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I ran the transition area for the Silicon Valley Kids Triathlon last Sunday. Man those kids were awesome [ages 4-14] 400 of them showed up and busted off a good one. Only drawback of the whole day was dealing with the rabid foaming at the mouth "Triathlon Parents screaming at their kids. The kids seemed to have a blast
11-14 did 400m swim 10k bike 1.5k run
6 and under 25m 1.5k bike .3k run it was awesome
check out these results
http://www.changeofpace.com/2003svktresults.htm
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"on your Left"
Yup, a wonderful event and our kids had a great time. We tried to wipe the foam off our mouths before we yelled encouragement at all the kids. We also noticed a lot of parents were busy impressing each other with IM finisher shirts and hats. Seemed a bit silly, but the event was about the kids and was really well run. Thanks for being there to keep things smooth in transition.
But wasn't the swim 200 yards for the 11-14 year olds?
you may be right, I'm a bit brain dead today.
this is my 4th year running the transition area and I will be back for a 5th
Thanks you so much for coming and I'm really glad your kids had a great time. Hey... we are always up for suggestions on how to improve the event for next year, so any feedback you may have would be welcomed.
It was the parents that were brow beating the kids for not going hard enough [for the parent] that got me mad. I mean for crying out loud let them be kids and just have fun with it. The parents should be happy that the kids put down the nintendo and chose to challenge themselves . Hopefully Triathlon causes something to click within and many of them will continue down the path of having a heathy lifestyle.
Eric
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"on your Left"
14 year olds shouldn't be doing such short distances..
I disagree, the event followed USAT guidelines and was in conformity with Ironkids and other National events as far as ages and distances.
The entire event was put on by the Silicon Valley Triathlon Club. Andy Robles of J&A gratiously lent us a lot of his equipment and the entire event was held on the grounds of DeAnza College.
This is meant to be a FUN event not an Adult Style Challege. We must be doing something right as after 4 years this has grown to be one of the largest Kids Triathlons in the country
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"on your Left"
"It was the parents that were brow beating the kids for not going hard enough [for the parent] that got me mad. I mean for crying out loud let them be kids and just have fun with it. "
Up here in the Great White North we call them "hockey parents". A uniquely Canuk phenomena. Sort of like the "baseball dad". They ruin the game for the kids with their unlikely fantasy of seeing their kids in the pro ranks. The kids had a lot more fun in the old days playing hockey or baseball on frozen ponds or empty lots than they do now.
I volunteered at the San Diego Int'l kids race the last two years. Transition is a hoot with these kids. Most of them rode their bikes and ran with no shoes. Talk about a fast transition! They don't like to rack bikes either; they come flying in and let the bike just roll off somewhere and crash into things. Not like us older trigeeks that are more concerned about scratches on our paint than a good T2 time.
Most of the parents were surprisingly good about the whole thing. The The "head guy" that was telling us volunteers what to do told us to clear out the transition, and this one parent refused to leave. He was setting up an elaborate bike and changing area for his kid.
With 20 other parents that I had escorted out looking on, this guy starts screaming at me that he can do whatever he wants. Why? Because he was the race director! He set a bad example and ticked off all the other parents that left transition when asked.
The kids were flawless, though. An inspiring sight to behold.
exactly why I do it. Watching the younger kids "go for it" is way too much fun. Inside the transition it was hectic but ok [I had a dozen volunteers] we kept out the parents of the older kids but when we ran the little Tykes [6 and under] in the last waves [get the big kids off the course first so the little ones don't get run over] we let in one parent per child to help put on shoes, helmets etc.
All in all it was fun, I'll be back for a fifth year
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"on your Left"
I think we'll be back too, although we'll only have one left in 14 and under. The other will age up, so I think we'll do the Tri for Fun together with her. With only 1 kid in the race next year, probably one of us will volunteer and give you a hand. Thanks again for making things go so smoothly for the kids. We really enjoyed watching all the kids have so much fun. After watching our kids do 3 of these now, we realize that their races are much more nerve-wracking than our own!