"V" is for Volunteer

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The Iditarod Race is almost finished. I will post when all the mushers have reached Nome.

Why volunteer? To quote Dr. Seuss:

Oh! The Places You'll Go!

Congratulations!
Today is your day.
You're off to Great Places!
You're off and away!

You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself
any direction you choose.
You're on your own. And you know what you know.
And YOU are the guy who'll decide where to go.

You'll look up and down streets. Look 'em over with care.
About some you will say, "I don't choose to go there."
With your head full of brains and your shoes full of feet,
you're too smart to go down any not-so-good street.

And you may not find any
you'll want to go down.
In that case, of course,
you'll head straight out of town.

It's opener there
in the wide open air.

Out there things can happen
and frequently do
to people as brainy
and footsy as you.

And then things start to happen,
don't worry. Don't stew.
Just go right along.
You'll start happening too.

OH!
THE PLACES YOU'LL GO!

You'll be on y our way up!
You'll be seeing great sights!
You'll join the high fliers
who soar to high heights.

You won't lag behind, because you'll have the speed.
You'll pass the whole gang and you'll soon take the lead.
Wherever you fly, you'll be best of the best.
Wherever you go, you will top all the rest.

Except when you don't.
Because, sometimes, you won't.

I'm sorry to say so
but, sadly, it's true
that Bang-ups
and Hang-ups
can happen to you.

You can get all hung up
in a prickle-ly perch.
And your gang will fly on.
You'll be left in a Lurch.

You'll come down from the Lurch
with an unpleasant bump.
And the chances are, then,
that you'll be in a Slump.

And when you're in a Slump,
you're not in for much fun.
Un-slumping yourself
is not easily done.

You will come to a place where the streets are not marked.
Some windows are lighted. But mostly they're darked.
A place you could sprain both your elbow and chin!
Do you dare to stay out? Do you dare to go in?
How much can you lose? How much can you win?

And IF you go in, should you turn left or right...
or right-and-three-quarters? Or, maybe, not quite?
Or go around back and sneak in from behind?
Simple it's not, I'm afraid you will find,
for a mind-maker-upper to make up his mind.

You can get so confused
that you'll start in to race
down long wiggled roads at a break-necking pace
and grind on for miles cross weirdish wild space,
headed, I fear, toward a most useless place.
The Waiting Place...

...for people just waiting.
Waiting for a train to go
or a bus to come, or a plane to go
or the mail to come, or the rain to go
or the phone to ring, or the snow to snow
or the waiting around for a Yes or No
or waiting for their hair to grow.
Everyone is just waiting.

Waiting for the fish to bite
or waiting for the wind to fly a kite
or waiting around for Friday night
or waiting, perhaps, for their Uncle Jake
or a pot to boil, or a Better Break
or a string of pearls, or a pair of pants
or a wig with curls, or Another Chance.
Everyone is just waiting.

NO!
That's not for you!

Somehow you'll escape
all that waiting and staying
You'll find the bright places
where Boom Bands are playing.

With banner flip-flapping,
once more you'll ride high!
Ready for anything under the sky.
Ready because you're that kind of a guy!

Oh, the places you'll go! There is fun to be done!
There are points to be scored. There are games to be won.
And the magical things you can do with that ball
will make you the winning-est winner of all.
Fame! You'll be as famous as famous can be,
with the whole wide world watching you win on TV.

Except when they don't
Because, sometimes they won't.

I'm afraid that some times
you'll play lonely games too.
Games you can't win
'cause you'll play against you.

All Alone!
Whether you like it or not,
Alone will be something
you'll be quite a lot.

And when you're alone, there's a very good chance
you'll meet things that scare you right out of your pants.
There are some, down the road between hither and yon,
that can scare you so much you won't want to go on.

But on you will go
though the weather be foul.
On you will go
though your enemies prowl.
On you will go
though the Hakken-Kraks howl.
Onward up many
a frightening creek,
though your arms may get sore
and your sneakers may leak.

On and on you will hike,
And I know you'll hike far
and face up to your problems
whatever they are.

You'll get mixed up, of course,
as you already know.
You'll get mixed up
with many strange birds as you go.
So be sure when you step.
Step with care and great tact
and remember that Life's
a Great Balancing Act.
Just never foget to be dexterous and deft.
And never mix up your right foot with your left.

And will you succeed?
Yes! You will, indeed!
(98 and 3/4 percent guaranteed.)

KID, YOU'LL MOVE MOUNTAINS!

So...
be your name Buxbaum or Bixby or Bray
or Mordecai Ali Van Allen O'Shea,
You're off the Great Places!
Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting.
So...get on your way!

That sums up why I volunteer. It's for the experience, and where I go, and people I meet, and doing interesting stuff. Next year I would love to volunteer on the trail in a village, but first I need to get the right clothing.

Also, this is copied from the "Teacher on the Trail" from the Iditarod website:

V is for Volunteer: Making the Iditarod Go ‘Round

Posted by Annie in Teacher on the Trail™, Teacher's Journal
Date: March 13, 2017 9:09 pm

The Iditarod Alphabet 2017
V is for Volunteers

A volunteer is a person who freely offers to do something. The Iditarod is an event that could not go on without the volunteers that come out from around the world. At every checkpoint there are volunteer veterinarians, trail crew, and communications people who keep the race going. In Anchorage and Nome there are many volunteers who staff the communications rooms and make sure the website is up to date. And each village has been wonderful and volunteering their time as well.

V is for Volunteers

Volunteers make the Iditarod go ‘round! Without the dedication of hundreds of volunteers the race wouldn’t be what it is today. People from around the country and the world come back year after year to dedicate 1-2 weeks to the Last Great Race on Earth. Here are the different volunteer positions the Iditarod needs each year:

Volunteer Registration Desk: Check-in volunteers in Anchorage and make sure they have all their paperwork in before heading out on the trail.

Anchorage Call Center: The call center is open during regular business hours and the volunteers answer questions about the race, mushers, and other Iditarod related topics.

Dropped Dog: Dropped dogs volunteers help take care of the dogs that mushers have dropped from their team throughout the race. A veterinarian is also there to help these volunteers.

Race Communications (Anchorage): These communication volunteers assist those out on the trail and update the race website.

Race Communications (Trail): These communication volunteers work with volunteers coming in and out of the checkpoint, keep the trail crew informed of a musher arriving, and update Anchorage communications on everything that is happening at their checkpoint. A trail communications volunteer is usually out on the trail for 10-14 days.

Race Stats: These volunteers help with all the data that comes in from the checkpoints: times, dog count, en route times, etc. This is based in Anchorage and they work closely with the Anchorage communications team.

Trail Crew: This group of volunteers are some of the hardest working out there. They check in and out all the mushers, get the drop bags ready, pull over straw for the dogs, etc.

There are many other volunteer jobs throughout the race including dog handler, security at the start line, trail breaker, trail sweep, pilot, and more!

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