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[RC] Volunteering - Julie Herrera
I am so glad this thread came up, it is my soapbox subject! Since I just
got back from the Norco ride where I am the volunteer coordinator I do have
a few things to say. First of all, I think riders forget that this sport
would not exist without volunteers. I had approx. 30 volunteers this
weekend and could have used more. That was just the VC volunteers, at this
ride we also need mounted patrol to help repair vandalized trail markings,
and Citizens patrol to help at major street crossings so you could probably
add another 30 people to the list. 60 plus people who gave up a Sat. of a
holiday weekend to come spend all day at a hot, humid, dusty endurance ride.
Sometimes I wonder why they do it, there are a variety of motives but I
thank God that they came to help! What amazes me is that quite a large
portion of my volunteers this year are not endurance riders. They are
people like Charles who are new to the sport, trying to learn more, or heard
about the event from a friend who is a rider and are curious about
endurance. I had one volunteer who drove over 3 hrs. to help and he made it
to the first VC which opened at 6:45 am. Several people drove between an
1-2 hours to help.
As Angie said, there are plenty of jobs that need to be done and not all
require any experience. Yes, there are the boring number checker jobs out
in the boonies. So you bring a comfortable chair, sunblock, a cooler full
of water and snacks, and you finish that book that has been 2/3 read for the
last month :) As far as getting the "good" volunteer jobs go, at our ride
it is first come first pick. If you volunteer early, and there is a Vet
secretary position available, you got it! The one spot that I really like
to have experienced riders located is at the P/R checks. It is hard to be
under pressure to take a pulse rate. With the horses moving and anxious
riders it can get pretty stressful.
So here comes my sermon for today: BE NICE TO RIDE VOLUNTEERS !! This
weekend 99% of the riders were wonderful, friendly and courteous to the
help. But there always seems to be a rotten egg in the bunch doesn't there.
Unfortunately, the negative comments are what last the longest in our
memories. One rude rider can cause a really great volunteer to never do it
again. Most often it is the front runners who are the rudest. No I am not
against racing, I love a good race to finish as much as the next person. I
realize that riders get "race brain" when they are going for the top 10.
But they still need to remember that they wouldn't have the opportunity to
be racing at all if it weren't for the volunteers. If you as a rider think
there may have been a mistake made in timing or trail marking, don't take it
out on the volunteers. Ask to speak to the ride manager or person in charge
of the VC and discuss it calmly. You don't need to yell and rant to get
your point across.
Part two of my sermon: GIVE BACK TO THE SPORT YOU ARE PARTICIPATING IN!!
So many riders get their EN magazine and start planning rides to attend.
How about adding one more ride to your schedule to volunteer at? Riders
truly don't comprehend how much work goes into putting on a ride until they
get into the trenches! If you want quality volunteers who understand the
importance of taking a horses pulse and recording times correctly become one
of those volunteers yourself. Volunteer at one ride a year just for a little
reality check, who knows you might even learn something new!
OK I'll jump off my soapbox now :) With huge thanks to all who helped out
this weekend, including my husband who does the work of 4 volunteers ,and
Lynne Glazer for taking on the gigantic task of putting on this ride, now I
am going to go take a nap!
Julie Herrera
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