so i finally got my general last spring and joined our county ARES group back in the fall, been doing the weekly nets and some of the tabletop exercises but next weekend is apparently a real activation for a local marathon event and i guess they want me on one of the water station positions with a HT and a backup radio in the car

i know its not exactly a disaster scenario but its my first time actually doing something real and im kind of second guessing myself, like what if i miss a call or forget proper procedure under pressure, the net control guy at the exercises is pretty patient but i dont know how loose they run things at an actual event

anyone been through something similar when they were new, does it get easier once youre actually out there doing it or is the nervous feeling kind of normal

completely normal, i was the same way at my first served agency event which was also a race actually, a half marathon about 3 years ago now, and honestly once you get set up at your position and make your first check-in call the nerves mostly just go away because youre busy doing the thing instead of thinking about doing the thing

the main thing i'd say is just write down the net frequency and your position ID on a piece of paper and tape it somewhere you can see it, sounds silly but when youre fumbling with a wet HT in the cold your brain does weird stuff, also dont be afraid to ask for a repeat if you miss something, every net control ive worked with at these events expects it and would rather you ask than guess wrong about a runner's bib number or medical status

you'll do fine, marathon comms are actually pretty low stress most of the time, mostly just "all clear" and counting runners through checkpoints

yeah what he said, those community events are honestly great practice precisely because the stakes are low enough to actually learn without panic, ive been doing ARES stuff for going on 12 years and I still get a little adrenaline kick at the start of a real activation, i think that just keeps you sharp

one thing worth asking your EC or whoever is running the event beforehand is whether they use any kind of ICS forms for logging, some groups are pretty casual about it at a marathon and some are very by-the-book, nice to know ahead of time so you're not surprised if someone hands you an ICS-309 to fill out