VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR FOUR WINDS RACES!! Opportunities Available to Earn Credits Towards Four Winds Races

Are you athletic? Responsible? Do you like to watch athletes challenge themselves?

Do you enjoy the outdoors and the sport of adventure racing?

Would you like to earn credits toward entry in a Four Winds Adventure Race?

• Volunteer Assignments

• Volunteer Gear

• What to expect

• How Can You Help Now

• Some Race Details

Four Winds Adventures is always looking for volunteers to help staff and run its series of races, including the short-course Four Winds Outdoor Industry Challenge, Mountain Rage, Urban Rage, Winter Extreme and expedition-length USA Supreme Adventure Race. A unique opportunity for volunteers also exists in the Tahoe based Celebrity Adventure Games.

During adventure events we need volunteers who are responsible and enjoy the excitement of the outdoors and adventure sports by participating in the support of racers on and off the course. Individuals can be involved from a single day to the whole event and are offered a variety of ways to contribute.

Download the Volunteer Information and Bio Form. Fill in your Bio, and fax it to (888) 844-7671.

Whether available for just a day or an entire event, volunteers have the opportunity to contribute in a variety of areas such as:

• Racer pre-race material prep ( i.e. stuffing, sorting, filing)
• Racer, support crew and sponsor relations ( i.e. greeting, meeting, explaining, directing, cajoling, assisting)
• Racer registration (pre-race and finish line)
• Gear check and verification for racers
• Media and press escorting
• Hospitality centers
• Equipment handling and transport
• Snack, food and water distribution
• Language translation for international teams
• On-course support crewing for international teams throughout the race
• Course checkpoints setting or monitoring, for mountain biking, kayaking, mountaineering, ropes work, horseback riding, hiking, running (some checkpoints could involve backpacking into wilderness areas, some could involve car camping)
• Medical personnel, EMT's, wilderness first responders, foot specialists, massage therapists, etc.
• Safety and support, course monitoring - for water venues, mountaineering/ropes venues, horseback riding venues, mountain biking venues, etc.: people with the following skills and equipment (or livestock)
• 4X drivers
• ATV riders
• Mountain bikers
• Boat owners and captains
• Kayakers
• Personal watercraft operators
• Horseback riders
• Climbers
• Backpackers
• Car or RV campers
• Monitoring and tracking racing times of teams for scoring
• Computer and data entry
• Relaying communications, working in the main communications centers
• Working with medical support teams
• Festivities set up and breakdown
• Opening and closing ceremonies support

What you'll need: camping or backpacking equipment (tents, packs, sleeping bags, ground mats, cooking equipment, etc.). And most of all, be prepared to experience some of the most beautiful country in the U.S. You can expect to be supplied with water, snacks, some meals, free camping in reserved campsites, Four Winds T-shirts, and depending on your level of proficiency and involvement in race activities, other clothing or gear.

Volunteering at a Four Winds event is a challenging yet rewarding experience. We try to create a positive, upbeat environment for everyone involved with the race. However, the nature of adventure races is to keep teams moving non-stop throughout the course which means competitors as well as volunteers can receive very little sleep. This lack of sleep and associated stress can have a negative impact on a person's disposition. Although most people involved with our races are generally good-spirited folks, you may encounter someone who is suffering from sleep deprivation and is a little difficult to deal with. Please realize that it isn't personal and don't let it affect your ability to positively represent the Four Winds Adventures experience. But more often, you will be greeted by happy racers who have stumbled out of the woods to find you and are overjoyed to discover they are indeed on the right navigational track.

The first three days of our multi day race will present different logistical challenges for volunteers and race officials than the longer expedition level competition that the race becomes from day three on forward. Generally, the first couple days are faster-paced with less down time in between movements. Then as the racers spread out, the course spreads out, and resources are in several different "headquarters" at a time, tracking the slow steady progress of the teams, with maybe a few screaming-go-fast teams outpacing everyone at the front end by a day or two!

Many things happen behind the scenes that contribute to making the race a success. Most important is staying two steps ahead of the racers to insure that checkpoints are properly staffed, medical teams are available where needed and support teams arrive at the next transition area. This may involve the transportation of kayaks, tracking the progress of teams and working with local agencies. Other tasks that are equally important are the set up and breakdown of start and finish lines, sponsor banners and media relations. Or simply review the list of jobs above. As a Four Winds volunteer you could be asked to perform any of these tasks. Of course your preferences will be evaluated and taken into account for your main assignment, but sometimes flexibility is the name of the game when you are called on to pinch hit from your main assignment.

• Recruit others for the volunteer crew. Give them the 800-775-7671 number or the email info@4windsadventure.com  Better yet, have them go online to www.4windsadventure.com and key in the volunteer section and sign up.
• Make copies of these forms and take a bunch to work and talk it up (Download the Volunteer Information  and Bio Form)
• Volunteer to be part of the regional phone tree.
• Go to the all volunteer crew meetings once we tell you when and where. This will be your only chance to see each other before race time and helps gets you ready and able.

In order to match you with the right team, we need to know more about your qualifications and skills in addition to your style of working with an interdisciplinary team. Please take a couple moments to download the Volunteer Form, fill in your Bio, and fax it to (888) 844-7671. Time is of the essence! We will need time to study this information and form the teams needed to support the race effectively.

You also may qualify for and can accrue credits toward entry in a future Four Winds race. For more information on this and any other aspect of volunteering, call (800) 775-7671. Depending on the activity, a bio or resume may be requested and can be faxed to (888) 844-7671.

The Four Winds USA Supreme Adventure Race is the major race event of the year, and is the only one and oldest one of its kind in the USA. We invite racers and volunteers to race with us and be more than part of a competition. Live the heart-pounding excitement, the extreme challenge, breathtaking wilderness, heroic endeavors, shared journeys. Take the opportunity to learn about yourselves and traditions of ancestors of the lands you will cover.

Four Winds brings the exciting sport of adventure racing to new levels of awareness in making part of its USA Supreme Adventure Race spectator friendly. Two and four member teams (with individuals at least 18 years of age) will cross the spectacular racecourse. This course encompasses well over 350 miles and may include mountaineering, paddling, white water rafting, horseback riding, running, canoeing, mountain biking, swimming and navigating - for pure adrenaline adventure. Prizes will be awarded for winning teams and winning stages of the race, with special emphasis placed on all teams finishing.

The Outdoor Industry Challenge, Mountain Rage, Urban Rage, and Winter Extreme Series of 1, 2 or up to 4 day races promises a taste of the real deal, with racers challenging themselves in short course format across several ecosystems, with possible elevation changes of up to several thousands of feet, in urban or wilderness settings. The shorter races are a chance for speed to win out over the endurance, strategy, and stamina of the longer races - but still afford racers and volunteers opportunities to feel the non-stop rush of adventure racing in a weekend time frame, while they enjoy the grandeur of our natural resources.

Four Winds is committed to the allocation of a portion of annual race event sponsorship moneys to educational programs for indigenous peoples, based on race locations each year.