DDR pads needed for a school, who to contact...

Ikari Warrior · Basic Member Joined: 13 Oct 2005

Hey guys,
I've been hanging around these boards for a while and just joined up. It seems like a great resource. I wanted to get your opinions on a situation we have at the place I work.

I teach Kindergarten kids during the morning hours and 1st-6th graders in the afternoons. I also do a full day Summer Camp in the summertime. Last summer I decided to bring my passion for gaming to my class in a way that would be approved by my supervisors. I had already been exposing them to the classics of the SNES, Genesis, and Neo Geo on our classroom PC's, but they can't spend too much time on the computer.

So last summer I brought in my own TV andPSOne along with the original DDR, Konamix, and Disney Mix. I brought my own Mad Catz Beat pad, and my friend donated his pad so we could do two player. Obviously it was a huge hit all summer. The parents and supervisors all loved it because it got the kids moving and encouraged coordination.

So after the summer, we took it down, and the pads were beat. This last summer I brought it back in force by bringing in my home PS2, and every DDR title released so far. We spent $40 on new Beat Pads to replace the old ones. After the summer I decided to keep it year round since the kids love it so much.

We had to use a big chunk of our budget money to get new pads this time. I have 14 kids in the class, but we get a terrible budget, sometimes $25 for three months. The pads we bought this summer are dying out after a summer of nearly constant use. My supervisors don't want to give us any extra money to buy new pads, or a used PS2 (since carrying my home system back and forth every night I want to play is taking a tioll on the system).

At the beginning I emailed Mad Catz directly, telling them how much the kids enjoyed the pads and our money situation at the school and asked if they could help. I told them what a great marketing tool it was, about how many parents inquired where to buy the setup for their homes. I was hoping they would donate some pads for our center to use, since they die out so quickly. Of course they never responded at all.

I was wondering if you guys had any ideas on who to contact about donating some new pads. I thought about contacting Konami directly, since the official pads that come with the game seem like good quality. Who should I contact there? We contacted and sent pictures to Redoctane in conjuction with a contest they were holding, and thought they would help out, but we never really heard much back.
I have a class of nearly all girls, and they're all really into it and they're getting pretty good. They get really discouraged when the mess up because the pads aren't working properly, and I hate having to tell them it's because our school is too cheap to get us new pads. It's bad enough they pay me like crap, and I brought in all my own setup (TV, system, games paid for myself), then they wouldn't give us a bit extra to replace our old pads.

Do you guys have any other suggestions on which manufacturers or stores to contact?

(sorry about the long post, I just wanted to explain our situation)

The kids and I thank you for any suggestions!
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Zanshin · Trick Member Joined: 16 May 2005 Location: Madison, WI

Ech. $25? That's pretty sparse...

I guess your best bet would be to email RedOctane...They've got a soft mat for $30, but I'm sure if you give them your plight they'll help you out.

I got my school club sponsored in a similar manner--I emailed them, and they requested a list of members and email addresses, as well as a letter from the moderator on school letterhead confirming that the club is active.
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Sniopa · Basic Member Joined: 13 Oct 2005 Location: S. Deerfield MA

i wish i could get ddr at my school
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DDRmom · Posted: Sat Oct 15, 2005 3:48 pm Post subject:

IM me at ddrmomm
I can get you info on educational ddr packages available for schools.
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flcl573 · Trick Member Joined: 03 Jun 2005 Location: Alachua, FL

Well, your setup can depend on how much you/kids/school want to spend.

Normal softpads (Beat Pad, Konami Pad, etc.)- $20-30
Die out quickly
Suck for heavy play

"Deluxe" softpads (Redoctane Ignition, Foam pad)- $15-100 (ebay always works)-
Die our quickly also (depends from pad to pad)
Decent for heavy play

Metal Pads (TX-2000 series, Afterburner, Cobalt Flux) - $70-300
Best pads
Don't die out, hopefully
The way to play heavy

Cobalt Flux ($300 each + shipping) is the best pad on the market. I don't think there's ever been anyone who's broken one of these beyond use. $300 or $600 is a LOT for something like this, but maybe you could get money from everyone or something. I'd do this.
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Flazh · Trick Member Joined: 09 Oct 2003 Location: Leeds, England

Well with the price of a PS2 and the price of DDR pads, tell your supervisors that they should stop being so cheap. Also, otherwise do a fundraiser or something. Hell, I used to make more than that much in two hours of working my old job. It's not that much money...

Da-Risin-Smoke · Posted: Mon Oct 17, 2005 6:59 am Post subject:

25 bucks for 3 months?
i guess the schoolboard doesn't expect you to get a couple of dance pads.

sometimes you haveta get it out of your own pocket.
talk to the schoolboard about it! they can't ignore the prevention of obesity.

- Da-RiSiN-sMoKe
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Pop'n Usagi! · Trick Member Joined: 17 Nov 2002 Location: Your mum

That little money really is a joke.

You could always do this as a fundraiser: Use your own ps1/ps2, pads and games like you have before, but charge a small amount to play, for the incentive that it'll go towards buying a setup to play anytime for free.
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LAN040 · Posted: Mon Oct 17, 2005 6:39 pm Post subject:

I don't think that Kindergartners or summer camp kids would like paying 50 cents to play a song (or round) of DDR. It sounds a little cheap to be scamming from innocent kids for their money. I suggest talking to the school board or admin. about your dillema, and than maybe they will understand how much the kids enjoy DDR, and how it helps fight obesity.
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DJZylch · Posted: Mon Oct 17, 2005 7:23 pm Post subject:

I'm pretty sure he wasn't suggesting to make the little kids pay, but to set up a fundraising activity where other people from the neiborhood or community could come play for a small fee, with the insentive of better pads for the kids. I think it sounds like a noble cause.
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Ikari Warrior · Basic Member Joined: 13 Oct 2005

Well, the kids decided to go with a weekly bake sale to start raising the funds. They brought it brownies and cookies and set up a table with prices and signs. The older kids are only with me for about an hour and a half in the afternoon, but in that short time they made $30.

They plan to do it every Thursday afternoon, changing up the items, until they raise enough for quality pads.

I was thinking they'd need about $200 or so, what kind of pads would you suggest (apart from the obvious Cobalt Flux) I've seen some pairs of metal pads for $200 on ebay in the Bemani Controllers forum that look nice. Any opinions?

zero_delocke · Posted: Fri Oct 28, 2005 5:55 pm Post subject:

I brought my two RO metal pads to the arcade I used to work at and let kids run all over them all day. Nothing happened to them. They work perfect for me at home (I play on heavy, 10+ footer sometimes) and they get a lot of playtime. I recommend getting those. I bought both of mine off of E-bay for 400 dollars. Costly, but they will last you. Hope that helps.
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el3m3nt sk8er · Trick Member Joined: 08 Jul 2005 Location: Mckinney, Texas

Da-Risin-Smoke