Only read if your kids play travel sports

This is a rant I recieved recently. Actually was pretty funny if you deal with travel sports and parents.





WELCOME TO THE NEW AMERIKA
Well at least in my little soccer world that is what it seems to have become. It all started with an innocent little email from the team manager regarding the upcoming tournaments, forms needed and dues for the upcoming season. Normally no big deal but this year was the first time I gave an advance notice that we wouldn't be going to one of the tournaments. Every year we have played it was based on who was going to be at that tournament. So I politely emailed her back and reminded her we wouldn't be at the tournament and to please revise the amount. The response received from her startled me, that her and the coaches had decided that all families would pay the same amount regardless on if they were going or not. "Most travel teams (for any sport) handle the money this way as it is the only way to be fair to all." Now that set me off. So I responded back that I was going to be forced to pay for something I wasn't expecting that she would have to wait for the money, that my wife was having surgery with a upfront cost and two months off work and that my family's well being would come before soccer. I may have responded a little harshly over a $35-$40 payment but I believe I was treated unfairly asking me to pay. The comment of most travel teams doing it this way is absolutely untrue I know for a fact. I emailed four parents on our team and asked 6 other parents including different sports in my survey. To be exact 8 soccer, 1 football and 1 softball parent. So overall 9 out 10 told me that it should be charged divided by whomever is playing in that particular tournament. The lone person's daughter played softball. Unless my math is off 10% is a big difference to most. I was also told the girls are getting older now. A truthful statement there but again so what. Is it the girls that are paying the money to play soccer? One final statement was we did it this way last year. A part true statement. Now I don't know how it was in the fall and spring because we played every tournament but for indoor sessions in winter it was broken down by who played. In the meantime I get a voicemail from her telling me that not to worry about any of the money that they weren't aware of things going on with surgery and all. I should of taken that and ran with it but that is not me. It wasn't about the money but the way it was handled and presented. I plan a month or two ahead if possible and I was expecting something totally different than I was presented without notification. I originally was just going to give an amount what I thought was fair but when I showed up at practice I gave the whole amount and told her I don't agree with this but here is all the money. And then to be an asshole dad I told my daughter this was her sport and her decisions to play or not that I would be taking $35 out of her corn detassalling money. I think that along with the prompting by one of the coaches that she could possibly get a ride home after the first game so she would be able to go to her brother's 2nd party of the weekend has made her think twice about if she goes and plays or not. She has learned more from this that any school these days. This all could of been avoided if Democracy was still in America and the team had a chance to vote. Instead decisions were made for us without hesitation. Welcome to the New Amerika that has trickled down even to the innoncence of our young children.