I was at Lou Fusz for my volunteer assignments, helping with traffic control. This had me stationed near the parking lot entrance, directing traffic into and out of the complex. This included making sure vehicles followed the specified direction into and out of the lot to maintain good traffic flow.
I received a volunteer t-shirt to wear while on duty and wore a cap and cargo shorts. The latter were handy to hold the water bottle I constantly had while working. The organizers at the Missouri Youth Soccer Association (MYSA) took care of us volunteers, including getting full bottles of cold water to me at my post.
I would wave at the vehicles as they pulled into the complex, and then used arm signals to direct them to the right as they headed for an open parking spot. Many times, the drivers and some passengers would wave back at me. As the vehicles exited the complex, I would try to wave at them as they headed for the exit. There were a few times when the drivers asked for directions to specific fields at the complex or to find the nearest gas station. I would help them as best as I could.
Yesterday's shift ran from 1:45 pm to 6:00 pm, although I ended up working until 6:45 to make sure everyone got out fine. I was tired, but happy to have done my part to make this tournament run smoothly.
Back at it this morning, I worked from 9:00 am to 2:15 pm. Today was a hot one, with the temperature reaching 88 degrees F (31 degrees C), and the heat index reaching 95 degrees F (35 degrees C). I went through four 20-ounce (592.5 ml) bottles of water. At midday, the MYSA people brought over a box lunch from Jersey Mike's Subs. I picked out the Italian sandwich, which came with a bag of potato chips and two chocolate chip cookies. I ate my lunch while at my duty station, which was a bit awkward, but I made it work.
As my shift neared its end, I heard air horns sound at the complex, followed by referee whistles. Glancing at the nearest field, I saw the teams walking off the field. A lightning strike had been detected in the general area, forcing a stoppage in play at all fields. I helped direct traffic for a bit longer before being told to shelter in my car.
It was at 3:30 pm--1 hour and 22 minutes after the alarm sounded--that the all clear signal was given, allowing play to resume. A few minutes later, I walked to the tournament office and said my goodbye to the site coordinator, who thanked me for my service these past two days. He and the volunteer coordinator both commended me for the job I did in traffic control.
I then got back in my car and drove home. I was tired and a bit sunburned, but happy for the experience.
Later.
Weblinks of entities mentioned in this post:
US Youth Soccer: US Youth Soccer
Missouri Youth Soccer Association: Missouri Youth Soccer Association (missourisoccer.org)
USYS Midwest Regional Championships: Midwest Regional Championships | US Youth Soccer
Jersey Mike's Subs: Jersey Mike's USA - Authentic Sub Sandwich Franchise Since 1956 (jerseymikes.com)
