Published: February 07, 2009 12:10 am      

CORTESE: Ways to keep costs down in sports

As any parent who has been around the Edmond pee wee athletic circuit can tell you, the wide world of kid sports is something to behold these days.

Drive by the Service-Blake soccer complex on Danforth any Saturday in the Fall.

Literally hundreds of kids, ages five to 14, are running up and down the grassed fields trying to score a goal. How about finding a parking spot at Mitch Park some October evening when hundreds of youngsters are blocking and tackling each other. Drive by the corner of Kelly and Covell some Saturday in March.You will be amazed at how many kids are taken to and playing lacrosse.

In the United States it is estimated that over 30 million children (ages 6-14) participate in some form of organized sporting endeavor. The sports culture has become so big and so American, that it even has a strong hold on our children. The Edmond community is no different.

Parents are willing to spend sometimes large sums of money to insure their kids are enjoying their sports experience. Estimates have it that many families spend at LEAST $1,000 a year on sports related expenses for their children. Some I have talked with think this is a very low figure, especially if you have a child who is in an “elite program.” Uniforms, equipment, team fees, travel expenses all add up to a lot of cash. That doesn’t even include (heaven forbid) if your child has a personal trainer.

Why, you may ask, do we spend this kind of money on our kids play? It is very simple, we love them. Most parents want what is best for their children. They understand that sports provide a wide variety of physical, social and psychological benefits. Benefits such as helping kids develop motor skills, making friends, getting needed exercise, learning team work and social skills, understanding fair play and sportsmanship and improving self-esteem. Who wouldn’t shell out extra money in hopes that their child could gain these benefits?

The big question to ask is: How can I afford to keep my kids playing. What about those that have more than one child competing at the same time. GULP! $$$$$$$

High-end gear like ultralight $640 Easton Stealth S15 composite skates will not make your child play like Gretzky. Nor will a $250 pair of sneakers allow them to jump and run any faster. Paying $150-$200 for a bat made of new alloys and composites will not enable your child to hit like Barry Bonds.

Here are some tips coaches and parents have shared with me in order to cut costs in buying sports gear.

Try and shop for seconds. There are a lot of things you can get second hand that will save you a bundle. I'm not talking about old beat up stuff, but barely used gear you can find at second hand stores, yard sales, newspaper ads, and online sites such as Craigslist and eBay. You will be surprised to see how much stuff, that has only been used a few times, is available. (Be careful if you are going to buy equipment that needs to be fitted and is used to help keep your child safe.)

How about selling some of your childs outgrown gear or equipment they don’t use anymore. You can sell that stuff in the same areas that we have mentioned above. Selling could give you money to off-set buying.

Ask your coach for a list of players who are no longer playing for whatever reasons. Sometimes they have slightly used equipment they may have outgrown or no longer use. Swapping and reselling their equipment could be a benefit to them as well.

Part of the problem with the high cost is the parents. Even with the economic downturn, adults find comfort in the world of children’s games. Parents seem to want their kids to have extra when average works just as well.

Few kids have the DNA of Ashley and Courtney Paris, Eli Manning, or Patrick Ewing Jr. Many parents, however, think and hope their young athletes can compete on an elite level by over spending on equipment.

Thought for the week: “Sometimes it is not the bow or the arrow….but the Indian."