USAA Nationals : Conclusion
Posted By Jennifer Housley on 29 July 2004
The competition began much the same way it had on Day 1, except this time Tony and I managed to get there right on time.
Jessica Wilson and Annabel Briseno greeted me with a spectacular cheesecake and an assortment of cupcakes the moment I walked on deck. (Oh yeah! Today was my birthday!) All the participants gathered on the bleachers to sang me Happy Birthday – freediver style. I was touched by their sentiments and promised not to dig in until they were done with their statics - it was the least I could do.
Day 2 presented a new challenge. We had fewer volunteers. In order to insure safety in the two competition zones, we decided to have both Matt and myself as in-water safeties and judges. Volunteers doubled up on duties and once again a detailed competition briefing was held. A new face joined us on Day 2 - Roger Yazbeck. Roger willingly took on the duty of helping to video the performances.
The first competitors in each lane had a smooth transition from the warm-up to competition zone. After that some problems arose. There were not enough volunteers in the warm-up lanes for each competitor to have his own warm-up timer. No one’s fault - we had to manage with what we had. Athletes and volunteers both lost track of time and thus some competitors’ warm-up routines suffered. It was frustrating for all involved. After the competition I held a debriefing to review the complications the athletes and volunteers had experienced and as a team we brainstormed solutions for next time. Athletes were reminded that they could have their coaches help them warm-up. More volunteers would be mobilized for next year, volunteers would benefit from having official stop watches, etc. Reminder: it is ultimately the athlete’s responsibility to keep track of time. In my mind, the competitors performed well despite the timing mishaps they experienced and the volunteers made a valiant effort to help them. A lesson was learned by all of us. Problems were addressed and we moved on.
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