Are you taking part in one of our charity It’s A Knockout’s? Do you have any questions? New to taking part in an It’s A Knockout? Please read on, they might be covered in this FAQ’s blog, frequently asked questions.
This Blog has some FAQ’s and is especially for you the teams taking part. We’ll tell you a little about the games, what to expect and give you some hints and insider information (nudge-nudge-wink-wink). Please note that a lot of this is generic info, so please check with the charity of your event to see if anything is a little different or specific for your day.
About your team, FAQ’s
Our games are designed for teams of up to ten people in them to take part. But a team of six might still be ok if you’re ‘fit’ and don’t mind the extra activity because there is less of you. If your team has ten in it, then everyone can take part in every game if they choose to. No one is left out. However, anyone can choose not to do a game (no one is forced to take part), someone else in the team can have your ‘go’ for you if needed.
What to wear?
Well, you’ll be doing some running around and climbing over obstacles/inflatables, so clothes that are easy to move around in. You must wear trainers or such footwear. No crocs, flip-flops or bare feet. We encourage teams to come in fancy dress (for a bit of extra fun). It helps us with the scoring of the games. So make sure that your attire is suitable for taking part in the games. It make be fun having the whole team dress in onesie’s but when they get wet, they’ll get heavy and cumbersome. No sharp edges (e.g. Pirates teams that means no swords on the games), and footwear buckles that might rip the inflatables.
There are a few Teams blogs that have images to use as inspiration. Such as Knockout Teams 2023, Fancy Dress Teams 2022 and Knockout Teams 2019. We also have a Flickr page of more images It’s A Knockout Teams.
Will we get wet?
Yes, if it rains, and yes if it doesn’t!
We normally get asked to run some games that use water or have bubbles involved (bubble-bath type bubbles). On these games you will get wet (if you choose to do the game). Have a change of clothes and bring a towel with you.
What sort of games will we be doing?
We have a few different sets of games, so please speak to the charity organizer about the set they have chosen. We also have a few YouTube videos that will give you an idea as well. Some games can be as simple as running across an inflatable to collect something to bring it back. It may be collecting parts of a puzzle in the same manner, then reassembling them. These tend to be “timed” games. the fastest time gets the most points.
Some games involve the team collectively helping each other to perform a task, maybe carrying something down the course without dropping it. Maybe collecting water, the most wins. It all depends on the set of games we have been asked to bring.
Bonus Points Up For Grabs!
Sometimes the organisers ask us to award extra points to add extra fun into the day. Why do this? Because, when you get down to the nitty-gritty, fast and fit teams have an advantage (booo!). Everyone has the chance to gain these bonus points so it sometimes levels the day a little (for all abilities). These bonus points can be all (or a mix) of the following.
- Team fancy dress.
- Design a joker card.
- Have a team mascot.
- Decorated team gazebo.
- Raising money for the ‘charity’.
- Cheerleaders (they may be asked to do a short routine!)
All of these are explained below.
Joker Cards & Mascots
On one game you can play a ‘Joker’. On this game your team will get double-points no matter what score they get awarded. So choose your Joker Game wisely. At the beginning of the games, we’ll explain each game briefly so you can decide which one you’ll be best at. For fun, you’ll also get some bonus points if you have designed and brought your own unique Joker Card with you (this is your Blue Peter moment, so get the cardboard, pens and decorations out). Plus you’ll get bonus points for fancy dress, bringing a mascot, and having cheerleaders.
Also there are extra points for bringing a team mascot. This could be a single teddy bear or company mascot. Sometimes teams have had dogs, children and objects.
Team Gazebo
We encourage the teams to bring their own gazebo with them. This will give your team a nice HQ area to place your effects/kids/packed lunches. Plus act as a shelter if it’s sunny (or rainy). Once more, bonus points for a nicely decorated team gazebo ! In the password protected Teams Page of our website there are examples of decorated themed gazebos.
Raising money for charity
The whole point of a charity It’s A Knockout is to raise money for the charity (and rightly so). So to help this, charities sometimes ask us to reward the teams that have raised the most money for them by awarding some bonus points accordingly. This may be the case at your event. Please contact the charity for more details. This of course means that if your team isn’t “particularly fit”, you can get a head start (points wise) by raising lots of money for the charity, coming in fancy dress, designing a Joker Card, bringing a team gazebo, a mascot and cheerleaders. What are you waiting for? Good luck !
See our Charity Fundraising Page and How to raise money for charity pages for more info and FAQ’s.
What time to arrive
The start of some charity days can be very hectic with traffic trying to park and unload, and people trying to erect their team gazebos. So try and arrive at least one hour before the games start time. Make note though that the charity may ask you to be there earlier than this especially if there isn’t good parking at or near the venue. There will probably be other attractions and refreshments available, so get there early and enjoy these before the games start.
Resources, Further Info and FAQ’s
We have further FAQ’s information available in the Client & Teams Part of our website. You can gain the details for this from the charity event organiser. In this part of the website is our Team Entry Form (which everyone has to sign) and a Team Information Sheet. Plus there are also some sample generic Sponsorship Forms, although the charity has probably given you a copy of there one. There is also ideas for Fancy Dress and sample artwork for Joker Cards.