Thinking of Softball as an Investment?

cheeze105 · Feb 7, 2012 at 4:03 PM

truthful as heck.....club ball is ok, kinda cures the itch to play ball with a lot less stress i hear

4Kings · Feb 7, 2012 at 4:20 PM

Agreed!

Agree with all of the above. My DD has decided to and will be going on to play for a D1 school next year, but if she hadn't, all of the money spent over the last 8 years is well worth the life long memories and great friends made along the way.

bugsdad · Feb 7, 2012 at 6:31 PM

My DD also made it to the next level. Summers at the tournaments,hot and sweaty from 8:00am to 8:00 pm. I don't even want to think about the money spent on equipment,pitching lessons,plane tickets,gas,etc.I have memories that will last me to my grave.I have the look on my DDs face the night her number one college called an made the scholarship offer. The pride of watching her sign her NLI.I got to know awesome people,Cheeze, stickwolf,Rick Mchone,Ben McKinney to name a few.I had the honor of sharing time with Ray Chandler,one of the greatest men I have ever known.Ray's wife Sharyn,there is one sweet lady.I saw my DD do things in that circle I didn't know she could do.I shared her pain and disappointment when she tore her ACL.Saddest day of my life was the day I had to carry her off the field from her last high school game,she begged me to wrap it,let her finish the game.I can still feel the tears well up when I had to tell her,you are finished baby.Folks,those of you with kids just starting travel and High School ball enjoy every second and don't sweat the small stuff because you will blink and it will all be over. Now I have one question.....where did that guy find a composite bat for $200?

softballphreak · Feb 7, 2012 at 7:10 PM

justsoftball said: ↑

It was sports, in general, that first caught my daughter's attention, participating in recreation soccer, basektball, and softball. Since she first entered school, she was often looked on as "less than", laughed at by her peers and once used as an example by a Kindergarten teach as an example of what not to do and referred to her as Miss Messy. While she felt very confident in friendships outside of school and the daring tomboy that hung with the boys, her self esteem was battered and bruised.

Between kindergarten and third grade she was diagnosed with dyslexia and a severe visual-cognitive disorder - both nasty learning disabilities on their own, a nightmare when paired together. She felt like the only accolade she could achieve in elementary school was perfect attendance. By the time she hit middle school, she was diagnosed with severe test anxiety, only complicating matters further.

Then, in middle school she met a coach. He made her believe in herself on the field. He made her feel like she could be someone, do something, become who she wanted to be, not who everyone told her she would be because of the disabilities. He made her believe that she could one day play in college and that became her dream. Over the next 6 years, she played softball year round on the travel fields and studied ten times harder than her peers, often seen with a book propped across her legs when we were at a ball field.

Last year, she graduated with honors. She was unable to attend her own graduation as she was sitting to take round 3 of the ACT as test anxiety remains ever present.

She is playing in college now. Our family pays nothing out of pocket except for her personal expenses such as gas, laundry, toiletries. She is on track for Academic All-American, and has set specific goals for herself.

We never counted on that "full ride", though she has been so blessed. The magic of softball for our family was the confidence she found within herself, her determination to overcome, a place where she felt she truly belonged and a future she, once upon at time, could not envision.

We have spent about a 1/3 of our family income on softball each year. We did without many things, we never took vacations, and still do not own a flat screen TV.

But, it has been, oh, so worth it because of who it gave my daughter the faith to be!
Click to expand...

Excellent!!

Sometimes the player helps the sport; sometimes the sport helps the player; sometimes they are one.

You never know what positive (or negative) influence you will have on a life. Govern yourself accordingly.

breakwater · Feb 8, 2012

This being my DD's last year of high school ball has me torn up inside, the changes to my life and hers are here and I can't do anything about it. We to like most have spent so much money for this game and given so much time. My DD has also given so much of her time to this game that it makes me wonder why. Then I started to think just maybe she enjoys the time together as much as me. As far as this being an investment yes it truly is, It is an investment in life and life lessons, that is what makes it truly worth the money. My DD has rejected several situations and she is entertaining a couple now. These decisions by her to say "no" thats what tells me hey she gets it and its truly going to be fine. Playing is what she wants but only if what she wants, good for her. My DD want to teach and come back to her high school and coach. This fall she was ask to coach a 12U recreational league team who did not win a game in the previous season, with the same team she lead them to a one loss season and league championship. Watching her stand there as a 17 year old going toe to toe with some good coaches and umpires then crying when her girls got their trophy's was really cool. Her years of playing have set the course for all of this, whether she players or not it has paid off for us in so many ways, wow what a return. Love you baby girl, dad.

What a ramble sorry guys, like so many so much in my head right now.

Stanlysoftball · Feb 8, 2012 at 9:10 PM

pay off

If we could harness all these investments. We could pay off the national debt. But I don't think I could give that up........

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