SPRINT Issue 63 - Spring 2018

Arguably, sports such as Cricket & Rugby are not world-wide with many of
the world’s biggest nations favouring other sports, plus the nature of some
team tournaments mean they have to curtail the number of qualifying
countries. The Indoor World Athletics Championships which I recently
attended in Birmingham, had athletes competing from 134 different nations.
Back to volunteering…… From Par in Cornwall to Milton Keynes; Ashdown
Track, Canford Heath to the Olympic Stadium in London, I have so many fond
memories of officiating at so many different venues and tracks.
As with many parents, my volunteering involvement started as a result of
taking my children to training & supporting them at both Athletics and
Football. A friend of my son introduced us to Poole Runners and so it began.
It wasn’t long after and my daughter also joined ‘Rupert’s Bears’ & our family
became regulars making new life time friends and memories. I soon started
doing my bit for the club whilst my son & daughter ran & jumped.
If it wasn’t for “Rupert’s Bears” and Poole Runners, I’m fairly certain I
wouldn’t be sat in front of my PC typing this & putting together another issue
of SPRINT magazine.
Volunteering in athletics covers so many aspects, many of you will have
already carried out some volunteering such as marshalling, time keeping,
finish line recording etc at our club organised events: Upton Summer Series,
Broadstone Quarter Marathon and Poole Festival of Running plus all the
various volunteering roles at local parkruns.
Athletics competitions are a sporting event to find the fastest runner/hurdler,
the longest/highest jumpers & furthest throwers. World Championships to
Olympics to regional and local athletics meetings, none of them can take
place without a large team of volunteer officials.
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