Posted on Wed, Jul. 13, 2005
Play and pay time
As participation increasingly becomes a year-round undertaking, family budgets and time become strained.
BY DUANE FRAZIER
The Wichita Eagle
YOUTH SPORTS PINCH FAMILIES' TIME AND MONEY
Nancy Klenda probably deserves an official title for her daily routine.
She has three kids, and all are standout athletes.
Klenda is their chauffeur, chef, schedule maker and biggest cheerleader.
Rarely does a day go by when Klenda isn't at a gymnastics practice, soccer tournament or baseball game.
"And we probably aren't the crazy crazies," Klenda said. "If we didn't enjoy this, we wouldn't do this. But our kids really love it."
The Klendas aren't alone. In fact, they're part of a growing trend.
Participation in youth sports continues to increase, and families continue to invest more of their time and much more of their money.
Summertime is no longer reserved for baseball and softball.
Thousands of young athletes across Wichita spend their days on the basketball court, soccer field, volleyball court and gymnastics mat.
Their parents, meanwhile, continually load up the minivan and head for another event.
Youth is precious, but so is time.
"My husband (Greg) and I sometimes have to divide and conquer," Klenda said. "He may take one to a practice while I take another to a game. It doesn't happen too often, but there have been a few situations."
The Klendas' two daughters, Olivia, 11, and Audrey, 7, are gymnasts at Folger's Gymnastics in Andover. Their son, Jack, 12, is a soccer player for the Air Capital Bandits in the Sedgwick County Soccer Association.
Audrey and Jack also play summer baseball in the Blessed Sacrament League.
"We don't do a lot else," Nancy Klenda said. "And even in sports, they have to pick and choose. They don't play four sports or anything."
Eric Blasdel, general manager for Westurban Baseball, said the competition for young athletes has become as big a battle as the games.
Westurban's numbers have remained steady throughout the past few years. The west-side complex still attracts nearly 1,600 kids.
But Blasdel said other sports have slowly crept into the summertime scene.
"Basketball is virtually a year-round thing now," Blasdel said. "So is soccer. Kids are forced to choose a lot more. They can't do everything."
And if time isn't an issue, money is.
Sports can be expensive, especially for young athletes playing at high levels.
A player on a year-round elite baseball team can spend $1,800. High-level gymnastics can cost $215 a month. A top-caliber swimmer may pay $120 a month.
Throw in the costs for any camps, clinics or out-of-town trips, and it doesn't take long to go through a lot of money.
"We probably spend $3,000 per child per year," said Steve Young, whose sons Steven and Roman play basketball. "Once you throw in the entry fees, feed them and travel, it's going to be that high."
Young, a Wichita police officer, said he and his wife participate in numerous fundraisers for their teams. They also try to stretch their dollar as far as it will go.
"Wherever we go for a tournament, that's where we spend our vacation," said Young, who also coaches one of the teams. "It's a lot of money, but it's worth it."
Robert and Debbie Flax have two sons playing nearly year-round on baseball teams.
Combined, the two boys play nearly 140 games a year. Their schedule also is filled with practices and clinics.
Pick any evening in the summer, and you can guess where the Flax family will be.
"It's a sacrifice," Debbie Flax said. "We don't get a lot of dinners at home. Maybe one or two dinners a week at home."
Oftentimes, the Flaxes are forced to split up at the ballpark. One parent goes to one child's game while the other goes with the second child.
And sometimes, even that's not enough.
"When we're in a pinch, we sometimes use the grandparents," she said.
Charlie Moyer, Debbie Flax's father, doesn't seem to mind helping out.
Moyer has three grandsons playing Westurban baseball, and he even helps manage one of the teams.
"Sometimes the kids need someone to take them to a practice or a team photo," he said. "We try to do what we can to help out. It's kind of a family thing. It has to be to make it work."
Moyer has been involved in youth sports for more than 30 years. He ran the Southwest Boys Club in the 1970s, which was one of the top baseball leagues in Wichita.
"It's different than it used to be," Moyer said. "It used to be when March came, people put up their basketballs and football and concentrated on baseball. Now they do everything."
http://www.kansas.com/mld/kansas/sports/12119632.htm
