Monday, July 2, 2012

Volunteering

Due to my next race, I chose not to race or train this weekend. This doesn't happen very often.

Well I can't just rest, relax and do nothing, can I? So I had this huge problem of what to do.

After some thinking I decided to work as a volunteer in Triathlon Finnish Championships. I'd get to see some old friends, and work outdoors by a lake.



It was fab. The weather was sunny with ideal temps around 20C. Almost a thousand triathletes of all levels aged 10-75 got to enjoy a perfect summer race thanks to about a hundred volunteers. We got tons of positive feedback from the racers, like "this race was so well organized" or "I'll definitely be back next year".

This experience reminded me of a couple things:

  1. Volunteering can actually be more rewarding than racing, so everyone should definitely try it - newbies can learn a lot about their sport, and veterans can share their wisdom.
  2. Volunteers are absolutely essential for the success of complex endurance events like this, so always show respect and be nice to them.

See you at races!

 

No comments: