Volunteering

The author of a blog I like, AgilityNerd.com, has sent out a request to make today a "Why Volunteer?" blog action day.  I thought I'd join in!  I'm new to the trial world and am still trying to figure out how to best manage my dog at trials so that she has a great experience.  So for now I'm putting volunteering on the back burner to be added back into the mix in the next year.  I have volunteered twice, once before Gidget and I even started trialing, and once at a trial we were entered in.  My first time volunteering was a lot of fun, the coordinator was happy to show me the ropes, and I met lots of very nice people.  There was one guy who was rather rude to me, but all the other nice people and the fun experience more than made up for it!  It was a great way to figure out the trial scene before I actually entered my dog. 

Since I had such a good experience volunteering that first time I thought I'd try again at a different venue when Gidget was entered in her third trial.  I was a bar setter for the open classes and ran Gidget in the novice classes.  I like bar setting, you get to watch other dogs run and have one of the best seats in the house!  So that part of my second volunteering adventure went fairly well, though the coordinator at this trial wasn't nearly as nice or helpful and I was freezing the whole time.  Then I was supposed to be part of the tear down team too.  I was handed a piece of paper and told to start at it.  Some of the tasks were fairly obvious, but the rest seemed to require me to know where things were or were worded confusingly.  I tried to find someone to at least point me in the right direction but no one was very helpful.  I have to say that new situations like this can make me rather nervous, I can easily start to panic if I don't know what I'm doing and can't find someone to help or figure it out on my own.  I hate to admit it but I eventually gave up trying to figure things out and just left.  So my second volunteering experience didn't go so well.  Don't worry, I won't let this completely stop me from volunteering in the future, I just have to get comfortable trialing in different venues first, then add the work.

I am very greatful to all the volunteers that make the trials run.  Many of them have been very kind and helpful to me when I feel lost at a trial.  I think it'd be awesome if clubs held fun volunteer training events.  I'd love to learn how to scribe or be a timer, or just learn more ways I can help out.  Not to mention it'd help to introduce the newbies, like myself, to more experienced volunteers and help them feel more at ease when they start volunteering. 

Agility trials wouldn't exist without awesome volunteers.  I promise to join the ranks as soon as I can!  I encourage all newbies to at least try volunteering once... no twice, just so you can see that the small things that may sour a volunteering experience are few and the good things are many!  More volunteers are always needed, and how do you know if you'll like it til you try!  If volunteering isn't for you, then at least make sure to thank a volunteer every chance you get.  Happy agility!