I attended the fishing tournament on Saturday from 8 am until 12pm. When I arrived I was slightly unsure of my role in the event. I knew I was supposed to help along the bank, which turned out to be a floating dock, but that was all I knew. I felt that there were too many OT students at the same location when I arrived. I did not know if I would even have a role.
When working with non- abled bodied individuals, I am always willing to assist but if they are content and able to work independently I would rather they do so. The guys at the fishing tournament were fairly independent for the most part, or had assistants with them. This allowed me to be able to socialize with the anglers and observe their actions. At the tennis tournament, Carlos made a point about seeing the guys in chairs as people and not clients/patients. The fishing tournament allowed for the same opportunity. I interacted with the guys the way I would with any other individuals. It was nice to learn their backgrounds and hobbies. I am very interested in how many sports are available for individuals in chairs. It still amazes me that there are as many sports for people in chairs as there are for those that can walk.
It was a great experience to volunteer with the fishing tournament. I enjoy working with the community and it is only a plus to help veterans. They not only have a pride for the country but they also have a pride for who they are as individuals. I enjoyed talking to a gentleman about his condition. He was honest about the struggles with his spinal cord injury. What was neat was for him to talk about his recovery and how much occupational therapy has improved over the years. What a great experience to hear praise of a profession.
Walking away from the event I am once again encouraged to keep on studying and continuing to my goal of being an occupational therapist. It is this population of individuals that I have a passion due to their recovery of physical, emotional, and social independence.
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