Volunteers with a vested interest

Dateline - June 30th, 2013
Place - Griffon Indoor Sports Complex
Scene - Closing of the 2013 National Youth Weightlifting Championships.

Not ten minutes after the final lift was performed at the 2013 National Youth Weightlifting Championships at MWSU did youth director Dennis Snethen get the joking question from a coach of a different team.

"When are you going to do this again?," he asked.

Dennis had been answering that question for most of the weekend due to the events success. Many parents of the lifters had been very impressed with the facility, set-up and logistics that had taken place that weekend with some of them finding Dennis and giving him good reviews.

But after getting the repeat question from that coach after the event, his answer was always the same and always started with the acknowledgment of a certain group of people.

"Let me tell you," Dennis said, "I couldn't have done this without our volunteers."

True that.

Through the years, Wesley Weightlifting parents and volunteers have had a vested interest in how the team performs and through those performances, how the young people who go through the program are shaped, molded and grow to become good citizens.

And to some of them it is more than a vested interest, it is something that they love to do and they love to do it for Dennis, his wife Becky, and all of the Wesley Weightlifters who have come and gone.

Sure, we could find their names and list them all here with their particular job descriptions they had over the weekend event - but some of them probably wouldn't care. Sure, I could tell you that they had volunteer meetings in each of the prior six months to the event to get organized - but that is just what they do. And, sure, I could tell you that I had personal interaction with at least five people (of over 30 volunteers) that had spent half the day Thursday and three 14-hour days on Friday, Saturday and Sunday at the event - but they probably didn't keep track.

And maybe one of these days Dennis will be approached by the USAW to host another of these national events that hosts over 350 lifters in a 3-day span.

And knowing Dennis, his first response will be "Sure, let me get my volunteers."

To all who have a vested interest in InterServ and helped with that event, InterServ thanks you!