FormerWildcat
02-06-09, 09:45 AM
Interesting article from today's Dispatch on high school hockey costs...
High school hockey: Cold, hard cash -- Ice time, equipment, transportation -- parents know what it takes to field a player (http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/sports/stories/2009/02/06/hs_hockey_costs.ART_ART_02-06-09_C1_G9CQIEG.html?sid=101)
High school hockey: Cold, hard cash
Ice time, equipment, transportation -- parents know what it takes to field a player
Friday, February 6, 2009 3:10 AM
By Adam Conn
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
Mark and Carleen Taylor worked hard to pay off their 2001 Dodge Durango in three years because, as he put it, "we knew we were entering into dangerous waters."
Frozen waters, to be specific.
The Taylors, of Worthington, have spent years saving for retirement, their children's college educations -- and hockey. With four sons playing in youth, travel and high school hockey, the Taylors were prepared to sacrifice thousands of dollars annually. Few if any sports are as expensive as hockey, which in high school can cost as much as $3,000 per season to play. And much of that financial burden falls on parents' shoulders.
"We accept it as reality," Mark Taylor said.
Many other parents do, too, apparently. Even with the high cost of hockey and a sputtering economy, the sport is growing in central Ohio.
The Capital Hockey Conference features 12 varsity programs, up from eight teams three years ago. In fact, the number of central Ohio schools participating in varsity hockey has tripled since 2002 despite little monetary support from school districts.
"No one is complaining," said Greg Kirstein, co-commissioner of the Capital Hockey Conference. "We knew this when we went to the various school boards for permission to become varsity. We knew they did not have it in their budget to take on a sport almost as expensive as football."
High cost of ice
High schools generally have their own stadiums, baseball diamonds and gymnasiums, but not ice rinks. Hockey league fees, ranging from $1,400 to $2,000 per player and usually paid by parents, primarily take care of a season's worth of ice time.
Without ice, there is no hockey. But ice is expensive to maintain.
"Ice rinks in general are not profitable businesses," said Jeremy Rogers, assistant general manager at Chiller Ice Rinks. "Keeping the ice cold is a 24-hour, seven-day-a-week expense."
The 12 teams in the Capital Hockey Conference, predominantly located in the suburbs, share ice at five Chiller locations: Dublin, North (Lewis Center), Easton, Ice Works (Worthington) and the Dispatch Ice Haus at Nationwide Arena. They cram in three practice sessions per week and play three or four games on weekends, totaling 30 to 35 per season.
Ice is only one of a long list of expense items for hockey programs. There are uniforms to purchase, which can cost teams as much as $6,000 every few years; there are game officials to pay; and there are the costs for travel to tournaments, with ancillary expenses such as transportation, hotels and food.
Then there's the equipment: skates, helmets, sticks, pants, gloves, pads, shin, mouth and neck guards, etc., can add up to an additional $1,000.
"There are times when (my sons) want new things, and we have to sit down and have a meeting," Mark Taylor said.
The Taylors can expect more meetings with their sons in the coming years. Next season, they'll shell out three league fees for junior Brett, sophomore Connor and incoming freshman Austin, who is wrapping up his last year of travel hockey. (Travel hockey can cost nearly double that of high school hockey after factoring in travel expenses for out-of-state tournaments.)
The youngest Taylor, 11-year-old Tanner, plays in a house league that can run $500 to $600 per season.
It takes years to learn the craft well enough to play organized hockey, and many kids start as early as age 5 or 6. By the time a child reaches high school, parents are well-versed with the budget required for another season.
"We don't have to break that many people in," Kirstein said. "When it goes from $600 to $1,600, there can be a bit of sticker shock, but we've never had anyone walk away."
Doing what they can
In today's economy, every dollar counts. The Capital Hockey Conference, its member schools, teams' booster clubs and parents work overtime to keep the sport affordable.
Schools generally pay for coaches' salaries, emergency medical personnel for games and transportation to and from local games.
Chiller Ice Rinks has raised its fees just $25 the past 10 years, the most recent increase coming three years ago. It offers discounts for practices held during off-peak hours -- as early as 6:30 a.m. -- and runs an equipment bank with the Blue Jackets Foundation to provide gear. The Foundation also donates 25 percent of its revenue to amateur players of all ages, including those in the CHC. The McConnell Education Foundation cut a check during the holidays to 19 high school teams, varsity and club, for families who need assistance.
Teams also have gotten creative to help defray costs for families, beyond simply handing down equipment from one child to the next. The Dublin High School Hockey Association offers partial and full scholarships to Coffman, Scioto and Jerome families from proceeds from its Adam Allgeyer tournament.
Olentangy players who need to raise money are given duties on school grounds -- preparing the baseball field, working the parking lot during football games -- with the player receiving credits toward his league fees.
The Gahanna Ice Hockey booster club hosts car washes in which a player must attend three of four to earn a $200 credit off league fees. It also offers discounts to families with more than one player on a team. That will be a huge break for Mike Hays, who will have three sons on the team next year.
"At one time, we were paying $600 a month (for three kids in travel leagues), and that didn't include any tournament fees," Hays said. "We can't wait for next year."
Gahanna's biggest cash-saver, however, is a Kroger gift card fundraiser, also used by other teams. Families use the gift card purchased at face value, and Kroger pays the team 5 percent of the total of groceries and gasoline purchased.
"It's a no-brainer," said Gahanna booster president Ed Smallwood, who has six cards distributed among friends and family members for his son, Connor. "Some kids are making $200 a month in Kroger card fees. It's the easiest fundraiser we have."
Many families simply tighten their belts. The Taylors live in a modest three-bedroom house in Worthington, and Carleen began working full time instead of part time to bring in more income. Mark Taylor, a salesman, has put more than 200,000 miles on his Durango.
"You physically just save less because you have to shell it out," he said. "(But) you're only in high school four years. Watching these guys play and the enjoyment they get out of it -- just think of all the memories we'll have."
aconn@dispatch.com
High school hockey: Cold, hard cash -- Ice time, equipment, transportation -- parents know what it takes to field a player (http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/sports/stories/2009/02/06/hs_hockey_costs.ART_ART_02-06-09_C1_G9CQIEG.html?sid=101)
High school hockey: Cold, hard cash
Ice time, equipment, transportation -- parents know what it takes to field a player
Friday, February 6, 2009 3:10 AM
By Adam Conn
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
Mark and Carleen Taylor worked hard to pay off their 2001 Dodge Durango in three years because, as he put it, "we knew we were entering into dangerous waters."
Frozen waters, to be specific.
The Taylors, of Worthington, have spent years saving for retirement, their children's college educations -- and hockey. With four sons playing in youth, travel and high school hockey, the Taylors were prepared to sacrifice thousands of dollars annually. Few if any sports are as expensive as hockey, which in high school can cost as much as $3,000 per season to play. And much of that financial burden falls on parents' shoulders.
"We accept it as reality," Mark Taylor said.
Many other parents do, too, apparently. Even with the high cost of hockey and a sputtering economy, the sport is growing in central Ohio.
The Capital Hockey Conference features 12 varsity programs, up from eight teams three years ago. In fact, the number of central Ohio schools participating in varsity hockey has tripled since 2002 despite little monetary support from school districts.
"No one is complaining," said Greg Kirstein, co-commissioner of the Capital Hockey Conference. "We knew this when we went to the various school boards for permission to become varsity. We knew they did not have it in their budget to take on a sport almost as expensive as football."
High cost of ice
High schools generally have their own stadiums, baseball diamonds and gymnasiums, but not ice rinks. Hockey league fees, ranging from $1,400 to $2,000 per player and usually paid by parents, primarily take care of a season's worth of ice time.
Without ice, there is no hockey. But ice is expensive to maintain.
"Ice rinks in general are not profitable businesses," said Jeremy Rogers, assistant general manager at Chiller Ice Rinks. "Keeping the ice cold is a 24-hour, seven-day-a-week expense."
The 12 teams in the Capital Hockey Conference, predominantly located in the suburbs, share ice at five Chiller locations: Dublin, North (Lewis Center), Easton, Ice Works (Worthington) and the Dispatch Ice Haus at Nationwide Arena. They cram in three practice sessions per week and play three or four games on weekends, totaling 30 to 35 per season.
Ice is only one of a long list of expense items for hockey programs. There are uniforms to purchase, which can cost teams as much as $6,000 every few years; there are game officials to pay; and there are the costs for travel to tournaments, with ancillary expenses such as transportation, hotels and food.
Then there's the equipment: skates, helmets, sticks, pants, gloves, pads, shin, mouth and neck guards, etc., can add up to an additional $1,000.
"There are times when (my sons) want new things, and we have to sit down and have a meeting," Mark Taylor said.
The Taylors can expect more meetings with their sons in the coming years. Next season, they'll shell out three league fees for junior Brett, sophomore Connor and incoming freshman Austin, who is wrapping up his last year of travel hockey. (Travel hockey can cost nearly double that of high school hockey after factoring in travel expenses for out-of-state tournaments.)
The youngest Taylor, 11-year-old Tanner, plays in a house league that can run $500 to $600 per season.
It takes years to learn the craft well enough to play organized hockey, and many kids start as early as age 5 or 6. By the time a child reaches high school, parents are well-versed with the budget required for another season.
"We don't have to break that many people in," Kirstein said. "When it goes from $600 to $1,600, there can be a bit of sticker shock, but we've never had anyone walk away."
Doing what they can
In today's economy, every dollar counts. The Capital Hockey Conference, its member schools, teams' booster clubs and parents work overtime to keep the sport affordable.
Schools generally pay for coaches' salaries, emergency medical personnel for games and transportation to and from local games.
Chiller Ice Rinks has raised its fees just $25 the past 10 years, the most recent increase coming three years ago. It offers discounts for practices held during off-peak hours -- as early as 6:30 a.m. -- and runs an equipment bank with the Blue Jackets Foundation to provide gear. The Foundation also donates 25 percent of its revenue to amateur players of all ages, including those in the CHC. The McConnell Education Foundation cut a check during the holidays to 19 high school teams, varsity and club, for families who need assistance.
Teams also have gotten creative to help defray costs for families, beyond simply handing down equipment from one child to the next. The Dublin High School Hockey Association offers partial and full scholarships to Coffman, Scioto and Jerome families from proceeds from its Adam Allgeyer tournament.
Olentangy players who need to raise money are given duties on school grounds -- preparing the baseball field, working the parking lot during football games -- with the player receiving credits toward his league fees.
The Gahanna Ice Hockey booster club hosts car washes in which a player must attend three of four to earn a $200 credit off league fees. It also offers discounts to families with more than one player on a team. That will be a huge break for Mike Hays, who will have three sons on the team next year.
"At one time, we were paying $600 a month (for three kids in travel leagues), and that didn't include any tournament fees," Hays said. "We can't wait for next year."
Gahanna's biggest cash-saver, however, is a Kroger gift card fundraiser, also used by other teams. Families use the gift card purchased at face value, and Kroger pays the team 5 percent of the total of groceries and gasoline purchased.
"It's a no-brainer," said Gahanna booster president Ed Smallwood, who has six cards distributed among friends and family members for his son, Connor. "Some kids are making $200 a month in Kroger card fees. It's the easiest fundraiser we have."
Many families simply tighten their belts. The Taylors live in a modest three-bedroom house in Worthington, and Carleen began working full time instead of part time to bring in more income. Mark Taylor, a salesman, has put more than 200,000 miles on his Durango.
"You physically just save less because you have to shell it out," he said. "(But) you're only in high school four years. Watching these guys play and the enjoyment they get out of it -- just think of all the memories we'll have."
aconn@dispatch.com