You're very right, @
Num1Stunta , if the kid has done fundraising. I'm trying to put everything in it's neat little box and figure out which is more important - the money or the win. A lot of people at my gym are freaking right now because they can't register for next year without paying their balance. And some balances are BIG. So on one hand, effort does mean a lot, but all year our family has ridden on the edge of sitting in the dark with no water because we made the committment to pay and travel. If you don't have it, fine, but don't cheer.
I see what you're saying. I know a lot of families who are in the same situation. I feel like if you're at least making an effort- send the kid to practice with 5 or 10 bucks twice a week, anything- then that will at least chip away at it. I just don't think anyone should ever be excluded from doing something which they excel at or even just plain love, if the only factor is financial. Am I an idealist? Absolutely. But, in my heart, I know there's always a way- a sponsor that will come through, a family member, a gym owner who will let certain things slide, etc. Like I said before, I had someone helping me along when my family simply could not financially do so, and that wasn't the only time.
There was a time that we almost lost the house, because they were so behind on the mortgage. My mother never said to me I couldn't do something, she just made it very clear that I had to come up with the funds myself. I used to babysit from the time I was 12 until I was old enough to get a "real" job at 16. I also had some aunts who threw me cash everytime I'd visit, which helped too. I fundraised like crazy (and, to be fair, my parents did too), and I pocketed half of my lunch money in high school to save up so that I could cheer in the Thanksgiving Day parade for UCA All Stars.
I didn't know what a Coach bag was, didn't own a cell phone, thought that k-mart fashion was haute couture, didn't know why everyone walked around with horses or alligators on their shirts, and grew up thinking the Thrift Store was great. I was certainly not a "poor kid"- just average, middle class. I think kids nowadays are so spoiled with material things that cost so much, you could forego owning them and easily pay for other things. I can't see a kid with Uggs, an iphone, and a $300 Northface jacket, and think "oh, how sad that they can't pay their bill." Bottom line is, if you can afford all of the expensive stuff that I NEVER had as a kid, then you can afford to cut back on those things and pay for something beneficial like cheerleading:) 5 years from now, they're not gonna remember owning a nice ipod or wearing a juicy couture top- they're going to remember the memories and experiences they created from cheering.
Hope that wasn't too judgemental lol... not really referring to you specifically, but it just got me thinking:) Where there's a will, there's a way! Sometimes it's just a matter of re-prioritizing, and getting those kids out hustling:)
