Page 232 - ShowSight - October 2019

Volunteers: The Backbone Of Our Sport BY WALTER J. SOMMERFELT continued
“SERVING IN SOME TYPE OF CAPACITY AT THE LOCAL CLUB LEVEL HAS ALWAYS BEEN A PART OF MY LIFE IN EVERY PLACE I HAVE EVER LIVED. THROUGHOUT THAT TIME WHAT I HAVE OBSERVED IS A TREMENDOUS CHANGE IN ATTITUDE AMONGST THE MANY PEOPLE INVOLVED IN OUR SPORT.”
Part of your responsibilities as a member of this great organization was that you were expected to volunteer and work at the two shows put on by the club. We were intro- duced to the concept that throughout the year you attended shows put on by other clubs and giving up showing at the local shows was your way of “giving back” to the sport. Volunteering was just a small part of the big picture of helping our sport to con- tinue to grow and succeed.
Throughout my career in this sport I have never lost sight of the concepts I was taught by the WRKC. Serving in some type of capacity at the local club level has always been a part of my life in every place I have ever lived. Throughout that time what I have observed is a tremendous change in attitude amongst the many people involved in our sport. While a great number of today’s exhibitors, judges and handlers will not join a club. These individuals are often amongst the first to complain about the judging panel, the venue, the parking, and a multitude of issues without ever consider- ing the fact that the show is being put on for their enjoyment by a number of volunteers that are not being compensated in any way for all they do to make it happen.
It is very important to never forget that shows are put on and worked by unpaid vol- unteers. These individuals take time away from their families, their jobs and other interests to provide shows and trials for all of us to participate in. we all need to be thankful for these individuals and all they do for us.
In my capacity as a judge I have on occa- sion been embarrassed by the treatment of various club officials by some of my col- league judges who complained about situ- ations and issues that made them unhappy. In my experience most clubs try to do their best to be sure the judges, as well as all exhibitors needs are met. It Is also true that those clubs with memberships that include judges generally are a little more in tune
with what makes for a good experience for the judges. Most judges just want a good line of communication, a nice clean hotel in a respectable area with hopefully an in- house restaurant and simple transportation to and from the airport and to the show grounds. There are occasions when we will encounter a club volunteer that has accept- ed the responsibility and has had no assis- tance or guidance in dealing with the care of the judges, and through no fault of their own or just trying to stay within a clubs guideline budget put judges in a less than ideal situation. It would be helpful for a club to remember that the judges are at their mercy and are not familiar with the area. In many cases they do not have the transporta- tion available to allow them any flexibility. When in those situations that are less than ideal, I always try to remember that they are volunteers and thank them for their efforts and when the time is right suggest a possible change to them for the future.
In my opinion some of my fellow judges need to remember there is a huge list of available judges for any club to hire and we as judges should be grateful to those that thought highly enough of us to invite us. We need to show respect to the clubs’ vol- unteers as well as the exhibitors at the show. We as judges also need to remember that we are just one part of the show and appreciate the privilege to officiate there. If one is tru- ly unhappy with the experience, he or she should just make a note of it to themselves and politely decline an invitation from that club in the future. There is no reason to be rude or disrespectful to any club member or volunteer.
Having also been a show and cluster chair it continues to amaze me how rude todays exhibitors and handlers can be to members of the show committee. In my opinion the two toughest jobs at any show are parking and trying to control the grooming area. It seems that to many people the entry fee entitles them to park where they want, leave
vehicles in the unloading areas for extended periods of time, try to take as much space as possible in the grooming area and save space for their friends regardless of what is pub- lished in the premium list. I have observed people trying to get into buildings before the designated day or time, Refuse to stack crates, spread out as if they are entitled to however much space they want and when asked to consolidate and be considerate they berate the club volunteer who is just trying to help everyone have an enjoyable day at the show.
We all know it does not stop at just these few instances, but it is rather an ongo- ing sense of entitlement and bad behavior by exhibitors and handlers that has caused some members to simply quit the club and the sport.
The Late President George Bush used his “thousand points of light” initiative to show America the value of the VOLUN- TEER in our society. He wanted everyone to understand the value in volunteerism and giving back.
Earlier in this article I asked, are you a working volunteer member of your local kennel club? If your answer was NO my next question is why not? I am not naïve, and I know that personalities and other issues exist in many clubs, but I also know that one person can make a difference.
Being a Volunteer can be very reward- ing. For many years I had the pleasure of chairing the St Jude Showcase of Dogs in Memphis, TN. It was an incredible event that truly made a difference through our donations to that wonderful institution. It was a special event and I will be the first to admit that in some cases the situations were not ideal, but they were always work- able within reason. There were occasions when an exhibitor, spectator, judge and even volunteer would be upset. My standard question was, Is your issue a minor incon- venience, or a personal issue? If it either of
these I will be glad to take you with me to
continued on page 232
230 • ShowSight Magazine, october 2019