Makes Sense - My soap box... :-)

As I was sitting for 10 hours at Bailey's Competition yesterday, I was pondering the idea of "Sport Verein's." Sport Vereins are basically clubs that are all over the city and villages, and are where people, both young and old, go for activities. Camden plays Soccer at a Sport Verein. He did Judo at another Sport Verein. Bailey and Mia did Gymnastics at one, and now Bailey does Cheerleading at another Sport Verein. Basically, they are clubs that are big or small. They may be made up of one activity (like Bailey's Cheerleading), or many (the Gymnastics club, also had Tennis, dance, track and field etc). Some may have their own facility, and others may use school gyms.
The great thing about all of the Sport Vereins is that they are not about making money. The purpose is to give people something to do, and a chance to learn about teamwork, competition, confidence, winning and losing in a social atmosphere. They do not really have sports in their school, because "the purpose of school is for learning." So instead, kids can join these S.V.'s for sports. The most amazing thing about it (because the cost is so low) is ALL kids can take part. Camden's soccer cost 6 euro for the entire year (not just a Season)- and that includes indoor soccer, all tournament fees, and all of the uniforms. Mia's Dance is free. Bailey's Cheerleading is 7 euro a month, but that includes the uniform and 2 nights of training a week. When we went to Bailey's competition yesterday, her team rode on a chartered bus. The bus was free for the girls, and 10 euro for the parents. (to give you an idea it was about a 7 hour round trip drive on the bus). Just the gas alone would cost more than the money taken in. I asked one of the other Mom's, and she told me that the city gave them money to help pay for the bus. I thought to myself, if I went and asked the town that we pay taxes to back home to help subsidize a trip for my kids soccer team - they would laugh in my face. A lot of the kids could not afford to play sports if the costs were similar to what we pay back at home. My friend has 2 girls on a cheer-leading team, and pays around $400 per month, not including uniforms and traveling. Many families would require 2 parents working, just to pay for these extra activities. These SV's are also within walking or biking distance (even in the small villages), so kids can get to the activities by themselves. It keeps kids active, and out of trouble - a fantastic way of life!!!
*As a side note too, a big chunk of my German class is also paid for by the city. Their philosophy is that if they want foreigners to become active citizens, then they must be able to speak German. It makes sense!