Vanguard needs a lot of support to have a successful tournament. Want to know how you can help? Here are some job descriptions to help you decide...

Support Staff

Volunteers report at call time, load the uniforms on the truck and get the other racks and cases ready for loading. The  equipment truck is loaded and heads off to the tournament venue. Support staff parents follow the truck in their vehicles and help unload and set up before the buses arrive. The equipment truck DOES have a hydraulic lift ramp, so most of this job is pushing, pulling, rolling or bending. Heavy lifting should not be involved.

Support staff stay with the kids during the day and help roll the percussion items (marimbas, etc.) onto the field before and after the performance. They get to view the show from field level and are admitted free to our part of the show.

When the show is over, support staff help offload the larger items and roll them back to the truck. After the students change out of their uniforms, the truck is re-loaded and parents are free to leave or stay for the remainder of the tournament.

To sit in the stands and watch the show, support staff parents must purchase a ticket. Tickets are typically $10. At the end of the evening when the students arrive back from the event, parents help supervise students unloading the truck before they are dismissed to go home.

Tournament Chaperones

Volunteers ride up and back from a tournament on the buses with the students. They are there for student safety. A minimum of 1 adult per 10 students must be on the bus at all times. Chaperones are asked to spread out throughout the bus so they are spaced equally. Chaperone conduct and attentiveness is important: they are the role models for the students. Rules on the bus:

1) Obscene language is not allowed.
2) Public displays of affection is not permitted other than hand holding or arms around another student.
3) Students and chaperones must remain seated unless there is an emergency situation.

Chaperones can politely ask that students behave in a respectful manner, but are not required to discipline them. Chaperones should note behavior issues and refer them to the director for disciplinary action. Chaperones are the eyes and ears of the director.

When the bus arrives at the tournament, chaperones help students with uniform needs such as putting their plume in their shako (hat), providing minor first aid assistance, and helping "water' the students with sport squirt bottles when they are in formation or during warmup.

Chaperones can accompany the support staff onto the field to watch the show. After the show ends, chaperones supervise the students in the stands (on the back side of the show) until the evening ends, and then ride home with them on the bus. Chaperones can choose whether to be on the same bus as their child. The transportation and tournament entry fee are free for chaperones.

Tournament Helper

The duties at the tournament venue are the same as the Chaperones (see above). However, tournament helpers provide their own transportation and purchase their own tickets to the show (approx. $10). Tournament helpers can sit on the front side of the show but not with the students.

Food at the tournaments:

THE BOOSTERS DO NOT PROVIDE LUNCH AT TOURNAMENTS. However, they do provide drinks and any donated snacks, plus coolers with ice where students and volunteers can store a sack lunch. Tournament concessions provide good food, but they're on the expensive side, so plan ahead. Coolers are driven up in the equipment truck. Parents are welcome to put a folding chair on the truck as well. Tournaments are really busy and include lots of hurry up and wait time in asphalt parking lots, so having a place to sit is a good idea.

Your snack donations are very appreciated. Ask your student what they think would be a good snack and bring it. Please let us know that you plan to donate so that we can make sure we don't have too much one week and not enough the next.

So - now that you know what the jobs are - let us know if you want to volunteer! E-mail Lisa Stapleton if you can help out at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Thank you!