WHS athletes volunteer at world championships

The Wahkiakum High School track team got a rare opportunity to volunteer at the World Indoor Track and Field Championships, which were held March 17-20 in Portland. This is the first time in 30 years that this event has been held in the US and world class athletes represented nearly 150 countries.

It started when Michele Haberlach, a teacher and coach for the track team as well as a colonel for the U.S. Army, had already been accepted as a volunteer for the indoor event. Due to the nature of the volunteer work for which she was being considered, she had to pass a background check.

"Because of my background in the military," she said, "I have a lot of experience working with officials and ceremonies. If you were going to work in certain areas of the indoor event you had to have a background check. After they screened my application they asked me to work protocol."

Thus the medal ceremonies, where she organized medals and controlled the flow of officials and athletes and more to the podium. While speaking with the man who gave her the volunteer assignment, she took a chance and mentioned that she was coaching a track team. She asked if there were any more volunteer opportunities. He said yes.

So the day before the races, WHS students found themselves on the way to the Portland Convention Center in a school bus provided for them with little notice. They worked for three and a half hours as stand-ins for the athletes as the camera crew, announcers and others set up lights, cameras, the official timer and prepared the opening ceremony.

"It was all strictly for the television," Coach Eric Hansen said. "They did a run through, to set the clock. They gave the kids fake names and had them run the 60 meters and the announcer did his thing."

"They had a blast," Hansen added.

The crew also had the team coming out to the track with all the "smoke and mirrors" to practice for the opening ceremony.

We want the athletes to feel like rock stars, Haberlach was told.

"I worked with the production guys all weekend," Haberlach said. "They told me that the kids were essential to getting it all set up without the athletes there. It may have just looked like we were just having fun, but they were a lot of help."

"The kids know that their meets don't happen without volunteers," Haberlach said. "So in some way they got to give back. They got to see that this is something they can do in the community long after they've run track in high school. They can stay connected to the sport."