why can't they be nicer to volunteers?

Member

I volunteered as a Doping Chaperone at yesterday's Canadian National Championship Triathlon. My job was to shadow the overall top female finisher and watch her pee in a cup. Sounds easy, right?
Nope. As soon as the athlete selected for doping crosses the line, you have to go up to them and have them sign a form, and mark the time on it. From that point they have 1 hour to go check in at the doping control motorhome, basically to say they know they are being tested, and the time is noted again and I have to sign the form with the times on it. These are all legal documents.
My athlete, since she's the winner, has to chat with the media, then we go to the beach looking for her bag. I sort of mention a couple of times that we still need to check in and she tells me this happens all the time and to just let her know when she's got ten minutes left and we'll go over there.
Keep in mind if she doesn't show up in an hour it's the equivalent of a positive test and she loses her title.
We end up over by the awards podium and I realize that this little chick thinks that in the less than fifteen minutes she has left she's going to go through the entire awards ceremony. And of course the awards are running 45 minutes late.
Finally I can't take it anymore. I've mentioned the time probably six times, but now I step right into the middle of her conversation and say 'you have eight minutes to check in'. The Awards Coordinator then proceeds to tear a strip off of me in front of twenty people about holding up her awards ceremony. She tells me I'm doing my job wrong and I need to go over and tell the doping people she's going to be late. I remind Awards Coordinator I have to remain with the athlete at all times until she pees. So, finally, we go sprinting across the park back to the motorhome for checkin, a process which takes all of a minute. I guess while we were gone the Coordinator was bitching at someone that the awards were all screwed up because doping control was doing it all wrong but they won in the end. Evil or Very Mad

I did my job as I had been trained to do it, and I'll be damned if I was going to see Samantha McGlone have a positive test because I couldn't get her to a motorhome in an hour. Apparently at other races once you check in you can't leave until you pee, but that was not the case this time, and I explained that, which caused Awards Coordinator to tell me she's done World Cup races 'all over the world' and she's never had an awards ceremony held up for doping control. Whatever.
The whole day pretty much sucked. They were short volunteers, and I got sucked into marshaling the bike course as soon as I arrived, which meant I was on my feet in the blazing sun for ten hours. Organization was so bad that every time my GF and I tried to just sit for a minute and get something to eat and some water, some director would come screaming by in a panic and want us to go do something else. I actually ditched on the clean up crew (which I was also supposed to be on) because I was exhausted, overheated and starving.
They clearly need the help but I need to think long and hard about whether I'll volunteer again next year.

Member

Narc!

Note to self: avoid doping control assignment.

Oompa Loofah

That's why only about 20% of the people end up doing 100% of the work.

Because of azzhats like her who feel if they belittle someone they look more important than the insignificant azzhats they are the rest of the year.

Also, this was also probably a really stressful situation for that person and their true nature came out when things got bad. I'm sorry that you had to bear the brunt of it. You were performing a valuable service--far more valuable than an awards ceremony.

You were helping to keep up the integrity of the sport and that particular athlete. That's way cool.

I hope you volunteer again next year.

Pyromaniac

next time just grab her by the ear and tell her you aren't letting go until she whizzes in the cup. then she can socialize all she wants. it sounds like a sucketh day.

Member

Thank you!

Sheldon

The Movie Geek

Oh, good lord!

Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Member

Fresh, Hot & Wild

Hipster Doofus

You see what happens when you try to do the right thing? (I'm being sarcastic)

That stinks, Shannon. You offer to help out, they give you the steps of what you have to do (I'm guessing you knew much of this going in), and they get bent out of shape when you follow directions.

I wonder if they have a hard time getting volunteers in the first place.

Member

There is a disturbing lack of empathy in this world.

Good job Shannon, I'm not sure if I would have been persistant enough to do what you did.

why can't they be nicer to volunteers?

LIFEFORM SOCIAL COMMUNITY NETWORK