The other day, I learned what it is like to join a new club. The story goes like this.
I have been training my dog Benny as an ‘agility’ dog. Jump through tires, weave through the poles, run into tunnels, climb over steep ramps – you get the picture. It’s fun and he seems to really enjoy it. If he had a better handler there would be no stopping him.
Our trainer decided that Benny was good enough for the big show. So, we entered our first agility trial. It was sponsored by a local club in Auburn. We packed up and headed off for a day of, well, we had not a clue what to expect.
When we arrived and made our way into the barn, we were greeted warmly and signed in as instructed. The people doing the paperwork were friendly and understanding. We felt a
little better as we set up, still not knowing what to expect or what the ‘do’s and don’ts’ were.
Then, an amazing thing happened.
They held a briefing. At the briefing, the leader of the club asked, “are there any people here who haven’t done this before?” Several hands went up. For every new person, the group leader assigned a volunteer from the club to ‘take that person under their wing’. They were to stick with them all day long and answer questions, check in on them and generally make sure they learned their way around. Introductions were made on the spot.
What a relief!
We were adopted by Becky. She helped us at every step of the way – through all 9 hours of the trial. She made sure we were signed in at the start of each event; that we knew when to be where; told us what to expect and what the rules were. She even helped coach us to a blue ribbon.
Think about how we could do this in the Evergreen Woodworkers Guild.
Every new person at a meeting should be paired up with a member. That member can show them around, introduce them to others, and tell them what to expect. It makes for a much better experience and might even convince a visitor to return.
Work safe,
Bill Cogswell