I have been a volunteer in Canada for over 10 years, organizing local invitational, regional, national and international championships. I attended competitions in Canada, USA, Europe and Japan.

Each competition / region has its own personality. In Europe, rhythmic gymnastics is a great spectator sport. In Bulgaria (picture above), gymnasts often perform to the audiences instead to the judges. The fans cheer for their favorites as well as other performers. In Japan, men and women competitions are often held side-by-side and alternating between the men and women panels. The gym is often completely filled. Believe it or not, the number of camcorders there recording the competition is more than the audiences here in a typical competition. I enjoyed being part of as well as learning from each and everyone of these competitions.

The following documents are some of the notes that I have kept to share with my team of volunteers in the past for competitions in Canada, outlining some key roles and responsibilities. Each competition is different and feels free to adjust it to your own needs. I welcome other good ideas and suggestions.