volunteering for worlds?

[mikawendy]

Has anyone here ever volunteered at Worlds before? I live somewhat near D.C. but am not thinking of buying event tickets, so I thought I might volunteer. (If any other Balto/MD area skaters are interested in doing this, maybe we can carpool...?)

How many shifts are you usually assigned to? Was it a good or bad experience? What area did you sign up for (e.g., patching, credential monitor, selling concessions, hospitality)?

Ice monitor/patching at practice sessions sounds interesting to me. Is it? How much skating experience would I need to do this?

Any info is appreciated. Thanks!:D

[flo]

Hi,
A friend of mine volunteered last time they were in Baltimore. She had a great time. I have tickets, but will not go to all the events (like dance). I'll probably sell those events if anyone is interested.

[JDC1]

I never thought of volunteering!! Whom do you get in contact with? And I would be interested in some tickets, I couldn't afford the all events. I live in Arlington so I'll just take the subway into DC.

[mikawendy]

Originally posted by JDC1
I never thought of volunteering!! Whom do you get in contact with? And I would be interested in some tickets, I couldn't afford the all events. I live in Arlington so I'll just take the subway into DC.

http://www.2003worlds.org/volunteer2k3.aspx

Maybe I'll see you there (if we get assigned to volunteer for events/areas on the same days)...

JDC1, I'll PM you if I decide to do it (and when I know my "assignment")

[JDC1]

Hey Mika, I printed out the form and am mailing it in, I'll let you know when I get my assignments! I am going to have to take off from work but it's worth it!

[toepick]

I sent in an application to volunteer at Worlds. I have actually never been to a "real" coompetition before and thought it would be a good way for me as a poor grad student in DC to see some of it and experience the "behind the scenes".

[mikawendy]

Originally posted by JDC1
Hey Mika, I printed out the form and am mailing it in, I'll let you know when I get my assignments! I am going to have to take off from work but it's worth it!

I'm mailing my form in tomorrow. I signed up for mostly weekend slots because I'm saving up my vacation for honeymoon in June. I'm excited about this! :D

[JDC1]

Cool toepick. If you want when you get your assignments let me know and we can all try and meet up once for lunch or coffee.

Mika, congratulations!!

J

[Skatewind]

I can't wait for Worlds!

[Artistic Skaters]

I heard they are seeking more bi-lingual volunteers who can act as translators.

[mikawendy]

Originally posted by Artistic Skaters
I heard they are seeking more bi-lingual volunteers who can act as translators.

That would be fun. I speak French--I don't know how good I'd be at translating, but I put "Information" as my second choice activity--I might be able to give basic information in French...

[mikawendy]

Originally posted by JDC1
Cool toepick. If you want when you get your assignments let me know and we can all try and meet up once for lunch or coffee.

Mika, congratulations!!

J

Thanks, JDC1! My fiance and I are getting excited. :D I'm glad I have skating so that I can focus on something other than just the wedding planning right now.

I'll be interested to see what our assignments are...

[blue111moon]

Assignments for a lot of skater-contact positions have already been made, at least the ones that require a skating background and/or previous volunteering experience. I've been contacted by my committee chair and was told that the schedule should be out sometime in January or February. I'm not worried because I'll be there the whole time, so whatever they want me to work is fine with me.

Be warned, though, most of the jobs allow little or no access to the events so if it's skating you want to see, you might not see anything. That doesn't mean that the jobs aren't interesting or that you won't see SKATERS, but if you're volunteering thinking you'll get to see the skating for free, you could be disappointed.

[smidge]

I volunteered for Worlds in Vancouver, and it was a good and not-so-good experience.

As for getting positions, I don't know anybody who applied in time in Vancouver who didn't get invited to volunteer. Even though they asked for specific expertise in different areas, they pretty much assigned everybody to whatever area they asked for. So if you said you wanted to be a driver, you were. I work in public relations, so I volunteered for the media centre, and I got it, no questions asked. Nobody was asked to prove their experience in any field. If you didn't specify what you wanted to do, then they randomly assigned people. Some people on the media centre team had zero media relations experience, and were just placed there because they said they'd do general admin work.

As for shifts, I think there was a minimum time commitment of 15 hours or something. But in general, they accommodated everyone's schedules. Whatever days you said you could work is when they slotted you in to work. Since there were so many volunteers, almost all time slots were easily covered.

Getting a volunteer spot in the arena is crucial if you want to see the skating. One woman I know accepted a volunteer post in a centre across from the arena where Skate Canada was hosting an exhibit, and she hardly saw any skating, yet she worked a lot of hours. Those who were situated outside the arena for their volunteer jobs (at the exhibit, at the hotels, driving etc.) got to maybe see one event. They had a block of tickets for volunteers, but they had to be shared by the entire 600 person plus pool of volunteers. So maybe you'd get a ticket to one event, at best, and that event might turn out to be compulsory dance or something. Because we were in the arena, and as media people had exceptional access, our volunteer team forfeited our tickets so other volunteers could use them.

Okay, the good:

-I saw all the events from lower bowl level. When the event was happening, there generally wasn't much to do (and on top of that, almost every area was completely overstaffed, so there were always double the number of people to do anything that needed doing). Some of the volunteers on my team and I found an unused row behind the media section of the arena, and would watch from there. Saw every major event, live. Yes!

- The goodies package given to volunteers in Vancouver was very generous. Every volunteer received a beautiful fleece vest, a high-quality jacket and a long-sleeved shirt with zippered neck. Everything was embroidered tastefully with the Worlds logo. I think there might have also been a pin or pen or something. Everyone also got a free public transit pass for the week, which was a bonus for travelling back and forth downtown, and saved a ton of parking money and the hassle of finding parking.

-All volunteers were fed on the job. There was basic catering on the restaurant level of the arena that overlooked the ice (corner view). You got a meal ticket every shift and when you ate, you could watch the skating if you could secure a seat with a view.

-It's the most excellent behind-the-stage view as I've ever had of skating. Because of your volunteer access, you rode the same elevators as the skaters, ran into them in the corridors, saw glimpses of them just being themselves. Volunteers are asked not to approach skaters, but that was fine, because I'm not one to approach celebrities anyways, but it was fun just seeing them around.

The bad:

--On my volunteer team, we in general found that the organizers (in this case, the media relations staff from Skate Canada and the ISU) were rather disorganized, and had a tendency to treat volunteers like dumb, naughty school children. A large number of people on my team were P.R. and communications professionals who'd volunteered in this specific area because they worked in the field and felt they could best help there. Instead, the volunteer coordinators adopted a few "pets" amongst the volunteers (some ladies who spent a lot of energy sucking up to the organizers), and then proceeded to let these "super" volunteers run roughshod over everybody else. Some people joked that these annointed Super Volunteers were Skate Moms Gone Mad. Almost everyone I was friendly with was more than happy to do anything asked of us -- photocopying, handing out leaflets, faxing, whatever. But the manner in which the organizers and the Super Volunteers treated everyone was insulting and made for a lot of unhappy volunteers. People were rudely commanded around and treated like they were very stupid. One Super Volunteer took it upon herself to start denying people meal tickets if SHE felt they hadn't worked long enough even though there was no such rule in place. After some volunteers complained about being denied a meal even though they worked through a meal time, and being forced to buy expensive arena food, one of the organizers finally forced the Super Volunteer to give tickets to everyone who worked through a meal period. Talking to many other volunteers around the place, many on other teams felt the same dynamic had taken place in their areas too, and some stated that the same situation occurred at several other events they'd volunteered at.

--There were way too many volunteers in my area for any given task. So, it's good, in that if you wanted, you had plenty of time to catch some skating. It's bad in that you feel sort of useless sometimes, and wonder why you're there.

--The disorganization frustrated me. I mean, overall the Vancouver Worlds were a huge success, but from a volunteer perspective, at least on my media team, there was so much that could have been done better. The media organizers created a lot of sound and fury, but there were so many slip-ups, from the way they released results to the media, to neglecting to do a bunch of things in a timely, proper manner, and whole bunch of other little things.

Whew, sorry for the long post! Guess I needed to get that off my chest or something! :)

[JDC1]

Thanks for the information and Smidge thanks for your post. I am just doing it because I love skating, I am curious about how these events are run, and I love new experiences. Also I live 15 minutes outside of DC so I won't have a long commute. I am not doing it to meet skaters and like you Smidge wouldn't approach one for an autograph or to gush anyway. I lived in NYC for 3 years and I wasn't impressed by celebrities then and I am not now. Not worried about being pushed around, I don't take cr** from anyone and trust me NO ONE will deny me a meal. :-) And if it becomes burdensome, boring or stressful I'm only a subway ride away from home. As for seeing skating live, I've seen skating live and enjoy it but I prefer to watch it on tape anyway to get all of the nuances.

[Artistic Skaters]

Originally posted by smidge
Some people joked that these annointed Super Volunteers were Skate Moms Gone Mad.
Interesting reading. It's funny because I have met a lot of really nice skating moms, but this type always stands out even though they are the minority. Most obnoxious = most memorable. Of course where I live, Skate Moms Gone Mad can take on the proportion of a stampede at times. But I'm sure it's like that in a lot of places. :)

[manleywoman]

I'm volunteering on the practice ice. It's a brutal work schedule, but if I get to watch practices, it's worth it!

[JDC1]

Manleywoman, did you already get your assignment? How long did it take from when you sent your form in to get your assignment?

[singerskates]

When is Worlds this year? I probably couldn't volunteer if I wanted to volunteer because I have competitions around that time to skate and get ready for. Plus, I've had my share with the Gestopo (security). I mean, as a volunteer you can't make a sound in your seat in the audience if you get a chance to watch the skating because they treat you badly. The security want you to not be noticed at all and to hide. It's like you don't exist. You know how there are always upper bowl seats, that's where they should let us volunteers sit. Then we can be ourselves and don't have to act as church mice. the camera's would never get us on tape and security would be happy.

I find it much more fun being the skater in the competition than volunteering at a big competition like your country's nationals or Worlds or the Olympics. I think my volunteering will be from now on only for local to Eastern and Western Challenges. NO more Canadians. If I'm at Canadians it will be to watch as a spectator.

[muggie]

Gosh, I sent in the form to volunteer months and months ago (like back when the tickets went on sale and realized I couldn't afford it), and have never heard anything from the organizing committee.

I asked to work in the area of media credentials, or do any other scut work that needed to be done. I even volunteered to work everyday, figuring I could take vacation time from work. I have plently of skills that I thought would be useful. Hmmm, I wonder what happened??

Manleywoman, when did hear about your assignment?

[blue111moon]

Things must be very different in Canada.

I've been volunteering for 20 years at events from local to international levels and 99% of them have been wonderful experieinces and fun. If they weren't I wouldn't keep volunteering. Some of the people I've worked with have been less wonderful but that's life.

The dates for 2003 Worlds are March 24 - 30, with practices beginning on the 21st. Chaimen of some of the committees have been contacting people to find out if they can come in for the extra days but exact schedules won't be made out for some months yet, until the ISU actually sets the schedule of events and practices.

As for how "brutal" the schedules are, well, it depends on how each chair sets up the schedule. Some places I've worked have assigned four or six hour shifts, some places assign by discipline, some by event. Every one has it's advantages and disadvantages, rewards and responsibilities. The only people whose schedules are truly brutal are the chairs, and then venue coordinators because they have to been available, if not on the scene, all the time. The rest of us have easy compared to them.

[JS]

Originally posted by Artistic Skaters
I heard they are seeking more bi-lingual volunteers who can act as translators.

I wonder what kind of assignments these bi-lingual volunteers will get? It looks to me that practically all international level skaters as well as team officials know English rather well or they bring their own interpreters/translators (?)

Any comments from experienced people would be appreciated.

[manleywoman]

Muggie and JDC1...I filled out a form on the internet I think in April/May from the Worlds website, and I think I got the assignment at least by August, because I've been getting volunteer newsletters from my committee chair for a while now. The schedule came in early September, i think, but it was an overall schedule of the proctice ice, not yet dictating who was working when. It was just to make us aware of the hours we might be working.

But I can't imagine they are turing down anyone who wants to volunteer...I know from the committtee head of Skater Services that they need more male volunteers to moniter the men's locker rooms.

(That sounds strange doesn't it?) :oops:

[Skatewind]

Originally posted by JS
I wonder what kind of assignments these bi-lingual volunteers will get? Any comments from experienced people would be appreciated.
I believe jobs like airport pick-ups & helping with transportation & directions.