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Judy, mom of a twelve-year-old hockey player, concentrates on her knitting while seated in the expansive concession area here at Ice Works, an arena in Pennsylvania. She is oblivious to the noisy comings and goings of family members young and old. Boys run for the arcade, several teens sit, transfixed to flat screen TV's, chatty girls make bracelets off in a corner. Parents and grandparents concentrate on the games viewed through the wall-long windows looking out to the ice. In addition, the line at the concession counter never seems to shorten.

This is a usual sight here- family members spending time at sporting events - sometimes a lot of time. This weekend, OneHockey hosts its sixth annual international tournament for youth hockey. I am here as a family member of a young man on the Ann Arbor Wolves.

Hundreds of families are participating in the four-day event, lodging at one of five area hotels. Not only are families spending time, but also a great deal of money. The amount of money spent here seems a disconnect with the outside world's economic problems. Talking with families here, I discovered that participating in sports is a big commitment - a vital, expensive commitment they are more than willing to make.

"This is a whole culture - a family thing," said Judy, taking a break from her knitting. "My son spends more time with his hockey buddies than his school friends. As a family, we've made the commitment, because we see his growth as a hockey player and as a person."

And it certainly is a big commitment when you look at the expense of a travel team. There are league fees and uniforms. Equipment is a big chunk of the cost per year also, regardless of the sport. Moreover, when the tournaments come along, each family has the cost of travel, hotels and meals.

"We'd sacrifice other things before hockey," declares Judy.

Judy's family traveled here from New York. I also talked with a family from Michigan that has indeed made those sacrifices. Karen's family of six, all here at the Pennsylvania hockey tournament, spends close to $9,000 annually on their kids' sports. To keep three kids playing, ages 7, 9 and 11, they sold one of their cars and auctioned two collections on eBay. Karen's husband, a self-employed heating and cooling contractor, gets cash selling scrap metal by the pound. (That's gotten tougher too, with the drop in scrap metal prices.) They also sell pumpkins each fall from the acre patch next to their home.

Grandparents pitch in too. Birthday and holiday presents for the kids consist of sporting equipment and money for sports camps. Karen's father paid for the family's hotel stay here in Pennsylvania.

Here are the top three reasons Karen gives for their sacrifice. They want their children:

1. To be fit. 2. To keep out of trouble 3. To be academically on track.

To keep kids' grades on track, the Michigan High School Athletic Association, (MHSAA), a non-profit, which exists to develop common rules for athletic eligibility and competition, sets academic requirements for all participants of sanctioned sports. That means grades must stay up in order to play. Additionally, many of Michigan's school districts raise those academic requirements. On a more personal level, many coaches and activity instructors require homework be done before practice begins.

Involvement in sports is just what the doctor ordered, too. News of childhood obesity bombards us daily. Sports keep kids fit and away from computer games and television. Learning and playing a team sport is time a child is not getting into trouble as well. Good health, grades and behavior is the goal of all parents for their families.

The trouble is that sports participation costs money.

So why isn't participation down this year? After all, in Karen's case, her family has seen a significant drop in salary due to the economy. Her husband's business is down to the point where he didn't see a paycheck for two months this spring. Karen works full time, but hasn't had the expected raise this year. We see this family's story reflected across the country.

Despite families being economically strapped, sports participation is not down.

"I have seen an increase in the number of overall teams sanctioning in our program this year," says Kathie Horton, youth director for the Michigan Softball Association. "I also have seen an increase in the number of teams that participated in our State Tournament. I am sure that most players are not getting the new gloves/mitts or bats they may have wanted or have gotten in the past, but participation is up for us. It has been a pleasant surprise as we were concerned about the economy and how it would affect us."

Maybe it has to do with getting back to the old-fashioned principle that sacrifice and hard work has its rewards. Maybe we're refashioning those principles to fit our modern age, our modern challenges. Perhaps we were sidetracked by the culture of greed. Regardless of how you explain it, making sacrifices so our kids can stay in sports programs is a very good thing. Apparently, some families are getting it.

Josie Schneider is a resident of Grass Lake.

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