I volunteered for the first time this weekend.
On Saturday I rode the bike course(2.8 grueling subdivision miles) for the kids tri. 30 minutes prior I ran the course to make sure I knew the layout. Basically I kept the kids on the right side of the rode, encouraged, directed car traffic, and warned about obstacles. One girl(maybe 12) was riding a chopper bike with very wide tires. She looked cool, but definitely was struggling to get the beast moving. Another girl(7) bringing up the rear had a pouty face, but managed not to cry which was a big accomplishment. I felt for both of them.
In relation to the subject line the winner(13-year old boy) walked up to me after the event and asked me about my bike. He is definitely a future STer as he asked about frame content, then about bike weight and he also analyzed my LP finish time. Finally he proclaimed that he intended to be the youngest finisher of an Ironman. He was confident he could do the swim and the bike, but was most wary about the run.
For people who have kids between 7-15 I encourage them to do kids tris as 90% of the kids were smiling as they finished and the other 10% had a look of raceday intensity.
On Sunday I counted adults coming out of the water for the sprint. Another guy was recording race numbers as a chip time backup. If their number was obscured by their race gear(wetsuit/clothing) he would inquire their number. Everbody was cool with that except for one person who was kind of a jag. Normally I don’t pay attention to my number, but I will try to in the future to help out the volunteers by remembering my number.
I was able to bike to/from the event, which was good although cycling with backpack(shoes, hat, bike locks, volunteer t-shirt, etc.) is kind of a PIA.
Overall volunteering was enjoyable enough that I will look for opportunities to do it again. Without some family racing in the tri I can’t imagine what motivates somebody to volunteer. This one was sponsored by the park district so it had a community feel and it seems likely that the same people volunteer for all the local events.
Make sure to thank the volunteers, especially those that are not fellow triathletes.