Yoofs - guidelines

[JayneToyne]

It was brought up at the last meeting about minimum ages for kids out on the club runs and social rides.
Now as far as I can see we are left to decide this as a club.
I would say the youngest to be allowed without a parent on a club run should be no less than 13.
I have a parental consent form that should be signed for anyone below the age of 16, which basically covers us for guardianship over said yoof while out on a ride with us.

I would also recommend as a point of safety that anyone below 16 should at the very least be seen riding by a coach or vice captain, and be given a brief introduction to road riding. Remember, kids can't drive so theres every chance they have no idea about the highway code.
As part of this recommendation I would say the best place for an assesment is on a closed road circuit. ( ie Hillingdon or Eastway.)
The same goes for MTB, an assesment first before being taken on an epic adventure down hill or cross country. Beastway and the Hillingdon off road trail is another good place to check them out to make sure they arent a liability to themselves. ( or others)

Helmets are mandatory for anyone under 16. This covers all disciplines.

As part of the parental consent form we are required to have a parent or guardians contact number in case of an emergency. This should be carried on the ride by a responsible adult.

There should also ( at my recommendation) be a basic first aid kit carried on the ride. ( especially so for the MTB DH and XC)

(the first aid side of things is to be sorted out seperately.)

I also need a list of all members who have some form of child protection training and would be happy to accompany a yoof on a ride now and again.

chars

Jayne

[Jon H]

[quote]Remember, kids can't drive so theres every chance they have no idea about the highway code

[Andy]

Yoofs is offensive, we're not all yobs.

On a bike, to me, there's not too much I need to know in my opinion:
- Don't weave
-Wave through drivers if you have to
- Indicate with left/right arm outstretched
-Ride in safe manner
-Wear helmet

[JayneToyne]

anyone who thinks they know everything... doesnt. anyone under 18 usually think they know all there is to know that they need to know.. etc etc..

yoofs is just the nicer way of writing youths... thats not offensive where i come from.
( my nickname used to be yoofie and i was never bothered by it)

Andy, if you are so confident, then join me on a coaching ride and take lead of a group. Id be happy to see you ride and show me what you are capable of. How about saturday morning at Hillingdon in 3 weeks? or down at a circuit in epsom on a sunday?

[Andy]

[quote="JayneToyne"]anyone who thinks they know everything... doesnt. anyone under 18 usually think they know all there is to know that they need to know.. etc etc..

yoofs is just the nicer way of writing youths... thats not offensive where i come from.
( my nickname used to be yoofie and i was never bothered by it)

Andy, if you are so confident, then join me on a coaching ride and take lead of a group. Id be happy to see you ride and show me what you are capable of. How about saturday morning at Hillingdon in 3 weeks? or down at a circuit in epsom on a sunday?

[JayneToyne]

ah, i see, back pedalling now... ;o)
any excuse not to ride in the cold.

if you are looking for a road bike it might be worth asking on here, someone somewhere might know of a decent 2nd hand one to get you started with.
if you are still growing, as I imagine you are then its not worth forking out loads for a bike that wont fit you in 6 months time.

if you want to go to hillingdon they actually have road bikes there you can ride if you dont have your own. they arent the prettiest of bikes but they work.
Im going to be taking an old bike over there in 3 weeks to donate to them for renovation, if the weathers good, it would still be nice to you out and about

ask shashi, he went over twice in the peshing rain and wind and still had a good time learning to ride in a group and racing. hes got a fort road bike, not sure how much it cost but i could ask his dad next time i see him.

[Andy]

We'll see.

I ride in any weather...... I don't want to be high maintenance with the pack lapping me every few minutes though

[Rob]

on a more serious note, if you're allowing kids as young as 13, i think they should be only allowed with a club members 1 2 1 supervision. May sound childish, but i started with the club at 15, and from what i can gather, i was really annoying to ride behind.i probably still am, but i hope ive improved, in terms of keeping a straight line, constantly racing(as youngsters do) and generally over taking in unsafe places!


apart from that, im all up for more young people to challenge me

[Jeff]

I also think we need to consider the child protection angle so that we are confident that young people are safe and respected at all times. A lot of sports organisations have done this. My employer, for example, publishes the following to help them:

http://www.nspcc.org.uk/inform/flyers/Sportscheck.pdf

[JayneToyne]

rob, appreciate what you are saying there, but you are still a pain in the ass to ride behind so I dont think the age thing makes much difference, only the amount of attention you pay to guidance from coaches. ;o)

with the right tuition from the start a 13-14 year old can be a much tidier rider than any adult who hasnt had group riding coaching.

as long as they are taught to use their brains rather than hormones to navigate by then we could well be on to a winning junior team in the future.

jeff, child protection is also top of the agenda for allowing youngsters into the club. i have parental consent forms and currently i only know of myself and Tim coales who are sorted for the child protection angle.
if we had a few more coaches it comes as part of the job... and more coaches will hopefully be on the way later this year