The European Para Championships is a multisport event. It will be staged every four years and will always be hosted by a major European city in the year preceding the Paralympic Games. Behind the scenes of this fantastic event, volunteers play a vital role in bringing the European Para Championships to fruition. This article interviews the family Spetter, who will volunteer as a whole during the European Para Championships.
The family Spetter consists of mother Greet, father Marco and two daughters Lilly and Esri. Together with the whole family they will be volunteering during the European Para Championships. In this article, Marco and Greet are interviewed and tell about their motivation to be involved in the European Para Championships.
Marco and Greet have a lot of experience as volunteer and supporting sports. ”In 2008 we entered the world of basketball and soon became active volunteers. We recently said goodbye to a great organization, ZZ Leiden, receiving the honorary title of ‘honorary volunteer,” Greet says. Meanwhile, Marco and Greet became familiar with Wheelchair Basketball, partly through their oldest daughter who started whistling. They are both versatile and have done a lot of volunteer work, including at Papendal. This has made contact with the players very special. “You roll more and more into an organization this way, getting to know many people and being asked to join more and more often. These are the best compliments you can get,” Greet adds.
Motivation for becoming a volunteer at the European Para Championships
For the family Spetter, gaining contacts is one of the motivations for volunteering at the European Para Championships. ”You experience things together that you don’t experience in the ordinary world. We also find it very special that almost all sports are organized at one location. As a family we are big sports fans and follow almost everything, this gives us the opportunity to watch other sports besides Wheelchair Basketball,” said Geert. In addition, the family Spetter keeps a close eye on Team NL. Greet mentions that this also allows her to look at things in a different way.”I think it’s very beautiful to look beyond the limitation to someone who delivers a sports performance.”
A unique experience
Furthermore, the family Spetter was asked why they would recommend volunteering. Marco explained that, first and most importantly, it is about the unique experience you get during an event. It allows you to do things you wouldn’t normally do so quickly. ”I used to be very much on my own and now, in my role as coordinator, I have risen above myself in terms of character and what I do. Volunteering has definitely helped a lot with that.” In addition, Marco talks about gaining new contacts. ”If this is set up in a good way during an event, that’s how you build a new family of volunteers. Besides being fun, this also works very nicely,” Marco said.
Volunteering has always been encouraged in the Spetter family, says Greet. ”In raising our daughters, we have always encouraged volunteering. I think it’s important that they are socially involved and that the money aspect doesn’t always have to be the most important thing.”
No European Para Championships without volunteers
“Without volunteers there is no European Para Championships,” Greet points out. She adds that she herself feels enormous appreciation for volunteering, but cannot do it alone. “If there is a team sport, it is being a volunteer,” she adds.
We are looking for volunteers to help us organise the greatest event possible! Click here to go straight to volunteer sign-up. Thanks in advance and we’d love to see you in August!
