Volunteering for AWSOMM Trials

Volunteering to work at an AWSOMM agility trial is awesome! It's not about the free food or the worker gifts, it all about the fun!  For those new, we are happy to train you in a supportive atmosphere.  Please join us in making the trial run smoothly while still having a good time.


TRIAL WORKER  INFORMATION  
for our May 3 -4, 2008
  USDAA trial

 Workers Schedule (unfinished) is now available
Prints on 4 pages, set your printer to Landscape

I've scheduled everyone who volunteered with their entry and I think I have all who contacted Gail or myself directly.  The worker's schedule is almost complete, but we still have some important spots to be filled.  Please take a look at it, and if you are able to fill any of the gray or red spots, or are bringing an unentered  family member with you who can help out, please let me know.  The boxes highlighted in red are positions we really should have scheduled before the trial - ones in gray we can probably get ringside volunteers for if we have to.  NOTE - We do use electronic timing at this trial, so the Timers job is very easy - all you have to do is press the "go" button for each dog and read off the dog's time to the scribeafter it crosses the finish line.

If you can fill any open spots, please email
Sherry Wargo at gwargo@mill.tds.net

It takes MANY volunteers to run a USDAA agility trial.
There are nearly 300 worker spots to be filled for this trial
and only 28 AWSOMM members. We depend on our volunteers!.

If you have questions about the worker's schedule, or are bringing
 with you someone who is not entered but would like to work,
  please contact our Volunteer Co-ordinator
 
Sherry Wargo 

Minor Problems and conflicts can be worked out at the trial

Volunteering is easier and more fun if you know your job responsibilities.  Recommended Reading: 
Trial job descriptions linked in this article:

"Inner Workings of an Agility Trial"


How we schedule volunteer workers for our  2-ring outdoor trials:

As each entry is received,  volunteer preferences (from boxes checked on the entry form) are recorded in our Trial software (AgtSec),   Each volunteer's name is also entered into a MASTER CHART  like the one below,  and the boxes are shaded dark grey for each class entered.

When all of the entries are in, a timeline for the trial is developed.
As an EXAMPLE ONLY, here's the timeline for the Saturday classes at our May 2004 trial:

AWSOMM TIMELINE MAY 2004 TRIAL - Saturday
1st Courses built Friday night
 Masters Ring ready for walk-through/briefing by 7:30 AM, Novice Ring  by 8:00 AM

Ring 1 (Masters) Saturday  1.6 minutes per dog except Jumpers is 1.0 mpd

1st dog 8:00 PIII/ Masters Gamblers – 49 dogs+ course adj.=78 minutes, class ends 9:20
              15 minute course build, 15 minute brief + walkthrough
9:50 PIII/ Masters Standard – 47 dogs+ course adj.=76 minutes, class ends 11:10
              15 minute course build, 15 minute brief + walkthrough
11:40  Masters Pairs – 23 pairs.= 40 minutes, class ends 12:20
              15 minute course build, 15 minute brief + walkthrough   JUDGES LUNCH
1:00  Advanced Pairs – 8 pairs.= 15 minutes, class ends 1:15
              15 minute course build, 15 minute brief + walkthrough
1:45  PIII/ Masters Snooker – 47 dogs+ course adj.=76 minutes, class ends 3:00
              15 minute course build, 15 minute brief + walkthrough
3:30  PII/ Advanced Snooker – 19 dogs+ course adj.=30 minutes, class ends 4:00
              15 minute course build, 15 minute brief + walkthrough
4:30 PIII/Masters Jumpers – 49 dogs + course adj.= 50 minutes, class ends 5:20
 
Ring 2 (Novice) Saturday  1.8 minutes per dog except Jumpers is 1.5 mpd
1st dog  8:30  PII/ Advanced Standard – 25 dogs = 45 minutes, class ends at 9:15
              15 minute course build, 20 minute brief +walkthrough
9:50  PI/ Starters/Novice Standard – 42 dogs = 75 minutes, class ends at 11:05|
              15 minute course build, 20 minute brief +walkthrough
11:40  PI/ Starters/Novice Pairs – 13 dogs = 25 minutes, class ends at 12:05
15 minute course build, 20 minute brief +walkthrough   JUDGES LUNCH
1:00  PI/ Starters/Novice Snooker – 39 dogs = 70 minutes, class ends at 2:10
              15 minute course build, 20 minute brief +walkthrough
2:45   Steeplechase Round 1 – 55 dogs = 99 minutes, class ends at 4: 20 

Next, using the timeline we've developed, we make an
accurate bar graph of the classes in each ring, and align them
side by side:

 

 Using the graph, it's easy to see that if a volunteer is entered in Starters Standard, Starters Pairs, & Starters Snooker on Saturday in ring 1, that person is unavailable for Masters Std, Masters Pairs, Advanced Pairs, & Masters Snooker in ring  2, so those boxes will be shaded light gray in the MASTER CHART.  The boxes that are left white show us where we can schedule that volunteer.  We refer to the volunteer preferences report from our trial software to be sure each person is placed in a job that  he or she requested.  While it is still possible to have conflicts, especially if the timeline doesn't hold, this system minimizes conflicts and stress for our volunteers.