Sundancers Training

Each year, usually in February, Sundancer volunteers undergo training. This page will highlight the training experience with images from the training in 2019.

A group of people sitting in front of each other.

Sundancer Captains meet for the first time, getting ready for Spring Training 2019.

Over 750 men and women volunteer more than 36,000 hours during each Cactus League season at Surprise Stadium. The organization is set up in divisions that reflect the work tasks performed during each game. Those divisions are:

¢ Wheelchairs
¢ Information
¢ Pass Gate/Check-In
¢ Parking
¢ Water
¢ Will Call
¢ Ushers
¢ Tickets
¢ Office
¢ Programs/Raffle
¢ Shuttles
¢ Clubhouse

About 200 people are involved in a typical game day.

Many of the Surprise Sundancers have been involved in the organization for the seventeen years since the stadium opened. The Sundancers provided over 36,000 hours of support for the City of Surprise Sports and Tourism events in a typical Spring Training season. The yearly value of this volunteer activity is calculated to be $888,840. This value is estimated by the website Independent Sector, which provides metrics for the nonprofit sector for valuing volunteer services. The hourly metric used for 2019 is $24.69 nationally.

A group of people sitting in chairs and waiting for the next event.

Captains Meeting 2019

Sundancer volunteer training was held in February 2019. Travis Ashby conducted the training and introduced several members of the Board of Directors.

A group of people sitting in seats at a baseball game.

A group of people sitting in stadium seats.

A group of people sitting in the stands at a baseball game.

The Sundancer training for the second group started on a cold February morning, but the sun soon warmed up the volunteers. The group learned about the rules and culture of being a Sundancer. Ashby explained how the "Yellow Shirts" make an impact on the visitors to the stadium and Surprise. With over 750 volunteers, these dedicated men and women guide the thousands of Spring Training visitors through where their seats are and what to do in case of an emergency. After going over the handbook, the group broke into their task-oriented subgroups, and the Captains answered their questions about the 2019 season.