Volunteering

Volunteer Requirement

WPRC members will pay a $300 volunteer fee per family upon registration.  This fee is refundable if you participate and complete 3 volunteer credits throughout the race season.

All positions are worth one credit with one exception:
  • Gate keepers will be awarded 2 credits for each race if signed up by the Thursday at midnight before the race weekend.
** To be fair to all members, credit will not be given for volunteering if you leave early or show up late.

Volunteer Opportunities

WPRC is a volunteer organization run by parents for the benefit of our children. The fees that we all pay help to defray the costs of running the club, including paying our coaches and keeping our timing and other technical equipment up-to-date. However, without the efforts of our parents, the club could not function.

It takes a tremendous amount of time and effort to organize a successful race season and to put on the eight or so races that we run at Seven Springs each year. To insure the participation of all parents, each family is required to pay a deposit as security for the completion of volunteer duties. WPRC will refund the duty deposit in full to the family's who fulfill all of their duties. Volunteers are encourage to exceed the minimum duty requirements and will be specially recognized for such efforts.

Unlike most volunteer organizations, WPRC offers a wide variety of opportunities to get involved. Gate keeping is far from the only volunteer opportunity offered by WPRC. Gate keeping is an essential part of each race, and we do not want to discourage parents from signing up for gate keeping duty. However, we do want to advise parents of other rewarding ways of contributing to the club. It is also important for the continuation of the club that more people learn the other aspects of race day, such as timing and race administration. As our children grow and move on, so do their parents. To assure the viability of our club into the future, we must have people ready and capable of stepping into the many roles filled by parents currently.

ROLES REQUIRING ALIPINE OFFICIAL STATUS:

  • Start Referee: 
    Observe starts, rule on false starts, racers who do not adhere to start order, etc. Must be skier (see above). USSA license required.
  • Finish Referee:
    Observe finishes. Record racers as they cross finish line. Note any abnormalities in finish. Skiing not required. USSA license required. Sunglasses recommended for looking up hill into the sun (and for looking cool).

ON HILL VOLUNTEER ROLES (skiing/riding required)

  • GATEKEEPING:
    Stand on the race hill with clipboard and record skiers who miss gates. Must be a skier, have warm clothes, and basic drawing skills with gloves on.
  • COURSE MAINTENANCE:
    Ski through gates during race (between racers) to even out the ruts. Must be a skier, proficient at snowplowing, and good with a rake.

RACE SUPPORT OPPORTUNITIES

  • ANNOUNCER:
    Make announcements over P.A. system during race, including "gateby- gate" coverage. Should be proficient at pronouncing unusual names.
  • RACE REGISTRATION/BIB COLLECTION:
    ** EARLY MORNING: Register racers via start lists on morning of race. Obtain USSA cards, exchange for race bibs. Check in racers on race day and work with Race Secretary to input data. Skiing not required. A cool head is.
    ** 2nd Run:  Collect bibs from racers after event at bottom of race hill, exchange for USSA cards. Skiing not required. Persistence at getting attention of distracted teenagers recommended.
  • CROWD CONTROL:
    Prevent skiing public from crossing racecourse in finish area. Skiing not required. Authoritative voice a plus.
  • HAND TIME START:
    Operate stopwatch. Record time-of-day (to hundredths of a second) as to when racers start. Skiing required. Good hand writing a plus (Petersen method of penmanship preferred).
  • HAND TIME FINISH:
    Same as Hand Time Start, except timer is recording time-of-day as to when racers cross finish line. Also, this job does not require skiing.
  •  PRIMARY TIMER:
    Same as Secondary Timer (just more important.) Also, communicate via headset with Starter regarding when the course is clear to send the next racer. Skiing not required.
  • SECONDARY TIMER:
    Operate computer software on laptop for back-up timing. Must be computer-literate. Skiing not required.

Getting involved in WPRC will not only help your child and the club. It will also introduce you to the many different aspects of ski racing, and to a host of new people with whom you will have an instant connection: your kids and their love of skiing. We encourage you to become familiar with a number of the different roles outlined above. Challenge yourself as our children do everyday on the race hill!

 

WPRC Logo - Header

Western Pennsylvania Race Club (WPRC) is a successfully run ski program based at Seven Springs. The club has been in operation since 1962. WPRC promotes the development of youth athletics through alpine ski racing.

P.O. Box 153
Melcroft, PA 15462