As someone who can’t remember a time in my life when I wasn’t involved in sport it came as quite a blow when, at the age of seventeen, my health deteriorated to the point that sport, as I had known it, was not an option. After years spent coming to terms with my new reality I became an advocate, and I was asked to participate in the bid to host the BC Disability Games in Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows. Through this a whole new selection of sports entered my world. I became involved, as an athlete, in two adaptive sport programs: Power Soccer and Boccia.
In my personal experience, and in observing others, I find that there are two major factors that get people into sport administration: necessity and connection.
To begin with I entered the world of sport administration out of necessity. I was unable to play the sports I loved because I was unable to travel to where the Power Soccer and Boccia teams played and I knew that there were other athletes in the same situation so I decided to create teams, and coach them, in the Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows area. It was because of necessity that I became involved in an aspect of sport that I had never previously thought about.
Necessity drives people to try roles that they wouldn’t normally consider. When I was younger my sister was involved with the Maple Ridge Kayak Club. When she first became involved with the club it was a small regional club that used an old shipping container as their clubhouse. It was out of necessity that my father and a small group of parents began to be more involved with the administrative side of sport. By the time my sister left the club they had a beautiful new clubhouse, a renowned coach from Poland, and several National level kayakers, my sister one of them. Out of the necessity of the parents wanting to give their children as many opportunities as possible, beyond the regional level, they took on administrative duties to ensure their children would not be held back in any way.
I believe that connection is the most important factor for getting people involved in sport administration. There are two sides of the coin for connection.
The first side is the
connection one has with the sport and the athletes. I was invested in the sports that I played and my connection to the sport made me want to work to ensure that other athletes would have the same opportunity to connect with the sport that I had. The connection with athletes, I believe, is extremely important. One doesn’t have to know the athletes personally but they should realize what the administrative work they do does for the athletes. I have a friend who, when having a bad week or when she is looking at a pile of paperwork or e-mails, sometimes says to herself “I do this for the athletes”. And for her, all her hard work throughout the year is rewarded when she attends the BC Disability Games and sees the athletes coming together, in large part due to her efforts, and she feels connected to the results of her administrative work.
My switch to the administrative side was also because I saw what I could do for the athletes.
The Disability Games are a time of my seeing what my work has created, and it reminds me, and allows me to understand, during the rest of the year, why I work on the athletes’ behalf behind the scenes.
The second side of the “connection” coin is people already in administration connecting with volunteers or workers who are new to administration. I attended my first BC Disability Games in Nanaimo in 2005, as an athlete, and when I wasn’t competing I was asking questions about the games and how they were run. When I returned home I was approached and asked to join the board of directors for BC Disability Sports. While I was very interested I was also cautious as it was a position about which I knew very little. I was extremely fortunate that the person who pulled me over to the administrative side of sport through the board of directors knows that it isn’t just about the importance of connecting with athletes but also about connecting with the volunteers. She talked me into trying something that, in the beginning, made me feel in over my head. Eventually I was able to do my role confidently because she connected with me as an individual and through her continuous support she made me realize that I had something to offer.
I have always believed that sport is about a way of life that makes one find the best possible person inside of them and I think that sport administration is similar in that I have discovered a life that rewards me continuously yet it isn’t one I would have found on my own; I needed someone to say ‘I see something in you beyond the athlete and I want to work with you to realize your potential.” I see my administrative mentor very much like a coach in that she sees my potential, she works with me, and she makes me make the best version of myself.
When looking for new volunteers I think it is important to seek out, and connect with, someone who may not think they have the ability, skill, or organization to try the administrative side of things because with guidance, support, and encouragement they can become a great volunteer. It does take some time in the beginning but in the end it is worth it for both the volunteer and the recruiter.
Connection, as a dual idea, has helped me as I switched from athlete to administrator.
It is the connection with the athletes that propels me forward and it is the connection with people who are experienced in administration that has helped me learn what I am capable of doing. I now feel comfortable, and confident, as an administrator. My experience in administration is almost identical to that of the model for sports, which is to take someone who is a beginner and guide them by giving them support and the skills to excel and helping to shape them into an athlete, or administrator, who is at the top of their form.
I believe that there is an untapped section of society that is not being utilized. As a person with a disability I am aware that often people’s preconceived perception of disability is more of a handicap, or barrier, to finding a position than the person’s actual disability. My motto in life is that “my body may be broken but my mind and mouth have never stopped working.” The hard part has been in getting people to give me a chance to prove what I can do.
When I first started having health issues it only affected my fingers, hands, and wrists. I remember going to a volunteer fair at the Vancouver Library and going to three separate organizations to volunteer. I explained that I had severe arthritis that affected the use of my hands and that I wanted to volunteer but some adjustments would have to be made as I would not be able to do everything the traditional way. I was turned away from all three organizations who proclaimed that they were desperate for volunteers.
This particular case of prejudice against someone with health issues and obstacles was before I was in a wheelchair, so you can imagine the responses I received when my arthritis spread to every joint and I tried to find volunteer opportunities with my disability being much more visual in the shape of my wheelchair.
When I did find a volunteer position I was very clear about what I could and could not do and they were open to what I had to say but unfortunately they continually put me in situations in which I had stated I was unable to do. I was frustrated because I was honest from the start and they seemed to hear me but later, when I left, I was told that they thought I would be able to do it if I was just put in the situation. If a person with a disability is recruited it is necessary to let them be the judge of what they can and cannot do. If their skills or ability does not fit the framework of the position then be honest and let them go so that they may find a position elsewhere in which they can fit. This will save your time as well as the time of the person with the disability.
I was fortunate in that the person who encouraged me to join the board openly asked me about my obstacles and was thus aware of them and able to work with me to find solutions. My barriers were addressed and worked around with relative ease. I think honesty is important on both sides. As a volunteer I need to be open about what my limitations are so that those who I am volunteering with can help find solutions. Having an adaptable mindset is extremely important when seeking people for positions as no two people are alike, disability, or no disability. My volunteering is in direct correlation to people who recognize what I have to offer above and beyond my limitations.
When organizations use a posting such as govolunteer there is a section that states that the position is “(quote) suitable for (end quote)”. I am often surprised by the fact that the people who write the postings do not utilize the box next to “(quote) people with physical disabilities (end quote)”. People with disabilities can offer an organization a lot but the organization has to be comfortable in being open about what is necessary for the job and in asking what the person with a disability feels may be a barrier or problem that needs to be worked out.
Oftentimes a person who is filling a position feels uncomfortable, or politically incorrect, in asking about a person’s health, disability, or limitation. I think it is more politically incorrect to bypass a section of society because of discomfort than to have a few, possible, uncomfortable moments, during which they ask about barriers and limitations. In my mind we are in an age of over political correctness and as such.
I do understand that there can be a nervousness about interviewing a person with a disability, however there are organizations, such as mine, that can offer advice on how to minimize the discomfort during an interview. We can advise on how to interact with a person with a disability, what phrases are acceptable within the disability world, and how to word questions so that they are both effective and sensitive
I have a life in which I have limitations due to my health so I appreciate dealing with people who don’t impose more limitations on my life by prejudging my abilities. There are many people with disabilities, like myself, who can fit into, and excel, in a role in sport administration as long as both sides are patient, open, honest, and adaptable.