thedrifter
04-23-07, 08:55 AM
Officer questions local MWR policy
Lt. cmdr. ejected from recreation facility for bringing 9-year-old son
By Karen Jowers - kjowers@militarytimes.com
Posted : April 30, 2007
It was a cold, rainy weekend in mid-March when Navy Lt. Cmdr. Dan Moloney took his 9-year-old son to shoot hoops in the recreation facility at Portsmouth Naval Medical Facility, Va.
“They kicked us out,” he said.
He had broken the rules by bringing his son with him. So they went to a nearby Coast Guard facility to play basketball.
Moloney said that when he asked local Navy MWR officials about it, he was told a new regional Morale, Welfare and Recreation policy bars children younger than 10 from entering the facility, even with their parents.
Moloney, a doctor, is puzzled and angered by the new local policy, which is more restrictive than the Navy’s overall policy.
“Two weeks before, I’d gone with my 9-year-old and 4-year-old and we played basketball” with no problems, he said.
He stressed he isn’t questioning the policy that prohibits young children from the fitness areas, because he understands the risks of mixing kids with heavy weights and workout equipment. But the fitness area is separated from the gymnasium and other facilities by hallways and doors, he said.
“This policy says children under 10 are not permitted in any gymnasiums, outdoor basketball or tennis courts, football fields, et cetera,” Moloney said. “According to their rules, I can’t go to a football field and play catch with my 9-year-old. They say I can’t come in and shoot baskets with my son. That’s not consistent with the [MWR] mission.
“There are few safer places in the world for my son to play basketball, soccer, or football or run a lap than on MWR facilities on a Navy base,” he said. “The whole local policy does nothing but attack the family member benefits.”
The policy appears limited to Navy Region Mid-Atlantic, which includes Navy bases in most of New England as well as New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia.
In an e-mail response to questions, Navy headquarters MWR spokeswoman Ingrid Mueller referred questions about the local policy to the Navy Mid-Atlantic Region. Region officials had not responded to a request for comment by press time.
Mueller said top-level Navy regulations place restrictions on youths only within fitness centers. Children ages 10 to 14 are authorized access to MWR fitness centers if they are accompanied at all times by a parent or legal guardian. Children younger than 10 are not allowed in the fitness centers.
Navy regulations also prohibit infants and toddlers in strollers, car seat carriers or infant carriers of any sort in any area of the fitness center.
“This action is taken to remove any potential for injury to the child as well as eliminate an unsafe distraction for other patrons,” Mueller said.
She said Navy fitness professionals worldwide are creating special family programs specifically geared toward encouraging parents and children to improve their overall fitness.
She also noted that the MWR youth recreation program offers comprehensive, year-round activities for children in kindergarten through high school. Youth facilities vary by installation, but most provide outdoor youth sports fields, and some newer facilities have indoor basketball courts.
Moloney contends that the local policy runs counter to the Navy’s overall efforts to promote healthy lifestyles for families, including exercise.
The alternatives on a cold, rainy day, he noted, “are video games, movies and television — not the foundation of a healthy lifestyle.”
Rules differ
At Marine Corps fitness facilities, children younger than 10 are allowed in only if they are participating in a program specifically for their age group; in an organized athletic or special event; or under direct supervision of an adult, according to information provided by Catherine Ficadenti, deputy director of the Semper Fit Branch of the Marine Corps Personal and Family Readiness Division.
But children 10 and older may use the facilities’ gymnasiums and racquetball courts unsupervised, provided they have proper safety gear.
Children 11 and younger are not allowed in areas with fitness and weight training equipment even under the direct supervision of an adult, Ficadenti said. Air Force and Army MWR policies allow children in activity areas other than fitness centers, with supervision.
At Air Force MWR facilities, children ages 6 to 12 are barred from the cardiovascular and weight equipment and group exercise rooms, Maj. Danielle Taylor, head of sports and fitness at Air Force Services Agency, said in an e-mail response to questions. But they are allowed into other activity areas, such as basketball courts, racquetball courts and the running track, with interactive supervision from an adult at all times.
The Army is working on an age policy for recreation centers and community activity centers, Marcy Stennes, director of community recreation, said in an e-mail response to questions.
Ellie
Lt. cmdr. ejected from recreation facility for bringing 9-year-old son
By Karen Jowers - kjowers@militarytimes.com
Posted : April 30, 2007
It was a cold, rainy weekend in mid-March when Navy Lt. Cmdr. Dan Moloney took his 9-year-old son to shoot hoops in the recreation facility at Portsmouth Naval Medical Facility, Va.
“They kicked us out,” he said.
He had broken the rules by bringing his son with him. So they went to a nearby Coast Guard facility to play basketball.
Moloney said that when he asked local Navy MWR officials about it, he was told a new regional Morale, Welfare and Recreation policy bars children younger than 10 from entering the facility, even with their parents.
Moloney, a doctor, is puzzled and angered by the new local policy, which is more restrictive than the Navy’s overall policy.
“Two weeks before, I’d gone with my 9-year-old and 4-year-old and we played basketball” with no problems, he said.
He stressed he isn’t questioning the policy that prohibits young children from the fitness areas, because he understands the risks of mixing kids with heavy weights and workout equipment. But the fitness area is separated from the gymnasium and other facilities by hallways and doors, he said.
“This policy says children under 10 are not permitted in any gymnasiums, outdoor basketball or tennis courts, football fields, et cetera,” Moloney said. “According to their rules, I can’t go to a football field and play catch with my 9-year-old. They say I can’t come in and shoot baskets with my son. That’s not consistent with the [MWR] mission.
“There are few safer places in the world for my son to play basketball, soccer, or football or run a lap than on MWR facilities on a Navy base,” he said. “The whole local policy does nothing but attack the family member benefits.”
The policy appears limited to Navy Region Mid-Atlantic, which includes Navy bases in most of New England as well as New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia.
In an e-mail response to questions, Navy headquarters MWR spokeswoman Ingrid Mueller referred questions about the local policy to the Navy Mid-Atlantic Region. Region officials had not responded to a request for comment by press time.
Mueller said top-level Navy regulations place restrictions on youths only within fitness centers. Children ages 10 to 14 are authorized access to MWR fitness centers if they are accompanied at all times by a parent or legal guardian. Children younger than 10 are not allowed in the fitness centers.
Navy regulations also prohibit infants and toddlers in strollers, car seat carriers or infant carriers of any sort in any area of the fitness center.
“This action is taken to remove any potential for injury to the child as well as eliminate an unsafe distraction for other patrons,” Mueller said.
She said Navy fitness professionals worldwide are creating special family programs specifically geared toward encouraging parents and children to improve their overall fitness.
She also noted that the MWR youth recreation program offers comprehensive, year-round activities for children in kindergarten through high school. Youth facilities vary by installation, but most provide outdoor youth sports fields, and some newer facilities have indoor basketball courts.
Moloney contends that the local policy runs counter to the Navy’s overall efforts to promote healthy lifestyles for families, including exercise.
The alternatives on a cold, rainy day, he noted, “are video games, movies and television — not the foundation of a healthy lifestyle.”
Rules differ
At Marine Corps fitness facilities, children younger than 10 are allowed in only if they are participating in a program specifically for their age group; in an organized athletic or special event; or under direct supervision of an adult, according to information provided by Catherine Ficadenti, deputy director of the Semper Fit Branch of the Marine Corps Personal and Family Readiness Division.
But children 10 and older may use the facilities’ gymnasiums and racquetball courts unsupervised, provided they have proper safety gear.
Children 11 and younger are not allowed in areas with fitness and weight training equipment even under the direct supervision of an adult, Ficadenti said. Air Force and Army MWR policies allow children in activity areas other than fitness centers, with supervision.
At Air Force MWR facilities, children ages 6 to 12 are barred from the cardiovascular and weight equipment and group exercise rooms, Maj. Danielle Taylor, head of sports and fitness at Air Force Services Agency, said in an e-mail response to questions. But they are allowed into other activity areas, such as basketball courts, racquetball courts and the running track, with interactive supervision from an adult at all times.
The Army is working on an age policy for recreation centers and community activity centers, Marcy Stennes, director of community recreation, said in an e-mail response to questions.
Ellie