Steve Hulbert just posted this online, it is absolutely brilliant…
One of my friends asked “Why do you pay so much money for your kid to race BMX bikes”? Well I have a confession to make; I don’t pay for my kid to race his bike. Personally, I couldn’t care less about bikes.
So, if I am not paying for bike racing, what am I paying for?
– I pay for those moments when my son becomes so tired he wants to quit but doesn’t.
– I pay for those days when my son comes home from school and is “too tired” to go to the track but goes anyway.
– I pay for my son to learn to be disciplined, focused, and dedicated.
– I pay for my son to learn to take care of his body and equipment.
– I pay for my son to learn to work with others and to be good team mates, gracious in defeat, and humble in success.
– I pay for my son to learn to deal with disappointment, when he doesn’t get that win he’d hoped for, but he goes back week after week giving it his best shot.
– I pay for my son to learn to make and accomplish goals.
– I pay for my son to respect, not only themselves, but other riders, officials and coaches.
– I pay for my son to learn that it takes hours and hours, years and years, of hard work and practice to create a champion and that success does not happen overnight.
– I pay for my son to be proud of small achievements, and to work towards long term goals.
– I pay for the opportunity my son has and will have to make life-long friendships, create lifelong memories, to be as proud of their achievements as I am.
– I pay so that my son can be out on the track instead of in front of a screen…
…I could go on but, to be short, I don’t pay for bike racing; I pay for the opportunities that BMX provides my son with to develop attributes that will serve him well throughout his life and give him the opportunity to bless the lives of others. From what I have seen so far I think it is a great investment! (Adapted)
Think about this parents… Thanks for writing this Steve, it seriously could not have been worded any better. We would love to host you & your son at our facility any time you are in Minneapolis. Ride on ! #bmxfamily
UPDATE Dec 2017: We just got word that this is actually based off an original post here thanks to John McLean:
http://www.mparks.org/mparksblog/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/13056/Why-I-pay-so-much-for-my-kids-to-do-sports#.Wig8sdOGNjl
