Welcome Coaches

To Steens Mountain Running Camp 2023

Registration Information

When: Session One, Sunday July 16
or Session Two, Sunday July 23th

Where: Burns Union High School
1100 Oregon Ave
Burns, Oregon 97720

Registration check-in 1:30 PM to 3:15 PM

  1.  Pick up your Steens Booklet from Sara Truax.
  2. Receive your assigned duties for your week at camp.
  3.  If Driving Please FOLLOW Camp buses to camp unless otherwise given approval to leave for camp earlier by Ron Smith. (Gas up before Leaving)
  4. If riding one of our camp buses and want to leave your vehicle in Burns, please register your car with Kay Yriarte at registration. You may park at the Burns High School Parking lot. Harney County Sheriff’s deputies will patrol. Steens and BUHS assume no risk for theft or vandalism. 😉
  5. Upon arrival to Steens Camp, please check in with Piet Voskes or Max King for a campsite. Setup your tent and then proceed across Lake Creek to camp orientations and then EAT DINNER!
  6. HAVE A GREAT WEEK!

The following is some information for you to read and keep with you for reference while you are on the mountain.

While Ron Smith is the Camp Director, Pieter Voskes/Max King are the “go to” guys for coaches and counselors. They have scheduled some meetings for you so please make notes of those days and times as well as to other meetings listed in your booklet (Handed out at registration).  It is especially important that coaches understand their role and to help make sure every task is completed.

Sara Truax is your “go to” person for all things related to KP, serving assignments, gear distribution and apparel sales.

We have outlined certain jobs and assigned each coach a job to do at camp. There are some adjustments from past camps. Tents will have their own assigned wash stations and out-houses all week.  Below is a description of each job as well as other information you may find helpful. 

Job Duties and Descriptions

All coaches assigned to a tent will assist the counselor of that tent with all activities, including KP, LNT, lights out at night and other duties of that tent. Please make every effort to learn the name and school of each athlete in your tent.

If your tent has KP duty:  Please eat first, and assist with cleanup for all meals on your assigned day, as well as clean outhouses (empty garbage, sanitize etc.)

If your tent is assigned LNT:  It is your responsibility to assist the counselor and your tent with making sure all recycling is taken care of after each meal. Any clothing and items left on busses needs to be neatly organized at the Lost and Found.

Hand-Washing Stations:  It is your responsibility to assist the counselor with making sure your tent keeps their specific hand washing containers filled with water all week.  You also need to make sure the drinking water containers are full and on the busses each time we leave camp.  Please also make sure those drinking containers are removed from each bus and we return to camp. 

When your tent is dumping its waste water, please also help empty garbage cans, refill soap dispensers, refill paper towel dispensers and keep the area clean and picked up. Please assist the counselor and tent in making sure your tent completes all of these duties as needed for the entire week.

Evening Responsibilities:  At night, we ask all coaches assigned a tent to assist the counselor with getting campers to bed before lights out. This means 15 minutes prior to lights out, all campers should be attending to bathroom duties at their assigned bathroom, cleaning teeth, etc. in order to be in their tents by the time lights are out. No one should be out of their tent after lights out. Please see that this happens.

Entering of Tents:  Coaches will be asked to assist counselors throughout the week. But unless absolutely necessary please avoid entering the tent of your team. 

Meals:  We ask that adults allow campers to go through the line first. Please do not be late for meals-we don’t expect our cooks to wait for folks.   *Coaches with small children (non campers) should come through their line with their children and they should be supervised during meals.  Coaches will line up between the kitchen and the shower shed to avoid any overlap with KP.   Coaches will exclusively have KP duty on Sunday evening and Saturday morning. Many hands make light work.

SERVING DUTIES:  Coaches will be asked to help serve meals. If you are assigned to serve, please be in the kitchen 5 minutes before each meal is scheduled.  If you are a relief server, please get to the food line first with the KP tent, eat, then relieve a server so they can eat. There may be a time when you are not needed to relieve serve if we run out of our food for seconds.

Sara will post a serving schedule on the white board next to where we post the daily schedule. Please make sure that you look at this so you will know when we are serving and when you will relieve serve. Sometimes the schedule may change from what you have been assigned in your coaches’ book. 

Lunch Sack Duty:  Tuesday morning coaches will need to help make lunches for the Big Day. Max King will ask for your help to make sure that each lunch has one pre-made sandwich, one fruit, two juices and one bag of chips.  On Saturday morning, please help make sack lunches for the athlete’s trip home.

The following duties are not assigned-feel free to volunteer!

Coaches will be asked to volunteer to pump out houses so be prepared.   If you have never done this job, it is one you must experience at least once.  We normally pump Tuesday Morning, Thursday Morning and again Saturday.

Coaches may be asked to help run an Olympic Event, lead drills done in camp on Thursday, as well as other duties necessary for the Big Day, Cross Canyon and other activities.  These will be discussed at meetings throughout the week.

This camp is for the CAMPERS, so we want to make sure they have a great and safe experience. It takes all of us working together to make this happen.  THANK YOU, in advance, for all of your help.

On the Camps behalf,

WE CAN HARDLY WAIT!

Harland