Sports Articles - At Least Once a Year, it is Better to Give than to Receive
As a result, you can't follow the lead of professional athletes in the lesser sports who wait until they have retired before choosing to nobly 'give something back'. The lifeblood of the overwhelming success that is the road racing scene, is the guy who gets up at the crack of dawn to wave a small red flag on a suburban road corner.
The trick is to pick one race a year, preferably the one closest to home, and volunteer to marshal or man a water table. If you're part of a big club that organizes its own races, this will be taken out of your hands as they are generally pretty good about mobilizing their members to come out and support the home event.
When called upon to do your bit, do so reliably and with good grace. It's one of those unwritten etiquette issues that it isn't on to show up at your home club's race to run, unless (and this NEVER happens}, they've already got enough volunteers. Also, if you are blithely showing up to run a race where your club needs you to volunteer, chances are good that you are so far out of the loop that you aren't getting full value out of being a club member. A central part of the club culture in our running is the social aspect that is built on weekly timetrials, organized Sunday long runs and the annual home race. But even if you're one of the old grumpies who 'doesn't want to be a part of a club', you still owe it to everyone to give your time back once a year.
Tips
So, we've committed you to volunteering your time. Now here are a couple of tips to make the day worthwhile:
First up, this is the perfect day off from running. Embrace it wholeheartedly. There is an awful lot of hurry up and waiting as most organizing bodies like all the marshals to be out on the road well before the start. This means that you may be hanging around for an hour or more before the lead group bursts around the corner.
Stock up on the Sunday paper, croissants and cricket on the car radio and you will be the happiest pavement dweller in town.
Make sure that you know what you are doing. Know where the runners are coming from and where they are going. Don't take this for granted. As a student race organizer I once had to explain to a referee how I had come to lose a field of 3500 runners in the hills. It came down to a marshal waving his flag in the wrong direction.
Work out beforehand where you are going to be expecting traffic from and make plans accordingly. If yours is a big intersection, you should have traffic police with you, but even quiet roads can get busy as traffic tries to rat-run around the race. It is so important to remain courteous and in control in the face of early morning drivers. Your only duty is to ensure the safety of the runners. That includes sometimes stopping the backmarkers to let the cars through before someone tries to jump through a gap on their own.
Lastly, take along a black bag and clean up the road between yours and the next marshalling point. Road running is the paragon of all that is good and pure, but it does generate litter.
Take from running everything that you can, but remember that at least just once a year, it's better to give than to receive.
Sandra Prior runs her own bodybuilding website at http://bodybuild.rr.nu.
Related Tags: sports, running, volunteer, road, athletes, races, volunteers, helper
Your Article Search Directory : Find in Articles
Recent articles in this category:
- Canadiens Early Season Struggles
Inconsistency has reared its ugly head once again. After a shutout loss to the lowly New Jersey Devi - Mens Magazine in the Toronto Market
Magazines are wonderful things. They are able to explore their particular area of interest in more d - They Won the Lottery But Then Lost it All
We all dream about winning the lottery and every time we watch those balls spin we think about what - Manchester City Imploding
Life changed for Manchester City fans the minute their club was taken over by the ultra wealthy Oil - Different Types of Sports Water Bottle
If you are an athlete and there is a competition the next day, there are a lot of things to prepare. - Poker Supplies a Person Needs to Play
There are a lot of people all over the world that enjoy playing poker on a regular basis. There are - Data on NCAA Football 11 (XBox)
EA Sports has always been the pinnacle for sports video games. The Madden franchise for NFL football - World Golf Amateur Team Championship 2012
Golf is said to be the game of nobles. Over a period of time, the game has developed into a craze fo - Will "The Decision" Yield the Result? Lakers, Heat Seen as Likely Finalists
By far the biggest moment in the NBA offseason was the hour-long ESPN special in which LeBron James - The Evolution of the Game: Table Tennis
Table tennis was probably derived from the game "Royal Tennis," a popular diversion during medieval
Most viewed articles in this category:
- Rainbow, Brown And Brook Trout
Maine fishing has Rainbow, Brown, and Brook trout. Trout are an important part of fishing tradition. - Gymnastics Floor Music
Over the last decade or two, gymnastics as a sport has undergone considerable changes in the way it - Texas Holdem Blinds - Understanding Blinds In Texas Hold'em Poker
Posting blinds is a very important aspect of the betting structure of Texas Hold'em poker. It keeps - Indoor Mobility Scooters
Mobility scooters exclusively provide assistance to physically disabled people, who don't necessaril - Texas Holdem Tournament - Learn How To Run A Texas Hold'em Tournament
Texas Hold'em is a popular game, so next time you consider hosting a social function at your house w - The Nfl Channel And The Controversy Surrounding It
If you watch TV, and especially if you are a loyal spectator of the NFL Channel, you might have hear - Texas Holdem - How To Become Better At Texas Hold'em Poker
If you know the rules, if you know the game, if you know the odds, chances are you'll do well at pok - Essential Boxing Equipment For Every Boxer
When you are training to become a boxer there are a few very important pieces of boxing equipment th - Some Advice On How To Stay Motivated To Run
Staying Motivated to Run Do you have a hard time staying motivated to run? There are a lot of thing - NCAA: Three Good Coaches
There are coaches in each and every type of sport out there, and many of them are good at what they