brandy327
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Post by brandy327 on Jun 13, 2016 13:35:15 GMT
My BFF and I are running our annual soccer banquet this Friday (this is only the 2nd year it's been done and the first year we're running it). Last year, there was an open area of the banquet hall and a handful of kids ran around in that area, food was spilled and at least 2 kids slipped and got hurt (not seriously but enough to cry and their mother's had to go to them).
One of said kids is the ds of one of our board members and at our meeting last week, BFF mentioned that there were going to be tables set up in the area where they ran around last year as a deterrent. The board member seemed a bit offended and said something to the effect of "well they'll just find another place to run around".
This crap REALLY gets under my skin. There is a time and a place for running around and goofing off and a banquet is NOT one of those. My kids and many others, found a seat at one of the tables and parked it, talking quietly but still having a good time. I felt like said board member was almost issuing a challenge...she rarely tells her kid no (which is why one of her kids plays on 5 teams and wears herself completely out to the point where she gets injured) and this case is no different...and her kid was one that got hurt last year.
Obviously, the board members are aware that we do NOT want kids running around (we also have electronics set up for a slideshow that we don't want taken out)...but is there any way to put a kabosh on the misbehaving of other kids? My dh wants to police the kids if they start getting rowdy and tell them to knock it off (in a nice manner) and direct them out to the parking lot to run around...which I get isn't necessarily the safest option but we really do not want the running around inside.
TIA!
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Post by Merge on Jun 13, 2016 13:43:36 GMT
Ah, herding cats (er, kids) is my area of expertise!
1. Cheerfully announce your expectations at the beginning of the event - kids, this is a formal event, and we expect that there will be no running around or horseplay. This is both out of respect for the other guests and for the owners of the facility we're using.
2. You can also deputize the other parents to help with keeping control in a polite and even funny way. Parents, we all know there are times for craziness and times for more moderate behavior. Our kids are still learning to match their behavior to the event. Please help us help them with this learning experience.
3. Most of the time, this is sufficient. Kids will usually rise to meet expectations as long as they're not unreasonable. Which brings me to ...
4. How long is the seated banquet outside of the time that people are actually eating? Do your best to keep it short and sweet. Even the most well-behaved kids will have trouble sitting for more than an hour or so. Consider involving the most active kids in whatever ceremony you have - presenting trophies/certificates, running the slide show, etc. Kids with a job are less likely to get into trouble.
Good luck!
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Dalai Mama
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Post by Dalai Mama on Jun 13, 2016 13:46:12 GMT
I don't have much issue with policing other people's children. I would handle it, much like your DH suggested, by telling them that running isn't allowed and, if they want to continue, they can take it outside.
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Post by epeanymous on Jun 13, 2016 13:48:36 GMT
How old are these kids? It's hard to tell from your photo. I don't think it's unreasonable to expect older kids to behave at an event for a few hours, but I also think it's nice that if you are celebrating people, you plan an event that is appropriate for them, and maybe a formal, quiet, sit-down event with a bunch of energetic young kids (again, I don't know what ages we are dealing with) isn't the best fit.
I don't think it is unreasonable to ask kids to not run around and yell or whatever, but I wouldn't necessarily want to have to go into an event knowing that I'm going to have to do that, repeatedly, or kick the kids outside, when it's supposed to be an event about them.
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Post by librarylady on Jun 13, 2016 14:00:35 GMT
MergeLeft has good suggestions.
In the elementary school, we tried to teach appropriate behavior by stating at the beginning of an assembly (for example) what appropriate behavior at such an event was to be. Sometimes I thought it was a message for the parents also.
Your description sounds like the kids are elem. age. I'd begin by saying "This is a banquet. At banquets, people do not run."
--Go on and give kids instructions as well as let them know what to expect: We'll give awards and then eat (or vice versa). If you know the time will be long for this age group, you might include, "After__ you can go to __ and play."
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Post by crazy4scraps on Jun 13, 2016 14:14:35 GMT
Ugh, I hate being in that situation where some people neglect to parent their kids and let them do whatever the heck they want regardless of whether it's appropriate and to the point where they are disruptive and distracting to others.
I guess the way I would handle it would depend on when the running around occurs. If it happens before the event officially begins, maybe you could keep all of the kids out of the banquet area until the event starts, and then make an announcement / friendly reminder at the beginning like a teacher would at the beginning of a class, such as "Welcome and thank you for coming! Everyone, please take your seats. Kids, we know you're excited and hope you have fun today! We also want to remind you that we have a lot of equipment set up inside so we would appreciate it if you only use your *walking feet* while inside the building and please use your inside voices today. Let's get started!"
If the running around happens after the awards, etc. have happened but while people are still visiting and talking afterward, I probably would have a parent designated to be on the watch for it to start up and nip it as soon as it starts, reminding the kids to use their walking feet indoors and if they want to run around they may do so outside.
For some reason, even the more unruly kids seem to mind a little better when a non-related adult spells out the expectations for them in advance. My kid was in a kindergarten class of 24 kids, and on the occasions when I happened to be in her classroom it amazed me how quickly her teacher was able to get their attention and get them all to sit down and behave with verbal cues like "1-2-3, eyes on me!" followed by what she wanted them to do. LOL, I tried it myself after that when my kid was playing with friends at the park and because the kids were used to hearing it at school, they immediately snapped to attention and actually paid attention to what I had to say. Maybe doing something like that would help in your situation too.
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Post by secondlife on Jun 13, 2016 14:33:27 GMT
I work with littler kids and they don't always remember from one minute to the next what you've instructed. So my go to room setup has clusters of chairs in little conversational groupings to make sure there aren't big open areas for running. It works pretty well. I also try to plan events so there isn't much downtime to allow them to get squirrelly.
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brandy327
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Post by brandy327 on Jun 13, 2016 14:34:58 GMT
See, THAT'S why I come here for advice! What great suggestions!!! For those that asked, the kids that play soccer range anywhere from 5 or 6 all the way up to high school. Kids around my kids' ages seem to behave accordingly. There are 2 major boys that I'm most concerned with that caused a lot of issues last year (one being the board member's kid and the other her nephew) and they're both about 8...maybe 9. Merge We actually shortened the time from last year thinking that there was too much down time for the younger kids...it was 3 hours last year from start to finish and this year we have it set for 2 hours. We were originally expecting 100 people...we were pleasantly surprised that we're almost double that.  So I'm not sure it's feasible to keep it right to 2 hours. We have figured that we need at least 30-45 mins to get everyone paid and in the banquet hall...then those people will want/need to go to the bar to get their drinks as well as look at the baskets that are being raffled off in addition to buying the raffle tickets. We're figuring an hour to an hour and a half for dinner. That right there is almost 2 hours. Plus the coaches want to get up and give a short thank you speech plus hand out the gifts to the players (they're each getting a club beanie). Then dessert/coffee. It's that 30-45 mins at the beginning plus the time when people start finishing up dinner that caused the most issue last year. I really like the idea of setting expectations right out of the gate. Now to find someone to do it...  |
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jun 13, 2016 14:35:16 GMT
It's a shame that parents don't keep an eye on their own children and correct their behavior when necessary. But if they're not going to do it, I would have no problem saying, "Please stop running. We don't want any accidents and anyone getting hurt." And if the children continue to misbehave, I also would have no qualms about approaching the parent and asking for their assistance in keeping their child from hurting themselves or the electronic equipment.
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pridemom
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Post by pridemom on Jun 13, 2016 14:44:23 GMT
Since you have multiple ages, can you schedule your program so that the younger kids' awards are done first and those families don't have to stay the full time if their kids are antsy? I realize some families may have multiple age kids playing, but once the younger kids are done, they could at least play outside.
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Post by Merge on Jun 13, 2016 14:45:27 GMT
See, THAT'S why I come here for advice! What great suggestions!!! For those that asked, the kids that play soccer range anywhere from 5 or 6 all the way up to high school. Kids around my kids' ages seem to behave accordingly. There are 2 major boys that I'm most concerned with that caused a lot of issues last year (one being the board member's kid and the other her nephew) and they're both about 8...maybe 9. Merge We actually shortened the time from last year thinking that there was too much down time for the younger kids...it was 3 hours last year from start to finish and this year we have it set for 2 hours. We were originally expecting 100 people...we were pleasantly surprised that we're almost double that. So I'm not sure it's feasible to keep it right to 2 hours. We have figured that we need at least 30-45 mins to get everyone paid and in the banquet hall...then those people will want/need to go to the bar to get their drinks as well as look at the baskets that are being raffled off in addition to buying the raffle tickets. We're figuring an hour to an hour and a half for dinner. That right there is almost 2 hours. Plus the coaches want to get up and give a short thank you speech plus hand out the gifts to the players (they're each getting a club beanie). Then dessert/coffee. It's that 30-45 mins at the beginning plus the time when people start finishing up dinner that caused the most issue last year. I really like the idea of setting expectations right out of the gate. Now to find someone to do it... OK ... if I may say so ... the event you have planned is essentially a fundraising raffle/auction type event. Typically that is an adults-only event around here. The awards banquet for the kids would be a separate event, shorter and more kid-oriented. Asking a bunch of kids as young as 5 and 6 to sit for 2+ hours is probably not realistic. I'm sorry; I realize this isn't helpful for this year, and I still think that having someone in charge state expectations up front will help at least reduce the craziness. I'm sure the soccer club members appreciate your hard work in arranging this, and the kids certainly benefit from it. For next year, for your own sanity, you might consider a different format and/or a different venue. |
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TankTop
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Post by TankTop on Jun 13, 2016 14:46:15 GMT
My son hates to be associated with misbehaving kids. In fact he turned down offers from two travel baseball teams because of the behavior of his would be teammates.
He needs to feel like an adult is in charge or he will remove himself. His baseball coaches all joke that they know the **it is hitting the fan in the dugout when he takes a ball bucket and sits outside the dugout.
All that to say, thank you for handling this. Many adults and kids will appreciate it.
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brandy327
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Post by brandy327 on Jun 13, 2016 15:09:30 GMT
See, THAT'S why I come here for advice! What great suggestions!!! For those that asked, the kids that play soccer range anywhere from 5 or 6 all the way up to high school. Kids around my kids' ages seem to behave accordingly. There are 2 major boys that I'm most concerned with that caused a lot of issues last year (one being the board member's kid and the other her nephew) and they're both about 8...maybe 9. Merge We actually shortened the time from last year thinking that there was too much down time for the younger kids...it was 3 hours last year from start to finish and this year we have it set for 2 hours. We were originally expecting 100 people...we were pleasantly surprised that we're almost double that. So I'm not sure it's feasible to keep it right to 2 hours. We have figured that we need at least 30-45 mins to get everyone paid and in the banquet hall...then those people will want/need to go to the bar to get their drinks as well as look at the baskets that are being raffled off in addition to buying the raffle tickets. We're figuring an hour to an hour and a half for dinner. That right there is almost 2 hours. Plus the coaches want to get up and give a short thank you speech plus hand out the gifts to the players (they're each getting a club beanie). Then dessert/coffee. It's that 30-45 mins at the beginning plus the time when people start finishing up dinner that caused the most issue last year. I really like the idea of setting expectations right out of the gate. Now to find someone to do it... OK ... if I may say so ... the event you have planned is essentially a fundraising raffle/auction type event. Typically that is an adults-only event around here. The awards banquet for the kids would be a separate event, shorter and more kid-oriented. Asking a bunch of kids as young as 5 and 6 to sit for 2+ hours is probably not realistic. I'm sorry; I realize this isn't helpful for this year, and I still think that having someone in charge state expectations up front will help at least reduce the craziness. I'm sure the soccer club members appreciate your hard work in arranging this, and the kids certainly benefit from it. For next year, for your own sanity, you might consider a different format and/or a different venue. Yeah, we've already discussed that. Unfortunately, this venue was booked at the end of last year's banquet. It was definitely NOT our first choice but we're stuck with it for this year. OUR idea was to have it a more laid back outdoor bbq where the kids could actually play soccer and run around and definitely have it more kid friendly. We've already brought it up to the board and everyone agreed that's a much better option. LOL |
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brandy327
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Post by brandy327 on Jun 13, 2016 15:15:30 GMT
My son hates to be associated with misbehaving kids. In fact he turned down offers from two travel baseball teams because of the behavior of his would be teammates. He needs to feel like an adult is in charge or he will remove himself. His baseball coaches all joke that they know the **it is hitting the fan in the dugout when he takes a ball bucket and sits outside the dugout. All that to say, thank you for handling this. Many adults and kids will appreciate it. My kids are the same exact way. None of them like conflict and they REALLY dislike children that are disrespectful and out of control. Unfortunately, they've had a lot of experience with this, especially my girls, because 80% of their 5th grade class is out of control. I remember in 3rd grade, my dd came home frequently in tears because she was having trouble focusing with all the bad behavior going on. To the point where, the entire class had to be evacuated twice because of one student. It has gotten a teensy bit better since then but then again a few weeks ago, they had a girl take off from outside because some boys were saying not so nice things to her. She actually dropped her backpack, kicked off her shoes and took off. The teacher was running after her, several other staff members, police and ambulances were called. Craziness. And honestly, while I KNOW it's not realistic to expect toddlers to sit still and quiet for 2-3 hours, I would expect that anyone in school can. I took all 3 of my kids who were kindergarten/first grade age to my dh's college graduation...well not the actual graduation but the events of the night before graduation. 4 hours we were sitting in chairs in 80+ degree heat. While they weren't mouse quiet, they were VERY well behaved and quiet during the times that were required. And as we left, we were complimented in a big way by everyone sitting around us that they were fantastically behaved children.  |
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Post by katiejane on Jun 13, 2016 15:19:33 GMT
That sounds like alot of 'adult boring stuff' for kids. And 2+ hours for some of the younger kids is a big, big ask.
I do think that if you leave space kids are programmed to want to run around in it. Is there a way you can keep the kids engaged with an organised physical activity outside (obstacle course that is a relay) while all the kid dull stuff happens at the start and end paying, adults chatting, queing for drinks and the speeches etc. That might help control the chaos. As the kids are only expected to sit for an hour and a half to eat. Maybe a table quiz or that guess who i am game with famous sports people and colouring on the tables. Best colouring could win a candy bar.
Stating the rules at the start might help. But ultimately its hard to police other peoples kids especially when the situation demands alot of the kids that realistically they may not be able to deliver.
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Post by bigbundt on Jun 13, 2016 15:26:55 GMT
I would have called out the board member when she said something. "Sure they might run around someplace but surely you can understand why not in this particular area since your son was injured doing that last year." /sweet smile
Could other parents just police the area during the event? Direct kids back to their parents/seats? A designated safe run zone? I don't even know why this is an issue, parents/organizers should be able to tell kids to knock that sort of behavior off. Are parents just letting their kids run around 100-200 people while the event is taking place? We do a lot of large scale events at work and we always have staff posted places to direct people back to their seats if they are in the wrong area or in the way. And I'm talking about ADULTS, I would have ZERO issues telling other kids to go sit down or stop running. I would have zero issues if I wasn't around and a parent said something to my kid. If a parent had something to say to me, I would have a lot to say back to them. What is going on with this country that there is something wrong with saying, "Hey Timmy, don't run here. Go sit down/find your parents/go to the yard if you want to run around".
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Post by femalebusiness on Jun 13, 2016 15:27:03 GMT
Not only would I have no problem telling a kid to knock it off and sit down but I would also tell the parent to be respectful of others and control your child or remove him...and I would not say it quietly. Sometimes parents need parenting too.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jun 13, 2016 15:31:40 GMT
Find some middle or high school kids who need Honor Society hours and have them volunteer at your event to wrangle the little tykes.
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Post by bigbundt on Jun 13, 2016 15:34:52 GMT
The only other thing I got is to arrange for free wifi. Tell kids to bring head phones. We had an event at work that was adult/business centric but we had a popular sports figure giving a speech so we had some kids there. They didn't care about the business side so that is what we did for them to keep them controlled until the speech at the end.  |
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Post by papercrafteradvocate on Jun 13, 2016 15:48:05 GMT
My BFF and I are running our annual soccer banquet this Friday (this is only the 2nd year it's been done and the first year we're running it). Last year, there was an open area of the banquet hall and a handful of kids ran around in that area, food was spilled and at least 2 kids slipped and got hurt (not seriously but enough to cry and their mother's had to go to them). One of said kids is the ds of one of our board members and at our meeting last week, BFF mentioned that there were going to be tables set up in the area where they ran around last year as a deterrent. The board member seemed a bit offended and said something to the effect of "well they'll just find another place to run around". This crap REALLY gets under my skin. There is a time and a place for running around and goofing off and a banquet is NOT one of those. My kids and many others, found a seat at one of the tables and parked it, talking quietly but still having a good time. I felt like said board member was almost issuing a challenge...she rarely tells her kid no (which is why one of her kids plays on 5 teams and wears herself completely out to the point where she gets injured) and this case is no different...and her kid was one that got hurt last year. Obviously, the board members are aware that we do NOT want kids running around (we also have electronics set up for a slideshow that we don't want taken out)...but is there any way to put a kabosh on the misbehaving of other kids? My dh wants to police the kids if they start getting rowdy and tell them to knock it off (in a nice manner) and direct them out to the parking lot to run around...which I get isn't necessarily the safest option but we really do not want the running around inside. TIA! When parents drop off the kids have them sign them in and at the same time sign a waiver of liability releasing you/board etc from and injury, listing out everything--slips on floor, hitting, unruly behavior. If the parents are there and staying, and their children unruly, use the PA system to call the parents to attend to their kids! |
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Post by ihaveonly1l on Jun 13, 2016 15:52:56 GMT
If it's time for the presentation in a very pleasant voice say to the room, "Everyone find a seat so we can get started." Then WAIT. Wait time is so often an under used strategy. If needed say, "Thank you to those that found a seat. It looks like we just have a couple more that need a place to sit. Raise your hand if there's a seat by you that is free. Boys and girls that haven't found a seat, this should help you find a place." Then WAIT!
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RosieKat
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Post by RosieKat on Jun 13, 2016 15:57:33 GMT
Can you set up a couple of tables in the back with coloring pages and crayons, maybe a few old board games? It won't prevent those who want "must" be physical (or who want to be and don't have parents directing them otherwise...) from doing that, but it might help prevent it in some of the other kids.
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Post by Basket1lady on Jun 13, 2016 16:15:33 GMT
Wow. That's a huge age spread and a lot of kids who are obviously active (they play soccer!) I think your idea for next year is spot on and much more appropriate for a children's sport celebration. I like the idea of splitting the awards into 2-3 groups. Youngest first, oldest last. That way the older ones can linger on kids/coaches who are moving on to other things without the younger kids getting disruptive. Younger kids will just want their trophies and they can go outside and run around.
An hour and a half for dinner is way too long. Keep it coming is all I have to say. Don't wait for the entire room to finish before starting the next course if you are serving in courses, such as a salad, main dish, then dessert. And start the awards while people are finishing up. They can still eat and hear speeches.
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calgal08
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Post by calgal08 on Jun 13, 2016 16:34:44 GMT
No solution for you, but I feel your pain. I hate it when kids do that. Dh and I have always been rigid on teaching our kids there's a time and a place to be goofy and an event like your describing is not one of them.
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scrapaddie
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Post by scrapaddie on Jun 13, 2016 16:46:49 GMT
It seems like you're trying to combine an event for adults (the fundraiser) and an event for the kids. This does not seem fair to the children and seems to be unworkable to me. It's way too long for kids and boring for the kids. Small children do not sit for 2-3 hours . BMaybe the soccer banquet should be planned for the children for whom it is designed. The baskets, the bar etc. seems to be adult only to me.
If you must keep the event as it is, then plan for the people who will be there . Maybe a separate area with some entertainment for the kids. Hire some teens to have games, movies etc, while the adults do their thing. When I was teaching, I had to plan for the students I had, not the ones I wish I had. I think you need to do the same
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jun 13, 2016 17:01:39 GMT
Minute to win type games while people are coming in.
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Post by Merge on Jun 13, 2016 17:05:26 GMT
My son hates to be associated with misbehaving kids. In fact he turned down offers from two travel baseball teams because of the behavior of his would be teammates. He needs to feel like an adult is in charge or he will remove himself. His baseball coaches all joke that they know the **it is hitting the fan in the dugout when he takes a ball bucket and sits outside the dugout. All that to say, thank you for handling this. Many adults and kids will appreciate it. My kids are the same exact way. None of them like conflict and they REALLY dislike children that are disrespectful and out of control. Unfortunately, they've had a lot of experience with this, especially my girls, because 80% of their 5th grade class is out of control. I remember in 3rd grade, my dd came home frequently in tears because she was having trouble focusing with all the bad behavior going on. To the point where, the entire class had to be evacuated twice because of one student. It has gotten a teensy bit better since then but then again a few weeks ago, they had a girl take off from outside because some boys were saying not so nice things to her. She actually dropped her backpack, kicked off her shoes and took off. The teacher was running after her, several other staff members, police and ambulances were called. Craziness. And honestly, while I KNOW it's not realistic to expect toddlers to sit still and quiet for 2-3 hours, I would expect that anyone in school can. I took all 3 of my kids who were kindergarten/first grade age to my dh's college graduation...well not the actual graduation but the events of the night before graduation. 4 hours we were sitting in chairs in 80+ degree heat. While they weren't mouse quiet, they were VERY well behaved and quiet during the times that were required. And as we left, we were complimented in a big way by everyone sitting around us that they were fantastically behaved children. Honestly, I would say your kids are outside the norm. Even in school we don't have them sitting for hours at a time without a stretch/movement break. Most kids can't handle it. Heck, my DH gets twitchy sitting for more than 30 minutes! |
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brandy327
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Post by brandy327 on Jun 13, 2016 17:44:20 GMT
I realize that it's a lot to ask with the kids...and after talking to my BFF more, we've decided that we're just going to let it go. We're not going to say anything and just hope that most people will keep their kids under wraps.
The fundraiser baskets (there's only 3) wasn't my idea but most everyone on the board liked the idea so BFF ran with it. But I see now that it probably shouldn't have been combined with the banquet. Live & learn. LOL
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jun 13, 2016 18:09:20 GMT
See, THAT'S why I come here for advice! What great suggestions!!! For those that asked, the kids that play soccer range anywhere from 5 or 6 all the way up to high school. Kids around my kids' ages seem to behave accordingly. There are 2 major boys that I'm most concerned with that caused a lot of issues last year (one being the board member's kid and the other her nephew) and they're both about 8...maybe 9. Merge We actually shortened the time from last year thinking that there was too much down time for the younger kids...it was 3 hours last year from start to finish and this year we have it set for 2 hours. We were originally expecting 100 people...we were pleasantly surprised that we're almost double that. So I'm not sure it's feasible to keep it right to 2 hours. We have figured that we need at least 30-45 mins to get everyone paid and in the banquet hall...then those people will want/need to go to the bar to get their drinks as well as look at the baskets that are being raffled off in addition to buying the raffle tickets. We're figuring an hour to an hour and a half for dinner. That right there is almost 2 hours. Plus the coaches want to get up and give a short thank you speech plus hand out the gifts to the players (they're each getting a club beanie). Then dessert/coffee. It's that 30-45 mins at the beginning plus the time when people start finishing up dinner that caused the most issue last year. I really like the idea of setting expectations right out of the gate. Now to find someone to do it... You've got way to many "steps" where people are waiting. Stack activities when possible. Pre-sell meal tickets to shorten the time people are at the door buying tickets. Aim to have no "at the door" ticket sales. By pre-selling you can shorten the opening time to 15 minutes or less instead of 45 minutes or more. Start serving the meal on time. Don't have a designated time for people to go to the bar for a drink and wait for that crowd to do that activity. You burn a lot of time waiting. Have the bar open, they can get a drink while the meal is being served, or go after their meal is served. Coaches can start giving speeches and even presentations while people are eating. ***I** have no patience for an 90 minute meal. Most people will have finished eating about 20 minutes after being served. that is the point coaches can start making their speeches and presentations. Those who haven't finished eating can eat while the coaches talk. If you are serving courses keep the courses moving. Don't wait long periods for "everyone" to finish before moving on to the next. Do it round robin style. Start serving shortly after the first arrive and serve until they have eaten which should get you through the "fashionable late" then start serving the second course to the early arrivals without waiting for the late served to finish their course. They will finish while the others are being served. |
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kate
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Post by kate on Jun 13, 2016 21:09:57 GMT
Is there a safe place for kids to be running around, such as a yard outside the building or an open lobby separate from your banquet room?
If so, make it part of your opening announcements: "Parents, if your younger children need to run around, please accompany them to (designated running space). The banquet hall is a walking-only zone."
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So I'm not sure it's feasible to keep it right to 2 hours. We have figured that we need at least 30-45 mins to get everyone paid and in the banquet hall...then those people will want/need to go to the bar to get their drinks as well as look at the baskets that are being raffled off in addition to buying the raffle tickets. We're figuring an hour to an hour and a half for dinner. That right there is almost 2 hours. Plus the coaches want to get up and give a short thank you speech plus hand out the gifts to the players (they're each getting a club beanie). Then dessert/coffee. It's that 30-45 mins at the beginning plus the time when people start finishing up dinner that caused the most issue last year.
