Have you ever had concerns about a job? You had the necessary skills and knowledge to complete the task, but you didn't have the confidence to guarantee a positive outcome. You almost expected to fail.
I've been there a few times with various assignments, but somehow, I've almost always produced decent results. Last weekend's volunteer job was one for the record books.
While Harris and Trump campaigned, I sat with the heavy responsibility of using the Colorado Time System hardware and Active Hy-Tek's Meet Manager software to capture swim times for Antigua and Barbuda's Swimming Federation's 9th Invitational Swim Meet. Thankfully, I wasn't alone. My good friend, Merve, served as an integral teammate.
We had used the timing equipment under the supervision of previous technicians. Earlier this year, we also attended a training with other volunteers. Moments before the swim meet started, we received a refresher tutorial from one of the island's experts.
Yet, I had doubts.
I predicted multiple mistakes. A swimmer's time would not get recorded, and the software might crash, preventing the meet from proceeding as planned. Various scenarios popped into my head.
Before the event started on Friday evening, several officials asked me, "Do you know what you are doing?"
"By Sunday, you know, the final day of the meet, we will be masters of this timing system," came my quick reply with a smirk.
On Friday, we missed a swimmer's time through the timing system. Thanks to the volunteer timers, we manually entered the time from a hand stopwatch into the system.
Saturday, the officials asked to combine events and delete absent swimmers from the race. Merve found the adjust button, and we made the changes.
The final day of the swim meet did not disappoint us with challenges. Comparable incidents to Friday and Saturday occurred, but we managed to solve each problem. We only had to call the island expert once to discover how to create the final scoring report.
Merve and I learned by doing. We did what many in the educational field recognize as experiential learning.
Along the way, we experienced difficulties, but together we discovered solutions. We were not experts by 3 PM on Sunday at the end of the swim meet, but confident enough to count the weekend as a victory.
Athletes who placed in the event will represent Antigua and Barbuda on the National Swim Team and travel to the regional meet in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. I am not assigned to tech duties but may travel with the team.
We must push beyond our expectations. It's okay to anticipate challenges. In any venture, successes and failures exist.
The upcoming US election carries the possibility of winning and losing for both candidates. Polls predicted a 48 split in the polls this week. For the sake of the nation, I am hopeful Harris will become America's First Black woman President.
Unfortunately, we must also consider the possibility of another orange administration. Trump's coalitions continue to advance his backward agenda.
Either way, we will figure life out. Our expectations may influence predictions, but optimism can help us achieve despite circumstances.
We cannot allow pessimism to control our thoughts or actions. Every endeavor has before, during, and after phases. We must do our best to consider multiple perspectives and remain hopeful.
Did not notice that kissey face was part of the competition... LOL, but glad the whole family could participate in your son's great swim. He is quite the athlete. And your prowess as a timer is surely getting fine honed. Congratulations.