To be, or not to be, that is the Question. So said some dude in a windy castle in Denmark. If only he'd had access to e-mail, he could have jotted down his problems and sent them to [email protected]. Of course, bearing in mind the answer would probably refer to damper settings, he might not have been much the wiser, but what the hey.Deborah Richards: Lovely to see the item about kids and sport [see Newsletter #60]! We have an Indoor Rower and all three of mine (15, 13 and 11) would love to make more use of it but I am not sure where to start, how often, how much to factor in growing bodies etc. How about an interactive programme for them, they love these gizmos, where they can see how to start using it properly and relating it to the use they get. I've been warned off a time or two by people saying it's not a good idea for children, but armed with some relevant and safe guidelines I'd love to encourage them a little bit more. One of the big questions they all ask is how to use it to fit in with (a) sailing - the RYA site had no info and told us to contact you (b) Hockey and cricket (c) Long distance swimming with some asthma! I love the newsletter and would love more interactive schemes for training, including ones for busy mothers with little time to spare! Terry O'Neill: With children the most important aspect is that they enjoy what they do. Certainly the younger ones will devise ways to enjoy the machine that may take the form of getting the stroke rate as high as they can or the split time as low as they can. The emphasis should be to develop good technique and you can use the Concept 2 distance award scheme as an incentive. For the under 13s, we give certificates and t-shirts for 10,000m, 25,000m, 50,000m and 100,000m. This will mean the need to keep a log and for you to check that the metres have been completed. The important thing at this age is to develop a regular routine of exercise that will develop self-discipline. This is more important than the content of the session at this age and I would be inclined to let the child determine how far they row in the session. They will be motivated as they see the metres building up and when they get the first certificate and t-shirt this will spur them on to the next level.For youths aged between 13-18 there are also 4 awards from 100,000m up to 1 million metres. Certainly the 15 year old could follow a structured programme and what I would suggest is to download the interactive 2,000m programme from the website. This programme has five levels and I would start at level 1 and see how that goes. You may find that the 13 year old could also start the programme at level one, especially if they're a girl.For more on the Distance Award Schemes, go to http://www.therowingcompany.com/v4/dist_award.htm