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vertk8r
Dec 17, 2004, 6:15 PM
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Climbing gyms should be coming up with some kinda system to post when there will be birthdays or parties or whatever things regular climbers might want to avoid! There have been so many days I have gone to the gym and it was swamped with birthday parties and I wish I picked a different day or time to go...ahhh.
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jbak
Dec 17, 2004, 7:17 PM
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Fall on one of the kids and squish him. That will get the gym manager's attention. Seriously, talk to the manager about the possibility of a kid-squish accident and that a good gym needs to be a TRAINING facility, not a birthday party mat-thrash.
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rokclimber101
Dec 17, 2004, 8:39 PM
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Do any of you know of a good gym in SLC that isn't infested with kids? I'm "a kid" still, but I know what you mean when 8 year olds steal your pad on a climb where the only possible landing is flat on your back. I've heard good things of both the Front and Rockreation, and have climbed at each a couple of times but not enough to know what is is like daily.
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quiteatingmysteak
Dec 17, 2004, 9:04 PM
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I just came back from the worst gym experience of my life, at a solid rock gym, and saw this thread :shock:
Here's the best advice: if the gym has a gri-gri, it is useless. I come in the morning (when kids should be in school) to see every rope being used. Not only can my brother and I not toprope, but the lead cave is swamped so no sport. Also they are teaching the boulder today so no pad, and they are learning on the spot where the 3 or 4 good problems are. The whole gym has been rearanged to account for this influx (i.e. each rope is filed with jugs, priority on getting holds up rather than taping them) and I have seen the worst boulder setting anywhere.
I would go outside but I had only 3 hours before work. I would go somewhere else but every place has this problem, except for vertical hold which is farther away than some near crags. Let's face it guys, there is no competing with parent's wallets. See me in New Jack City this Monday. I offer free belay.
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tangboy
Dec 18, 2004, 7:15 PM
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Wow i feel and know you're pain. now that i am a teacher, i try to get my students involved in things outside since most of them can only talk about Xbox this and Gamecube that. so i started telling students and parents that i climb every other tuesday at our local gym and if they want me to teach the kids how to boulder etc i will. so last tuesday i had about 15 of my students there ready to boulder. i had already given them the speech that they are there for a privilage... we never have to do it again if they goof, and some people are here to train, some to play, some to just relax. for the most part my kids were well behaved and i could teach some, crank a few problems with my brother, or play some games with some of the better students. toward the end though some of the older ones (7th and 8th) were obviously there only to flirt etc so they started to run around stealing the hats and scrunchies etc and that kinda ticked me off. so next time i will make it clear that people pay good money to CLIMB, not to play tag and such, there is the playground for that at school. so i am divided on the topic of taking students with me, letting whomever wants to to come along etc. i am in the process of making an outdoor club, so maybe i'll only let the students that are serious about climbing and want to join the club will come with me climbing, otherwise i am not responsible for them in the least. rug rats stink when they are only wrestling and i do not want to have to worry about keeping my kids under control. blah... hehe good post i like it!
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salamanizer
Dec 18, 2004, 11:35 PM
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Wow, don't I feel privileged. After reading all the horror storys I have realized that my gym is quite the rarity. We have a spacious 8000sq ft playground complete with 15 or so topropes for the kids to run around in, located in the far corner of the gym on the opposite side from where all the members climb. Only rarely do a few sneak out and run around the bouldering area. Im more conserned with all the day-passers hogging up all the ropes for hours while they take turns hanging in their harnesses 1/4 the way up the wall.
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quiteatingmysteak
Dec 19, 2004, 6:10 AM
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The more I think about it though, I really am grateful that there is an opportunity for kids to learn and love climbing.
Just not at my gym.
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justthemaid
Jan 2, 2005, 5:50 PM
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Two options (for not ditching you're current gym):
1) Adjust your scedule and go late at night when the grubs are asleep.
2) Be really mean. Make one cry and the rest will keep there distance.
(I love hearing that whisper- "That's the mean lady").
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c22
Jan 4, 2005, 11:01 PM
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sorry
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thisflash
Jan 4, 2005, 11:19 PM
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The positive side to all of this is that the little kids and their birthday parties can generate a lot of money for climbing gyms.
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twinglesmom
Jan 7, 2005, 4:59 PM
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I am an owner of an indoor climbing gym (one mentioned in this thread :wink: ), and I understand that this is a problem. We spent a lot of time trying to think through the kids vs. climbers issue when we were building the gym. We rely on the kids/parties to stay open - unfortunately the climbing population isn't enough to pay our bills. We also have the perspective that we want to educate a new generation of climbers.
We have tried to train our staff to be on top of these problems, and being a parent myself of three children, I can honestly say the issue is the parents. No matter how we explain to the parents that their kids can get seriously hurt (or hurt someone else), some of them just don't get it. It is then up to us to protect everyone and make climbing an enjoyable experience for the adults.
My suggestion is to ask the staff when "non-kid" times are likely to occur. For us, early mornings through 3:00 pm and 6 - 10 pm are good during the week; we offer "Members Only" hours which have very few kids. Weekends are usually party times, so first thing in the morning is best. Also, be aware of school vacation times (winter break, spring break, etc...)
Any one with any other ideas, let me know...I am watching these suggestions closely!
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kletter1mann
Jan 11, 2005, 4:08 PM
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In reply to: I am an owner of an indoor climbing gym (one mentioned in this thread :wink: ), and I understand that this is a problem. << >>
. . . . . I can honestly say the issue is the parents. No matter how we explain to the parents that their kids can get seriously hurt (or hurt someone else), some of them just don't get it. It is then up to us to protect everyone and make climbing an enjoyable experience for the adults.
. . . . . I am watching these suggestions closely!
As a soon-to-be fellow gym owner I'm watching this cloesely too.
To try to minimize this stuff we designed our gym with a small kids/party/beginner/lesson/testing area (aka "Training Center") physically seperated from the main walls by tall windows. It's about 10 TR's with 20' walls. I doubt the really little kids will care but I anticipate a certain amount of whining from older kids wanting to use the "real walls." The idea is to allow kids into the main area only after they've demonstrated reasonable restraint in the Training Center. We'll see how it works in the real world.
But can you elaborate on the parent problem? Is it a case of parents truly not grasping what the safety issues are or is more insideous.... In our market there are a lot of parents with too much money who are used to getting their way (rules are for other people). Also a lot of perenct who overindulge their kids, who have never been denied anything or ever heard the word NO. You're probably got some of the same types, how have you or your staff dealt with them? Thanks much........
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twinglesmom
Jan 11, 2005, 4:35 PM
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The separate area is a good idea - I would be curious to see if it works. I agree that the older kids would want to go in to the "big"area, but forcing them to show that they can behave would be a great incentive!
I find that we have two types of parents with problem children - parents who just don't "get it" and those who view the gym as a big playground. We try to educate them with a video, a staff orientation and our waiver that this is a potentially dangerous sport, etc... but I think they see portable walls around at carnivals and malls and just assume that we are like Disneyland.
We, too, have a high income population, but I see it as more of a lack of understanding than of thinking the rules are not for them. We train our staff to be polite but firm on the rules. Usually, explaining the rules to the child in front of the parents works well. For the very few who think the world revolves around them, they just tend to leave and not come back.
I appreciate when other climbers at the gym explain these things to the kids and parents - most of the time, when they hear a "real" climber explain something, it has a bigger impact.
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johnclimbrok
Jan 11, 2005, 8:32 PM
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Registered: Jul 7, 2004
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go outside
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dlintz
Jan 12, 2005, 2:10 PM
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Registered: Sep 9, 2002
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Random local webcam image
http://www.ci.lincoln.ne.us/pwcam/cam1_84_Ost.jpg
Yep, a great day to get outside.
The only place here in Lincoln with reasonable bouldering (a gymnastics facility) just changed their hours (again). Climbing now ends at 7 p.m. M-W, no climbing Thursday thru Sat., Sunday's hours are 7-10ish p.m. unless they decide to close early.
I don't even have the option to switch gyms.
d.
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