Volunteer?!

The political situation round Belgrade was too unstable for the event to be held there. The Netherlands Table Tennis Association – the NTTB – had put itself forward as a candidate and was faced with the task of getting the show on the road at short notice. There was a framed notice “Volunteers needed”. I hadn’t any real holiday plans for that summer, and suggested to my wife that I would apply. It would be special for me, an average 4th class league player, to see all the top players at close quarters. I got in touch. During the discussion came the question from the other end of the line as to whether my wife might like to help as well. She doesn’t play herself, but was, and still is, supportive of my table tennis career. “Why not? Otherwise I’ll be on my own all that time”. We decided to look for a camp site in the Eindhoven area to avoid having to keep driving from Veenendaal to Eindhoven and back, a route notorious for traffic jams.

 So on 1 August we set up camp in the woods around Zandoerle. The reception in the Sports Centre in Eindhoven was warm and we were immediately assigned tasks. My wife at the reception; I was put on the accreditation of participants and officials. I was provided with a  camera, took a  photo of each person and stuck each photo on a card. Of participants from many different countries. Including, of course, the real stars from Sweden and China. I had them sitting there on a chair next to me! That week was a boiling-hot start to August, and everyone was going round sweating in the nice orange shirt that all volunteers were given. I still have that shirt, incidentally, and wear it sometimes in my own training sessions. It’s still not worn out. This says something about the quality of the shirt – or about the effort I put into my training….It was a great week and the group of volunteers was one large family. Socially very enjoyable. We set off from the camp site at the crack of dawn and didn’t return until the evening. We had not a moment’s regret that we had spent more than a week’s holiday on my sporting hobby.

 Now there’s another World Championships coming up. In May 2011 Rotterdam will be the centre of the table tennis world. It didn’t take me long to make up my mind. I want to make my contribution again. As part of a team I’m going to put a lot of effort into getting the large team of volunteers together. I can say to everyone, whole-heartedly, that it’s wonderful to experience something like this. The organisation will appreciate your effort. And for you personally it will be something unique, never to be forgotten. So don’t hesitate: sign up to help.

 
Henk Brouwer
(commission member volunteer coordinators)