Then there is no better place to start than Volunteering at the Rising Stars Youth Dressage Show!
And here are a few reasons why!
Let me tell you about my years of volunteering…..the utmost feeling that I get from volunteering is that it is just great fun! I never feel like I am working as I am doing something that I really enjoy and I am being given the opportunity to meet the most exciting and interesting people……who, by the way are generally interested in the same things that I am….HORSES! LEARNING! MAKING NEW FRIENDS!
Volunteering is not all give, give, give---volunteers get something back too! Many volunteers find that they get as much out of volunteering as the give. Whether it is feeling like an intricate part of your community or meeting new friends, volunteering is simply rewarding.
As a volunteer you get to know other people with similar interests. Whether it is horses, working with kids, the love of dressage or simply the enjoyment of meeting and working with new people, like-minded volunteers gather together to share their passions while contributing to the good of their community and in this case, the sport of dressage for our youth of today.
Volunteering also give you the chance to have fun doing something you have never tried before, it gives you increased confidence, a sense of satisfaction and achievement, the opportunity to make new friends and contacts with diverse background and experiences and interesting enough, increased job and career prospects and new skills. Did you know that over 70% of employers would hire a candidate with volunteering experience over someone who has never volunteered!
By Cat Armitage
For more information about volunteering at Rising Stars contact: Sue Holtby at rivndell@smartt.com or Cat Armitage at foxwilow@telus.net.
Now that you have read about what being a volunteer could mean for you, are you ready to sign up and help out at the Rising Stars Youth Dressage Show. We certainly hope so.
We supply you with a meal, drinks and snacks… as part of our thanks for being a volunteer…..along with a surprise gift! You can also attend any of the lectures, demos, etc. if you have some free time… plus you get a bird’s eye view of the tests!
Here are many jobs that we need help with:
Thursday Volunteer Positions:
Decorating – anyone who is willing to come and help decorate on Thursday is more than welcome. We can always use a hand and it is a lot of fun!! There is great satisfaction is standing back and looking at everything once it is all set up. And believe us, the riders, parents, judges… everybody appreciates it.
General Setting Up – just to help out anywhere you can.
Friday and Saturday Volunteer Positions:
Scribes – this year we are looking to match scribes up for the entire day with the Judges. This has come as a request from the Judges. It is a wonderful opportunity to learn more about what a judge is looking for when judging dressage. If you are experienced scribe and interested in taking on a job for the day, that would be wonderful. If you are a learning scribe, we like to set you up with the Judge for the Bronze portion of the show. It is a great place to start!
Test Runners – once again we are lucky to have Wendy Weber as our Head Test Runner, but we do need some other helpers. This job deals with picking up tests from the judges and ensuring they head straight into the scoring office.
Whipper-ins – for this job, we like to set up teams of two so that if necessary, you can spell each other off. Whipper-ins are needed for all three days, which means we need a lot of volunteers for these positions. As there are some evening classes, we try and set a team up separate from the day work if possible. If you have never been a whipper-in before, we set you up with someone who is experienced. You are an extremely important person to the riders as you help them get into the ring on time!
Saturday Night Take Down – we have to take down all the decorations for the Sunday flat classes.
Friday, Saturday and Sunday Volunteer Positions:
Hospitality – this is a two part job. It entails seeing that the Judges and their Scribes have coffee, tea, water, snacks and helping set up the lunch and/or dinner for them and it also includes checking with the Stewards and the Whipper-ins to see if they need anything as well. Also just keeping the coffee, etc made. We supply all the goodies.
Sunday Volunteer Positions:
In and Out Gate Co-ordinators – This job takes place on Sunday as we have two arenas going at once. The job entails you opening and closing the gate as the classes take place.
Ring Stewards – This job has you front and center in the arena with the Judge! The Judge will tell you what to communicate to the announcer, such as "walk your horses, halt, canter your horses, etc."
Handing out the Ribbons – is a fun job! You get to see all those happy faces as they come up to accept their placings!!!
If you are interested in volunteering for any of the above, please contact Cat Armitage at 604-823-4899 or by e-mail at foxwilow@telus.net. She will not be able to respond until after August 6th but any help is truly appreciated! You can also contact Sue Holtby at 604-823-6768 or by e-mail at rivndell@smartt.com. Any emails to Sue will be forwarded to Cat.
