July 14, 2011
Employee Training, Participant Instruction and Competency
Jason Kurten, M.S.
Outdoor Adventure Coordinator
Director of Indoor Climbing Facility
Texas A&M University, College Station
Josh Norris, M.A.
Climbing and Adventure Education Coordinator
Adventure Leadership Institute
Oregon State University
This article is the second of a two part series devoted to risk management for artificial climbing walls. The first part of the article dealt with the physical facility. This article will focus on the human element involved in the sport. As many of us know from our larger recreation facilities, the human element can often be the most difficult to manage and sometimes the hardest to predict. However, once the physical facility is secured, the single most important way to mitigate risk in climbing walls is to develop a process to address human errors and issues, both in our employees and our patrons. In developing this process, the areas to focus on include: the concept of Demonstrated Competence and its application to both the skill instruction and testing of our patrons and the training and testing of our employees. Read more
May 12, 2011
Steve Kampf
Recreational Sports
Bowling Green State University
Scott Haines
Recreational Services
The College at Brockport, SUNY
Robert C. Schneider
The Department of Physical Education and Sport
The College at Brockport, SUNY
William F. Stier Jr.
The Department of Physical Education and Sport
The College at Brockport, SUNY
Brady Gaskins
Office of Residential Life
Bowling Green State University
Introduction
Legal liability practices within a college recreation program have long been an apprehension for the personnel who oversee programming. In particular, club sport activities have been a concern as to what the true legal liability benchmarks were in the field of college recreational sports. A review of current literature revealed a lack of benchmarking information relating to legal liability practices in collegiate club sport programs. Specifically, the information gained from this study provides programmatic direction in reviewing and proposing changes to policies and procedures relating to club sport safety.
A comprehensive research study was recently completed on the subject of legal liability that relates to club sports. Areas that were studied included the use of waivers, travel, coaching, first aid/CPR, and supervision. The following information serves as a reference point for those who oversee college club sport programs and could help in developing or reviewing policies and procedures.
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April 07, 2011
Ian McGregor, Ph.D.
President, McGregor & Associates
Insufficient supervision and lack of appropriate instruction in sport and recreation are the most frequent types of negligence seen in the courts. Hence it is critical that effective supervision and instructional policies are developed which clearly spell out the requirements and expectations in these two areas.
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