That pit and the various efforts to "find the treasure" remind me of a father that was spending $15,000 per year on his young daughter's softball efforts (coaching, training, traveling) in order to help earn her a scholarship to college. She eventually blew out a knee and her softball career ended before she even finished high school. If only he had instead invested that $15,000 a year himself he would have had her scholarship all taken care of.
This pit is like that only with less light at the end of the tunnel.
If (and I do mean if) she actually enjoyed playing softball after all her father's pressure, she probably would have been able to play it much longer without the intense focus that eventually blew out her knew.
I think your original argument was valid (make smart investments (educational RSPs) rather than personally motivated investments (softball). However, I would have backed it up by coming up with number of softball players/softball scholarships, expected return on RSPs over 10 years etc not anecdotal evidence like "If she actually enjoyed playing..."
A softball scholarship could be more useful than a personal fund of equivalent value: sad fact is sports scholarships can get you into a school you might not otherwise be accepted to.
This pit is like that only with less light at the end of the tunnel.