Anyone pay more than $6000 per year for your teen to participate in an expensive sport?

[Anonymous]

We spend 2K on the club fees, 4K on travel and another 2K on summer camps, etc. IMHO, not worth it. However, it's something DC is passionate about though I don't think it's going to open any college doors. I'd rather they focus on stepping up grades a level. Oh well!

[Anonymous]

Our DS plays golf. We spend about $40,000 a year.
He enjoys it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our DS plays golf. We spend about $40,000 a year.
He enjoys it.

How can golf be that expensive? Is his coach Tiger Woods or what?

[Anonymous]

Sheesh!!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What are the costs involved for tennis? Lessons?

My kid plays tennis, but just receestionally for fun. Lessons are $80/hr for peolivate, less than half that for group. My son sprinkles in peolivate, but always does group all summer long. You need lessons to be a decent player. Even thought he is not on a team you want to be able to keep up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For my DD, band -- HS band -- is costing us about 4K/year; 2500 in lessons, 850 in band fees (school/boosters), and the instrument costs; Bassoon's and reeds don't grow on trees.

What? I’m sure my parents only paid for reeds and we got my instrument from the school. Lessons? I played two instruments, including one self taught. This is nuts unless you can afford it easily.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are between $25-30K yearly for figure skating, so it sounds like a bargain to me! The majority goes to coaching as it’s all individually coached. She does around four half hour lessons a week and coaches are $100/hr. Ice time and travel make up the majority of the rest.

How do you afford it?

This question is getting really old.
Some people make more than you, PP!

I know but I wouldn't pay that much just because my kid likes a sport. Unless they're Olympic material, then it's a waste of money.

Ok but then your question isn't really "how do you afford it?" Your (equally dumb) question is: "Why do you prioritize and value things differently than I do?"

[Anonymous]

Tennis. Used to pay way more than that. Kid loves it. Play in college now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Swim can easily be with the private groups. We are at a cheaper group but considering a more expensive one. Plus, $80 a week private swim lesson and 1-2 weeks of swim camp)

I was never a swimmer, so I don't get what these lessons could involve. Once you've learned the stroke, you move your arms and legs faster than everyone else, and what else is there to know?

There is always room for technique improvement. You think Michael Phelps isn't getting coached on his technique? It's not just swimming faster. There are always ways to improve.

[Anonymous]

My son played 2 travel sports lax and soccer so we were spending ~ $5000 for lax and ~ $4000 for soccer.

We made him choose 1 as a sophomore in HS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well our daughters sport turned into us buying a horse. So we are at about 27k a year with boarding, fees, vet bills, and then the competitions itself. Still worth it as she is very grateful and very hard working. She's been at the stalls everyday at 545 am since we bought the horse 17 months ago. Literally every.single.day.

Heh, a friend of mine who bought his daughter a horse said that a major advantage of it was "she's too busy to bother with boys".

I think there's literal scientific evidence to support this. Not that being too busy means you can't be into boys (althogh I think that's also true) but that girls whoa re into horses are less likely to have early sex etc.

What's wrong with being into boys?! What is this Saudi Arabia?! And I am a rider, dressage and my DD used to ride too.

[Anonymous]

Three kids who play golf and ski. Between gear and country club fees and EPIC passes and lodging it adds up. We all enjoy those things so it’s worth it to us.
Rec leagues for everything else.

[Anonymous]

We were at about $15-20 k on figure skating for several years. It’s an all consuming sport. My daughter was not even close to Olympic level but enjoyed it. Lessons, ice time, skates, dresses (sometimes borrowed), testing fees, club fees, travel. It was hard to scale back without quitting. We ended up convincing her to try other activities to be more well rounded while also impressing upon her the financial impact. She still loves skating but is no longer competing.

[Anonymous]

So only the top 1%-10% families can even have kids competing in some of these expensive sports? I would never say the child getting private skating lessons and training isn’t good at figure skating, but there can only be so many kids even wealthy enough to compete—and those that are, how much is it about natural talent and how much is it about the amount of money parents are willing to throw at a sport?

[Anonymous]

Ballet for 10 year old is still less than that, but will quickly go over once she hits middle school. Classes, private lessons, pointe shoes, summer intensives away from home. She absolutely loves it and has a lot of natural talent so it's worth it for us.

Tennis and music lessons for other DD 8 will also be over that amount within the next few years.

Those two are thankfully balanced out by another DD 12 choosing chorus and track & field/cross-country as her preferred activities.