The cost of Travel ball

[Madmun]

Probably enough that if we invested it it would send her to college!

Pitching, batting, and conditioning costs us about $100 per week. Then you have hotels, gas, wear and tear, the wife yelling at ya for not getting things around the house done, etc........Now my little one is playing and shows some promise. I'll never be able to retire!

[Tucson]

My friend in Phoenix kept track of every last cent last year in 14U. He included every bottle of water and all of the sunblock. He spent almost $10,000.

[GSB]

We all know the costs associated with TB. Our team only charges $65 a month for dues, pays rental on practice fields with lights (once a week), schedules 2 friendlies and 1 tourney a month, buy uniforms (2 sets), equipment costs, batting helmets, batting practice (cage rental) and first aid kit replacement stuff. I still have parents crying that it is to much and that they don't like to do fund raisers. Same folks who cry the loudest want their DD playing every game.

Yes it is tight, but very reachable if parents incur all travel costs (hotels, food and what not). How do teams that charge $150, $200 or even $300 a month do it?

It makes me laugh every time I hear it.

[DonnieS]

Not nearly as much as it cost when she/he starts running with a bad crowd ... steals a car, gets arrested learns how to smoke crack or huff pooh in Juvie ... gets out, steals a Family heirloom and pawns it for a rock ... gets arrested again ... gets out, gets or gets someone pregnant etc etc ...

Exactly G. Exactly. I just watched the high school kids, play 2 games, and then go to Olive Garden. 12 kids from 15 (mine ) to 18 (also mine). I watched about 25 other girls come in to the restaurant in that same age bracket, pins, tattoos, pregnant (multiple girls ) and I saw two looking over at our high school girls, laughing, having silly balloons being made for them, you could look at the sad faces on those two pregnant girls and know that what we spent on travel these last 7-8 years was worth it. Sports doesnt solve all the teenage girls problems but it sure takes away at least some time for thinking up trouble to get into.

[GIMNEPIWO]

Not nearly as much as it cost when she/he starts running with a bad crowd ... steals a car, gets arrested learns how to smoke crack or huff pooh in Juvie ... gets out, steals a Family heirloom and pawns it for a rock ... gets arrested again ... gets out, gets or gets someone pregnant etc etc ...

Exactly G. Exactly. I just watched the high school kids, play 2 games, and then go to Olive Garden. 12 kids from 15 (mine ) to 18 (also mine). I watched about 25 other girls come in to the restaurant in that same age bracket, pins, tattoos, pregnant (multiple girls ) and I saw two looking over at our high school girls, laughing, having silly balloons being made for them, you could look at the sad faces on those two pregnant girls and know that what we spent on travel these last 7-8 years was worth it. Sports doesnt solve all the teenage girls problems but it sure takes away at least some time for thinking up trouble to get into.

Ya know D-man ... you have hit on a point here ... about the kids being silly and still being kids ... I was thinking of it more like ' they are being kept busy and out of trouble ' ... but you shed light on the fact that they are still able to be kids ... they are still playing ... still able to be silly ... last year we were playing over in Williamsburg VA ... in 18's the gals drive themselves and the we Coaches drive together ... our motel was like a half hour from the fields and when we got back there at like 9PM, had not eaten yet ... we pulled in next to the gals and the were singing the Elmo song at the top of their lungs... TFF !

[DonnieS]

Sometime back, a friend from our neighborhood came up to me and asked how we got the girls to get into sports so much. I really didnt know how to answer - he said, he has enjoyed watching the girls, both mine and the others in their sports teams, turn into young ladies. He said, 'I just dont know where we went wrong with xxxx - she was so sweet and then now, look at her.' She got into some sort of drug problem, ran off, got pregnant, and came back home now and they are raising her kid. I wish I had the guts to say "Maybe you went wrong letting your 15 year old daughter got a fxxxxing boob job !!!!! ".

I think about all the problems we think we have with sprains, overuse injuries, can I pitch at 60 mph or over, can I switch to leftie in time to help my team before travel starts, and I realise we are so full of it , its not funny. Look at my friends problems - those are real. And however screwed up our thinking is with choosing Englishbey over Candrea II or Candrea III or Epstein, give me a break guys, this is not a problem.

And not to say, all of us dont end up raising fatherless grandkids from our 65 mph pitchers or our slapper daughters, but at the least, maybe we put it off for a while.

[GIMNEPIWO]

And truth be known ... it is not really about sports but more about parent involvement ... It could be music, literature, whatever ... instilling a passion ...one my DD's pointed out last year that when they are out with friends they think about their decisions based on softball ( which is her passion ) ... but just as easy it could be any other passion ... well, maybe not a boob job