The registered participants wake up and are already going through their pre-race routines, each on their own. Their training regimens over the past few months have led them to this day, which is specially marked on their calendars. Some are there for the performance and to test their physical and psychological limits. Others are present because they made a promise to do so. Family members show their support, and some will even be on site to hold up small signs and offer heartfelt encouragement. These enthusiastic spectators will rub shoulders with support staff who wear matching shirts with a certain pride, making them easily identifiable. Many people’s paths will cross and intertwine during these shared hours. The volunteers’ presence is rooted in the promise of experiencing a wonderful moment and the deeply held desire to help others experience a wonderful moment.
While many volunteers will be stationed along the course, others will be assigned to the warehouse or the coat check during that time. These volunteers will have spent most of their day there without even seeing the event itself. Their contribution will have been made largely behind the scenes, and that is how it was agreed. At the end of the day, everyone will have supported and fostered the effort and determination in their own way. The volunteers have a very simple mission: to ensure that everything is ready on time and that everything goes as planned and without a hitch. The volunteers will also be the last to leave the premises once the event is over. They will take care of packing everything up and tidying the site. They will have thus contributed greatly to creating memorable experiences in exchange for a T-shirt, a sandwich, a small snack, and heartfelt thanks.
The very concept of volunteering refers to the voluntary giving of oneself. It was a certain Jean-François Mouton who made me realize this during a general training session organized for volunteers at the 2015 World Hockey Championships… “The word ‘volunteering’ is derived from the expression ‘of good will.’ It’s so obvious that we tend to forget it all too often. Thank you again, Jean-François, for this brilliant reminder.”
The very structure of sports in Montreal, Quebec, and across Canada relies on an consistently impressive level of volunteer involvement. The recent hosting of the Quebec Games Finals in Sherbrooke required the mobilization of several thousand volunteers, the vast majority of whom were local, though we must not forget those who agreed to take a few days off work to accompany the athletes there. These other volunteers were coaches, missionaries, and officials of all kinds. And it has been this way for fifty years now. The Montreal Games that have just concluded, the upcoming Défi sportif Altergo, and the fifty or so major sporting events that fill Montreal’s annual calendar all rely on a fundamental foundation of volunteer commitment. Volunteer commitment is, in a way, a contract of goodwill based on a promise to do one’s best for others. This commitment, we hope, in turn fosters the satisfaction of a job well done, the opportunity to learn, to forge bonds with others, and to contribute in a special way to creating beautiful moments. We must also highlight the contribution of those who, without hesitation, generously give their time and share their knowledge and skills by agreeing to serve on one of the committees established to administer the thousands of organizations that structure and oversee sports and recreational activities. While we see a certain degree of professionalization in the governance and management of sports, it is important to remember the essential, fundamental role of all those who willingly share their time, knowledge, and skills. Thank you to the volunteers! Thanks to you, we have sports!
