The least child-friendly event of the year?

[housewife]

Indeed, pointing out any local child-friendly activities is always a help. I have just goigled the community centre that is the registration / download and it turns out it is a swimming pool. Perfect! I'll take the kids swimming before running. It really wouldn't have been too hard to put 'community centre and swimming pool' on the details would it!

[Paul Frost]

I'm always chasing people for more information when I'm doing an event website.
Earlier and more detailed would be my standard request.

I favour making information available as soon as it's known rather than saving it all up for the final details, which sometimes aren't published until after the closing date. I suspect that most of the info in the final details is known by the organisers at the very early stages of organising the event, so why not make it available then.
Sometimes it's like pulling teeth to get information from planners and organisers.

If we want to encourage people to enter earlier (see other thread) then we need to provide more information before entries open, not just before the closing date.

I usually include a section to hold info about dog restrictions in the club/event websites I build (but they are often left empty) to prompt organisers to provide warnings of restrictions, perhaps I should start adding a "Child Friendly features" section in the event details form.

[RS]

An indication of walks to start and back from finish are also very useful, as well as an indication of lengths of shorter courses(when entering younger children). You know what the lengths should be, but that's often not what they turn out to be!

[Sunlit Forres]

This debate has been really useful and has highlighted something that might simply not have occurred to many busy organisers who can get 99 things right and get no credit while getting criticised for their one oversight.

Moravian had an excellent event last Sunday where Elizabeth Furness, the organiser, had arranged for us to have indoor registration inside a bistro bar with a kids playbarn attached! This made for a great family-friendly atmosphere and there were few grumbles that I heard about the 1.2 Km walk to and from the remote start/finish.

There was an e-mail enquiry from one family to see whether the route to the start was accessible by bike. Although there was a road route, it would have meant a stretch on the A96 that was unsuitable for children. That said, there was some space for start officials' cars and had this post existed a few days ago I'd have suggested the club did exactly what Sean C suggested, and let this family with small kids drive to the secondary parking area.

I'll definitely make sure this issue is passed around the club. Well done to Housewife for bringing it up, but I hope MAROC don't take it personally. They've done so much for junior orienteering and I'm sure they'll appreciate the suggestion as much as we all should.

While our striving for perfection at our events, and general development of the sport, is commendable, we need to manage our expectations of the volunteers who organise them. It's becoming the norm to have professional-standard organisation from amateurs and this can be daunting for anyone taking on an event for the first time.

[graeme]

Could this win the award for the least child-friendly event of the year?

No.
That award would go to one of the many events that's equally rubbish for children, but doesn't actually tell you that until you enter/get there.

[Grahame N]

As other people have indicated - it really helps if the closing date for entries is after the final details have been posted.

[pete.owens]

Either I have to walk a 5 year old and a three year old 1.9k to the start, around the 1,4k course, then 1.9k back, (all of which the three year old would want to do on my shoulders) then run 1.9k to the start, around the 5.3k course, and 1.9k back from the finish, or my husband has to run 1.9k to the start, run around his 7k-ish course, run 1.9k back to assembly, pick up the kids, then walk them 1.9k to the start of the white, 1.4k around the white and 1.9k back to the finish.

Or - you arrange with your team captain for early and late start slots. Roll up at the car park in time for Mum to leap out, get kitted up and jog to the start. Meanwhile Dad spends half an hour faffing round tying shoelaces sorting warm clothes and al the other time consuming things involved when taking young children on an outing. Then the three of them take a gentle stroll to the finish, stopping on the way to have a look at the river and anything else that catches their attention. When they reach the finish they can have a rest and cheer their club mates on the run in until mum arrives (hopefully taking rather less than 2 hours to get round the blue course). At which point dad zips of to his start while mum takes the children to do the white course. Everybody waits for each other at the finish so you can all compare notes about your different adventures as you walk back to assembly.

[SeanC]

I had a quick scan on the BOF website and I couldn't find much in the way of "good practice" guidelines for such things as how to make level B and C events child friendly, or beginner friendly or just friendly or well publicised etc. For example http://www.britishorienteering.org.uk/i ... line_b.pdf is all pretty technical and concentrates on courses. Perhaps this is something that BOF could help with? Though I'm not sure what that committee or who's responsibility that is. There may be people on this forum who would be willing to contribute to updating some content on the website.

This thread is really about making events friendly to parents who want to go orienteering.. as a family. Perhaps the younger juniors might be better off with local, esp junior only orienteering/coaching (which is another area of weakness in the sport), but with the ageing demographic and possible collapse of traditional forest regional events, all opportunities to keep the under 45's orienteering should be taken up IMHO.

Would an "orienteers with younger children" facebook group be a good idea? To share ideas on how to keep 6 year olds orienteering instead of spending 45 minutes in a particularly good ditch? Or tips on events with good after O childrens stuff etc? Or give awards for the most child friendly event of the year?

[seabird]

Creches did happen

Ironically, child protection considerations and requirements seem to have put paid to them

[Sunlit Forres]

making events friendly to parents who want to go orienteering.. as a family

In my experience, parents with young children are unwilling to help at club events due to the pressures and demands of looking after the kids. Understandably so. I've been there.

It sounds to me like this is a positive opportunity for clubs and event organisers to get such members actively involved. Ask them to co-ordinate some child-friendly facilities at events that will involve their own kids in having fun. This would allow those with the orienteering skills and fewer distractions to focus on getting the other aspects of the event right (and hence get lots of praise on Nopesport).

We seem to be wringing or hands about the lack of 21+s at events and now this. We should try, but sometimes it just isn't possible with a limited pool of volunteers to cater for everyone's wishes all of the time.

[AndyC]

Not making any negative comment about SF's post (because I agree) but as the average age of starting a family is now headed towards 30 it will probably help more in the (also low participation) M/W 35 age group
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2051374/Average-age-women-having-baby-climbs-29-start-family-later.html -although that is England and Wales and SF is in Scotland
(add 5-6 years for the child to be independent enough perhaps)

[madmike]

Creches did happen

Ironically, child protection considerations and requirements seem to have put paid to them

I knew that, irony doesn't really cover it - and this is only in UK for some strange reason.

In Portugal I even saw creches with bouncy castles at local events with 50 odd competitors and a sign saying you can't leave your child here for more than 3.5 hours! In Italy people ask other club members with no training in childcare and no CRB checks to look after their kids whilst they run - shocking and it would probably be considered reckless child abuse in UK

For me the lack of Creches in UK beggars belief but I suppose that must be where the woolly-thinking in woolly-thinking liberal comes from. We have not thought thorugh the 2nd and 3rd order effects of well-intentioned legislation before implementing it and more people suffer than are protected.

[plain lazy]

I've just checked the start times properly and it seems Mrs Plain Lazy and I have a 97 minute between start times, for me to get me round my course, back to the kids (9 months old and 3 yrs old), and for her to traipse up to her start still enthusiastic about competing for the club.
That's clearly not going be possible even if I have the run of my life, AND still have the where-with-all to run back down the hill again. I doubt she will be in the best frame of mind having sprinted 1.9km half way up Birsemore trails to no doubt miss her time anyway.

A quick look at Aboyne Academy on google maps shows a large area of playing fields behind the school and car park... a wee string course maybe? Even unmanned it would have given Mrs PL something to occupy our 3 year old with for half an hour or so.
I can only hope that when we request a punching start for Mrs PL that is granted so she can take her time to get to the start and still be competitive.

[greywolf]

For me the lack of Creches in UK beggars belief but I suppose that must be where the woolly-thinking in woolly-thinking liberal comes from. We have not thought thorugh the 2nd and 3rd order effects of well-intentioned legislation before implementing it and more people suffer than are protected.

What's liberal about it? the CP legislation & procedures are there to protect schools, local authorities, governing bodies etc from litigation - child welfare is a secondary concern...

[madmike]

For me the lack of Creches in UK beggars belief but I suppose that must be where the woolly-thinking in woolly-thinking liberal comes from. We have not thought thorugh the 2nd and 3rd order effects of well-intentioned legislation before implementing it and more people suffer than are protected.

What's liberal about it? the CP legislation & procedures are there to protect schools, local authorities, governing bodies etc from litigation - child welfare is a secondary concern...

Sadly - you are exactly right - risk averse officialdom, caused by ambulance chasing lawyers........

What a wonderful world it could be if only we had a Golgafrinchan Arkship