[JaneYoung]

Having been one of the volunteers that has helped run safety glasses tables at past events, I can tell you that there are some guidelines that go with them. These are a couple of the guidelines that I was given:

1. the safety glasses are for guests and visitors, they are not for teams
2. everyone must sign the safety glasses out and sign them back in

To varying degrees, I was told that teams should bring their own glasses and should 'know better', serving as role models of responsibility. I have also been told that the safety glasses station is one that comes with gate keeping responsibilities.

Reading through some of the commentary, I can see that the volunteer was following those guidelines. To kick it up a further notch, the safety glasses volunteers were probably told that teams should know the importance of having their own safety glasses by the time they get to Championship level.

The message is correct. The messenger needs some work in the area of interacting with others and in conducting herself in a professional manner.

Regarding the age/mentor confusion... I have confused ages before, not correctly assessing the age of the student: junior high, high school, and/or college. It has made me feel like a total dork and, when that has happened, I have apologized. Sometimes, an apology is not enough but it is always a good start.

I'm sorry that happened but do follow the correct procedure in following up with your complaint. And, if you get a chance, think about the positive interactions that you had at the Championship. I hope there were many that far outweighed the rudeness of the safety glasses volunteer.

A side comment - there were a couple of safety glasses stations that were located in very cramped quarters and, in my mind, were a little dangerous for the people that were running those stations. The teams, moving as a large enthusiastic crowd, could have easily run them over but for the tables that served as a protective border between the volunteers and the crowd. If I had been assigned to one of those cramped stations and blocked in by the crowds, I would have asked to have been reassigned or I would have stepped down from that station and explained my reasoning to the VC. That's an .02 from my perspective.

Jane