The cost of doing business

NEWBURYPORT — The parents of two of Newburyport High's top athletes received good news this summer: David and Michelle Freeman of Merrimac Street were only required to pay $1,300 for their two sons' participation in a school-year worth of sports.

Only $1,300. That's the single-family cap on user fee costs for Newburyport High students.

So while the Freemans were required to fork over $970 for their two sons' combined football user fees, they will receive a winter discount when David and Derek, both Cape Ann League Hockey All-Stars last winter, pay a combined cost of $330 for the hockey season.

Too bad the boys spend the spring season lifting at Hard Nock's Gym in Amesbury; otherwise they could play the sport of their choice at Newburyport High for free.

The Freemans encounter the same financial strain as hundreds of others affiliated with high school athletics in the area. Newburyport High, by way of comparison, has less expensive user fees than other local high schools such as Pentucket and Triton, where selected sports could cost as much at $800 per season.

For David and Michelle Freeman, who are both self-employed, the current state of the economy hasn't helped matters. Their two boys work at their mother's restaurant, The Fish Tail, during the summer, to help offset athletic costs.

"The boys understand when things get tight," Michelle Freeman said. "Sometimes I have to say, 'We can't do this now.' They work for me and are always willing to pitch in money. I don't want them to do that, but once in a while they still kick in."

The user fees are one aspect of a cloudy financial picture in Newburyport. Equipment costs are another. For the Freemans' boys, hockey costs should far exceed the savings they'll encounter as a result of the single-family user-fee cap.

"The cost of playing isn't as big this year, but they always want new sticks and skates," Michelle Freeman said. "Derek breaks them all the time playing forward. With the physicality involved in football and hockey, my kids' health is my primary concern. I want them to have the proper equipment because when they get hit, I want to know they're OK. It doesn't faze my husband, but I always think, 'I hope they're getting up this time.'"

The Freemans have found a way to keep Dave and Derek on the football field and in the rink. That may be, in part, because Dave is good enough to be the captain of the football team, and Derek is every bit the athlete as his brother. But what happens to the athletes who struggle to make the varsity? Or the athletes who prefer not to donate their summer savings to a full year of sports?

Taking into account one family's struggle to overcome the financial burden associated with high school sports, it's easy to understand why a sports-related fundraising effort — not a required cost of playing sports — has reached a snag in the road. Newburyport's RESTORE effort, which is designed to raise money that will go directly towards the restoration of Newburyport's World War Memorial Stadium, is inching along since New Year's, when the effort was thought to have hit the halfway barrier.

Newburyport High's football stadium is condemned on one side due to unsafe bleacher conditions. The field is in need of a new surface and snack bar. But where does this rank on the list of priorities among Newburyport High parents?

The progress towards the $1.5 million goal seems to tell the story.

The effort got off to a fast start last fall; more than $750,000 was raised in a matter of months between grants and large-scale donations from businesses. Now comes the hard part — raising the final $750,000. The effort is now reliant on donations from individuals, private donors and, potentially, government aid. The amount of $500,000 was recently earmarked for the RESTORE effort once it is successfully distributed through the governor's office. That could take a matter of months, or, as has been the case in other local instances, it could take more than a decade.

So the effort needs momentum. And if the Freemans are any indication, the Newburyport community appears stretched thin in what it can allocate to athletics. Originally the RESTORE plan, in its most optimistic scenarios, targeted a new playing surface for this fall season. Now next fall is seeming more likely, and possibly even optimistic.

"A lot of people are pulling for it, but I understand why they're having a hard time raising money," Michelle Freeman said. "It'd be fantastic for the city and the community. Lots of families have kids playing sports. My boys won't be here to play in it, but younger kids coming up deserve it."

Which brings us to the most recent RESTORE rallying cry. It's time for a new generation of soon-to-be high school parents to lead the charge. The current torch-bearers, Mary Anne Clancy and Laurie LeBlanc, could use the help. Their children likely won't be at Newburyport High to reap the benefits of the new stadium, either.

"We're trying to get new faces and ideas," LeBlanc said. "We could really use the help of the Newburyport youth league organizations. That's going to be the call to arms in the coming weeks."

These are tough times for parents of local athletes. The financial strain is certainly apparent. High school parents are tiring from the ever-increasing user fees and equipment costs. Perhaps a new generation of parents will step forward in hopes of rallying a community around athletics, which, in turn, may increase attendance and relieve the costs of user fees in future years.

There's always hope.

Dan Guttenplan is the sports editor of The Daily News of Newburyport. E-mail him at dguttenplan@newburyportnews.com.

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