5/25 Showdown Tournament volunteer

  Since it was my first experience of helping out people who have a disability, I was a little nervous and anxious. When I arrived at the parking lot, it did not feel real that I was there to be one of the helpmates of the sports competition. When my mother was parking her car, a middle-aged woman was standing beside our car and I wondered why she did not move. Then, the woman’s husband assisted her to the entrance and that was when everything felt real. When I was listening to the instructions, I doubted myself if I would be able to help people correctly.

Despite my worries, the moment I met a man who was disabled, I had my urge to help him in any possible way. My role was to lead the athletes from the waiting area to certain rooms where games took place. 

At first, I was afraid of assisting the athletes who were disabled and that I might do something wrong. I probably made a lot of mistakes at the beginning. However, the more I tried, I became better at it. After all, I was not scared to offer them help; I became a suitable helper for the athletes.

At the end of the day, the athletes eagerly taking part in their games inspired me to always do my best no matter what. With the loud sounds of the beads inside the ball, I could clearly feel the immense passion they had for the showdown sport. I learned that just because the world is not visible to them, it does not mean that they are unable to interact with the world. They can see the world through their hearts.