Skaters turn to social media to fund training

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The training it takes to become an Olympic athlete is expensive; and the time it takes to train at that level precludes many athletes from paid work. So in this age of social media, Lisa Hepfner tells us modern athletes are taking a modern approach to financing their dreams through crowdfunding.

Right after practice at the Toronto Cricket Club, Dylan Moscovitch and Lubov Ilyushechkina head to Kingston for Skate Canada’s national championships.
Dylan’s previous partner, Kirsten Moore-Towers, decided to leave him shortly after the Sochi Olympics, where they won silver in the team event. They’ll be competing against each other at nationals this week.

Moscovitch says “she was ready to go a different way with her career. (It) kinda caught me by surprise.”

He and Kirsten lost to Lubov and her then-partner in 2010 at the Skate Canada international competition. That was Lubov’s first experience in Canada, and she fell in love with this country.

“I felt me in my own place. I felt me very comfortable, very supported. and i wanted always to come back there.”

Dylan: “She was this really good little Russian girl. I’d known she hadn’t had a partner for a little while, so I sent her a Facebook message and said ‘are you still looking for a partner?'”

“She flew to Detroit and I drove there and met her. She had a U.S. visa but not a Canadian one. After two days we cancelled her flight home.”

Their chemistry was immediate; the legal leaps have taken longer. Lubov has been released by Russia so she can compete for Canada; but until she can get residency and eventually citizenship, she can’t earn money, or qualify for grants.

“So a lot of it is falling on my savings. We’re trying to get through the first year and survive it.”

Dylan and Lubov have set a $28,000 goal on their crowdfunding page, but they also list their expenses: everything from ice time and coaching and choreography, to massage therapy and equipment. Those are just training expenses, and they add up to more than $100,000 a year.

“We’re competing at the top level of the sport in the world. You can’t afford to cut corners or you start seeing it on the ice.”

Their songs are “Feeling Good” and “From Russia with Love”. Their routine tells their story, and they’ve won four competitions in the half-year they’ve been together, including the last national qualifier.

“We try to come across as genuine on the ice and when we look like we’re having fun, we’re actually having fun. And when we’re connecting, we’re connecting.”

They hope their fans will pay to help keep that connection alive.