Sample Waiver
participant/parent
Waiver:
I, the undersigned, am the
parent or legal guardian of the minor whose name appears below. I know that running is a potentially
hazardous activity. I know that the minor should not run unless medically able
and properly trained. I agree to
abide by any decision of the program director relative to the minor’s ability
to safely complete the risks associated with running in this program including,
but not limited to: falls, contact with other participants, the effects of the
weather, including high heat and/or humidity, traffic and the conditions of the
road or track, all such risks being known and appreciated by me. Having read this waiver and knowing
these facts, on my behalf and the minor’s behalf, waive and release the
(running club or responsible entity’s name)
_________________________________________________________, the Road Runners
Club of America, its officers, directors, agents, employees, sponsors, their
representatives and successors from all claims or liabilities of any kind
arising out of the minor’s participation in this event even though that
liability may arise out of negligence or carelessness on the part of the
persons named in this waiver. I further authorize and empower the program
director to consent to and authorize any medical care or treatment for the
minor that may appear reasonably necessary as a result of emergency, accident
or illness of the minor whether occurring before, during or after the event. I
grant permission to all of the foregoing to use any photographs, motion
pictures, recordings, or any other record of this for any legitimate purpose. I understand that personal music
players are not allowed for use in this program, and I will ensure the minor
abides by this guideline.
Minors
Name:______________________________ Date:_________________
Parent’s or Guardian’s
Name:_________________ Date:_________________
Parent’s or Guardian’s
Signature:______________________________________
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Criminal Background Check Guideline
The Road Runners Club of America has a
guideline, approved by the Board of Directors in 2007, encouraging the practice
of criminal background checks on for coaches, assistant coaches, volunteers, or
employees engaged in working with youth (legal minors) or handling funds on
behalf of a club or event.
Criminal background checks should be
performed on an ongoing basis throughout the year. The president of a running club or event or a duly
authorized official should manage any criminal background check procedure on
behalf of the club, event, or youth running program. The results of the criminal background checks should be kept
strictly confidential and only authorized individuals should have access to the
reports.
If a background check discloses a criminal
conviction for a violent crime against a person including a sex offense within
a 20-year period, this person should be disqualified from working with youth.
The RRCA has a partnership with the leading
criminal background firm, TC logiQ. To learn more, visit them a www.tclogiq.com,
and be sure to tell them the RRCA sent you.
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RRCA: FUNdamentals of Youth Running
The development of youth running
programs as an afterschool enrichment activity continues to be a growing trend
around the country. Schools
are working hard to incorporate affordable physical education into their weekly
schedules, and organized running activities seem to be topping the list.
“Schools and running program
directors have looked to the RRCA for many years for guidance in developing
their running programs,” explains Jean Knaack, RRCA executive director. “As a leader in the running industry,
we felt it was important to provide youth running program directors with basic
guidelines to follow when developing their programs and working with children.”
In advance of the printed edition
of the RRCA: Kids Run the Nation Program guide that will be available in
October 2008, the Road Runners Club of America promotes the following
guidelines for youth running.
These guidelines are based on the 10 developmental principles that guide
training and racing for young distance runners outlined in the book Training
for Young Distance Runners written by Larry Greene, PhD and Russ Pate, PhD,
published by Human Kinetics.
- Make Running Fun: First and foremost, running should be fun! Do not use running as a
punishment. Encourage children to
participate and try their best.
- Emphasize good technique: Teach youth good form early and help
eliminate bad habits such as excessive arm movement, twisting of the upper
body, or over striding.
- Focus on participation and self-improvement: In grade school, running should be
about participation and developing a healthy lifestyle, not about being the
fastest kid in the school or program.
Save competition for middle and high school aged students.
- Consider individual differences: Avoid a one size fits all running
program. Accommodate for
differences in abilities within the group. Children mature both physically and emotionally at different
rates, and this will factor into their ability to participate in running.
- Limit systematic training and competition before
puberty: Before puberty
children are rapidly growing and changing. Excessive, systematic training may interfere with normal
growth and cause injury in a child.
Between the ages of 3 and 9, encourage regular exercise, which can
include organized running for fun.
Around the age of 8-12, children may enjoy participation in a more
organized running program that has a more systematic training environment that
lasts 2-3 months. Around the age
of 12 for girls and 14 for boys, key developmental changes will enable students
to slowly increase training distance and duration leading to participation in a
systematic and competitive training environment.
- Increase running workload gradually: Running
workload includes volume (distance), intensity (speed or effort), and frequency
(number of days a week). Just like
with adult running, children should start a running program with a low volume, lowing
intensity, and limit frequency to a couple days a week. Workload should increase over the
duration of the program, but should remain appropriate for the individual
student.
- Participate in age appropriate running events: Running in a kid’s fun run or youth
track event can be a great experience for kids. For children 5 and under focus on “dash” events that
range from a few yards to 400 meters.
For children 5 and over, kids fun runs that are a ˝ to 1 mile long may
be considered, but allow for a combination of running and walking. Children ages 12 and over may want to
participate in a 5K run. Children
ages 15 and older may want to participate in a 10K to half marathon event. Children 18 and older may want to
participate in a marathon or further distance. These are general guidelines and the distance a child can
physically and emotionally tolerate will depend on the individual, however
longer distances (10K and over) should wait until after puberty.
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