Advice on IronKids Please

Thanks for the info, it sounds like it's going to be a lot of fun and I'm really looking forward to it.

The reason I'm worried about what other people are doing is that my daughter is intent on winning. I don't think it's a realistic goal for her if there are going to be kids there that are being pushed hard by their parents. I'd like to set her expectations early so the event stays fun for her and she doesn't leave the event disappointed.

She's not doing this tri because I want her to do what I like doing. She sees me doing it so she wants to do it. I don't think it's realistic for a kid to do any serious training until their late teens. If she has an interest, I'll support her with the hope that she'll have a lot of fun doing it. Her winning is not a goal or a priority for me.


Edited by DaveyG 2009-07-18 11:47 PM

I volunteered at an IronKids Tri in Texas.  Most of the parents and kids are there for fun.  But there are definitely some racing, I saw a couple disc wheels on the older kids bikes.  And some pretty tricked out bikes, you could tell that the parents of those were some serious triathletes.  There were even some kids that followed the IronKids circuit.

Some of the parents got quite bossy with the volunteers (I did packet pick up and the race itself), but the majority are pleasent.  With most of them it seemed like nervousness for their children. 

The transition area was pretty much just like regular triathlons with racks set up by age group catagories.  Body marking and all.  Some tri suits, mostly swim suits. 

Best of luck for your daughter, hope this info helps.

Aquaphor Chic

From the IronKids website:

All finishers will receive commemorative medals.  Trophies will be awarded for those within the Senior Division.

So it looks like she will recieve a medal but awards/trophies for only the older Division. 


Aquaphor Chic

That's all great to hear. Thanks again for all the advice. I think it would be a great idea not to time or place. It sounds like it's going to be a great event.

You can't really keep your daughter from being competitive or prevent other parents from overspending or pushing their kids. The only thing you can really control is providing encouragement and perspective. She may do well or get her butt kicked, but, like the rest of us, she'll learn quite a bit from her first race. You have the right attitude. I hope your family has a great day.

As a ski racing coach for your daughter's age group I'm very familiar with the differences between kids and their competitive drive.  You can't control whether she has the competitive drive  but I would recommend making sure she knows you're proud of her no matter how she does (not that you aren't already).  Also, don't make a big deal of checking results.  As a coach I never check them in front of the kids.  I always look later.  Part of that is because I am a coach to the majority of the kids in the age group and I don't want them to think I'm playing favorites when I congratulate the ones that did well.  Obviously you don't have that issue but it's something to think about.  I always want to know how they did and it is sometimes really hard for me not to check immediately, especially if I have one that I know was having a stellar run on top when I sent them off or one that I've been working particularly hard with.  I've also had to console kids who didn't get ribbons at award ceremonies and try to explain to them why (and we ribbon out to 10th place at that age).  It's really, really not fun and breaks my heart.  I usually try to use it as a motivator for training but I am very careful not to say anything like it's unfair or incorrect.  These events should be fun but at the same time we will continue to compete against our peers for the rest of our lives whether in sports or school or jobs and these are valuable lessons. 

Anyhow, have fun!  I'm hoping to spectate or volunteer at the Avon Ironkids race over Labor Day weekend and can't wait!