Help CVDA by Volunteering
CVDA shows and clinics would be nothing without our great volunteers! We hope the descriptions below will help you decide which job is right for you.
Please don't hesitate to contact us if you can help us at shows or clinics. Your efforts are greatly appreciated by competitors and show/clinic management alike.
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Scribe
The scribe is the show’s closest contact with each judge and is the crucial link between the judge and competitors. Upon checking in at the Youth Center, you will be introduced to “your” judge and given a judge’s bag/box with all your tests and materials. Once you have settled into your booth with your judge, ask them for a quick run-through of how they like to give comments/scores, etc. There is an abbreviated/shorthand list for scribes available from the show manager. Take a few moments to look over this handy reference sheet.
The scribe must quickly and legibly record only the comments the judge makes, without adding or deleting anything. The scribe should be sure to record the score as soon as it is given, and then continue with the comments.
Runner
A runner’s main duty is to collect tests from the scribe and carry them to the scorers in a fast and unobtrusive manner. The runner may not look at these tests, or allow anyone else to look at them. You will be assigned to a specific ring(s). Bringing a bike has been an option that has worked well for many runners.
When collecting tests from the scribe, the runner should walk quietly to the judge’s stand as the horse in the arena finishes the final salute and leaves the ring. The runner should not talk to the scribe or the judge if they are still commenting on the previous ride.
Parker
Your job is to greet competitors, volunteers, and spectators as they arrive and direct them to the appropriate parking areas. Show and Facility Management will give you clear instruction on where people are allowed to park. Please proactively direct trailers to park in a constellation that is going to allow for the greatest ability for others to get in and out of the site.
Hospitality
The goal of a hospitality volunteer is to make the competition enjoyable for volunteers and officials. You will want to keep them supplied with plenty of drinks and snacks throughout the day. If you are assigned to the morning time slot, greet all arriving volunteers and officials with a sunny smile. Offer coffee/tea and breakfast foods that the show manager will have put out. Help keep the breakfast table neat and tidy and keep an eye on the coffee and hot water to make sure some is always available. If competitors are looking for breakfast/drinks/or snacks they should politely be re-directed down to the café.
We suggest at least one, possibly two, hospitality runs during the morning to deliver cold/hot drinks and snacks out to all volunteers and officials. The grounds are spread out, so be sure to check what areas are being used so someone does not get missed. If you are assigned to the afternoon time slot, you will start with greeting officials and volunteers as the come in for their lunch breaks. Every volunteer/official will be given a lunch ticket that is good in the café so they can choose their own meal. We suggest at least one, possibly two, hospitality runs during the afternoon to see if volunteers or officials need anything to eat, drink or make them more comfortable.
Ring Steward
Your job is to get competitors into the ring in a timely, efficient manner. You will alert competitors that their time is approaching when there are 2-3 horses ahead of them, answer general questions on who is in the ring, what time it is, etc from competitors and spectators, and check in by radio with the show office if a competitor does not appear to be near the ring or warming up when their time is approaching.
Registration
You are usually a competitor’s first contact at the show as they come to check in and get their registration packet and number. All packets will be alphabetized for you and should have a label on the outside with notes on any missing information (Coggins, signatures, etc). A competitor may not take their packet until all information is gathered. You will also have a master checklist with all competitors’ names on it. Please check off each name as you give out their packet.
As you are on the front line you may be asked questions about the show that you don’t know how to answer; in that case, enlist the help of a show manager or the show secretary.
The Half Halt
Now Available
The February 2012 issue of "The Half Halt" is available for download on the Newsletters page.
Thank You, USDF!
CVDA Award
Our CVDA Website has just been awarded Best GMO Website in our size category for the second year in a row!
Reminder
2011 Silent Auction and Annual Dinner
Our special Silent Auction to benefit GMHA was fantastic. Thank you to all who donated, and to all who helped make it so!
Half Halts...
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