As is the case with all of the dog sports, Nosework and Scent Work trials are dependent on Volunteers. Trial Hosts and Secretaries/Score Room Leads do a tremendous amount of work up-front and, although there may be compensation, it's of the "How do you make a hundred dollars holding Nosework Trials? Start with a thousand!" variety.
But the rubber meets the road on the backs of the Average Citizens who answer the call of the Volunteer Coordinator. Perhaps they lived nearby, or they may have driven for hours to be there, to give back to the sport, find out what it's about, or just be a Nice Person. Showing up at 0:00 Dark Hundred on trial day, they are given their instruction and sent off to make the trial run. God Bless Volunteers!
It's not always easy to find enough volunteers to make a trial work successfully. In a previous post, I made the argument that trial organizers use the "we can't hold this trial unless you volunteer!" plea sparingly, only when really needed. But here I'd like to look at another reason that I suspect we may have trouble finding volunteers: we're abusing them.
Before you bristle with umbrage -- Not Me! -- let me clarify. I certainly don't mean that we are purposefully treating volunteers badly, or allowing anyone else to do so. Every Trial Host I know very rightfully has a zero tolerance policy for verbal abuse toward volunteers. Almost every competitor I know reveres volunteers and is effusive in their appreciation of them.
But how many "Volunteer Opportunities!" posts or Jotforms or emails have you seen that run something along the lines of "Be sure to wear your running shoes!" or "We can make sure you get all your steps in!" "Expect to be on your feet most of the day," or even "Lunch will be provided (and you may even have time to eat it!)"
I understand that trial organizers are trying to be open and honest about requirements. They want folks who can stand up to the rigors of the day. They are looking at the incredible amount of work to be done and trying to remember why they thought this was a good idea in the first place. They want Comrades in Arms to shore them up should they, themselves, run low on enthusiasm and energy.
But let's take a look at the demographic for our sport: it is dominated by Women of a Certain Age. As I heard someone say recently, "Nosework is where you go when your knees and hips make Agility impossible." We market Nosework as being low-impact, and while fitness for both dog and handler are encouraged and recommended, we also welcome the halt and the lame.
So why are we making volunteering into an endurance challenge?
Effective trial planners work to minimize competitor steps and provide chairs for them to wait in along the way. At the briefing, they encourage competitors to crate their dogs and allow them to rest between searches. Yet often no chair is provided for volunteers, and, despite recommendations to bring a chair in the volunteer instructions, I've seen Volunteer Coordinator eye rolls when the volunteer actually shows up with one, "You plannin' on sittin' around today?"
But unless you have designed a "walk and talk" volunteer escort situation for competitors, why should the volunteer have to walk along with the competitor? I've seen situations where the two waiting stations for a search were both in plain view, maybe 100 feet apart, but the instruction given to the volunteer was to "take the competitor to the next chair." Why? Why can't they just point and say "go there and sit down until you are called?"
This, of course, requires significant pre-planning, and that seems to be the spot where many trials have issues. Someone needs to be familiar with the trial site and actually assign volunteers based on flow, providing a methodology for communication along the way. Why don't more trials use walkie talkies? And I loved the club that gave volunteers red and green bandanas to use as a "traffic signal" for the competitor sitting 30 yards away, no yelling necessary.
In addition to providing incentives for volunteers -- drawings for prizes, free trial entries, increased opportunities in the competitor draw, etc. -- I just wish that more trial organizers would exchange the attitude of "They're tough as nails, they knew what they were getting into when they signed up, they've done this a thousand times," for "What good people these are to come and help. We should make their day as pleasant as possible."
That's what I think, anyway.
No comments:
Post a Comment