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prestont
197 Posts |
 Posted - 06/11/2015 : 17:23:33
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Hi All -
I know this is a thread on the 15-18 Discussion board but wanted to post on general discussion so more folks would see.
http://www.nwgabaseball.org/snitz/topic.asp?whichpage=0.88&TOPIC_ID=46518#120873
My sons team played at Lakepoint today. We paid to park earlier this week when I drove, so we let my 15yo drive into the parking lot today based on the communication that Players are not charged to park.
All 4 of the kids collecting $s for parking waved us through. Evidently the last of the 4 noticed my wife and I in the car, and tried to walk after us as we approached the player drop off area. They returned to their post, and we parked 2 aisles over. After the first 3 kids waved my son thru - we honestly thought that players DID NOT have to pay to park.
After my sons game today we return to my car to find an Emerson citation for CRIMINAL TRESPASS on the front windshield.
Guess its easier to call the Emerson Police department over $5. I honestly feel bad that a policeman had to come out to the ballpark when our understanding is that players parked free. The Perfect Game employees taking $10 per day from everyone also said it was their understanding that players parked free too.
Coincidentally enough, there is absolutely no mention of a Lakepoint parking policy on their website.
I'm truly amazed..... |
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tuffmavrick
47 Posts |
Posted - 06/11/2015 : 18:30:41
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| I did notice the last time we played there that a player had a letter in his car that pg had sent him for free parking. I would try sending email to pg and ask about it. |
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wareagle
324 Posts |
Posted - 06/12/2015 : 09:59:28
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I don't agree with the parking fee at Lake Point, but I also don't agree with people always looking for a way to "beat the system". Probably got what you deserve. If you want to play, you gotta pay.
I am sure that when they allowed players to park free, it wasn't so that they could drive other people into the park.
They also do not charge admission to players, maybe we should all wear uniforms to the fields and pretend we are players as well! LOL |
Edited by - wareagle on 06/12/2015 10:02:46 |
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GeorgiaBoy
29 Posts |
Posted - 06/12/2015 : 10:26:19
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Hilarious... I guess they should make it clear that players should drive alone...
quote:
Originally posted by wareagle
I don't agree with the parking fee at Lake Point, but I also don't agree with people always looking for a way to "beat the system". Probably got what you deserve. If you want to play, you gotta pay.
I am sure that when they allowed players to park free, it wasn't so that they could drive other people into the park.
They also do not charge admission to players, maybe we should all wear uniforms to the fields and pretend we are players as well! LOL
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prestont
197 Posts |
Posted - 06/12/2015 : 11:29:39
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I plan to reach out to the city of Emerson, and I'm hopeful that I can donate the 'fine' to the Miracle League who plays up there.
Honestly, its pretty silly, but one of my sons used to play in the North Metro Miracle league and would rather the $s go to a good cause that can make good use of the money supporting the kids.
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Renegade44
211 Posts |
Posted - 06/12/2015 : 12:20:16
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At what absurd data point does it become overboard?
The whole business model of constantly tapping your wallet at each checkpoint sounds like a great socioeconomic project case study for a college thesis.
When is enough? Apparently not yet.....
When does the reward of baseball recruit "hope" get exceeded by costs? Apparently not yet.............
Is there a limit to what people (or is it sheeple??) will pay before they have had enough? Apparently not................
Certainly there is some Higher point where the equation turns negative. You guys just let them keep testing you until they find it. It will all be good. Until it isn't.
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jacjacatk
154 Posts |
Posted - 06/12/2015 : 12:55:08
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quote:
Originally posted by wareagle
I don't agree with the parking fee at Lake Point, but I also don't agree with people always looking for a way to "beat the system". Probably got what you deserve. If you want to play, you gotta pay.
I am sure that when they allowed players to park free, it wasn't so that they could drive other people into the park.
They also do not charge admission to players, maybe we should all wear uniforms to the fields and pretend we are players as well! LOL
They should (try to) charge players to park and a gate fee, that would solve this nonsense pretty quickly.
If they don't charge players to park, and my son can drive himself to the game in his car, what, exactly, is LP losing out on if he also brings a car load of people with him? The whole parking thing is just a way to milk more money out of the spectators either for pure profit because they can, or because they're looking for a way to "fix" bottom line money issues that they didn't properly plan for in the first place.
I'll be happy to be the test case in Emerson for a criminal trespass citation if they try to get my son to pay to park because he dropped me off and I walked in (which I understand isn't exactly how things went down in the OPs case). |
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zwndad
170 Posts |
Posted - 06/15/2015 : 09:45:23
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| I just emailed somebody at LakePoint to clarify the rules on player parking. I'll share what I learn. |
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DecaturDad
619 Posts |
Posted - 06/15/2015 : 10:12:32
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| My son has been driving himself all week. If it is a player without anyone else in the car, they can park for free. |
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prestont
197 Posts |
Posted - 06/15/2015 : 13:38:09
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zwndad - many thanks if you can let me know what ya find out.
Just checked... and looks like Lakepoint website has now been updated to include Parking guidelines. I also understand that Baseball is the only sport that is charged $5 to park. Since there is limited parking for Sand Volleyball, or Lacrosse, they are told to park in the same lot but do not have to pay.
BTW: Spoke with city of Emerson this morning, and the fine is $174. I'm trying to reach out to the prosecutor, and get this resolved. Will let folks know how it turns out but, I do plan on being the test case here. |
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zwndad
170 Posts |
Posted - 06/15/2015 : 18:34:14
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Just to clear the air on the rules ... this is the reply I got from Lakepoint about players parking for free:
"If a player drives himself or has just other teammates in the car he will not be charged to park. If he drives and has non-players in his car he will be charged."
He also told me that the only person they had ticketed was somebody who refused to pay. Now I've heard two sides of that story.
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jacjacatk
154 Posts |
Posted - 06/15/2015 : 18:46:19
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quote:
Originally posted by DecaturDad
My son has been driving himself all week. If it is a player without anyone else in the car, they can park for free.
Mine has too, the last few hundred feet anyway. I look at as getting paid $5/day to take a short walk...
I should have him drive in with his 10yo sister tomorrow, and see if they try to make him pay. Better still his 13yo brother if he wasn't at camp this week, since I'd trust him to get out of the car on his own and walk away to see if that changed anything. |
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prestont
197 Posts |
Posted - 06/15/2015 : 20:09:29
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Talked with the Emerson Solicitor today, and he is going to look into the situation - which is all I can ask.
I do plan to be the test case because the GA definition of criminal trespass involves either (1) intentionally property damage less than $500 or (2) you enter the land or property of another person with the intention of doing something unlawful, or you enter someone else’s land or property after receiving notice that entry is not allowed, or you remain on another person’s property after being told to leave
I can honestly say that we did not damage Lakepoint, and we paid to enter the park too.
zwndad - thanks for the follow-up. I suspect we both spoke to the same person, and your last point summarizes our discussion. He said he heard a different story, but I can truthfully tell you that the first 3 folks waved us thru & he did not want to listen to us that day.
I'll reach out to ya via PM
Again - all if this is silly and could have easily been avoided. |
Edited by - prestont on 06/15/2015 21:25:55 |
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3sondad
220 Posts |
Posted - 06/16/2015 : 09:59:18
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quote:
Originally posted by prestont
Again - all if this is silly and could have easily been avoided.
I know what I am going to do. I will have my player drive in a van with blacked out windows with everybody ducked in the back under a blanket. But we will all wear ninja suits, so we are not seen be the evil parking lot money collectors and we will sneak by the evil gate fee collectors. Screw the man he is not getting my $15. 
When my 10u player plays there the evil parking attendants might want to get out of the way!!! 
Mumbles "Five dollars" shacking head walking away. |
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nwgadad
137 Posts |
Posted - 06/16/2015 : 13:33:29
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| I actually enjoyed the experience at Lakepoint last week. Where else can you go and never get a bad bounce off the turf? Scoreboards that work? Scouts watching? Games being videoed? Lots of staff members readily available. So it costs a little more, Yeah I don't get the parking fee, but if that is what is what they charge then that is what you pay. Trying to avoid the rules is not setting a good example for your kids. And yes I get that it is an unclear rule, but suck it up. |
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bballman
1432 Posts |
Posted - 06/16/2015 : 15:28:03
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quote:
Originally posted by nwgadad
I actually enjoyed the experience at Lakepoint last week. Where else can you go and never get a bad bounce off the turf? Scoreboards that work? Scouts watching? Games being videoed? Lots of staff members readily available. So it costs a little more, Yeah I don't get the parking fee, but if that is what is what they charge then that is what you pay. Trying to avoid the rules is not setting a good example for your kids. And yes I get that it is an unclear rule, but suck it up.
^^^ +1 |
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ngred10
17 Posts |
Posted - 06/16/2015 : 17:06:08
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| I think everyone is missing the point. All the stuff you are saying about Lakepoint is true (better fields, scoreboards working,clean functioning bathrooms); however, that should be why they are charging $1000 plus for each tournament. The additional $5 parking fee is just adding insult to injury, and is why baseball is becoming a sport that some families cannot afford. Bottom line as someone already stated they are going to do it until they can no longer get it. It is not just about the $5 for parking, it is about all the additional fees you are now being charged: $1000 tournament fee, $10 entry fee, $5 parking fee, outrageous prices at the concession stand. I think they are going to turn people off at some point but right now it is obviously successful and the amount of teams in the events supports that fact. |
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bballman
1432 Posts |
Posted - 06/16/2015 : 17:42:24
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Perfect game did not raise their fees due to Lake Point. Their fees have always been higher than most tournaments, mostly because they provide staff at every game. EVERY game they put on, they have someone gunning the pitchers and keeping the Live Game Changer (or whatever program they use). That costs money. They also provide scouting notes on every game. I'm sure they send out information to scouts to remind them of upcoming tournaments. They field phone calls ALL the time from scouts and recruiters on questions about potential recruits. They keep data bases on every player that has played in every game of every tournament they have put on. They post general information on every player that has played in one of their tournaments on their public website. All this takes a lot of people and a lot of expense. It is something that NONE of the other tournament providers do. This is part of why their tournaments are more expensive. Gate fees have ALWAYS been $10. At least since my son first started going back around 2009 or so.
Once you get to the HS age and have aspirations of playing beyond HS, there is NO better place to be seen than at a PG tournament. Can you do it without them? Of course. But, more scouts and recruiters attend their events than any other. This is the most convenient venue for them to come during the summer and see multiple players that they are interested in. My son was not "discovered" at a PG event. We did work to expose him to multiple schools. But when his eventual school wanted to see him again, they asked when he would be pitching at the PG WWBA event so they could come watch.
Remember, the $5 parking fee is to park at Lake Point, NOT to park at Perfect Game. Either way, it's $5. Really not that big a deal in the big scheme of things.
Oh, and just to show everyone that it's not just PG in terms of the parking fee. My son's college team played a game at LP this summer. Had NOTHING to do with a PG event, it was a college game. I had to pay the $5 to park and then $5 the college league charges to get in the game. Did I like it? Not really, but it is what it is. I could have turned around and not gone to the game, but I wanted to see the game, so I paid. It is part of the cost of admission to Lake Point.
It's crazy, I know, but LP isn't the only business who does this. Last weekend was my wife's birthday. She wanted to spend the afternoon by the water. So, we went to Lake Lanier Beach. We got there and had to pay $10 to park. We went to the parking area for the beach and proceeded to pay $10 each to get into the beach. It happens. If you want to go to a Braves game, you pay to park in one of their lots AND you pay for your ticket to get in the game - and high concession prices. Not exactly sure why there is so much uproar over something that is pretty common place. |
Edited by - bballman on 06/16/2015 18:51:34 |
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BaseballMom6
233 Posts |
Posted - 06/16/2015 : 20:29:42
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bballman - I completely agree with you, the only thing I have issue with is that even at the Braves games I can pack a soft cooler with bottled drinks and sandwiches, so I have a choice of whether to use the concessions or not.
If you carry a 20 man roster at $1000 entry fee, each player is $50, more if your roster is smaller. So the players aren't free, they have just already been pre-paid.
Teach your kids that the rules apply to everyone, and pay the $5 parking fee. Or carpool with other families, reduce the number of cars, and share the cost. As the one poster has learned, it is a whole lot cheaper than the ticket, and sets a good example for your child. |
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bballman
1432 Posts |
Posted - 06/16/2015 : 22:40:19
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| Never heard of bringing a cooler with drinks and sandwiches into Turner Field. Something I'll have to keep in mind. I know when my wife and I went to Lake Lanier Beach, we could have taken a cooler into the parking lot, but there was a big sign going up to pay for the beach and water park - "no coolers, no outside food or drinks". I don't like paying concession prices anywhere. And I usually don't. I eat before or after the game. Heck, chances are you will only be in the park for 1 1/2 - 2 hours. Do you really have to eat a meal during that time? I usually like to out to eat with my son after a game anyway. Good bonding time. Concessions are not run by PG either. They are run by Lake Point. So, don't eat there. Once again, it's not that big of a deal - at least in my mind. |
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jacjacatk
154 Posts |
Posted - 06/17/2015 : 01:11:25
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quote:
Originally posted by BaseballMom6
Teach your kids that the rules apply to everyone, and pay the $5 parking fee.
I avoid teaching my kids to blindly follow rules for rules' sake, not that has much to do with this particular situation, since we are following the rules in this case. He parks, and doesn't pay since LP explicitly says (now) on their website that he doesn't have to, and I walk.
If LP institutes a rule that says I have to pay (for parking) when walking in, we can have another discussion about what rules might be worth breaking... |
Edited by - jacjacatk on 06/17/2015 09:17:20 |
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DecaturDad
619 Posts |
Posted - 06/17/2015 : 10:56:34
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| When we arrived for our 11:30 PM game last night, there was no one collecting the $5 :-) |
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AllStar
762 Posts |
Posted - 06/17/2015 : 11:15:46
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quote:
Originally posted by BaseballMom6
bballman - I completely agree with you, the only thing I have issue with is that even at the Braves games I can pack a soft cooler with bottled drinks and sandwiches, so I have a choice of whether to use the concessions or not.
As far as I know the Braves are the only MLB team to allow that, they tried to change it some time shortly after the Olympics and backed down in the face of fans' outcry.
What do you want to bet it goes away effective with the 2017 home opener? |
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GeorgiaBoy
29 Posts |
Posted - 06/17/2015 : 11:40:09
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| This lil $5 fee got has really turned the Travel Ball world on it's axis... LOL |
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BaseballMom6
233 Posts |
Posted - 06/17/2015 : 12:30:13
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| Allstar - I randomly checked the Phillies, Tampa Bay Rays and Wrigley field. They all allow soft sided coolers with unopened bottles to be brought into their stadiums. However, like you, I won't be surprised to see that change with the new stadium. |
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Bob Balker
456 Posts |
Posted - 06/17/2015 : 17:56:22
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| It's pretty much common sense, if your son (and teammates) were the only ones in the car, they get in for free. If you have family riding w/you as a player you pay the $5, your pretty much trying to circumvent (break the rules) their guidelines. We've all been doing this a long time, it's like Bballman said, you pretty much pay for parking at a lot of places. Ever since 7U baseball we have been paying for parking periodically. Do we pay @ ECB or Triple Crown events? No. Just my opinion, your coming off as extremely cheap and I'm amazed you have the time or "want to" to take this to the Emerson Police Dept. LakePointe is not cheap, as stated earlier for what they have to pay for. I've been a lot of places and nothing comes close to Lakepointe in terms of what it delivers in terms of the PG events. Is Cooperstown beautiful and by far my favorite destination, YES! The 2 places are totally different in what they deliver to the baseball player/parent. BTW-you may not pay for parking @ Disney, but how do you like the $100 weekly pass for the Elite World Series? Again, I hate paying for parking, but by now I'm use to it. |
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BEWARE - Parking @ Lakepoint!!!
