My Weekend at Fleming

By: Mr. Wilson on August 4, 2009
1 comment
I spent 26 and a half hours at Fleming Fields this weekend volunteering at the 2009 National Invitational Softball and Golf Tournament, a precursor to next year's 2010 Special Olympics to be held right here in Lincoln. The Cliff's Notes version: It was a blast, and I am very tired. A quick interjection: Several athletes and a bus driver were injured in a crash early this morning on their way back to Appleton, Wisconsin. Details are pretty fuzzy right now because different sources cite different passenger counts and injury numbers. Regardless, I wish everybody well and hope for a speedy recovery. The Wisconsin team was a fun bunch. For that matter, all the teams were great to work with. There were teams from Wisconsin, Iowa, Georgia, Virginia, Maryland ... all over. Their sense of fun and competition was contagious. By the end of the three days the people who entered our little world at Fleming were all part of a pretty tight-knit group of relative strangers. The event had its hiccups, yes, but that was part of the point; the tournament was a trial run before the big games next summer. For example, we got a little cocky after Saturday's beautiful weather. Monday's heat and humidity really stressed some of our resources, even on a day with only a handful of games. That's something to work on. I want to give kudos to all of the volunteers. This sounds cliche, yes, but they were awesome. And so many! I think some of the volunteers may have felt under-utilized, particularly during the periods of smooth sailing. But again, the event was intended in part for experimentation. I want to single out a couple groups of volunteers for special mention. First, the folks from Moose were awesome. They came from Nebraska, Iowa, and Minnesota. Then there were the girls from Mooseheart, a facility out of Aurora, Illinois I wasn't previously familiar with. They were a fun, hard-working group of folks. Then there were the ASA softball umpires. They did a great job, and many of them were out there all day, every day. They set a strong example for all of the sports officials who will be needed for next year's event. (Hint hint, fellow soccer referees!) There were many other volunteers and workers out there. There were the police officers, for example, who represented LPD very nicely. There were the American Red Cross workers who dealt with a wide range of injuries. UNL Campus Recreation and Dining Services also deserve kudos for all the work they did. And then there were the "yellow shirt" volunteers. The regular ol' Lincolnites who didn't come in with any particular affiliation with Special Olympics, but who wanted to help out anyway. They did their jobs without complaint, and in fact most actively sought out additional responsibilities beyond their assigned tasks. I made several new friends over the weekend, many of whom I'm sure I will see around Lincoln for years to come. Wouldn't you like to be a part of that kind of atmosphere? Please sign up today to be a volunteer at next year's Special Olympics. I know it's a year off. For organizers, that year will go by in a flash. Besides, think about all of the volunteer-related information they have to have well in advance of the actual event: everything from t-shirt sizes to background checks. They have to do all of that for an estimated 8,000 volunteers. Whether you sign up for a day or a week -- the event runs from July 18 through 23, 2010 -- you are needed.

Comments

See what your friends and neighbors have to say about this.

Share your thoughts with the community.

Commenting is no longer permitted on this post.