Friday, May 24, 2013

Show secretary: Labors of love

I once heard that men have better long term memory than women, and that the explanation for this phenomenon is that women need to forget the pain of childbirth. If we remembered how much it hurt we wouldn't have more kids. The poor memory  ensures the survival of the species.

Makes sense to me.

I think the same kind of memory deficit occurs in volunteering. This year I volunteered to
  • coordinate polo shirt orders for my division at work. 
  •  help someone move their house.
  • serve as show secretary for a schooling show.
The show secretary job was the most challenging, because I don't do it often. I was caught off guard by an extra large show and lots of late entries coming in by phone, email, and voice mail. Entries with sketchy info.  I can laugh now (these things happen!), but I was very worried about messing up the schedule, and at one point I swore "never again."

 I was so glad when that schedule was posted and done. The day of the show was fun, and short of showing myself, it is a great way to participate in the show experience.

I tip my hat to all show secretaries, but especially the ones who manage the big shows with multiple rings, etc. Software or not, it can't be an easy job.




1 comment:

  1. I can see where the secratary's job is not an easy one as I'm sure we all made mistakes on entries until finally getting it right with their help.

    The driving club that I participate with has a 'program' of sorts for some of their shows. Unless they have a bunch of volunteers, half of the entries work the course in the morning while the other half competes. Short lunch break and then you switch, competing in the afternoon while morning competitors work the course. It goes smoothly and if you want to compete- you help out. End of discussion.

    This should be applied to some of the open shows I know of, as it would give people a better idea of the hassles and headaches the whining of some competitors causes. If they were on the other side of things, they might change their ways.

    ReplyDelete

Hi Guys, Your comments are valued and appreciated -- until recently I never rejected a post. Please note that I reserve the right to reject an anonymous post.