should there be kids as turn marshals

[Network]

A couple of weeks ago I was turn marshalling the 1/8th scale A-Main and the first turn will usually result in a few buggies rolling at quite the speed. There was a kid that I kept asking to step away from the track and he wouldn't listen. Shortly after a buggy that was going WOT took the turn too fast and the buggy came cartwheeling over and almost nailed the kid in the head(it landed in my hands, which was not planned). The kid did not learn his lesson, nor was a parent ever present :shrug: I have a little girl and I would not want to see her go to the hospital because an 1/8th scale buggy, Monster Truck, or anything of that sort hit her in the face/stomache/or whatnot going WOT.

Travis

 

[Buggyracer28]

At my old local track, well, 11/2 hr away track, I was TMing with this guy and we were TMing MT's.... we were right next to this big assjust where EVERYONE goes CRAZY and does cartwheels etc on it. Well, this one car went flying and it SMACKED him right in the arm (in the face if his hand wouldnt have been there)... I think the drivers have to have in consideration that you can't go crazy off those jumps and you can't depend on the TM's to fix your car back EVERY time... Man that would have KILLED... I TM all the time for anything and I'm 14... i started at 13 (when I started the hobby). my brother.... he just turned 12 yesterday and hes afriad to marshall MT's and 1/8 buggies because he thinks they are too big and loud. Hes very afraid of loud noises like that lol. PLUS he is the most spaztic person i have ever seen so he wouldnt be very good at TMing... O well. lol.

 

[RustlerDood]

This is more a matter of safety rather than should a child be allowed to TM. Just because a child can drive the R/C doesn't mean they as a matter of fact know how to properly TM. I know plenty of adults who can drive the car but not properly TM.

So children should be allowed to TM on a case by case basis. When I have kids I am sure as hell am not going to put them at such a great risk of TM for 1/8 buggy or MT....1/10 electric is fine but not 1/8 buggy....it is just not worth the risk.

Also it puts other people at risk as well.

 

[TacRacing]

Everyone deserves a chance.. If they mess up, or act like they don't know what they are doing... take over for them.
Most "kids" know what to do.. it is a little obvious.
As long as they stay out of the way of traffic and pay attention (get to the cars quick) then they should be OK.

 

[Network]

Most "kids" know what to do.. it is a little obvious.

There is a difference between flipping over/picking up a 1/10th scale electric buggy/truck and an 1/8th scale nitro Buggy/Monster truck..

Travis

 

[Pinblaster]

I am new to RC racing and took my step son (6yo)out to our local track a few times. to watch Nitro and to practice with elec. He wanted to get out there and marshal during practice and at first I wouldn't let him. After being out at the track a few times I let him Marshal for practice and noticed he was kinda slow and tended to put cars down the wrong direction. After observing him in practice, it was obvious that he didn't need to be marshalling during actual races. 1) because of safety issues, 2) because he was slow, 3) because didn't pay attention to the direction the cars were going.

So I think the if the kids want to marshal, they should try it out during practice and the parents should watch and see how they do and make a judgement call. If they handle it well then let them marshal, if they can't then they don't need to be out there during a race.

6 yo is way too young but I've seen older kids do well out there in 1/10th truck races. I've been hit by 10th trucks WOT and burned by 1/8th buggy's, but its lessons well learned as to what not to do. Kids can learn the hard way too, but it should still be up to the parent.

 

[RustlerDood]

I am new to RC racing and took my step son (6yo)out to our local track a few times. to watch Nitro and to practice with elec. He wanted to get out there and marshal during practice and at first I wouldn't let him. After being out at the track a few times I let him Marshal for practice and noticed he was kinda slow and tended to put cars down the wrong direction. After observing him in practice, it was obvious that he didn't need to be marshalling during actual races. 1) because of safety issues, 2) because he was slow, 3) because didn't pay attention to the direction the cars were going.

So I think the if the kids want to marshal, they should try it out during practice and the parents should watch and see how they do and make a judgement call. If they handle it well then let them marshal, if they can't then they don't need to be out there during a race.

6 yo is way too young but I've seen older kids do well out there in 1/10th truck races. I've been hit by 10th trucks WOT and burned by 1/8th buggy's, but its lessons well learned as to what not to do. Kids can learn the hard way too, but it should still be up to the parent.

You summed up my opinion really well and obviously I agree........safety is key in this whole discussion. Safety for kids, r/c cars, and bystanders.

 

[Rolex]

Rather than have a young kid stand on the OUTSIDE of a hard turn where lots of buggies lose it, let them learn, and get used to things by standing on the INSIDE, just after the turn. Lots of cars will drift too far through the turn and lose it there, and there's less chance of him being hit. He just has to get the car turned around. When he gets good at that, he can move up to a more active spot.

 

[Revo Rancher]

I know plenty of adults who can drive the car but not properly TM.

...and I know plenty of adults who can drive a car, but not properly...

 

[Got Nitro?]

At my local track there's alot of kid's Tm,but most of them are pretty young 8 and under,i was practicing and slammed a kid because he ran out in front of the jump's and i couldn't do anything,but i think the tm's should be at least 10 or older,after hitting that little kid I'm scared to drive on the track,with them tm'in

 

[Ryan with savage]

In the UK a child <16 CANNOT marshall a race, infact they cannot be in the pit lane either. We have "The child protection act" which prohibits <16 from certain dangerous situations (not actually designed for RC) its a very wide ranging piece of government legislation.

Most, if not all clubs cannot afford to let a child marshall as the 3rd party insurance they have will no longer cover them <16's and if one gets hurt marshalling or whatever they cannot afford to be sued to hell. <16's can drive and be on the rostrum but not on track for whatever reason.

 

[Maxx-Rider]

wow that stuff about the uk is crazy but yea i dunno i haven't been to a real track yet i wnat to go to this one this summer thou

 

[hpiracer]

I've been hit with a 1/10 nitro car in the ankle hurt like heck. i would hate to see if a 10 yr old got hit

 

[timmytimmy14]

one time in my backyard me and my friends set up cones and kicker ramp jumps and had a race for fun and we had my friend and some other kid marshall the race. my friend went off a jump kinda diagonally becuase it was right out of a turn so he didn't land on the track and he hit one of the marshalls in the knee at about 25-35 mph. the marshall was on crutches for about a week. his knee was all swollen up and stuff. it wasn't pretty.

 

[Monster Flip]

i thought 10 was too young...but 6,7,8yo? way too young...probably for electric mini classes yea but other than that, I think nitro cars/trucks are just too much for the little kids to handle...a child as young as 6 hopefully has even the adequate reflexes/judgement to safely TM.

 

[Tarant]

I think a line should be drawn some were 10 I think is as young as TM should go. But for mini electrics I think they can go as young as maybe 8 but they should be a TM for jr. class. not when pro racers with modified cars come in to play then the age should go up. At my lhs they had a mini race and some guys son wanted to be a TM (7yrs) they told him what to do and let him try a few times and it was great but then at the race the little boy had some problems. He really likes the color blue and dicided to chase after the lead car that was blue and in doing so stepped on another mini. So the lhs wants 10 and up.

 

[UltegraSTI]

already seen kids get burned on nitro cars b/c they dont know/remember where to pick up the car.

got liability and insurance issues to think about as well.

just dont think kids should be doin much nitro at all period til a certain age. yes kids that can't seem to calm down during the excitement is quite annoying.

here's another spin on this subject some1 touched upon earlier.

last mth 1st min of the heat in 1/8 buggy. this child starts runnin the length of the track over the table top. i crashed my storm intentionally to keep form hittin him, others as well. the track announcer yelled over the PA, what is that child doin!!!! stop him!. finally....whats he do, he runs back in the reverse direction on the track again. he ran out there b/c he saw his dad's car turned over, but when it was righted (by the TM). he stopped and followed his path out. we all pretty much stopped b/c no1 could believe it.

in the buggy main at my local track's big fall event last yr. 1 of the TMs' sons (8yrs old) ran behind the table top (landing side) to his father next to it watchin the Ss b/c he wanted to ask his dad if he could have 1 of the water bottles in the cooler. nearly gettin speared by 1 buggy full tilt over the jump. we almost lost our club right there b/c it was so close. the driver pulled off the track and quit the run right there. i opted not to run the races earlier that afternoon b/c of so many children everywhere w/lil or no supervision or regard for the track. u know the kids that see a car flipped over (say in practice or a club race) and run out there at random, seemingly finding it cool to just touch the cars.

well i hope every parent and guardian makes the right choice for their kid. if their too young, let em stay home. kid runnin around restless in the pit area is just as bad as out in the track perimeter. if they are just startin out racing. turn marshall w/them parents!!! if their ready to do it on their own, let em do the slow/stock classes (electric pref). u wont get any grief from a track principal or official if u ask them if ur kid can marshall a stock class as opposed to the nitro MTs that follow his novice class for example.

all the best

-Ult

 

[Tarant]

The one thing that really annoys me is when parents bring their children to events and just let them go wild cause they think well they will be ok they think that it is a babysitting/daycare thing. and then you have kids running wild and the parents are never around. I dont mind letting kids come to me and want to touch and see my MT and watch that doesn't bother me I enjoy doing it. But then you get those wild child kids and all they do is cause problems.

 

[Maxx-Rider]

At my lhs they had a mini race and some guys son wanted to be a TM (7yrs) they told him what to do and let him try a few times and it was great but then at the race the little boy had some problems. He really likes the color blue and dicided to chase after the lead car that was blue and in doing so stepped on another mini. So the lhs wants 10 and up.

lol that made me laugh then again feel sorry for the guy whos mini got stepped on was it ok?

 

[RustlerDood]

one time in my backyard me and my friends set up cones and kicker ramp jumps and had a race for fun and we had my friend and some other kid marshall the race. my friend went off a jump kinda diagonally becuase it was right out of a turn so he didn't land on the track and he hit one of the marshalls in the knee at about 25-35 mph. the marshall was on crutches for about a week. his knee was all swollen up and stuff. it wasn't pretty.

Speaking of getting hit I got my knee smashed in tonight by a 1/10 nitro truck when the car was in mid-air going up on to a table top..........I flipped over the car and turn around to run down the hill and bam my knee gets smashed by a nitro truck...................imagine if that was your 6 yr old kid getting smashed in the face with a nitro truck (BTW I am 6'3 so knee level is about throat level for some kids)..........nobody would be laughing if that happened.........