RANT (beware): Kids at the climbing gym...
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caughtinside wrote: I don't know about that. I don't think I've ever seen a birthday party at the berkeley gym.Well, they offer them... and I know I've seen a bunch of parties at the old Class V gym in Marin. And I bet even Berkley has a huge summer camp program. touchstoneclimbing.com/kids… The Berkley gym also has a big fitness component, which is a luxury most gyms can't afford (or fit). We have a big fitness space and it is big part of why we have such a membership tilt. The smart gyms are incorporating these fitness areas and it definitely takes the pressure off of driving the kids' party whip. For what its worth, many new gyms have dedicated kids areas... a smart move, but a very pricey one and only doable for big gyms, with big $$, in big markets. |
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I once saw a sign in a gym that read "All unattended children will be given an expresso and a puppy" |
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KHall wrote:I once saw a sign in a gym that read "All unattended children will be given an expresso and a puppy"Great idea. I'm all for that one, or the simple note saying: 'All unattended children screwing around in this gym will be shot" |
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caughtinside wrote: I don't know about that. I don't think I've ever seen a birthday party at the berkeley gym.I've seen a few there. Ironworks is huge though, they actually have room for kids there. I think it's ironic that people tout birthday parties as way of lowering costs. If insurance companies had any idea of what was really going on, they would RAISE rates for those gyms holding parties... I've always wondered, out of morbid curiosity, how many routes/climbing hours have been denied us due to the overly letigious nature of people in 'Merica today? |
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Ian G. wrote: I've seen a few there. Ironworks is huge though, they actually have room for kids there. I think it's ironic that people tout birthday parties as way of lowering costs. If insurance companies had any idea of what was really going on, they would RAISE rates for those gyms holding parties...I can guarantee you that the insurance companies are on this one. If birthday parties were a cause if serious injury at a climbing gyms, the rates would be higher! But it turns out they are not..... I'll certainly agree that they increase the "chaos" factor at a gym though. Kids programs are, in general, a significant source of revenue for climbing gyms. So that does lower the cost to members at most gyms. It's a fact. |
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I believe it's the parents responsibility to manage their kids at all times while in public places. |
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Hayne, those are great photos of Kid Climber! |
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Cool. That wall reminds me of the look of our first outdoor one we built here back in 1985. New thread needed now: your best "Kid Climber" photos. |
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i have found that if i say "fuck" a lot around kids one of two things will happen: the parents will scoop them up to get them away from the degenerates, or the kid will wander back to their parents swearing up a storm. the second option doesn't fix the problem of unsupervised children, but it makes me feel better... |
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I have been taking my kids climbing for years. They started in the gym at our rec center and they got a harsh lesson in manners from one of the guys working there. He was formerly an instructor in the airforce and former special forces and took no lip. He would make my kids (with my approval of course!) do pushups for every infraction no matter how small. PT makes them think twice and if that doesn't work they would get kicked off the wall for a day. Also as a parent I do my part in supervision and telling my son to not jump on a problem that someone gave up on and send it. Kids need to play but, like puppies, they need the structure of the pack to teach them how to be functioning members of a bigger society. I get irritated with the rec-rats whose parents drop them off at 8AM and pick them up at 6PM and expect the kids to raise themselves. As they say in "Parenthood", "you need a license to buy a gun or catch a fish but any asshole can have a kid" |
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M Lindfors wrote:telling my son to not jump on a problem that someone gave up on and send it.Why not? I don't see anything wrong with that. Its not your son's responsibility to protect other people's egos. |
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I was climbing during one of the many birthday parties that go on for little kids at the gym, and I fell off my boulder problem while some of the kids were running around underneath me and I totally stomped this little boy. |