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Dock Talk - Winter 2007-2008

People Power

By Bud Edwards
The army of volunteers that assembles annually at the Sorting Gap Marina each July, transforming three parking lots, a grassy knoll and LaVerendrye Parkway into a tournament site, makes the entire event possible. More than 5% of Fort Frances residents bring their individual skills together in an amazing collection of people power. Fortunately most of the almost 500 volunteers have previous related experience and create in a few days an amazing collection of structures.

We all notice when the big Special Events Tent rises filling the street. It reminds one of tales of huge canvas circus tents with wooden poles lifted into place by elephants and roustabouts. Forklifts, bucket trucks, manlifts and permanent pegging have replaced the elephants and tent pegs. Despite the powerful equipment and site improvements it still takes 20 strong workers to bring the three and a half tons of vinyl and aluminum to life.

The white volunteer tent springs to life fi lled with boxes of volunteer t-shirts, cases of water, computer printouts and schedules to bring a degree of organization to the growing army. Teams are then given specific tasks that must be accomplished in sequence. The most labour intensive work begins under the east end of the tent. Carpenters and helpers set up the stage on a sloping asphalt surface making use of a pallet of cement blocks and laser levels to make it level and secure. A separate lower platform for the computer area is also built. They then erect the walls, assemble the speaker towers, raise the 30-foot truss and install the big screens. While the carpenters are driving nails and screws the electrician connects a spaghetti-like collection of thick power cables, panels and miles of wire needed to power and light the tent, the stage, the fi sh care area, the food vendors, the smaller tents, the administration trailers and the bar. Groups to set up the almost 2,000 feet of perimeter fencing are formed. We have learned over time that all male or all female teams can accomplish twice as much in the same amount of time as mixed teams.

Trucks and trailers arrive full of air conditioners, backdrops, banners, the barrel train, bleachers, brooms, cables, chairs, computers, copying machines, counters, cupboards, duck tape, extension cords, fans, fi sh tanks, freezers, fridges, garbage bags, generators, hot water tanks, hoses, job boxes, ladders, lights, lumber, monitors, paint, picnic tables, phones, podiums, printers, projectors, pumps, ramps, scaffolding, signs, sinks, tables, televisions, tents, tie-wraps, tools, weigh scales and boxes and boxes of paraphernalia. Everything must be unloaded either by forklift or by hand and placed in designated staging areas. Load after load of porta-potties show up forming a blue and white forest behind the Sorting Gap Marina. Anyone visiting the site for the fi rst time wonders whether all the pieces will be put together and be operational on time. Just when the site begins to look like a home for all the planned events, the Daytime Land equipment, garbage cans, Penny Table donations and silent auction prizes arrive and the food court vendors begin to set up.

Despite months of planning and years of experience each year has a different pattern and unanticipated problems. Finding things is always a challenge. Repairing and painting consumes valuable hours forcing team leaders to adjust and revise schedules.

There is always a point when everything looks like a mess and it seems that the site cannot possibly be fi nished on time. Nerves become frayed as the peak of the summer hits driving temperatures on the sun baked hot black asphalt into the 40’s. Heat stroke, dehydration and exhaustion become serious concerns requiring constant attention.

Within a few hours the difficult gets done. Problems are solved. The army of workers starts looking after finishing touches and finally clean-up starts. After just three days of hard work almost everything is in place and testing of the sound system, big screens and the Tournament Information System begins. As the sun sets on the final day of construction a walk through inspection yields a hit list, mostly minor, of things still to be done.

Volunteers, team leaders and directors collect in small groups enjoying coffee, pop or water and chat about what changes should be made for the following year. A few look at the hundreds upon hundreds of hours everyone has invested, marvel and take pride in what has been accomplished. Others are still working, perhaps pushing themselves too hard, are reminded that tasks can be completed tomorrow, and are told to go home.

Darkness finally overtakes the Sorting Gap Marina and security personnel begin to patrol meeting curious visitors who roam by. The site is eerily quiet – no voices; no mechanical noises, no hum of activity, yet ready for the first event. Early Sunday morning the tent fills again as the KidPro Tournament gets underway. Behind the scenes work on the hit list items quietly (for the most part) continues.
Seven days of activities, hundreds of anglers and thousands of spectators will enjoy the fruits of the labour of the volunteers. This is Community Pride, Volunteerism and People Power at its finest.