As the co-chair of the 8/13 event, I will tell you that several things
contributed to a smooth running day: 1) a very experienced co-chair, Ben
Martinez, who has perfected the art of being everywhere at once; 2) we
dealt with the lack of a PA or radio by yelling -- I literally walked the
paddock before every group screaming "Workers for the x group" etc. (and
had almost no voice left at the end of the day, which is hardly ideal); 3)
better overlap than this last event because of the course design -- this is
NOT a knock on the final exam even though I believe I passed with what used
to be known in higher education circles as a "gentleman's C"; 4) worker
turnover on the fly, which was no small feat; 5) luck in the form of no
major slowdowns. We still had radios for cone counts, although not enough
of them. Frankly, the day was exhausting and I think it was a minor
miracle that we managed afternoon fun runs.
I am quite concerned about making GGF work during slush and our
ever-shorter days. John K., can you find out if there is any possibility of
starting earlier -- even at 9:30? Any possibility of limited PA use, or
the use of a bullhorn for worker announcements? Quick worker turnover
helps keep events running on time.
I would absolutely oppose eliminating the mid-day course walkthrough.
Even though we start later, it still is a hardship for people to have to be
there most of the day, especially family folks. Also, sometimes it's hard to
remember the course at 4:30 when you last walked it at 8:30. Getting
there at 8 AM when you're gonna run 8th is a drag. I know, 'cause I do it
all the time...
EJ Bayliss
Kelly, Katie wrote:
>
> I've worked in the trailer a "few" times, even with complete rookie crews.
> The events where the crew worked best was when there was enough time given
> to fully explain, without feeling rushed, what each job is.
>
> The problems come when there is all this yelling to get things started.
> People feel rushed, they get stressed, they get confused, and they can't
> think, so more people yell, and then you have to stop everything.
>
> Believe it or not, working in the trailer, especially when there's an
> announcer :), can be really, really fun. It really, truly doesn't have to be
> that stressful.
>
> By the way, radios are a good tool, but when we become too reliant on them,
> things fall apart. Did anyone notice how smoothly Round 13 went? That was
> without a PA system or radios. Do you think there's anything to be learned
> from that?
>
> Katie K.
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