Volunteer Uniforms

As a member of the 2010 Olympic volunteer workforce, I will be provided with a full uniform. If I complete a minimum required number of shifts, this uniform will be mine to keep. Most people have already seen the Hudson's Bay Company athletic wear but not many have seen the volunteer outfits. I have to say that I was pretty pleased when I saw the images last month! While I would certainly have preferred something in red, it makes far more sense to have the volunteers in a distinctive colour. We need to stand out in a crowd and that would be hard to do in red. You can be sure that many, many spectators, athletes, and officials will be sporting that all-Canadian colour. However, you are not likely to find turquoise among the Canadians nor will it likely be found among delegations from other countries.

Each volunteer will receive a pair of navy pants (thinner city pants for volunteers in most positions and heavier, lined pants for those volunteers who will spend a lot of time outdoors). We will all get a turquoise coat, a fleece vest, two long-sleeved shirts, and a turquoise toque. I love the look of the gear and can't wait to be fully outfitted with my very own turquoise uniform.

How the Adventure Began

I have always loved watching the Olympics and am always moved by the spirit of the games. When the Olympics were awarded to Vancouver, I began to think that volunteering for the games would be a really neat opportunity to become a part of those games. My friend Sonja and I vowed that we would apply to volunteer when the time came.

Nearly two years ago, a website was set up to register as a volunteer. I signed up on the very first day and then I waited. And waited. And waited. In the summer of 2008, I finally received a call. I was given a phone interview asking why I wanted to volunteer for the games and verifying my french skills. Then I waited some more. This time, I did not have to wait too long. Within a couple of weeks, I had been invited to Toronto for a face-to-face interview.

On December 1st, 2008, I attended the interview and training session in Toronto. I had been "bucketed" to International Client Services (I have a friend in VANOC who suggested this for me and gave a code to put in the "For office use only" box on the application form). When volunteers are selected for the Olympics, their names are dropped into a bucket, or functional area, based on their skills and experience. Apparently, my skills and experience were suitable for this International Client Services. I was asked a few more questions based on this functional area, I submitted my form for RCMP security screening, and then I went home. And I waited again.

In April of 2009, I received an email stating that VANOC would be holding interviewing and training sessions in Ottawa and that they were looking for volunteers to assist with this process. It was essentially the same process as I had been through in Toronto, only I would be on the other side of the interviews. It was really interesting to see the process from both sides to see what criteria was used to determine whether someone was a good fit for their bucket. If we felt that they had been placed in the wrong area and that they would be a better fit elsewhere, we

could make these recommendations. It is really amazing to think that I might have had a hand in helping someone to have a better volunteer experience by finding them a role that suits them better. I was also able to see Sonja come through the process. She was bucketed to Olympic Villages.

At this point, I still had no idea whether or not I would actually be offered a position and it suddenly occurred to me that there was a distinct possibility that I might get nothing! However, by the end of April, I had been officially offered a position in International Client Services. Each day, I will arrive at the Olympic Family Hotels where officials and delegates stay during the games. These may be foreign dignitaries, members of Olympic organizing committees, or sports federation delegates. The athletes stay at the Olympic Villages (where Sonja will be working). My job will have me driving delegates to the various venues. I could potentially visit any or all of the venues. When my delegate is busy in a venue, I will be able to spend time in the volunteer lounge, watching the games on the big screen televisions.

One of the requirements for volunteering at the Olympics is that you must arrange your own accommodations and travel. I have some wonderful friends who live outside of Vancouver who have offered me a place to stay. Unfortunately, the commute will be fairly lengthy from their home so I am still looking for a room in the downtown Vancouver area. If anyone knows someone who might have some space available, please contact me! I have booked my air travel though and I am spending the entire month of February in Vancouver. I will certainly have to make sure that the freezer at home is full of casseroles for Brian and the boys!

The countdown to the games has started and I am getting very excited about the coming months. I will update this blog whenever I have anything new to report so please follow the blog. I will hopefully be able to post regularly while I am in Vancouver so that you can all have a taste of the Olympics from a different point-of-view.