| Upcoming Events | |
|---|---|
| 21 | No Meeting |
| 28 | Meeting - Boards of Review |
| 29 | Leap Day |
| 5 March | Committee Meeting |
| 6 March | Meeting - Boards of Review |
| 9 March | PLC |
| 12 March | Scout Sunday |
| 19 March | Banquet |
| 24-26 March | Trip: Delmont |
| 27 | Meeting |
There were three teams. One for the scouts 14 and older, one for the Webelos, and my team, the Ravens, for Scouts under 14. On my team besides me were Josh, John, Jeremy, Max, Eric, Bobby, and Chris.
We pulled our aluminum sled to many events where we had to demonstrate our skills to win points. Some of these events included Animal ID, Lashings, Patrol Skis, and Fire Building. Not only did we have a good time doing that, but also there were some occasional snowballs thrown. The Derby lasted from 10:00-3:30. At 12:00, we stopped down by the entrance at the Boat House for a lunch consisting of hot dogs and hot chocolate. Some of us were having a fun time and decided to walk and eat alongside the frozen lake.
After the Derby ended, there was a big sled race at 4:00. We tried hard, but we couldn't move as fast as some of the older scouts there. Luckily though, the Elite Patrol from our troop won the race. We all had a good time, though we didn't win. I can't wait to go back next year.
On the Elite" team were Dan, Dan, Andy, Joe, Jeff, Nick, and myself. The other team, the "Ravens," consisted of many younger scouts.
When the Klondike began, the Elites took off right away, even without Nick who was busy looking for a cover to the saw (we would have been deducted points for not having one; thanks Nick). The first station we came to was a fire building station. The object was to build a fire using wood and other stuff we had, to burn two strings in half. These strings were about two feet and 2.5 feet off the ground, and only three matches were allowed. Using our knowledge of Boy Scout skills, we set a paper bag containing wood on fire. The strings were destroyed in no time.
The next station we came to was patrol skis. This was much more difficult, especially while wearing hiking boots covered in snow. Other stations included first aid, leaf, animal, star and fish identifications, singing a Backstreet Boys song, and other COPE challenges. A gourmet lunch of a hot dog" was provided by the district.
The day was quickly brought to an end, but there was still one more challenge. A 100-yard (roughly) race between all the sleds. There were 35 to 40 sleds. Representing the Elite team was Andy pulling the rope, Dan and Dan on both sides and me in the back. All of the sleds lined up along yellow police tape. You could barely make out the finish line in the distance.
Then, suddenly without an official start, about 30 of the sleds took off. Not knowing what was going on, Andy Koopman started pulling the sled. Dan K, Dan G, and I also began to move. But it was here where we encountered our first problem. Jeff was standing in front of Dan before the race began. When we all started running, Jeff didn't get out of the way in time, and Dan Keefe ran right into him. Both fell to the ground. The elite team still moved though with just the three still standing sledders.
It was very tough pushing this sled in a little less than a foot of snow. Andy, Dan and I came out from about last, all the way to the front line. About 3/4 of the way, Dan and I looked over to see who we were tied for first with. It was a kid pushing a huge sled all by himself. Dan Gift and I pushed even harder. Finally, we were about the line. Andy let go of the rope and Dan and I gave one final push, and the sled crossed the line. We had gotten first!
The results of the Klondike won't be in until the district meeting. This was a very fun day. If you didn't know scouting skills OH WELL! There were a couple BSA books in each sled; we spent more time reading those than using prior knowledge. I recommend it for everyone in the troop next year!
The food was very good and there was plenty of it. It was prepared by a professional chef, Avi, who donated his time and also flew in from New Hampshire for the event. Avi is the son of Herb Drill, who is president of the Lions Club. Mr. Drill is also a writer for the Philadelphia Inquirer.
The Lions made sure all of the scouts that helped were fed well. Fortunately, we ate early because it got very busy around 6:00.
The Lions Club is an organization that is made up of men and women who dedicate their time to help their local and world communities. They specialize in helping the visually impaired. Their motto, "We Serve", is to them not only a motto but also a philosophy and a definition.
Several members of the Lions Club asked when Troop 5's Pancake Breakfast would be held. They were disappointed to learn that it was held in December 1999. They told us to make certain to let them know and they will attend this year.
Annual Awards Banquet & Eagle Court of Honor for Colin Sunday March 19 - 4:00-7:00pm
After we were finally seated, we were pleased with the great views. We thought our waitress was going to bust when John Basenfelder implied she might not be getting a tip. This was the same waitress Mr. G thought was "very nice"!
The veterans, or at least the people who had been to carrots before, were Jon, on break from Rhode Island University; Phil, on break from the Naval Academy and Paul on break from detention (just kidding).
Along with the new leadership, another newbee was Scoutmaster-in-Training, Mr. H. Todd, with the help of B', showed Mr. H the ups and downs of taking a bunch of teenagers out on a Tuesday night during Christmas week. One of the downs was the large pair of buffalo wing orders that made Dan and Dan sick later that night.
Andrew Castrantas was on his best behavior after receiving ample reminders from the adults. The only real trouble was when Andy lost his train of thought talking to the "nice" waitress. All in all, it was a full night and one that will be hard to forget.