- It’s important to balance screen time with active time outdoors, especially for young children.
- Both kids and adults can reap all physical, psychological, and social benefits of obstacle course racing.
- Celebrating your birthday with OCR offers your guests an engaging and memorable bonding experience.
Change things up on your birthday
Since so much of the world has gone digital, virtual games and gaming consoles have become a hit at parties. While those can be a good time for the group, sometimes it’s nice to ditch the technology and embrace the great outdoors instead. Catching some sunshine is good for your health, and it’s a fantastic way to introduce a little adventure to your party, especially for children.
Research done by the Australian Institute of Family Studies found that children four to five years old have more than two hours of screen time every week day. Meanwhile, those that are 12 to 13 years old spend over five hours a day in front of a screen. Technology can be a great tool for learning and communication, but it should be enjoyed in moderation. Striking a balance between time spent with high-tech toys and time spent appreciating nature isn’t a complicated task. You or your kid’s next birthday bash could be the outdoor adventure that everyone will remember if you plan a fun activity like obstacle course racing.
Kids will love it
Kids of all ages have something to gain from getting involved in obstacle course racing, whether that’s physical benefits, mental strength, or just the chance to get dirty, make new friends, and celebrate.
Active play
There are so many benefits that outdoor play has to offer for kids. It strengthens their muscle groups, improves their motor skills, and sharpens their hand-eye coordination. If you get them started loving the outdoors at a young age, they’ll be more likely to enjoy other outdoor activities like running and bike riding as they get older. These kinds of cardio don’t require any fancy equipment and are a quick, inexpensive way for them to get around. Just think of your natural surroundings as a giant playground. Rather than slides and swings, there are dirt paths, logs, and trees - different kinds of obstacles that can be just as fun.
Friendly competition
Compared to the usual party games for kids like musical chairs (sometimes called Trip to Jerusalem) or multiplayer video games, obstacle course racing requires kids to really get moving and exercise their bodies and brains. It’s also a bit more competitive than other activities, since you need to put in more effort to reach the goal or finish line. Competition is healthy, and there’s no need to worry about children getting invested in the idea of winning. Just as long as there’s no one name-calling or being a sore loser, everyone can have fun. Right from the get-go, kids and adults alike should be encouraging each other to do well and cheering each other on.
Confidence from overcoming challenges
Getting praise from parents and other adults is great for motivating children. However, they also need to have some tangible accomplishments to build up their self-esteem and make them feel like they can overcome things that scare or intimidate them. Being challenged by obstacle course racing allows them to make mistakes and learn from those slip-ups in a safe and friendly environment. That way, if they mess up, they don’t feel like failures. They have a support system in their teammates and parents that also serve as a gentle reminder to do their best and just enjoy themselves.
Great for kids of any age
Regardless of whether your little one is just learning to walk or a pubescent teen, they definitely need some kind of regular physical challenge to keep their minds and bodies active.
Toddler years (1-3 years old)
Most OCR events have a minimum age of four years old for participants, but toddlers can do other exercises that are better suited to their growing bodies. If you’re working out at home and they look interested, encourage them to try out some simple exercises telling them to copy what they see you do. The element of play is key here, so don’t worry about them not doing it exactly right or having perfect form. If you have the space for it, you can even set up some small, secure obstacles in your house or backyard for them to explore. This will give them a head start on developing body awareness and a sense of balance.
Early childhood (4-8 years old)
Kids in this age group seem to have unlimited energy. Put it to good use by getting them involved in obstacle course racing for kids. They’re incredibly impressionable at this age, they’ll associate movement with having fun, and doing physical activity will bring them joy at this childhood stage. Training to overcome obstacles isn’t just a good exercise session where they can burn off their boundless energy. It’s also a good opportunity for them to build up their confidence and achieve that “never say die” attitude, which they can use no matter what kind of obstacles they are facing.
Middle childhood (9-11 years old)
This age bracket is often the one where kids start going through puberty, and it can be rough for them. They become more self-conscious about their looks and more prone to feelings of insecurity. Joining a community like OCR can give them an excellent source of support and learning. It can also give kids something to identify with at a time when they’re questioning who they are and where they belong. For instance, regulars in the kids’ category of Spartan call themselves Spartan Racers and collect little reminders of their part in the community like shirts, headbands, and medals. Puberty is a strange, awkward, and sometimes uncomfortable period in one’s life, but having a supportive group of friends can ease the discomfort and boost their self-esteem.
Adolescence (12-18 years old)
When your children are in their adolescent years, they have a whole new set of concerns. From a heavier workload at school to dating for the first time, they’re basically navigating new territories every day. Trying their hand at OCR can help them build resilience and stay fit at the same time. Like many situations they’ll face in life, obstacles on the course can be scary - but they can also be exciting. Defeating those obstacles despite the odds teaches them that they can do the same with other “real life” challenges.
Adults will love it, too
There is truly no age limit on fun, and this applies to OCR, too. It could be a full-fledged competition underneath the hot sun or an indoor game for a birthday party for adults. Whatever the case, it’s a perfect excuse to let loose and bond with your family, friends, or coworkers.
Stepping out of your comfort zone
No matter how much you love your job, the old saying holds true: All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy (or Jill a dull girl!). We all need a change in routine once in a while, and OCR is a huge change of pace from your typical office job. It’s a challenge, especially if you aren’t the most physically fit person to start with, but a refreshing challenge that you can tackle with your team. Time away from staring at screens writing up reports or endlessly scrolling is a necessity, and OCR is a radical way to break the monotony.
Camaraderie
Many OCR buffs recommend it to everyone they know because OCR is a venue to meet interesting new people and expand your network. But it’s so much more than that. These casual-acquaintances-turned-friends don’t just meet you for coffee and small talk about what’s been on the news lately. They will haul you over a wall, cheer you on as you wade through icy water or sticky mud, and share that suffering with you as they go through the same struggles, right there by your side. In psychological terms, this shared suffering is called “social glue”, because going through difficult challenges together bonds people in a more profound way than other experiences. Suffering as intense as the suffering you go through in OCR really increases the trust and confidence that you have in your teammates.
A sense of purpose
Even if the actual event only lasts a day, it feels good to have a clear, specific purpose in what you are doing. Your mission can motivate you all throughout training and preparation, and at the competition proper. There is a lot of power in wanting to come through for yourself and for your team, and it makes reaching the finish line even more satisfying. A sense of purpose can get you and your teammates through even the most exhausting training sessions and the most difficult obstacles.
Health benefits:
Cardio
Between all of the running, jumping, swinging, crawling, and climbing that you’ll need to do, OCR is a long, rigorous workout session. It will quickly get your heart pounding, which strengthens the organ and improves your blood flow. Good cardiovascular health means a lower risk of disease, particularly heart disease.
Strength and endurance
In OCR events, sometimes, you need to lift stones, sacks, your teammates, and even your own bodyweight. Your various muscle groups will be pushed to their limits, and when it’s all over and you’re cringing at the soreness, you’ll recover and come back stronger than you were before. Every time you do another training session or another OCR event, you can go a little bit farther, a little bit faster. Eventually, you’ll want to move up to longer races to keep on challenging your body.
Balance and coordination
Although there are obstacles that specifically challenge your balance or coordination, you are constantly aiming not to fall over as you go through the course. You develop coordination through big obstacles as well as little things that you’re (consciously or unconsciously) doing, like feeling the terrain as you take a step and stabilizing yourself if it’s muddy or uneven, or having your hands at ready to protect your face in case you fall.
Psychological health
The challenge presented by OCR will force you to focus and push other problems out of your mind for a while. Alternatively, if you’re holding on to any stress or anger, you can let it all out in a productive way when you hit the course. This is your chance to use those negative feelings as fuel to push yourself all the way to the end of the race.
What obstacles to expect
Pretty Huge Obstacles (PHO) in Taguig offers safe indoor obstacles and guidance from pros for OCR buffs or first-timers who want to get in on the action. Their obstacles mimic the real thing but come without the pressure of competition.
Vertical wall
Here’s one way to fulfill your action star fantasies without worrying that you might get in trouble for trespassing. Jump, climb, or hoist yourself over the vertical wall, or do some combination of the three. It’s a thrilling workout for your core muscles and your upper body. You can look up techniques online for making it up and over quickly and efficiently, or ask for tips from experienced OCR fans or friendly PHO personnel.
Balancing beam
If your parents signed you up for gymnastics as a child, this one might look familiar. The goal is simply to get from one end of the beam to the other. It looks easy, but getting across fast can be tricky. Practice makes perfect, so if you fall down a few times, don’t sweat it - it’s part of the learning process. In any case, you’ll be enhancing your sense of balance and getting a core workout at the same time.
Rope climb
The rope climb is pretty straightforward. There’s a rope, and you have to climb up it. However, there is a lot that goes into that climb, like upper body strength, grip strength, smart technique, and of course, sheer determination. Particularly high rope climbs might make you dread the long way ahead of you, but just prepare yourself by getting your foot-wrapping or foot-locking technique down pat before you go for it.
Monkey bars
This old playground favorite found its way onto the OCR scene and has been enjoyed by thousands of children and adults alike. A firm grip is vital on the monkey bars, as it’s the only thing keeping you from hitting the ground - or in some courses, the water. You’ll also develop a good deal of upper body strength on the monkey bars from lifting your own body weight and carrying it across the bars.
Get moving
Save the karaoke, cards, and video games for some other time. Treat your guests and yourself to a joyful, energized birthday party where everyone gets to use their physical and mental abilities. You can do it indoors or outdoors, so bad weather is no excuse to laze around. OCR brings out people’s competitive spirit and makes for a celebration that everyone will remember.