After several years of being in charge of the dunk tank on Track and Field Day, I feel I’ve developed enough expertise to pass on some advice about the best way to keep this event running successfully and efficiently. Since Track and Field Day is coming up at the end of this week, it seems like a good time to share some tips.
*Safety first is key. Keep the kids away from the tank so they don’t get pegged by an over-enthusiastic thrower, because there are going to be a good number of those. Also accept that there’s no way the kids will stay out of the mud, or try baiting the dunkee into splashing them, especially if it’s a warm day. Just herd them out of the line of fire.
*Have all the softballs. The more softballs you have in the bucket, the faster things will move. Also have a volunteer who is in shape, and preferably has been training for this day with months of shuttle run practice. They’re going to have a lot of back and forth running and reaching down as a part of their day.
*Protect the mechanics of it all. Always double check to make sure the seat is in a locked position before the dunkee climbs back up, and in the case that a kid has earned any right to hit the target with their hand, make sure they understand they only have to lightly push it instead of try to shove it into an alternate universe.
*Use warm water, so the dunkees won’t have to spend more time than necessary shivering and shaking. In fact, they’ll begin to look forward to their next splashdown after cooling off as they’re perched up on the stool.
*Be sure to get before, during, and after photos to share with the dunkees, or to use for future blackmailing opportunities. Just make sure if you post any of these photos online you let those people tag themselves if they want. They were the ones who made the sacrifice, so they deserve the choice of whether or not their entire social network sees them in one of their less-than-finer moments.
*Accept that even if you are fortunate enough to avoid a turn on the dunking stool yourself, you’ll still get plenty wet by the end of the day. Most of this comes from several dozen collateral splashes, but a lot of it will also come from some of the dunkees climbing down after their turn and immediately wrapping you up in a nice damp embrace. When this happens, and it probably will, it’s best to just smile and play along. After all, at least you weren’t submerged.
*Pick a kid wearing something very memorable and distinct, preferably in very bright colors, to have the first turn. That way you’ll be able to track when the line is almost at an end.
*Have a good team of people who realize the importance of keeping the line constantly moving forward. You will be chasing the clock all day long.
*There will inevitably be some obnoxious kid who misses the target but still feels entitled to charge it and send the dunkee underwater, unearned. This kid absolutely deserves to be kicked out of school for the rest of the academic year and probably the next one as well, and maybe never gets to eat cookies and ice cream again. However, the only thing you can do is to pay close attention and try to head them off at the pass so they don’t waste everyone else’s time.
*Dress for the experience. Wear clothing that will air-dry relatively quickly. Have copious amounts of sunblock available, because you’ll be reapplying it throughout the day. Above all, wear old shoes, the kind that you won’t care if you ever wear again after the end of the day.
*Never neglect to pay attention to what the thrower is doing. I’ve had a few softballs whiz by inches from my head over the years, and I’m hoping to avoid any of them ever connecting. That kid trying to hit the target is so focused on the possibility of a dunk that they could not care less if anyone is walking between them and the target. Constant vigilance!
*Lastly, don’t forget to have as much fun as you can. Because you are going to be dead tired from the moment you get home that night, and it’s probably going to last the entire weekend.
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