Non-Vampiring It

The best thing that has happened to me at a cyclocross race this year happened at Tacchino. It was when 15 or so non-club member volunteers showed up and started working. When I thanked a few of them, they talked about how much fun it was to be part of the race and how much they enjoyed it.  It’s not possible to explain in words how uplifting that was, how it turned around my attitude on race day and picked up my feelings about promoting. 

I won't kid you.  Promoting races is hard. It's fun, but when people say it's a "labor of love," they don't stress the "labor" part enough.  It is a lot of work, and a promoter and the management team of the bigger races can feel crushed by the workload and the complexity of some of the management / logistical tasks.  Just a little bit of extra help can have an amazing positive effect, particularly when it comes from people (non-teammates, random non-racers) who aren't compelled to help out under the penalty of higher club dues or social ostracism.

I’ve taken what I got back in September and have tried to pay it forward a little bit at other people’s races, helping out at a couple races, and helping a lot squaring away the technical design at a race that went down this last weekend. 

These aren't "my" races, somebody else is promoting them, so there's no mandatory reason to help out, and being on injured reserve with the bum foot, I can’t even race in them.  So what do I get out of it?  Technically, nothing, at least if you're talking material advantage.

But Son-of-Rouleur needs to get to the races early to race in the Jrs. 10-14 class, and as long as I’m going to be there, I might as well step up and volunteer to marshall traffic, to haul signs around, to check tape, or help with last minute setup, the kinds of harrying details that make promoters feel like they are a hundred feet under water. An extra body or two at 7:30 on race day can feel like a battalion to a promoter who is a little short staffed.

I don’t know if somewhat random, out-of-the-blue help for other promoters makes them feel like it makes me feel, but I sure hope it does.  Just a little bit of random "outsider" help moved me from thinking I wanted to bail from promoting for a year or two (yep, some burnout was coming on there) and realizing that I actually like promoting races, a lot.  

My teammate FatMarc and his buddy Anne Rock talk about not being vampires, about putting lifeblood back into the scene rather than constantly taking it out.  Well, it takes two to tango.  As a promoter, you have to be open to other people’s help - you gotta be ready to receive the transfusion.   Don't be afraid to take up the offer of help, take charge and put people to work. Trust me - it will brighten your day, and the outlook of your "regular" volunteer crew who have been on site for most of two days. 

Non-vampiring does more than just help individual races.  It helps tie together the scene, and to make it more than the sum of its part, something more than just a dozen clubs putting on a dozen races, along with a couple thousand random individual racers showing up to race. Between the regular race volunteers, the sponsors and the folks around the community who jump in to help, non-vampiring is what makes a race schedule into a scene.  It's like glue.  The really sticky kind. 

Now it’s clear to me what some famous local non-vampires are doing when they volunteer at other people’s races.  It’s a really good thing to do, and you can pull a couple people upwards - you and a promoter - at the same time.  It feels good to play that role too, to give back to the clubs and people who put races on for you.  Like making a deposit in the karmic checking account. 

You don’t have to do a lot to make a promoter or the race management team feel good – just help out with whatever needs doing. It can be a big job, or a little job.  Just pitch in.  For you, it’s giving up an hour or two.  Feeling sorry about being injured or unable to ride?  Give a bit more, and see the joy others get from what you’re helping to put together.  Reach out to your favorite race (or just a local race that's starting out) and get involved.  And feel the uplift you get from it. 

The scene is better when *You* make the scene.