For many Sask. families, there's a high cost to chasing sports dreams

Regina's Schultz family knows the cost of competing at the highest level.

Maddox Schultz, 15, is expected to be the first overall pick at the upcoming WHL draft, and has been dubbed by hockey scouts as a future star.

But his rise didn't happen overnight, and Maddox learned from an early age what it meant to live in a high-performance environment.

His parents, Vicki and David Schultz — both elite figure skating coaches — raised him in rinks while coaching his older sister in figure skating.

He says for now, he's trying to focus on appreciating the support of his family.

"I just gotta be grateful for the time, and enjoy the time I have with them, because ... they're my people," Maddox said in an interview with CBC's This is Saskatchewan.

But for many families across Saskatchewan, the pressure to invest in their children's sports dreams, in hopes of one day playing professionally, can be intense.

And from private coaching to specialized camps, equipment upgrades, cross-country tournaments and hotel bills, the expenses pile up quickly.

"In volleyball, just for a December to May season, you're looking at $1,500 to $3,000 just for the basics," Mark Dodds, head coach of the University of Saskatchewan Huskies women's volleyball team, said in an interview with CBC Radio's Blue Sky.

"But it's all the travel — that's where the cost really ramps up. It can easily pile into the $10,000-plus range."

In hockey, that figure is often much higher, with families sometimes spending tens of thousands of dollars in a single year to stay competitive.

The financial cost is only part of the pressure. Families are also often faced with tough decisions about their child's future, and how much time should be dedicated to sports specialization.

"You're seeing sometimes where parents are living vicariously through their kids," Dodds said. "That over-involvement, that requirement that a kid continues to chase the higher level despite whether they want to or not… usually that doesn't turn out too well."

Dodds said he worries about the long-term effects, noting that many athletes are burning out by the time they reach 16 or 17 years old.

"The enjoyment of sports for kids gets taken out because of the demand and pressure," Dodds said.

As families continue to navigate the demands of elite youth sports, Dodds hopes they keep in mind the original reason their kids started playing.

"Ultimately, if you go and interview a national team athlete or a professional athlete, they go back to why they started that sport," he said. "And ultimately, it's because they love the sport."

This story is from the This is Saskatchewan podcast — your connection to the stories Saskatchewan is talking about. Every week, we cover local issues that matter. Hear the voices that are creating change, shaping policy and fuelling creativity in Saskatchewan.

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