I am new to karate and wanted to see what a tournament is like before potentially participating in one. So, when I heard that they needed volunteers I thought that would be a perfect way to see what it was like. Beforehand, I read all of the table worker guides and instructions and thought I had a pretty good understanding of how it all runs. Upon getting to the event, myself and a couple other volunteers, were given a short run through of the different responsibilities for each table position. The tournament started with just one ring to get through some of the black belt competitions so they could help judge the second ring. Some of the other table workers were, at least, fairly experienced so we all worked together for it to go smoothly. Running the table during the Kata competitions was simple enough and easy to learn and follow along.
Then the Kumate rounds began. My adrenaline was soaring from
being in a new, fast paced experience and doing a job I had virtually no
knowledge of, on top of being anxious around all new people in an unfamiliar
setting. I had never seen a sparring match before so I was experiencing the
whole thing from two perspectives, spectator and table worker. The two
competitors were very experienced and as spectators we were all caught up in
the great performance. Near the end of the match both competitors moved in at
the same time and you could hear the impact of the one of their fists to the
others eye socket echoing through the gym and instant blood. The entire gym
hissed in sympathetic pain in unison. My first thought was, “well, I’m never
competing in Kumate.” From a table worker perspective, the entire match went so
fast. While the corner judges were raising white and red flags rapidly, blowing
whistles, and making decisions, the other table workers and I were looking at
each other in utter confusion. Then the round was over. We all had blank
scoring sheets and had no clue what just happened from a scoring perspective. I
was so worried that my inexperience would mess up the results of the match and
that would have been so unfair to the competitors. Thankfully the Judge
Supervisor of the ring was at the end of the table and able to clarify for us
what had just happened and who won. It was the gentleman that had a black eye,
in case you are curious.
Once the black belt rounds were over the event coordinator
broke us up into two groups so we could open the second ring. He told me that I
would run the other table. Much like learning to swim by being pushed into the
deep end of a pool. I was terrified and still in disbelief after how fast the
Kumate round had went and having had no clue what I had seen. So, very
nervously, I went over to the other ring and was joined by other volunteers,
who also had very little to no experience. Having learned from the other table,
I asked the Judge Supervisor to help us out by letting us know when either
competitor got points so we didn’t miss anything. Once we got started
everything ran very smoothly, it started out with the younger groups so things
were at a slower pace, we learned together and were able to get the hang of it.
The different flag position meanings, how to keep score, and how to keep things
going started to click for us all. I believe, overall, we all did a really
great job. It was terrifying but so much fun, like riding a roller coaster or
sky diving. Everyone was so grateful to me and the other table workers, they
all said we did a great job. I am excited to run more tables at future
tournaments so we can prepare for Nationals.
A good take away from this is that we need more table worker
volunteers so that it can run smoothly at each tournament with experienced
people teaching new people. So please volunteer as much as you can; I’ll help
you learn the ropes too!
