Economy vs Travel ball

[All 4 One]

Well you can also try to play for Minors Gold, host friendlies, host state tourneys, host triple crown tourneys and then get the team to buy your plane tickets, feed your kid for 10 days, and pay for 10 days of hotel bills at nationals. You gotta love it.

If I'm going to drive all the way out to San Jacinto, I might as well go a little further and play for Tom D and get a real softball experience.

Are Tom's fees reasonable?

Does he make you take weekly batting lessons from him and charge full price for the lesson?

[GIMNEPIWO]

All 4 One sez:

"5. Work harder for sponsorship money.
- many businesses are willing to donate money, you just have to ask and you have to ask many.
- you need a well written sponsorship letter with a nice color photo of the team plastered on the top corner of the letter (DO NOT LET "ACE" write this letter for you).
- get use to rejection, the key here is ask many.
- start with your Business to Business yellow pages in your home town.
- work your way into nearby cities."

Hold on Thar Bobbalouie ... Although you may get donations like this, as a small business owner let me say this about that ... why don't you try to seek donations from the places that you patronize ... we see way too many cute cheerleaders, baseball, softball, soccer, band, football, nursing homes and churches who never have been into our business but beat a path to the Wally Worlds ,K-Farts, Blowes and Home Creepots who we compete against... also fire departments and rescue squads from neighboring communities that don't even service our area ... and these "many business's" that you speak of are also in a recession and cutting back ... If you need to start with the business to business directory, that tells me you don't even know the business exists let alone shopped there ... Now explain to me why you think these struggling business's need to support you and your daughter when you don't support them ? Well, we sure don't ... unless we have seen your face your not seeing our checkbook .... "work your way to nearby cities" ... geesh! that's just rude and inconsiderate ... what are you teaching your children ? ... the lesson is today boys and girls, that playing travel ball is more important than having a little class ...

[All 4 One]

All 4 One sez:

"5. Work harder for sponsorship money.
- many businesses are willing to donate money, you just have to ask and you have to ask many.
- you need a well written sponsorship letter with a nice color photo of the team plastered on the top corner of the letter (DO NOT LET "ACE" write this letter for you).
- get use to rejection, the key here is ask many.
- start with your Business to Business yellow pages in your home town.
- work your way into nearby cities."

Hold on Thar Bobbalouie ... Although you may get donations like this, as a small business owner let me say this about that ... why don't you try to seek donations from the places that you patronize ... we see way to many cute cheerleaders, baseball, softball, soccer, band, football, nursing homes and churches who never have been into our business but beat a path to the Wally Worlds ,K-Farts, Blowes and Home Creepots who we compete against... also fire departments and rescue squads from neighboring communities that don't even service our area ... and these "many business's" that you speak of are also in a recession and cutting back ... If you need to start with the business to business directory, that tells me you don't even know the business exists let alone shopped there ... Now explain to me why you think these struggling business's need to support you and your daughter when you don't support them ? Well, we sure don't ... unless we have seen your face your not seeing our checkbook .... "work your way to nearby cities" ... geesh! that's just rude and inconsiderate ... what are you teaching your children ? ... the lesson is today boys and girls, that playing travel ball is more important than having a little class ...

I just threw out some ideas. If you don't like one of the ideas, use your own, or post a different idea (as you did).

If your team has a tax ID number, the donation is a tax write off for the business. We're not asking for a $10,000 donation, but maybe a $100 - $500 donation. Beats the heck out of washing cars for $250, split up 15 ways for a grand total of $16.66/player and an entire Saturday gone for ever.

[Ace]

I just think he was mad cuz you bashed ME for no reason!

[KT93]

We are lucky enough to work concessions at our local universitys BB games. We actually get all the events at the stadiumum. Concerts, WWE, UFC, Circus, Monster Trucks, all kinds of events. Think we made close to 25 Grand last year. We even hat the opportunity to work FB games, but after the season the Vols had im glad we didnt. Attendance was down 30%...This helps offset the expences of team fees, uniforms, hotels, etc... Corprate donations as small as $25 adds up after a while if you get enough of them....after that its live pay check to pay check and make a little sacrificices my self... cut down from a case of Miller Light to an 18 pack of Pabst Blue Ribbon or Natural Light per tournament...

As far as having to eat at the ball park or not being able to bring food / drinks into the park... you just got to be crative... I found a Pepsi Cooler shaped like a bucket a few years back, with just a little work the liner fit down into a regular bucket & will hold plenty of waters or sports drinks...throw a few balls & a towel or two on top & they will never know if they check. We eat in the parking lot or our car, they cant do a thing about that... Hell I have even brought a colman grill & cooked hotdogs in the back of my truck...( they fused when I was cooking in there parking lot)

Carpooling is good way to save on gas... You would be surprized how many people can fit into a suburban, providing there is anyone on your team you want to spend 3-5 traped in a car with... I even slept in the dang thing on Friday nights for a few tournaments last year to save money on the Hotel bill. It just depends on how bad you & DD want to play travel ball....

[GIMNEPIWO]

All 4 One sez:

"We're not asking for a $10,000 donation, but maybe a $100 - $500 donation."
"If your team has a tax ID number, the donation is a tax write off for the business"

Limme guess ... you're not a CPA or Small Business Owner ... so I'll tell ya how it goes ... small business's don't need write-offs, they need write-ons ... making a charitable donation is exactly the same for them as not making money ... BTW, you too can deduct charitable donations to non-profits ... so since our team has a tax ID, I am not asking you for $10,000, but how about $100 to $500 ... I'll send ya the address ... you can use the advertising after bashing Ace so I'll put your name on our banner that no one really reads ... And as far as the Car Wash goes ... at least you are offering something back instead of just taking and soliciting contributions from business owners who don't know you from the man in the moon ... who you have no intention of "supporting" their business but want them to support you and your DD's interests ... So yes, my "different idea" is to go to the guy/gal who fixes your car or fills it's tank, mows your lawn or built your addition, cleans your carpets or sells you groceries ... you have supported their business, maybe they are in a position to return the favor, but maybe not ... and when you do the car wash, DON'T do it across the street from the place that washs cars ...

" an entire Saturday gone for ever."

Limme be the first to say Boo-Hoo ...

[All 4 One]

It just depends on how bad you & DD want to play travel ball....

Amen....... this is really the only point I was trying to make.

FORGET about the "biz to biz" thing........ I stand corrected, move on.

You figure out what you need to do to keep your DD in travelball and I'll do the same.

[MTR]

-Believe it or not, girls dressed in their uniforms can raise money sitting in front of a grocery store for a day.

God, I hate this. Sell me a 25 cent cookie for $1, but don't beg. You would have a better shot of hitting the Powerball eight times in a month than getting a penny from me by begging.

Unfortunately, some people think this is perfectly valid method of raising money. I am always shocked when I'm confronted by a parent when I walk by their children literally "blocking" the entrance to a store. And just as shocked when a store manager stands there with a blank look on their face when asked about it.

[anonlooker]

Geez, if you're going to dress your kids up and plant them in front of store begging for money, forget the softball uniform. Dress 'em like orphans and ask for money for food! You'll probably get your air and hotel to nationals paid in a fraction of the time!

[Empire United]

Lets flipthis around. What about the guns for hire? The parents looking for that free ride. That stud catcher, short stop or pitcher who's parents cant afford the dues and some how they are unable to attend the fundraising events but she always seems to be starting every tourney/friendly & batting at the top? And you always see the manager of the team in the crowd after a game kissing butt & smoozing the parents. That drives me nuts...
I guess the moral of the story is if your DD falls in to that stud catagory there are more than a few teams out there who have parents of other players who will cover the cost without even knowing.
You can spot them out. You will see a girl on one team for a friendly, then on another team for a tourney, and then another team at nationals. "Jersey collecters"