Quote: It's ALL a question of the VALUE you are getting for the money spent. This thread domonstrates how VALUE is measured in many, many ways. How one participates i's a personal choice and in every instance.
Fits right in with the theme, indeed.
I had a conversation a few days ago with the mother of one of my high school players who is also signed up this year for the Classic team that I coach. She's one of my hardest workers on the field and a great athlete, but she never found her way to the fall club side of things before. In talking to her mother, I found out that she was willing to put her entire summer-job paycheck into playing soccer this fall because her family can't just hand her the money. She's willing to do that because she loves the sport and she likes the person she is in that environment. Her mom is willing to support her all she can because, as she says, she doesn't have to worry about who she's with and what she's doing when she's playing soccer; she knows all that teenage energy is being spent on something positive!
To me, that's getting your money's worth for things that are important to both player and parent. That's just one example, and different players, of course, have different goals; as long as what you're getting is worth (to you) the dollars spent and the other sacrifices made, then I guess it's time and money well spent.
