Do what they need to do!
I submitted my volunteer form to work the USA Pro Cycling Challenge a bit late. Okay, it was a lot late. They opened volunteers in January of this year; I didn't know that, and submitted my form 2 weeks ago. Once I saw it opened in January, I started searching for a direct contact for the volunteer coordinators for Breckenridge, Denver and Golden (the three closest cities to me). The Breckenridge coordinator told me he had plenty of volunteers, but he'd keep my name just in case.
I then received an email from the Denver coordinator advising me of training that was taking place the afternoon of Sunday, August 7th - the same day as Tri for the Cure. The times didn't conflict, but I had worked on Saturday and Sunday morning at the race, and I had my Anatomy/Physiology final on Monday that I needed to study for. As much as I so want to work the race, my studies come first, so I didn't attend the volunteer training.
Now, summer session is condensed. 15 week courses are shortened to 10 weeks. My class was on Monday and Tuesday for 2 hours. The last week of class (two 2hr days) we had to go over FIVE chapters. There simply wasn't enough time to go over everything in those five chapters before our exam. Our teacher skipped over a good 50 slides a day saying "you can read about that; we covered that in lab..." Now "lab" consisted of coloring and dissecting things. Because of the short semester, labs typically took place before we learned about the subject in class, and therefore didn't make a whole lot of sense. I was in somewhat of a panic - not only did I have to read these chapters in one week, I had to completely understand all the concepts. It was all nervous system and special senses, so not easy stuff.
Once I got home from the triathlon, I took a shower and a nap, and got on with more studying. I was up early into Monday morning reading and doing some exercises to make sure I understood everything. When I got to school, all the other students were standing around with somber looks on their faces as well. We all looked like inmates taking that final stroll down death row as we followed our teacher into the class room. We all had the same concerns - that there wasn't enough time, that we hadn't covered everything.
Teacher handed out the test, and to our surprise, it was one sheet, front and back - 50 questions. All multiple choice, matching or true/false - no fill in the blank - which means, the answers are on the page. We started and I literally finished it in about 3 minutes. It couldn't be THAT easy. Not wanting to get up and turn it in so soon, I went back to recheck my answers. Yes, it WAS that easy. I stood to take my test to the teacher, and as soon as I cleared my chair, 2 of my lab partners followed me up. I guess no one wanted to be first! We got outside relieved that it was so easy. We guessed the teacher took it easy on us since we hadn't covered everything. She let us keep the question sheet, and upon checking it, I could only find one that I had missed. I was so pleased.
I told my husband that I was already done, and that the test was super easy - I couldn't believe it! He said "Maybe it was easy for you." I told him, no, that my lab partners finished at the same time as I did and we all thought it was easy. Granted, my main lab partner has a BS in Biology from Westpoint, and he and I had been going back and forth on who had the highest grade all semester long. While the test was easy, it was because I had taken the time read everything. The test certainly could have been more difficult, and the examples in the study guide where much more complex in physiology than the exam was, which is why we were so nervous about the test.
When the grades were finally posted, I was shocked. First, I apparently missed 2 questions, not 1 (I hate not getting tests back because I don't know what I missed! I still had the highest score in the class). Second, there was only one other "A" which I assume my lab partner got. There were quite a few Bs, but what surprised me was the number of Ds and low Cs. The test was so easy, that the only way people could not have gotten at least a B was to not have read the text. It's that simple - there wasn't anything complicated about the test at all; no complex systems to explain, no major memory recall on the cranial or spinal nerves - it was very straight forward and EASY. I'm glad I stayed home and read the text, even if I missed the volunteer training.
Then, I received an email from the volunteer coordinator in Breck asking me if I was still interested that he had a spot for me! I was jazzed! I told him I was still interested and to put me down.
The day after that, I received an email from the Denver coordinator saying that even though I didn't attend the training, I could still work the race. I responded back that I was indeed interested and to put me down. They sent me all the training materials and the presentation from the Sunday training that I wasn't able to attend.
Everything just fell into place. I did what I needed to do, and I was rewarded for it. I took the time to study, and was rewarded with an easy exam. I feel that because I prioritized appropriately, I was rewarded with the fun stuff. I took the initiative to directly contact the Breck coordinator so I was on his radar even if I wasn't on his original list from the USA PCC, and I've been given a special assignment. Because I emailed him with a little bio, a sort of mini resume of my qualifications and what I could do for him, he's given me an assignment that isn't part of the regular volunteer posts. Breck is holding citizen street sprint races prior to the time the racers enter the town, and I get to work those - right on the finish line of the race. Then I'll be done with my "job" prior to the time the race enters the town, and I can watch the pros sprint at the finish rather than being a course marshal out away from the excitement.
I guess the point of my post is, do what you need to do. Be patient, prioritize, and prepare. One of my favorite quotes is from Louis Pasteur "Chance favors the prepared mind." I knew what I wanted and needed to do; I did what I had to do, and by chance I got an easy test and a great volunteer assignment that I was prepared to receive.
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