03-26-2013, 03:15 AM
YES! Games that are played in an organized way normally do have well defined rules & guidance to the children! And yes, most organized games have a lot of insurance, liability, informed consent by the child's adults.
Hide'n'seek is also thought of by many fondly, however I am sure many have heard of the rare cases of disaster, when a child hides in a very dangerous place, like an old refrigerator...
with Marco Polo, there are a few variants that can lead to dangerous scenerios, one variant of the game has the "Marco" going underwater to countdown....& shallow water blackout has occurred, another has the "Polo" children splashing water at the "Marco"...some with kickboards....which can escalate in a charged game...
and children interactions in this district & county have had enough incidences of charged interactions in the past that it would be irresponsible for the county NOT to look at safety first in the pool!
ADDED: Remember, in this county, there is NO informed consent needed for children to play in the pool... there is no gate keeper & there is no way a parent or guardian can always give consent when their child is at the pool...
Although many of us would like to believe that everyone is nice & good to children, that is not always the case. Any adult and/or child can enter during open swim...that alone puts the county in a position that they MUST be able to have as safe a scenario as possible...
Another way to say it is how would you limit who can play in group in open pool time? How would the guards know that there was a potential for safety of any child was endangered (and with a mix of children & adults... that gets ever dicier....)
Hide'n'seek is also thought of by many fondly, however I am sure many have heard of the rare cases of disaster, when a child hides in a very dangerous place, like an old refrigerator...
with Marco Polo, there are a few variants that can lead to dangerous scenerios, one variant of the game has the "Marco" going underwater to countdown....& shallow water blackout has occurred, another has the "Polo" children splashing water at the "Marco"...some with kickboards....which can escalate in a charged game...
and children interactions in this district & county have had enough incidences of charged interactions in the past that it would be irresponsible for the county NOT to look at safety first in the pool!
ADDED: Remember, in this county, there is NO informed consent needed for children to play in the pool... there is no gate keeper & there is no way a parent or guardian can always give consent when their child is at the pool...
Although many of us would like to believe that everyone is nice & good to children, that is not always the case. Any adult and/or child can enter during open swim...that alone puts the county in a position that they MUST be able to have as safe a scenario as possible...
Another way to say it is how would you limit who can play in group in open pool time? How would the guards know that there was a potential for safety of any child was endangered (and with a mix of children & adults... that gets ever dicier....)