Volunteering
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Below are the general job positions that must be filled by competent parent volunteers in order to run a team of this size and quality:
Coach Coaches are responsible for the organization, training, and racing for the whole team. They provide mentorship and leadership throughout the season and beyond.
Assistant coach Assistant coaches ride with the team regularly and assist at all races with race preparation.
Mechanic Mechanics assure each bike is race ready on race day, as well as checking bikes at the beginning of the season.
Ride Leader Ride leaders go on training rides as they are able throughout the season.
Director The director manages registration for the team, and is the liaison for the Tam District, making sure we fulfill our district responsibilities. The director also manages clothing orders and all paperwork associated with the team.
Financial management & Scholarship The finance manager maintains financial records and keeps the team books, in coordination with Drake High School.
Parent committee Parent presidents make sure all parents are informed about team and parent events, organize and supply the trailer for races, purchase food for events and races, and make sure all volunteer slots are filled and parents are informed about how to help out on the team.
Event planning Chair Event planners coordinate, organize and promote fundraising events throughout the season, both new and existing. Additionally, the event planner will coordinate the online platform for fundraising, as well as serving as the liaison for the Jim Miller Fund.
Sponsorship Chair Sponsorship chairs connect with existing sponsors to maintain relationships, as well as forming new sponsorship relationships as needed. Sponsors are recommitted every two years, so this job varies in time commitment from year to year.
Merchandise Chair The merchandise chair plans and orders team merchandise, and then organizes the sale of merchandise at team events and races.
Designer The designer is on hand to help with designing team items as needed; t-shirts, flyers or logos.
Food inventory and management at races Food inventory managers receive the food brought by volunteers on race day and organize it for easy access during races. Inventory is taken at the end of each race.
Website Chair Manages changes and updates to Team website as needed.
Volunteering at Races - general info
Our Pit Zone is the hub of the Drake team at each race, and it’s where all the riders, parents, and coaches are on race day. Drake MTB prides itself on having the best Pit Zone in the State. We provide food for the entire Drake extended family for the whole race day. We provide bike racks, warm-up trainers, recovery drinks, covered seating, and mechanical assistance for the Riders. We make sure the Riders have fresh bottles of hydration for every lap of each of their races. We do almost all of it with volunteer parent labor. Running the Pit Zone is a group effort that requires major help from parents to keep our team healthy, prepared and race ready. More than a decade of hard work, wisdom, and practice has gone into figuring out how to run the league’s best Pit Zone, so your time and efforts are in good hands!
We need you to volunteer at the races! Even if you are new to the team, and have never been to a race, there is a job for you. Your contribution is highly valued!
The following paragraphs outline the general areas where we need regular volunteer labor at the races. Don’t worry if you aren’t sure you know how to do a job. We will teach you anything you need to know! If you are really curious as to what a Pit Zone looks like, this video from the first race of the 2016 season captures it all in an amazing 5 minute time lapse video – from an early morning in the rain on the Golden Gate Bridge to the Riders on the course to the podium finish.
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Pit Zone coordination The Pit Zone Coordinator is responsible for making sure all of the other folks running the Pit Zone are present and engaged and make sure that the right folks show up to do the proper tasks in the proper time slot.
Pit Zone Food Table maintenance Volunteers keep an eye on food and cleanliness in the Pit Zone throughout the day and make sure that foods are replenished and then put away. Shifts are generally 2 hours, and you can pick a time when your child is not racing.
Food Coordinator responsibilities Keeps track of the overall food inventory for the team and makes sure that food usage is tracked. Food Delivery Coordinator Tracks all the food on arrival on race day to make sure everything is present and accounted for. Bike trainer set-up Trainers need to be unloaded from the trailers, set up in the Pit Zone, and kids helped on and off the trainers prior to each race.
Pit area recycling and garbage handling AW’s Pit Zone is also famous for having the smallest footprint for waste, thanks to the well-organized recycling, garbage, and composting efforts.
Feed Zone Leader and volunteers The Feed Zone is the area on the race course where individual riders get their water bottles handed to them during the race. With a team this size, we sometimes need up to 100 bottles ready for a single race. The Feed Zone Leader is the person who is responsible for making sure that bottles are washed and ready for each race, and that the Feed Zone is coordinated and staffed at each race. There are two types of Feed Zone Volunteers: there are spotters who call in race numbers from a location away from the feed zone, and feeders working in the feed zone to give bottles to the riders as they come through. This is a fun and very participatory job!
Grill Master and assistants Grill Master is in charge of grilling up whatever yumminess is on the menu. Shifts rotate so no one misses their Rider’s race.
Team photographers All parents and family are invited to take pictures and upload to the team photo sharing site, an amazing visual record of each Drake season.