Turning 6 once marked a rite of passage in the Beasley household.
Like many sports-loving families, their children signed up for T-ball as soon as they were old enough to play, then continued with recreation, travel and school sports. But the youngest daughter of Steve and Deana Beasley won't follow tradition this year.
"She'll be the first in our family not to play," Mr. Beasley said. "She did cheerleading already, but this was going to be the first year she was eligible for T-ball."
The Beasley family isn't alone. Several Little League and Dixie Youth baseball programs around the Augusta area saw participation drop during registration this spring compared with previous years.
Some league directors blame the economy.
"We're one team down in all the leagues," said Greg Boatwright, the president of the Midland Valley Recreation Association. "We figured it was going to happen with the economy. Everybody's down."
Basketball participation was slightly lower this winter at many area gyms. Baseball registration, which ended earlier this month for most local leagues, was the final indicator that economic problems are making an impact, according to several league directors.
"It looks like it's catching up with us," Columbia County Recreation Department athletic supervisor Ken Warner said.
Signups for Columbia County's youth baseball program, a Dixie Youth organization, are down about 10 percent from last year, Mr. Warner said.
The Beasleys' three older children are part of the 90 percent who will return, but the youngest will sit out a year.
"We're not going to sign her up," Mr. Beasley said. "If she's interested in it when she gets older, we'll sign her up, but logistically we can't do it right now."
Mr. Beasley said the decision wasn't based entirely on finances; four children playing on four different teams during the same season seemed too daunting for the family's schedule. But Mr. Beasley said he has seen other families make similar cuts for financial reasons.
"I do know some who in the past had their kids playing rec ball and travel ball," he said. "This year they're cutting out rec ball. It's too much."
Numbers are down even more in Richmond County. Athletics supervisor Bobby Martin said signups, which will be extended to the beginning of the season, went from as many as 1,200 in previous years to 700-750 so far this spring.
"The economy probably is affecting it some," Mr. Martin said. "As of right now, we probably look a little bit down, but we'll probably be up there or at least close to it by the time the season starts."
Other leagues that have seen a slight decline in registration include Gregg Park in Graniteville, North Augusta's Riverview Park and Citizens Park in Aiken.
Jeff Metz, Aiken's athletic supervisor, said baseball signups have drawn about 80 fewer players than last year.
Not all league directors believe the economy is the only factor.
"The economy is one of the things that's going against us," said Greg Smith, the president of Martinez-Evans Little League. "But there's also spring football and soccer. That hasn't always been around."
A spring football league in Columbia County drew some boys away from baseball.
Growing popularity of other sports such as soccer and lacrosse could also be a contributing factor.
But Wes Meadows, one of the coaching coordinators for the new Georgia-Carolina Bulls soccer club at Patriots Park, has also seen families stretched thin.
"Our numbers are not down for the spring, but I do know of families in our program who have had to cut back or stop going to as many tournaments," he said. "We're looking at limiting travel and maybe decreasing fees a little -- anything to help out our families."
Soccer signups were the same as last year's number at Riverview Park but were down 30 percent at Harrison-Caver Park in Clearwater.
Reach Billy Byler at (706) 823-3216 or billy.byler@augustachronicle.com.
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Kids don't play sports anymore b/c they are too soft. Years of Pokemon, Japanese Anime, Youtube, and role playing games have taken a toll and turned our kids into wussies. It sure doesn't help that the lib-tards cry foul if there is actually a winner. These days, everyone must win because competition is seen as something that might hurt little Johnny's feelings if he happens to suck and loses. It's hard for kids to get into sports unless they have a nintendo DS strapped to their facemask or perhaps in IPod in their pocket. These snot nosed kids should be thrown on a football field and smacked around so they can cowboy up and quit being so soft. Maybe the Rec Departments can start taking sign-ups for Band. That might actually raise some revenue.
Then they get into high school and say... "No one listens to me" or "Everyone picks on me"... Well, no duh, it's hard to respect a limp noodle with no backbone. Days on end baking on the Nintendo DS and tuning out to the IPod will greatly inhibit their social skills.