Clean Run - November 2016 - 65

[Point to Point, continued from page 5]

Whatever your point of view is, I certainly hope in the future you will try to volunteer at least one class
a weekend. There are jobs for all ages, conditions, and abilities. Without everyone participating and
helping, I am afraid we will not like the consequences of what happens if the volunteer rate continues
to decline. So please, get out and volunteer!
3. Your dog is here running agility, if he is that ill he probably
should not be competing.
4. Perhaps you should have stayed home if you were so worried?
5, 6, and 7. We can find you a different job or offer you training,
and working will keep you from stressing.
In my mind there really is no good reason to not work at least
once a weekend. Well-known agility enthusiast Karen Holik told
me one day while volunteering at a trial I was chairing, that if
everyone worked just once a weekend then no one would have
to work the entire weekend. How right she is! If everyone had
this mindset, keeping a trial running smoothly would be so easy.
I recently judged a CPE trial where everyone that entered was
automatically signed up to work. As your entry came in, your
name went on the board. I thought that was a terrific idea. No
one complained, it was simply expected that everyone shared
the load to make a trial successful together. What a great team
concept leading to the ultimate goal of everyone having fun with
their dogs.
One of the best comments I heard as to why to work at an agility
trial was from a local Florida competitor, Leslie Pope-Hall, who
is a regular worker at trials. She said, "I volunteer because I am
learning a new skill and sport. It also allows me to see various
runs at different angles and perspectives i.e. when I bar set. Also
allows me to watch the judge as to where they place themselves
during the various runs. Helping with course changes helps me
understand the distances between obstacles, And of course,
getting to know the competitors."
With the continuing need to get workers at trials, I did a brief
calculation of how much an entry would go up if a club had to hire
workers. Let's just say a two-ring trial running for 8 hours during
the day. To hire 17 workers for 8 hours at the national minimum
wage would run a club approximately $978 per day! That does
not include course builders, secretary, chairperson, etc. I am only
talking about ring crew. At a full 660-run trial this works out to
an additional $1.48 per dog run. So if your dog is running in four
classes, expect to pay $6 more per day! The money really begins
to add up particularly if you are in a state where the minimum
wage is higher than the national average. Hiring workers is also
tough because they do not know anything about the sport. Is this
where clubs are headed? I certainly hope not. Personally I think
entry fees are high enough without adding more.

But what is a club to do to get folks to work? In my opinion there
are really only two options. One that puts the burden on the club
and the other that puts the burden on the exhibitors.
The first solution I see is the one mentioned above from the CPE
trial. Every exhibitor's name is put into a bowl, every worker
position that is needed is put on a list, and the names are drawn
out of the bowl until every position is filled. If there are more
names than positions, then great, someone gets out of working
that weekend. If the opposite is true, then the names get dumped
back in and drawing continues until all spots are filled. Positions
are assigned for a class outside the class/height the exhibitor is
running in. If you decide to not work, you forfeit your right to
run (the CPE trial did not do this, as no one refused their job).
While it sounds very harsh, it is a way to make it fair to all so that
the small bulk group of workers does not have to bear the heavy
burden all weekend.
A variation on the above would be to have an "opt out" of working
box on the entry form. If you decide to opt out of working for
the weekend, you would pay a fee; probably upwards of $25 a
day to not work. This money would go to reward those who do
volunteer with additional worker tickets, drinks, etc.
The next solution I see is for exhibitors to step up! Agility is a
sport for all and as the multiple-time world team member and
medalist Karen Holik said, everyone needs to volunteer. It really
is the only fair solution to all. Folks who feel it is their privilege
to not work need to step up to the plate and share the load so that
everyone can enjoy the day. It simply is not good sportsmanship
to sit on the side lines and let everyone else do the work while
you watch.
By sitting in the ring you learn so much. As a judge, I frequently
have workers ask me about a situation that happened on course
and I am always more than happy to share my thoughts with
them. Not to mention the added benefit of sitting in the ring
really helps you learn more about handling and course flow.
Whatever your point of view is, I certainly hope in the future
you will try to volunteer at least one class a weekend. There are
jobs for all ages, conditions, and abilities. Without everyone
participating and helping, I am afraid we will not like the
consequences of what happens if the volunteer rate continues to
decline. So please, get out and volunteer!

Cindy Deak

Cindy Elliott Deak is an accountant living in Lady Lake, Florida, with her husband Andrew and an active group of Australian Shepherds and Border Collies. A dog sport
competitor for over 25 years, she has competed in most dog sports that exist and in most venues. She now spends the majority of her year judging agility trials around
the country. Contact Cindy on Facebook or email her at noraustkennel@gate.net.
November 16 | Clean Run

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Clean Run - November 2016