The past 19 days of the Singapore-hosted SEA Games has seen a record gold-medal haul for us, a busy Nila and some good old nationalistic spirit through a mix of hot sun and rain.

Not so celebrated, however, is the army of 17,000 volunteers — slightly less than a quarter of the size of our actual army — who kept 402 events in 36 sports running like clockwork.

Who are they and what kinds of tasks could possibly require so many people to execute? We spoke to a few of them to discover their fascinating jobs during this slightly more than two-week period:

The sand levellers

Names: Teri Chia, Jean Chua

Day jobs: Chia is a PE teacher; Chua plays softball in school

Their SEA Games jobs: Softball Sports Services Volunteers

For Chia, Chua and their team of fellow volunteers, wet weather calls for the painstaking process of sponge-drying the sand pitch by hand, and at the end of each competition day, 20 volunteers spread four massive pieces of tarp over it to protect it from the rain. They also have to make sure that the pitch is level and that the softball lines are painted.

“If you are involved in softball, you’ll understand that these are the things that need to be done,” says Chia. "It’s not an easy job; it’s pretty dirty — you have to get down in the mud sometimes, but if you are willing to do it, it’s okay."

When not levelling the softball field, Chua is also stationed to pick up foul balls, or those that go out of the pitch.

Perks of the job? Watching the matches for free, a "luxury" for a softball player like her.

The "sweet" guy

Name: Lee Ming Rong

Day job: Polytechnic student specialising in human resources

His SEA Games job: Assistant Workforce Manager

Believe it or not, there are volunteers tasked with looking after the volunteers. Lee's job includes taking care of his fellow volunteers’ meals, ensuring an ever-available supply of snacks and sweets for them and even setting out card and board games to keep them entertained during their breaks.

He says he is more affectionately known as the "designated sweet guy”.

“Every time they see the person with the box, they know that it’s the sweet person, the sweet guy, the sweet girl — then they’ll come rushing over,” he said.

The Medal Ceremony tray-carriers

Names: Huang Weizhe and Su Yanping

Day jobs: Engineering students at NUS

Their SEA Games jobs: Medal Mascot Bearers

The job of holding the tray of medals for dignitaries to pick up and hang round athletes' necks may look like an easy, even boring, one, but Huang and Su trained more than seven months to do it — balancing glasses of water on trays and taking etiquette lessons.

“I just say that I’m the one carrying the tray, that’s how they know Medal Mascot Bearers as,” says Huang.

Perks of the job? They get to see themselves on TV. True story.

The pee police

Name: Zaher bin Wahab

Day job: Student at NIE

His SEA Games job: Doping Venue Manager and Doping Control Officer

As a doping official, Zaher has the glamorous job of making sure athletes provide an adequate sample of approximately 90ml of pee for testing.

It cannot be too diluted or too concentrated, and the athletes he oversees must stay within his sight at all times, as they pee.

“It’s actually quite harrowing for some people,” he says. “It’s not something for the squeamish.”

This is his third sporting meet performing this job, too — Zaher's experience spans the 2009 Asian Youth Games and the 2010 Youth Olympic Games.

“Someone’s got to do it… it’s a very important role, so it’s a good sacrifice — I don’t mind the smell, I don’t mind seeing someone literally pee,” he said. "I think I have gotten used to it.”

Oddest experience? Having to watch someone pee six times during the Games because his or her pee was too diluted, he said.

“The person just kept peeing… but (it kept) failing, because (it was) too diluted... We finally finished at about 2am.”

And the million-dollar question: Who's the most famous athlete he got to see peeing into a cup?

“Confidentiality is very important, so I can’t really tell you exactly who he is — but he’s a very prolific swimmer,” he responded.

Top image collage: Ng Yi Shu

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