Mr. Haines, where have you been this last year or so? Alas, it is human nature to err – and then blame someone else. I’m referring to a letter to the editor by Robert Haines of Vancouver in Friday’s paper of June 24, “Missing out on the Games”.
Mr. Haines is obviously disappointed to miss participating in the West Kootenay 2011 BC Seniors Games by not meeting the registration deadline. The Games have been well publicized in all Black Press papers throughout the province, on the Society’s and Games’ web sites, as well as posters and leaflets.
In all walks of life, deadlines have to be met – a fact of life – otherwise systems and organisations would not function efficiently. It is an individual’s responsibility to resource information such as deadlines.
All 12 Zones throughout the province would have been holding meetings – usually monthly – and then playdowns and registrations since April.
As Mr. Haines is a previous member of the Society and participant in the Games, he would have had access to much of the information.
I would suggest Mr. Haines owe an apology to the hundreds, if not thousands, of seniors who volunteer their time year round in the administration of their zones and society, as well as the hundreds of volunteers of the host board and community – or communities in this case of Castlegar, Nelson and Trail – who have literally put their lives on hold in order to host the Games.
Mr. Haines does not seem to realize that hundreds of participants’ personal and event information has to be processed, schedules created for the 25 events, as well as the organization of numerous support groups such as catering, transportation and medical to meet the requirements for an event of this magnitude.
So how did over 3,200 participants successfully register for the Games, Mr. Haines?
Ah! All is not lost. It is over 13 months to the next Games in Burnaby - lots of time for you to get registered - and right in your backyard.
I’m sure your own Zone 4 or the host community of Burnaby would be grateful for your solutions and help towards solving the “bureaucratic paper shuffling” in order to save a few volunteer hours.
Barb Roberts
Rossland
Zone 6 Director
BC Seniors Games Society