That was me who posted about the junior handlers, not Ric 
I actually have let a few other kids run with my older (now at rainbow bridge) dog at a fun run as she was extremely kid friendly. And I got non-stop complaints about it from two loud-mouthed adults at the fun run. Seriously. You would have thought the world was ending because I let two friends of my son try agility with my dog. Have they ever come back with their own dogs? No! No doubt because they heard the adults complaining loudly. I sure did! Kid are not dumb nor are they deaf!
I do like the idea of kid friendly demos. I need to think about how to do that. My son would be an excellent helper for this since he is still a junior handler!
-Amy
Sorry! I may have jumbled. And holy heck that is just terrible, adults do ruin it for kids a lot. I saw it in 4-H too. You are right kids are not dumb nor deaf, and they also seem to be more sensitive to the vybe of enviornments. I left 4-H over it myself - I was pretty good with my rabbits, and I kept beating the rabbit barn superindent's son, years in a row. One year, I went to pick up my rabbits at the end of the week, the superindent dumped a tray of rabbit poo on my head, on purpose. I had two years left I could do 4-H, but I didn't return. So yeah...it is not just dog people who can be shit! It is sadly a thing it seems...people dont want kids to be sucessful or feel good about themselves. It takes a thick skin to break into that kind of envioronment that kids just dont' have - and none of us should have to grow that thick skin in the first place! I try to live my life now by a saying, I learned it in portuguese from brazilian friends, but it roughly translates to "Go where you are wanted, not where you are merely tollerated". The flipside to this being - make spaces where people want to be
And that isn't something NADAC can do, it is something every single NADAC exhibitor has to do.
I did try a NADAC trial around here, few years ago, before getting into SAR, and every single person snubbed me and it took 10 min to find the registration. I was asking people without dogs on them, who were just milling about. No one would talk to me. The registration lady was nice though, gave pointers on where to crate it being my first time, and explained how the lineup works for that location and all that. So I figured I'd try. On the way out to grab my card as I forgot my dog's number, someone bumped into me hard (I was on the side of the isle! plenty of space!) scowled and said "What are you doing?" with a sneer. That was the kicker. I just left and didn't bother. Now, that NADAC trial seemed to have a lot of the AKC folk at their trial, the only two venues here, and I had the same issue at the AKC trial. So no, I don't blame NADAC. I blame a shitty local community. There are clearly some jems like the person running registration, but one kind person cannot undo half a dozen rudes. But in that experience, I heard about VT.
So why do I love VT and feel it increases NADAC participation? Because here, on this online space, I am generally wanted (say for the one or two rude folk who just look down on everyone who does VT, one who had the courage to find me on facebook and message me vitrol, lol, really people get over yerself). But basically, I dont have to worry about the anxiety and fear of dealing with all that crap. I just run my dog, we have a fun run. If it's clean I can send it in. If not, well, we had fun. I love Fenzi courses and do well learning online, so I do that instead. Sure it isn't most people's agility path, but paths dont have to look alike. And, isn't that what agility is all about? Just having fun with your dog how is best for your team
