nldfc

I used to feel sorry for folks that had kids in Ice Hockey with the costs - Holy sh*t Ice Hockey has nothing on Cheerleading , Not even the middle of May yet and I think I am in to it for over 15k for the year so far. How many "Nationals" is it possible to have in one season all in bloody Ontario

Oink

Are the pom poms from Tiffany's?

nldfc

Come to think of it I don't think I have seen a pom pom yet - I must be getting royally screwed over on this lark

dbd33

I dunno that cheerleading is a sport, though I'm sure it's expensive. Consider:

Figure skating - events all over America, elaborate costumes.
Showjumping - requires a horse.
Sailing - requires a boat.

Tell 'em to take up swimming.

Mr Bean

For a side gig I set up for gymnastic events. These things are expensive to set up. I'm in Burlington next weekend if anyone wants to stop by and say hi.

ann m

Dance is up there, in the thousands too. Just doing competition number 3 this weekend with a final one in Kelowna in July. Looking forward to only one kid in it next year!

Stinkypup

Watch out for them rough arses in the Okanagan Ann- Mini Stinky, lazy but perhaps a blessing in disguise! He drums, not dances thank gawd!

scrubbedexpat091

So if kids ever appear in our family we shall scratch off cheerleading.

My sisters daughter is in cheer but its largely through public school so cost is minimal to the parents.


Do Canadian schools not have sports programs, like US schools?

christmasoompa

Expensive if at top level, if you're a cheapskate like me you can do it very cheaply. My daughter does it on her pony - pony cost us £300, trailer cost us £350, pony is a mountain pony so doesn't need feeding unless in very cold temps plus lives out all year round so no stabling to pay for, and therefore total annual cost including her insurance is not a huge amount.

I think it depends on the level the kids are at, mine just do stuff for fun and it doesn't cost a huge amount because of that. Dance is mentioned above, but again my daughter isn't doing anything other than going up the grades, so her ballet lessons cost us £210 a year, plus tickets for an annual show but that's it. Rugby for my son is £90 for the whole year with no extra costs at all, all matches are included. After school sports clubs are generally free or very little cost.

But I suspect if they were of a really good level and entering all sorts of competitions and I had to ferry them around the country and pay for hotels, competition fees, etc, that's where it would get expensive. So let's just hope they don't get good at anything.

BristolUK

It baffles me that cheerleading, a staple of porno (so I've been told) is otherwise considered so wholesome in North America.

magnumpi

We went thru all this with my boy, but for soccer. We are now in a position were he gets paid to play :@) he 20 years old and been playing semi pro for the last 3 years now. Hang in there it may get better !!

nldfc

Gymnastics isn't too bad for me this year - the youngster is in pre-competitive due to her age so doesn't leave the province - next season when she moves up is going to be a killer

MillieF

A friend's kid does that and it's truly expensive, and they have to be away every weekend and pay for hotels and turn up at the baths at horribly early hours.

The kids next door do tennis, and are ranked as high players in NB...bearing in mind our weather, this has to be done in indoor courts and is eye wateringly pricey, and then if they want to play with more than the handful of kids that can afford it, they have to travel.

The schools locally are not big on sports....because lots of the kids are fat, so they have to do 'gentle' PE, so all the kids can participate. There are track and field things, but then they only start in May and school is over in June.

It's hardly any wonder there are so many obese kids.

It's not for everyone, but various branches of Cadets, do lots of sports, the army, sea and air do a variety, and its fun, and free - this year my kid went away for three weekends for the bi-Athlon, and is going to a six week camp in summer to become a PE instructor. You can't force a kid, but if it does enjoy it, it's great. We've got lots of girls too. I thought it would be all regimented, but not a bit of it...the Cadet program is amazing.

SarahBC

We live on Vancouver Island so kids sport travel costs are ridiculous.

How did this sort of expense become the norm?

What if parents have jobs that require weekend work - is there a public shaming process for denying little Jimmy access to his competitive hockey matches?

It's the other siblings I feel sorry for, dragged along some godawful sports complex in nowheresville for the weekend.

Oink

Make them take up surfing that way you'll at least get to go to the seaside when you go on trips.