Everyone sees the “glamorous” side of competitions – coaches yelling instructions, referees shouting commands, competitors outdoing themselves in the pursuit of a medal, and most of all, the frenzied excitement of the crowd.
But without armies of administrators and volunteers to organize and facilitate competitions, there wouldn’t even be any at all!
Administrators range from event managers to logistics coordinators, technical support crew and emcees. For instance, if there is no one to set the date of an event, book a venue, plan the timetable and send out the invites, there wouldn’t even be one!
Logistics coordinators would then have to move the equipment to the venue and set them all up, or the competitors would not be able to compete. In kyorugi, in taekwondo, for instance, if there was no logistics coordinator to set up the systems and ensure the trunk protectors and headgear were all charged, how could points be tabulated for scoring?
Better yet, without the systems and technical support crew, how could referees watch video replays in order to make any call on whether to award points or penalties?
Additionally, if there is no one emceeing, no competitor would know when to report and where – there may literally be no players around to compete, and chaos as people try to figure out where to go.
But without volunteers – usually unpaid, always the unsung heroes – administrators may even find themselves hamstrung, as the competition may not run smoothly.
After all, it’s the volunteers who move the players from one event venue to another and operate the systems, which can include everything from ensuring that all results are collected, outcomes of matches have been “run” over to the administrators and operating the clock for competition time.
This all happens behind the figurative curtain of a competition, to ensure the whole thing is an enjoyable experience for all, competitors and crowd alike.
So, if you want to give back to your chosen sport, how would you like to do so?
Written by Victoire Morier
