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What Is The Financial Cost Of An Elite Athlete

September 25, 2008

With the economic changes we are facing as Americans, we have unique financial challenges as we look forward to another eventful, busy track season.

Many questions swirl around my brain, like:

How much more will it cost to travel via airplane or car ? (gas prices over $1.50  more than when my family started this track journey)

How does the average family ; Williams, Jones and Smith afford  extended  National and International travel for competition?

Discovering  the cost of Elite Athletes  is not only vague but  many times just not talked about. Does a new track parent realize how much the following can cost ; personal training,massage therapist, functional trainers, Chiropractors, Sports med Docs, sports Psycologist, home schooling ,good  healthy food (much of which is organic and grass fed).
Travel for Californian athletes that can be easily over 5,000 miles in a season and if your athlete is over 15 years old the mileage could be more than 20,000 miles and take her overseas. 
Not to  assume that a parent would have to obtain these services for their athletes… but to make a point that many have all ,some or even one or two of these addition outside  already in additon the track team experience.
Yes, I am part of the youth sport maze,and I am always asking questions like; What is not enough? What is too much? How does the average parent with out professional expertise in certain area know about possible helpful tools ?  I believe that parents want the best for their youth athlete.  Parents are more than willing to sacrfice for them and parents want credible balanced answers. Yet another question…. Where do we get that balance? 
For myself I find balance and make desicions based on my personal approach to life before track was in our life. What I mean by this is simple. We ate healthy and much organic before track,so it is very much in our family life to continue that pattern and the cost (although a lot) is well worth the benefits my family and my youth  athlete recieves.  It makes good sense to feed an athlete well for optimum performance. I am a Chiropractor and have helped hundreds of people, athletic and not, for over 15 years some of them profession track athletes and even a couple of  previous world record holders and world champions as well as football players and baseball too. 
 My professional experience  has lead me to utilize this level of care with my own athlete,I did before she every ran track. I believe a parent first has to define for themselves what  An Elite Athlete is and isn’t. Does this definition change the way you approach the training and care of your athlete? If so why? What expectations do you have for your athlete? What expectations does your athlete have for himself?

When if at all would your strategy for athletic care change for him?   Is it if he wins a race with a large personal best? Win a few more races? Win with local good times?  Winning within the Assocation,Regional,of make it to a National meet? When?? Dr.Eric Smalls defines the definition of a Elite Athlete, In his book Kids and Sports  which is useful ,but a parent still has to define for himself and his youth athlete what this all means. The  elite sport engine phenomenon is fueled by private coaches, private clubs, and the in some(many) cases extreme sacrifice of well meaning parents.

During the Olympics much of the gold medal talk surrounded the Chinese and not only taking home more than any other country but the process of talent selection and development. I find it amazing that comentators and spectators a like make a big deal over the U.S. NOT bring home more gold but also not willing to do what many other countries do which is seek out and train athletes beginning at a very young age. I am not here to debate the merits of such a system(it obvious works given results but at what  human cost?) but to highlight that we all want to have the  highest achievment possible  for our youth athletes.How do we help our youth athletes achieve full potential?

 

The journey of all youth athletes is stacked with twists and turns  that include injury illness burn out,low performance,less than fair playing and competing among some.It is our job to regularly ask question that will help keep our youth athlete our child safe,healthy,and enhusisastic about the sport that captures so much time and attention of the entire family life experience.

I realize this article has more questions than answers ,that is for you do as you think long and hard The Cost Of An Elite Athlete 

Until Next Time

Related posts:

  1. At What Cost ?….The Elite Athlete
  2. What is an Elite Youth Athlete?
  3. Part 2 Common Charactersitics of the Elite Child Athlete (continued)
  4. Is There Such A Thing As A Youth Elite Athlete ?
  5. Training of Elite Youth Athletes….. What Age Would You Start?

Written by trackmom · Filed Under Elite Youth, FYI, Parent Encouragement, Training Tips 


Comments

4 Responses to “What Is The Financial Cost Of An Elite Athlete”

  1. Training of Elite Youth Athletes….. What Age Would You Start? « Track Mom.. “Everything Youth Track and Field” on September 30th, 2008 10:04 am

    [...]  For more on  the topic of Elite Youth Athletes see  What is an Elite Athlete , Is There Such A Thing As An Elite Youth Athlete ? and What is the Financial Cost Of An Elite Youth Athlete [...]

  2. Muscle Milk Reviews on October 6th, 2008 4:38 pm

    I think that driving young athletes like the Chinese do, is just plain wrong. At some stage, the children need to decide what they want in life, unfortunately many Chinese children don’t get to choose. However at the same time, opportunities for Chinese children can be few and far between depending on the wealth of the family, so they will take an opportunity they can get. Americans are lucky, they get to choose their destiny.
    Well written article

  3. Housekeeping Monday | trackmom.com on November 18th, 2008 4:07 am

    [...] What Is The Financial Cost Of An Elite Athlete [...]

  4. Karen Aug on December 14th, 2008 4:33 pm

    As a sports mom currently in the business of raising a professional tennis player it can cost an arm and a leg. But, anyone can do it and I mean that literary. I did it with very little. The first thing I had though was courage. Not many of us have the courage to do what it takes to help our children become professional athletes. In my case it was simple. I made up my mind and I knew it was something I was willing to sacrifice for. Fortunately in tennis you get scholarships to tennis academies if you are top in the country and my daughter did. Then she got sponsored and won most of her junior tournaments. Then came the professional level. Well she is still training with the help of a wonderful coach to begin the ladies tour in 2009. So yes, you can get help but they have to show that they can win their age level and above. Feel free to check out my daughter at http://www.sportsparentsonline.com at ‘Catch a Rising Star’. Good luck guys, you too can do it!

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