First-hand look at Worlds for Masters Games Staff

First-hand look at Worlds for Dunedin Masters Games staff

Dunedin (Friday, 4 September 2009) – A leadership award from Otago Polytechnic is being used by one of the staff of the ACC New Zealand Masters Games in Dunedin to volunteer at the World Masters Games in Sydney next month.

Geoff Simons, a lecturer at the polytechnic in sport event management is also the Dunedin games sports liaison coordinator – a job he just manages to slip into his teaching timetable.

He is already thinking about the Dunedin games which are on again from 30 January to 7 February 2010. In the past it has hosted more than 7000 competitors from New Zealand and Australia.

The games in Sydney are from October 10 to 18 but Mr Simons will be needed for two weeks for what is called “bumping in and bumping out”.

“I’ll be picking up gear and dropping it off at venues, things like signage and everything needed for the sports,” Mr Simons said.

The work will give him a first-hand look at how the event, which will attract about 30,000 competitors, is run and also the venues, many of which were used for the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

The leadership award will fund his travel expenses and accommodation and let him bring back valuable knowledge for his students at the polytechnic and for the Dunedin games.

The World Masters Games is held every four years and the last one was in Edmonton in Canada. It will be the biggest sports event Mr Simons has been involved in.

“You’ve got to keep being part of events like these so you know the things that can go wrong and how to deal with them,” he said. “Otherwise you get it into your head that these things are easy to run.”

Mr Simons, a long distance runner, hopes to enter the World Masters half marathon in Sydney but is not sure whether his volunteer duties will allow it. “I won’t enter until I get there and see exactly what I’m doing.”

If he doesn’t manage to run at the Worlds, he has already entered into the Athens Marathon on November 8. Whichever one he makes, it will be the first time he has competed overseas.

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