Originally Posted by
hockeypilot44
It’s so true. My son plays travel ice hockey. I can afford it, but I always wonder about the other parents who aren’t major airline captains. The kids are dropping out of middle school to get home-schooled so they can play more hockey. One set of parents sold their house and is now renting because they needed the equity. They’ll even say they know their kid isn’t going to NHL, but as long as he gets a college scholarship, it’ll have been worth it. I grew up playing and I can tell them right now, it’s not happening, but who I am to crush a parent’s dreams? Lol.
I see the same thing with motocross.
Kids who aren't fast, but mom and dad spend mid 5 figures or more a year on bikes, modifications, training and traveling to every area or regional qualifier to maybe get a slot at the Amateur National Championship (actually going on this week) where they get 40th.
Airline captain income levels I can see them spending the money for junior to chase his dreams, but I see a lot of nowhere near our income levels parents mortgage the farm, raid college funds, etc.
I qualified for the National Championship twice as a teenager, on an absolute peice of crap older KX125 held together with bailing wire and duct tape but my dad couldn't afford the two weeks off from work to go, so we didn't, and an alternate took my spot.
Just qualifying on the lump o crap KX did get me a sponsored ride from Yamaha but I was, in baseball terms, a AA or AAA minor league guy who was useful in bike development because I was also the guy who made the POS I rode fast enough on a shoestring budget.
I had no prayer of being competitive at the highest level. Just too big at 6'5 /210.
My parents couldn't afford to skip work or mortgage the house. But it honestly probably wouldn't have helped if thry did.