From time to time we’re called up to volunteer, in some capacity or another, by the club. In preparation for the indoor season a couple weekends are set aside so teams, armed with spray bottles and vacuums, can bring sparkle to the sideboards. To get ready for the outdoor season, we’re asked to stop by the fields, pick up debris and sometimes shovel the sidelines (Yes, we play outdoors in late winter… brrrr!).

There’s always a call to duty for tournament weekends. T-shirt sales, parking lot duty, field marshall volunteers, and other miscellaneous tasks need tending to and while the club is currently hosting four weekends of tournaments  - that’s a lot of volunteers to coordinate. Somehow, though, it always comes together and the event, knock on wood, usually runs smoothly.

It’s not always a dreaded task and there  can definitely be some humor involved…. With that said….. Last weekend one of the moms from my son’s team was on field marshal duty (the task involves retrieving balls that make their way over the super high fence and into the woods, reporting scores, keeping the crowd under control - a topic for a future blog- and wearing a beautiful vest that is the mark of authority!!!).  A ball took flight over the fence and landed in the pond next to the field… there was no stick long enough to retrieve the ball, so our brave and dedicated volunteer had no choice but to tough it out and make her way across the thin ice. Well… I think its obvious what happened. Up to her knees in freezing water she got the ball, finished her duties and promptly went home to warm up! Over the next couple days there were chuckles of emails flying back and forth about how her vest of authority failed to save her and a photo of the hole in ice appeared as well. All in good fun, it’s another day in volunteer-land!

Volunteering isn’t always the way one wishes to spend their time. People feel they spend enough in fees and the club should do everything. But, in reality, donating time isn’t always about the money. A couple hours here and there is a great way to show support to the club community, meet people and keep our club resources focused. Besides,  if it were about the money I think I’d rather have it spent on a  pool net for future ball retrieval  than paying for a clean-up  service!

-Marcia Griffith

Tags: ball, club, dad, danger, duty, events, field marshall, fields, freezing, ice, indoor, Marcia Griffith, mom, Parents, Soccer, team, thin, tournaments, vests, volunteering, volunteers, water, weekends, winter