Wannabe Bridezilla...

So, I volunteered yesterday to help out a Biker dude club – Coral Coast Riders - who were volunteering their bikes and riders to take medics, media and technical officials (those who looked for cheats) out on the Ironman course which stretched from Cairns to Port Douglas and back again. Those volunteer bikers worked really hard and were knackered – literally – I saw them all walk back into the volunteer tent after a very long day on the bike. My job was to sign people and helmets in and out and know where people were. And then there was Tracey – who was supposed to assist me. Supposed to. Assist. Interesting words. The thing with Tracey was she was there to find a man and marry him.

I knew from the first minute I met her, several days before, she was on a groom hunt. She wasn’t interested in the organizing of the event. She was interested in the list of riders and who was and wasn’t married. I knew when she walked into the tent and would not give up the mobile phone we had for communication with the riders that she was going to catch and tag one of them but not let go. How to describe Tracey? Desperate, needy and a pain in the arse. After all the riders had ridden off she decided, despite being a volunteer (we were wearing a bright yellow t-shirt with VOLUNTEER written on it – a dead giveaway) that she needed to go and buy shoes. She was gone for hours. When she came back she rang some of the biker guy numbers because she could. With no response there, because they were out on the road doing their job, she wandered off again…and again…oh yeah and again – until the guys started turning up. Then she came back and made a beeline for them. There ain’t nothing more desperate than a wannabe bride.

In the end, with no takers, Tracey left and I continued on with the Volunteers in the tent. I have to say that they were amazing, kind, giving people, with interesting lives and we had long chats in between sign ins and outs. These are the people that keep events running so others can enjoy them knowing they are safe, looked after and everything is running to plan. I was surprised at the number of people who stopped into the Volunteer tent to thank us, who handed me flowers and who came to us just because they were lost and knew someone in yellow would know.

As for the Bikers? Very skilled, dedicated and passionate about what they were doing and just great men and women to talk to.  

As for Tracey? I don’t hate her. I feel sorry for her. No man is going to cure all her problems or make her happy.   

As for Cairns? You done real good.