Cost of fuel

This topic has been on the Baseball side for awhile, and I am wondering when and how this will affect the TB and HS softball family.
The past two weekends We were at the pride showcase and the ASA States tournaments. Had a lot of conversations with folks and the topic always seemed to turn to the price of gas and what it may do to softball.
Some parents are already feeling the financial drain, and it seems others are starting to do the math and wondering if that softball scholarship is worth it anymore. I can see it affecting the families whose DD is on the fence about evening wanting to play in college, At 18u if you dont realy want to play college ball I can see folks decicing that maybe it has just become too expensive to continue. I hope I am mistaken, but I am still in shock over what it cost just in gas to go to Burlington and Ren. park........

 

If Common Sense Prevails MOST Should be OK

I don't want to minimize the situation but lots of things could be done to mitigate these costs. It would require some changes. Typically I see SUVs arrive at the park with one or two players. If people can't unload the gas hogs they're driving (the market for these things is evaporating) then use them for what they were designed to do . . . haul lots of people. Car pool to the tournament site. If you have to get rooms put four girls in a room. If you have to eat pack food; it's always cheaper than Ruby Tuesdays. Pick your tournaments carefully, playing in those that really matter and not just to collect trophies. Very little reason to go to Boulder if your DD wants to play in NC. There are ample opportunities for the local coaches to see her closer to home.

Perhaps, most importantly for the those with younger players is not to travel at all. No one earns a scholarship in 8U or 10U and, despite what some may say, there's absolutely no evidence that playing in Florida at age nine is good training for playing in Lexington at age 16. Save your $$ so you can afford the $5/gal gas costs that may be here for years to come.

 

agree somewhat....

I agree in theory what you are saying. Also take into consideration the drive many may do just to get to practice every week, sometimes 2-3 times a week, then go to tournaments. Our team uses multiple fields for practice, all of which are long drives for us(my family). It is good to branch off into different sanctions to see new teams instead of same brackets every tournament like some sanctions, but that may cause a further drive. Not all good tournaments are local. We have cut down on what we pack and even weigh the option of a room vs driving again to a field. By the time my DD makes it to real showcase ball, I hope she makes up her mind if she truly wants it. It is a shame the prices of everything could decide who continues to play or not. Not everyone has great jobs and many parents are being laid off after commiting to teams. So that is not their fault. Too many variables to sum it up quite like that. In theory, that plan works if you all live around each other to car pool, otherwise pay the price.

The cost of fuel started to impact our school team. By the end of the season, the parents were having to drive the players to away games and even to the first round of the playoffs.

Nice post, by the way!

More bad news to come with the cost of gas plus election time around the corner.........

 

I have went from driving a full size Blazer (12mpg) to driving a VW bug (33mpg). If you place things just right you can fit a large bat bag, a catcher's equipment bag, and a very small cooler in the trunk.

Parents make many sacrifices to travel around the state (or country) to find a patch of grass to play on. If my DD continues to want to do this, then I will find a way to make it happen.

 

A BIG SALUTE to all the parents/fans that do these things for their DDs. When I win the BIG lottery I'll take care of most of the expenses of all the NC teams. Parents will have to fend for themselves. I think I'm going to win the next drawing! But just in case . . .

 

I'm just a softball fan

The price of fuel concerns me quite a bit. But the price of a bottle of water at most venues is $1.50 to $2. That my friends is $12 to $16 a gallon, almost 4 times the price of gas. Being just a fan, most venues won't let me carry my water in. What's a man to do?

 

True, but you don't drink a gallon of water every 25 to 30 miles.

 

I don't think they can keep you from bringing in water. Softdrinks, gatorade and snacks yes but not water

 

?

 

In other words, if you drank as much water as your car drinks gas then you would really have a case about the price of water.