Sport is often referred to as the great equaliser, where all who participate enter the field on a “somewhat” equal playing field.
Yet, off the field, it could be said that an even greater equaliser in sport, and one that carries a great personal reward, is in those who choose to volunteer their time to help make it all happen.
Volunteering is where you get to rub shoulders with not only seasoned sport administrators, commentators, and media personalities, but CEOs, business owners, mums, dads and even grandparents; all in support of the same common goal.
Yet opportunities able to volunteer in your chosen sport at a world-class event, in your home town can seem few and far between.
It was therefore a no-brainer for South West Sydney Academy of Sport basketball manager Mick Hendricks (pictured above at right) who has put his hand up to volunteer at the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup.
Hendricks will get the opportunity to see the world’s best female basketball athletes as he undertakes a volunteer role within the training venue throughout the 10-day tournament which starts today.
He will also be able to keep an eye on five young female athletes from the academy’s Sharp Extensive I.T Basketball program, who will represent the Wollondilly Razorbacks Basketball Association as one of the winning entries in the Hoyts Little Champions.
The girls will get the opportunity to stand alongside the competing teams, in front of an anticipated audience of 18,000 fans, to form a guard of honour at the tournament’s semi final games inside the Sydney Superdome on Friday, September 30.
Joining Hendricks for the tournament in the volunteer department will be academy sport operations manager Stephen Craig (pictured at left with Hendricks).
He will be positioned in the depths of the Sydney Superdome as a volunteer within the media operations team.
The opportunity to step outside of his comfort zone and experience the atmosphere and working environment of a world cup left Craig in no doubt that the opportunity was too good to pass up.
“Our CEO Gerry Knights played a very active role in the Sydney 2000 Olympics and its volunteering scene,’’ says Craig.
“He speaks so highly of the memories of that event and the thrill of volunteering, that when this opportunity came up, it was definitely one to tick off the bucket list.’’
