One Last Verbal Snapshot of the BGC

For this final blog post, I would like to do a verbal snapshot and impression of another person at the BGC who I find incredibly interesting, and a key part of what makes the club unique. The person I chose is Dave Steele*. Dave is an integral part of both carrying out the over arching image and mission of the club, as well as the main staff member involved in the club's day to day activities. He is an interesting person - despite having little educational background in recreation (he majored in a liberal arts field), Dave is incredibly enthusiastic about the club and making sure it runs smoothly and in the way the mission of the establishment dictates. Because of this, Dave is a bit of a rule enforcer. He does not tolerate the breaking of the rules, and will always pull a volunteer aside if they have broken a rule to correct them. Because of this policy, he is not exactly popular with the service learners in general and even the work study staff. Earlier in the semester, once, in class I mentioned that a work study staff member kicked some boys off a game that was on the line of being inappropriate because a higher ranking staff member was about to enter the room; that person was Dave. He can be a bit of a tee-totaler, but he is also quite multifaceted. When you might expect someone with such a love of rules and decorum to be boring and quite the downer, Dave is quite the opposite. For instance,there was a day when all the staff members dressed up as their ideal career. What did Dave long to be? A lounge singer, complete with ruffled pink shirt, purple plastic microphone, and flamboyant wave. He traipsed around in the club all day, waving at children and occasionally even bursting into song. Now, you might think this would lead to the members not taking him seriously, but no. On the very same day, I saw Dave pull a misbehaving member aside, and speak to him pretty sternly without ever removing the play microphone from his hand. The result was astounding: the child was reformed instantly, not even needing Dave to say much of anything. It is apparent that though the kids are eager and able to have fun with Dave, they know that what Dave says is not a suggestion. Dave is the type of person that is essential to the functioning of any successful youth recreation: fun, enthusiastic, and willing to lay down the law. *Name changed to protect privacy