on where you are driving

-       Ferry/Eurotunnel: £180 early bird Eurotunnel up to £300+ for a single ferry trip

-       Coaching fees: £1000 a week

-       Renting a sled (or 2!): £400 - £1000 a week depending on which sled you rent, the better the more expensive!

-       Food: £50 week

-       Race entry fee: £25-45 per race (ironically one of the cheapest things!)

-       Consumables such as sandpaper to sand the runners!: £200 - £300 just for the sandpaper

Grand totals running for a week: £3200 on average.

Then lets think I’ll be aiming to do at least 16 races / 8 weeks you can see where this is going and hopefully you have an understanding why I (and many other unfunded athletes) work so much to afford even a single week out on season. Talent will only get you so far, in Bobsleigh money is your limiting factor. Consequentially, this can have a negative effect on your psychological wellbeing. As a pilot funding is something that has a permanent spot in the back (or front!) of my mind. It’s swings and roundabouts, but for now I will be guarding my St.Moritz EC medal with my life as it is one of the most expensive medals I own!