How much do you spend on equipment, fees, exposure tournaments, and camp a year?

[Chezaré Sievers]

I wouldnt want to sit and add it all up. Nationals in Owensboro Kentucky one year had to be close to $5k alone. 4 airline flights, rental car, hotel, food for 4 for a week etc etc etc. Not to mention the team traveled out of state on average once a month. Team fees were generally $1200 a year and they played 2-3 tournaments a month. The total number would be fairly large over 6 years she played. A friend whos daughter played on the same team for awhile and attended many of the same tournaments tried to tell me once she kept detailed records and only spent $12,000 over 4 years. She had to be doing creative accounting to arrive at that number because she was staying in the same hotels, going to same tournaments, renting same cars and eating at same restaurants as we were.

Early on at a recruiting seminar one of the speakers said flat out, "if you are playing softball to chase a college scholarship, stop now, put the money you are going to spend on softball in the bank and you will have paid for your daughters education." She really was not far from wrong, but, the life experiences my daughter learned and the times the family shared will always be remembered. Not to mention she did ultimately get her scholarship so it all worked out in the end.

Very good point. Thank you for sharing/

 

[bullethead]

Chezare' - did you play Ronald McDonald bf triple crown sports took over that gig?

 

[smddad]

14U

Team fees: $2500
Bat: $200
Catchers gear: $200
Catchers mit: $200
Cleats: $75
Out of town travel/hotel/air fare: $4000
Gas: $500

17 tournaments. On an airplane as I post this going to San Diego.

 

[maddball44]

I can tell you I had a softball only account that started with 5,000.00. I was drained with 2 weeks remaining. The last two were 2 hr drives and since the account was drained, we drove back and forth every night. Probably an additional 3-4 hundred (gas, food ect).