Yeah, overall, it's a significantly different mentality between the high school crowd and the "pay to play" crowd. I'm sure part of it is because most high school programs get their tournament fees and transportation costs out of the athletic program budget (or from fundraising, which still passes through the school account) rather than collecting tournament fees straight from the players/parents pockets, as many clubs do--not to mention the majority of high school tournament team fees are a fraction of most club tournament costs. It's a little different feel than "I just handed you a check for all this money, drove my daughter/son all this way, and got nothing."
ROH makes a great point, though...high school ball is a service provided for the players at a comparatively minimal expense, and I would say there is a higher percentage of players who are simply grateful and appreciative of the opportunity to come out and do what they love doing.
I'm a little jealous, though...great story about the 5 who never played before, stuck with the team, and sit in the stands together even though they haven't put on a uniform...
Here, they'd not only be suited up, but might be starters.
