about that swim meet...

... where I did another stint of volunteering on Friday. The  meet at the Aquatics Center was continuing on Friday, and I offered to donate half of my day to the event. Meaning I had to be on site at 7:30, and would serve as a volunteer for the first shift. The program of events was planned to give everyone from competitors to cleaning crew a break in the middle of the day.Allowing the students and coaches to leave the premises to get lunch, and dry out before the second half of the planned relays/medleys and singles events.

Competitive swimming is something that has never caught my interest, so I do not know anything about it. My knowledge is practically non-existent, other than occasionally seeing  the cream of the crop when televised with world class athletes. In order to have the skills they do, they start young and commit to years of daily practice, developing speed. as their bodies mature. Like getting to the national level of competition in any arena, it takes devotion, dedication, and years of getting up early before classes. Being a diligent student, then returning to more practice after school, weekends spent traveling and a willingness to give up other things with greater appeal to young people.

There were dozens of young people I saw in my time on Thursday afternoon and Friday morning at the NAIA meet. (National Association of Independent Athletes? I never asked, and everyone assumed I was far more knowledgeable than I was!) From colleges I was unfamiliar with, arriving in middle Georgia in those big charter-type buses from all over the US. I asked a swimmer if most of the attendees would be on athletic scholarships and she said yes. Smaller, independent colleges, who still want to participate in national events, but may not have the resources to produce powerhouse football teams yet still want to be visible, make a name for themselves in the world of sports.

I was sitting in a wide hallway area with benches and space for teams to gather. My job was to guard a door, refuse entry to anyone who wanted to pass through. The door is actually the entrance to a short hallway where there are  lockers lining the walls, and four 'family' style changing rooms. Now being used, during this event as a space for the people who perform drug-testing to do their secretive work. I was instructed to tell anyone attempting to open the doors there was 'no entry'. The signs posted indicated the doors were not to be opened, but you would be surprised at the number of people who either cannot read, think it does apply to them or do not know the meaning of 'No'. My job was to tell them: 'No'.

It was really dull, but I had  book and spent several hours on Thursday afternoon reading. Also walking to and fro in that small space so I could keep an eye on my assignment, while getting some exercise. There was plenty of foot traffic, athletes, coaches, parents, supporters, employees of the parks and rec. department, law enforcement, but most ignored me. Though it appeared to be a pointless endeavor, I was assured it was a very important job, necessary to keep the door closed and the people within uninterrupted in their work.