When I do things, I DO THEM. In this case, I employed the FISH philosophy to my day as a volunteer. Ever read FISH? It's a great little read. Not life changing, but definitely worth reading. I found it when I read a review online and thought how nicely it applied to running and nursing school and marriage and parenting and... The FISH principle is simple. Choose to have a great day, Play, Be in the Moment, and Make their Day.
Pretty much, if you're volunteering ~ FISH ~ is the way to go.
1) Volunteering for a triathlon = O'FREAKING EARLY HOUR wake up.
2) T & I are a little "punchy" at 4:55am, and using a camera is a struggle.
3) Body Marking GORGEOUS HARD MALE BODIES isn't really HARD. just. sayin'... my first job of the day was great. It's also easy to PLAY when you're kneeling in front of people "inking" their quads (insert 1970's porn music here). In fact, if you're doing this and NOT playing, you need to find a different job. Seriously.
4) I had the privilege of marking a girl at her VERY. FIRST. RACE. EVER. I told her she was going to be great, and that I would see her at the finish when I was removing chips (my other job du jour).
5) According to the Illusive Dave, there are times when walking a mile in another mans shoes translates into giving another man your shoes at a triathlon... way to go Dave, barefoot volunteering is the next fad in running I'm sure.
6) Cheerful & Happy goes a LONG way.
7) I cheered, shouted bib #'s, gave High Fives, and collected chips at the finish line from the first finisher to the last and ALL the finishers in between. My goal was to make their day, because it WAS THEIR DAY, and they deserved it. I had the honor of cheering in 2 Yellow SNOW teammates, 1 MTT Coach who didn't recognize me AT ALL when I called him by name (always a fun experience...um...), a guy who nearly passed out and I had to grab onto (did I mention that he was HOT? and sweaty... yeah, it... was a hard job ~yeah~). And guess what? I was there when that first time racer finished her first triathlon with tears of pride streaming down her face.
8) FYI - I will HUG a crying Triathlete.
9) EVERYTHING is more fun if you're wearing a red shirt... and you have a *thing* about "red shirts".
4 comments:
Volunteering at races is so fun! Good for you! Marking the bodies sounds F.U.N! :) A company I used to work for did a group building workshop on the FISH philosophy once. It was cool..
Sounds like a fantastic day of volunteering! :)
If I ever do a Tri, I want you there! You must be the best volunteer ever. I love this post!
Yes... this sounds like a HOTT experience. If I ever find myself single, I will be picking up guys at Tris... so many hott guys. Yum! I mean... seriously,
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