Advice on slalom fees for kids

[yarnellboat]

Hello those of you who frequent slalom races, especially those who paddle with kids....

What do races tend to do about fees for kids?

If there's a parent-child class, and the young kids are basically along for the ride, it would add up for the family and discourage the participation of the youngest paddlers, which would be bad.

So, do races typically waive fees under a certaina ge? Have a minimal fee for insurance only?

Thanks if there's any common protocols. In year 3 here in BC, we may be having some kids showing up, but the parents are balking at the fees ($25/participant + $5/class for up to 3 classes/person = max individual fee of $40, 1 practice day, 1 race day). But if 2 parents race with 4 kids (each parent doing runs with 2 kids) it would be 35 + 35 for the parents and 30 x 4 for the kids = $190. Not good.

I'll obviously ask the race organizers I work with here, but curious as to what's done elsewhere and if anything is considered typical.

Thanks, Pat.

[ohioboater]

Mountain bike races around here always make it free for kids (usually under 13, which is where "official" categories start). At one race my kids did, the field was 60 at least.

[John Coraor]

Slalom fees in the northeast are generally lower than what you've quoted.

The New England Slalom Series (NESS) races are all $15 per person for the first class and $10 per person per class additional for second and third classes. However, they offer free entry for kids 10 and under. The NESS series is primarily Class II (with some I+ and II+) and includes both open and decked boats.

The Penn Cup Series is a beginner slalom series at various sites in PA. It generally consists of Class I races. Fees are set by each individual race organizer, but typically follow a similar pattern of an initial first class fee that is higher than the fee for second and, if available, third classes. Some, but not all, Penn Cup races offer a price break for kids (e.g. $10 for adult first classes, $8 for adult second classes & $8 for cadet/junior first first classes & $5 for cadet/junior second classes.)

As a parent who has been racing with 4 kids for the past several years and also as a race organizer and Competition chairman for the Kayak & Canoe Club of New York (KCCNY), I can second your thoughts about the fees mounting up very quickly for families. Considering that we seem to have fewer and fewer racers each year, I believe that it is in the best interests of race organizers and the overall health of the sport to do anything and everything we can to encourage youth participation in slalom competition. Making race entry fees affordable for families is certainly one valuable approach to attaining this goal. The NESS series offer of free entries for children 10 and under is helpful. However, I typically didn't get my kids into solo boats until after they turned 10, so this generous offer wouldn't have assisted my family for long (although we race in the NESS series, the free entry offer came after our kids had aged up beyond it). I often wind up paying $135 or more in slalom entry fees for a single NESS competition. Although that hasn't detered me from entering, I can't say that it doesn't give me pause. Particularly in the present economy, it could represent a real barrier to participation for some families.

John

[Craig Smerda]

Well said John!!!


IMO... charge the kids under 16 years of age only the base $25 and let them paddle in as many classes as they can. If they are paddling tandem with a parent or someone over 16 years of age only charge the additional $5 class fee for one person and not the child. Obviously the initial $25 goes to help cover insurance and operational costs of putting on the event... and from my experience putting on races isn't exactly cheap.

"And that's all I have to say about that."

[Yukon]

Let anyone under 16 race for free
In the big picture how many kids are you going to have and how much revenue would they generate. We need more kids paddling canoes and especially slalom. Families are already hit with so many fees, this and that. Since this is primarily an adult event and will go ahead regardless if there are kids at all. If you need the revenue just up the other fees slightly to cover the loose from kids fees.

Make it attractive for families and the event will grow. Get kids hooked and they may be lifetime paddlers which is priceless.

[Eli]

At the Slalom Nationals this year at ASCII, they charged $10 for a child that entered the Jr/Sr...I paid the standard $10 for an extra class on top of my other fees.
Sage didn't understand why she was only racing in the one event though, so I hope she doesn't end up paying as much as I do next year!
The Jr/Sr class seems like a crowd favorite and the medals are really up for grabs for any family that paddles a few times a year.

[yarnellboat]

Make it attractive for families and the event will grow. Get kids hooked and they may be lifetime paddlers which is priceless.

The Jr/Sr class seems like a crowd favorite

That's where, I'm coming from. Thanks for the info on other races. I'm lobbying our organizers to only charge the $5 insurance, and maybe $5/class if they enter other events - so $15 max for a kid in 3 classes. Under 18 would be good!

While I'm asking, are there any typical age brackets or other guidance on how a Sr-Jr class is defined - how junior and how senior?

Thanks again, Pat.

[Jim]

$10 for the Junior paddler in Jr/Sr? I registered my son (10 years old) for $75 and that was the only class he raced in. I also registered my 15 year old son for $75 and raced with him only in the OC-2 open 15 class (since I could not put him in the Jr/Sr). No one told me about another option... I am not feeling so good about the $150 it cost me for them to race.

[yarnellboat]

Oops, didn't mean to open a can o' worms!

Jim, why couldn't your 15-yr old race Sr-Jr - what were the age cut-offs for that?

Or was it that you couldn't do the same class with different partners (which I think we'd allow for sure at our little keep-it-simple race).

Thanks,
Pat.

[Jim]

Yes- I cannot race in the same class twice (once with each son); another way of looking at it is that I cannot race against myself.

I think the cut-off age for juniors is 16.

[Eli]

I'm sorry to hear that you paid more than we did, Jim.
This is definitely an issue that should be resolved by the racechairs.
Congrats on your gold finish though.

[yarnellboat]

Thanks for the input.

For the Tamihi Five-0 we'll do $5 per event for kids under 18, and we'll let parents/"seniors" race against themselves with different kids/juniors.

Pat.

[Einar]

Count me in for any of the Seniors rates on T50.
Einar

[Peter B]

For the Midwest's Buttercup Whitewater Slalom Series, the organizers charge the same for adults and kids, a flat $15.00 per race per participant, regardless of how many classes you run.

[yarnellboat]

Einar, kids rates, not senior's rates! If we had reduced rates for seniors, nobody'd pay full price! We could make "junior" under 40 without much impact, but drawing a line for seniors, now that would get sensitive, though I might learn how old some people are.

Pat.