A few weeks ago, my uncle, who does a lot of work with the IIHF website, encouraged me to volunteer for the 2019 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship. Living in Toronto, I was apprehensive about the time/reward for such a commitment, but I love hockey and decided to give it a shot. I’m really glad I did!
Day One was a few days before the tournament started. I was still a little jet-lagged, and much of the training was in Slovak, but several people around me translated, and in this way I was able to make friends right away.
Everyone in my volunteer section is from Slovakia, the Czech Republic, and Slovenia – except me. One of the Slovak volunteers, though, had lived in Toronto for five years, which was cool. After the training session, some of the volunteers in my section went for beers. I learned there are many rules in Slovakia concerning drinking – all of which encourage more drinking.
I think I’m going to like it here.
I was assigned to work in the media centre, and it was slow at the start because the games hadn’t yet started. But because I was the only volunteer whose first language is English, I was serving as the final grammar and spellcheck editor for official documents written in English that the Slovak media team has been sending out to all the other countries and journalists. This was exciting, but it also came with a bit of pressure!
Once the tournament started, I was given a variety of assignments. One day, I would be running game statistics, summaries, rosters, and lineups, from the media office to the several television studios covering the tournament, to journalists writing about the games from inside the arena, and to commentators describing the games for fans at home.
On other days, I would be stationed at the photo positions around the arena, where photographers take their great action shots that go out to the world. I had to ensure that photographers were in their correct positions, and that no fans interfered with their ability to work.
On other occasions, I would be stationed at the welcome desk of the press centre, greeting journalists arriving from around the world to cover the tournament, helping them as best I could.
Working as a volunteer has really opened my eyes as to how much goes on behind the scenes for a tournament of this scale. It’s easy to lose sight of this when you're just watching the games on TV, but this is truly an impressive operation that takes place in order for everything to run as smoothly as it does.
Experiencing firsthand how reporters, journalists, players, security, volunteers, and organizers all need to be in sync with each other gave me a real appreciation for the amount of work that goes into the tournament. While the players and games are certainly the centre of attention, without the countless other people working hard, together, behind the scenes, it would not be possible for the tournament to exist.
I think my favourite assignment as a volunteer was to be stationed in the mixed zone, where the post-game interviews take place. This involved leading the players exiting the rink to the mixed zone, ensuring that only the properly accredited journalists talked to the players.
The 2019 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship is a star-studded tournament, featuring established NHL superstars such as the league’s reigning points leader, Nikita Kucherov, and the legendary Alex Ovechkin, as well as young, rising talents such as William Nylander, and Nico Hischier. As I watched these players from inside the arena or watched as they walked by me, they seemed larger than life. Getting to see them up close, talking to reporters or their media representatives, really revealed a more human side to these amazing athletes. It was very cool to see that despite their incredible skills, they’re really just regular people like everyone else – regular people who can skate fast, shoot hard, and make great saves!
Something else I have found impressive is the fan atmosphere. Coming from Toronto, most of the hockey I watch is the Toronto Maple Leafs and the NHL, of course. I don’t watch European leagues, and as a result I didn’t realize the extent to which European fans are passionate for hockey. And it’s not just the top teams like Sweden and Russia.
The fans from countries like Switzerland and Latvia have been screaming and chanting, banging drums and clapping for 60 minutes of hockey. I don’t know how they do it! The sheer volume from the 9,000 fans in the Ondrej Nepela Arena would rival, if not surpass, the volume of the 20,000 fans at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto.
As I watched the oceans of fans decorated in their country’s colours, singing songs, getting out of their seats and jumping up and down, together, pulsing as one, I witnessed a certain passion that in some ways is missing from the NHL. I felt an amazing electricity in the arena, perhaps only attainable when national pride is on the line.
On top of the great hockey experience, working as a volunteer for the World Championship has allowed me to experience a new culture, one that I otherwise might never have seen.
The other volunteers have been extremely welcoming to me and eager to teach me many interesting things about their country. One day, my new friends took me around the city, showing me famous buildings, such as the Bratislava Castle, and had me try traditional Slovak dishes, such as bryndzove halusky, and, of course, more “pivo,” – beer!
As well, the other volunteers are equally eager to learn about Canada, and I learned that Slovakia is one of two countries in the world where Coke is not the number one drink. Their favourite beverage is called Kofola, which is similar to Coke, but noticeably different. I tried it today and it was really good. Maybe I’m becoming Slovak!
Volunteering in Bratislava has been a great experience, and I’m looking forward to the medal weekend and the finals. I’ve been able to see firsthand all the hard work performed by hundreds of dedicated people off the ice in order to make the tournament a global success on it.
Perhaps this experience will inspire career choices for me and the other volunteers. I have had the pleasure of immersing myself in a new culture through a familiar sport, but most important of all, I now have a new network of friends that I hope to stay connected with for the rest of my life.
Interested in being a volunteer? Have a look at 2020.iihfworlds.com for next year’s Worlds in Switzerland!
Day One was a few days before the tournament started. I was still a little jet-lagged, and much of the training was in Slovak, but several people around me translated, and in this way I was able to make friends right away.
Everyone in my volunteer section is from Slovakia, the Czech Republic, and Slovenia – except me. One of the Slovak volunteers, though, had lived in Toronto for five years, which was cool. After the training session, some of the volunteers in my section went for beers. I learned there are many rules in Slovakia concerning drinking – all of which encourage more drinking.
I think I’m going to like it here.
I was assigned to work in the media centre, and it was slow at the start because the games hadn’t yet started. But because I was the only volunteer whose first language is English, I was serving as the final grammar and spellcheck editor for official documents written in English that the Slovak media team has been sending out to all the other countries and journalists. This was exciting, but it also came with a bit of pressure!
Once the tournament started, I was given a variety of assignments. One day, I would be running game statistics, summaries, rosters, and lineups, from the media office to the several television studios covering the tournament, to journalists writing about the games from inside the arena, and to commentators describing the games for fans at home.
On other days, I would be stationed at the photo positions around the arena, where photographers take their great action shots that go out to the world. I had to ensure that photographers were in their correct positions, and that no fans interfered with their ability to work.
On other occasions, I would be stationed at the welcome desk of the press centre, greeting journalists arriving from around the world to cover the tournament, helping them as best I could.
Working as a volunteer has really opened my eyes as to how much goes on behind the scenes for a tournament of this scale. It’s easy to lose sight of this when you're just watching the games on TV, but this is truly an impressive operation that takes place in order for everything to run as smoothly as it does.
Experiencing firsthand how reporters, journalists, players, security, volunteers, and organizers all need to be in sync with each other gave me a real appreciation for the amount of work that goes into the tournament. While the players and games are certainly the centre of attention, without the countless other people working hard, together, behind the scenes, it would not be possible for the tournament to exist.
I think my favourite assignment as a volunteer was to be stationed in the mixed zone, where the post-game interviews take place. This involved leading the players exiting the rink to the mixed zone, ensuring that only the properly accredited journalists talked to the players.
The 2019 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship is a star-studded tournament, featuring established NHL superstars such as the league’s reigning points leader, Nikita Kucherov, and the legendary Alex Ovechkin, as well as young, rising talents such as William Nylander, and Nico Hischier. As I watched these players from inside the arena or watched as they walked by me, they seemed larger than life. Getting to see them up close, talking to reporters or their media representatives, really revealed a more human side to these amazing athletes. It was very cool to see that despite their incredible skills, they’re really just regular people like everyone else – regular people who can skate fast, shoot hard, and make great saves!
Something else I have found impressive is the fan atmosphere. Coming from Toronto, most of the hockey I watch is the Toronto Maple Leafs and the NHL, of course. I don’t watch European leagues, and as a result I didn’t realize the extent to which European fans are passionate for hockey. And it’s not just the top teams like Sweden and Russia.
The fans from countries like Switzerland and Latvia have been screaming and chanting, banging drums and clapping for 60 minutes of hockey. I don’t know how they do it! The sheer volume from the 9,000 fans in the Ondrej Nepela Arena would rival, if not surpass, the volume of the 20,000 fans at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto.
As I watched the oceans of fans decorated in their country’s colours, singing songs, getting out of their seats and jumping up and down, together, pulsing as one, I witnessed a certain passion that in some ways is missing from the NHL. I felt an amazing electricity in the arena, perhaps only attainable when national pride is on the line.
On top of the great hockey experience, working as a volunteer for the World Championship has allowed me to experience a new culture, one that I otherwise might never have seen.
The other volunteers have been extremely welcoming to me and eager to teach me many interesting things about their country. One day, my new friends took me around the city, showing me famous buildings, such as the Bratislava Castle, and had me try traditional Slovak dishes, such as bryndzove halusky, and, of course, more “pivo,” – beer!
As well, the other volunteers are equally eager to learn about Canada, and I learned that Slovakia is one of two countries in the world where Coke is not the number one drink. Their favourite beverage is called Kofola, which is similar to Coke, but noticeably different. I tried it today and it was really good. Maybe I’m becoming Slovak!
Volunteering in Bratislava has been a great experience, and I’m looking forward to the medal weekend and the finals. I’ve been able to see firsthand all the hard work performed by hundreds of dedicated people off the ice in order to make the tournament a global success on it.
Perhaps this experience will inspire career choices for me and the other volunteers. I have had the pleasure of immersing myself in a new culture through a familiar sport, but most important of all, I now have a new network of friends that I hope to stay connected with for the rest of my life.
Interested in being a volunteer? Have a look at 2020.iihfworlds.com for next year’s Worlds in Switzerland!