Chris Boldt compiled the list, and afterward she was a little afraid of it.

Boldt listed the $350 diving clinic for 14-year-old Kathryn this summer; the $500 baseball recruiting showcase for 17-year-old Steven; the $148 in sports photos of the two older kids, plus 10-year-old Lauren and 8-year-old Ryan.

There were participation fees for five high school sports, entry fees for offseason teams, new equipment, expenses from shuttling four kids all over the place and overnight expenses for weekend tournaments.

At the end of a five-page list, there was a bottom line staring Chris Boldt in the face:

The Boldts, a family in Red Wing, will spend more than $9,000 on youth sports from the start of this summer to the end of next spring.

"It was a little scary when I added it all up," Chris said.

Eye-opening? Yes. But in the context of today's athletic world, it's not necessarily surprising. Between user fees, clinics, summer leagues, equipment, travel, ticket admission prices, warm-up uniforms and other related costs, the Boldts' athletic dollar is stretched countless ways.

And the Boldts are not alone. They are a typical family in Minnesota. They are on the upper end of middle class, with money to spend but not burn. The kids always have loved playing sports -- and the parents, Chris and Mitch, want what's best for their kids.

The time

Kathryn had hockey and diving clinics, a softball league, a volleyball camp and agility drills three times a week at the high school. Steven had traveling baseball, a recruiting showcase, a baseball clinic, a football clinic, agility drills and weightlifting. The cost of those activites -- not including travel or equipment -- $1,650.

And that was this summer, which was the kids' three months off.

"I love sports," Steven said. "It's just natural to me."

But it is time-consuming. One week this summer, Chris said the four kids had 16 games between them. Considering travel time, each game conservatively took three hours. That's a total of 48 hours -- two round-the-clock days of games in a week.

To stay organized, Chris keeps track of all the kids' activities on a color-coded calendar. Friends are amazed when they come to the house and see an empty day.

This fall, Steven played football. He also plays baseball in the spring. Kathryn is a three-sport athlete: diving, hockey and softball. Even though both parents have flexible schedules, coordinating everyone's activities is a challenge. Lauren inadvertently was left at the YMCA for two hours once because of a schedule mix up. On a recent Saturday, Lauren had volleyball, Ryan had football, Steven had a section football playoff game in Farmington and Kathryn had a section diving meet in Hutchinson.

Chris referred to the household as a "crockpot family." She said the family tries to eat together as often as possible.

"But we never do," Lauren offered quickly, and the family laughed.

Athletics simply are the centerpiece of the daily routine.

"It's kind of become rote," Chris said. "You don't even really think about it. If you thought about it too much, you'd get overwhelmed."

The money

Mitch Boldt runs a construction company. Chris is a vice president in a company that provides oversight for long-term health care facilities. Both are 1979 graduates of Red Wing High who can give their kids the things they couldn't have -- and could never have dreamed of needing.

They pay $150 in activity fees for each of the five high school sports Steven and Kathryn combine to play. They sent Steven to a baseball recruiting showcase at Midway Stadium in St. Paul this summer that cost $500. A diving clinic for Kathryn this summer was $350.

"We've been fortunate to make it work," Chris said.

Chris said her family growing up -- 10 kids, eight of whom went on to play college sports -- would not have had the same opportunities today. Mitch wonders how families with less money and flexibility make it through.

"The have and have-not gap is widening," Mitch said.

This question was posed: Are there students at Red Wing who don't play high school sports because they can't afford to and are embarrassed to get a fee waiver? Mitch, Chris, Steven and Kathryn nodded their heads immediately.

The life

Mitch and Chris don't discuss Steven's accomplishments -- he's earned all-conference awards in football and baseball -- with other parents, for fear of resentment.

Ryan is showing signs he might be the best athlete of all the kids. When Mitch was asked if he would send Ryan to a developmental training program at his age, Mitch shook his head. In the next breath, however, he mentioned a neighbor had done that exact thing, and the boy had really increased his skills in baseball and hockey. Mitch could see the athletic benefits -- even if he wasn't willing to send Ryan to such a program yet.

Kathryn has a 4.0 grade-point average. With Steven, however, school has been a struggle. He has always loved sports, but he has never "turned on the knob" in the classroom, Chris said. Steven gave up hockey as a sophomore to concentrate on school. It's not so much a lack of time, but a lack of interest that hurts his grades. He wants to play college baseball, but he might have to go to a junior college first.

"What does American literature mean to a 16-year-old?" Chris Boldt wondered, before answering her own question. "Nothing."

With such a big emphasis on athletics, academics can be overlooked. And parents getting too wound up over athletics plays a part, Mitch said. Another part, he said, is that academics have been watered down to the point where they aren't competitive.

"They experience the ebb and flow of life," Mitch said.

How much they need to experience is another question.

"The most important thing is keeping everything in balance," Chris said. "There's enough pressure on the athletic side that it's hard to keep that balance."

Summer 2003 cost Softball registration for Kathryn $150 Softball equipment for Kathryn $150

Travel and expenses at 12 softball games $360

Admissions at softball games $40

Softball tournament entry fees and expenses $400

Diving clinic for Kathryn $350

Travel to and from diving $180

Volleyball camp for Kathryn $60

Volleyball equipment for Kathryn $100

Baseball tournament entry fees for Steven $350

Travel and expenses at 12 baseball games $360

Admission fees at baseball games $50

Baseball recruiting showcase for Steven $500

Baseball clinic for Steven $50

Football clinic for Steven $50

Speed/agility/weights fee at school for both $140

Football and baseball equipment $100

Fall 2003

Fall hockey league for Kathryn $160

Travel for fall hockey $180

Participation fee for high school diving $150

Suits and warm-ups for Kathryn $135

Admission fees and other costs at 18 diving meets $360

Travel costs for diving meets $360

Hockey clinic for Kathryn $70

Participation fee for high school football $150

Football equipment $200

Travel for football $210

Admissions and snacks at 10 football games $400

Winter 2003-04

Participation fee for high school girls' hockey $150

Hockey equipment $300

Admissions for 15 games $300

Travel and overnight stays for hockey tournaments $350

Travel for eight regular-season away games $240

Spring 2004

Participation fee for high school softball $150

Softball equipment $170

Travel for eight softball games $240

Admissions at section softball tournament $60

Participation fee for high school baseball $150

Baseball equipment $150

Travel for 10 baseball games $300

Admissions for regular season and playoffs $150

Year-round expenses

YMCA family membership and sports programs

for Ryan and Lauren $545

Sports photos for all four kids $148

Total $9,168