Spring Camporee Preparations
Richard Axtman (troop1@POBOXES.COM)
Thu, 29 Apr 1999 13:37:23 -0400
With all the Spring Camporees coming up, I thought it would be
a good idea to discuss what we could do to help our Scouts
prepare for the competitions that will be held at them. By
knowing what some of the different skill tests are, and
practicing them at our meetings for the next couple of weeks,
our scouts might score higher and possibly win more awards
for their patrol and troop. Not to mention, they'll learn more
and feel more confident when they enter the events.
Having not participated in a Boy Scout Camporee for many years,
could some of you please tell us what kind of patrol and troop
competitions they've seen held at the past Camporees you've
attended ?
Here are some of the skills tests I remember from the old days
(1960-70's). Maybe some of them are still used today.
FIRE BUILDING SKILLS TEST
-------------------------
You had to build a fire using only one match, flint and steel
or fire by friction (bow and shaft) to start it. The fire had
to have flames high enough to burn a string that was suspended
over the fire horizontally on two sticks. The whole test was
timed with a stop watch. When the string burned in half the
watch was stopped and the time was recorded.
MAP AND COMPASS SKILLS TEST
---------------------------
A map and compass course was laid out by the leaders in advance.
You were given a map of the area and a list of compass headings
and measurements that you had to pace off (measured by using your
feet, heal to toe). When you got to the end of the last heading,
you had to get down and dig in the ground about an inch or so to
find an object, usually a coin (quarter). If you found the coin
you got a 100 for a score. Each Scout in a patrol had to perform
this test using different compass headings and the patrol with
the best average time won the event.
TWO MAN RESCUE CARRY
--------------------
Two scouts had to carry another injured Scout, usually with a make
believe broken leg, at a given distance (around 50 yards) using a
two man arm carrying technique, where the two scouts hold each
others forearms and the injured person sits on their forearms and
the injured person held onto the carriers shoulders. This was
another timed event. The injured person was placed 50 yards away
from the two rescuers who at the sound of a whistle had to run to
the injured person, using two scout neckerchiefs and two stick
placed a splint on the injured leg then they had to carry the
injured scout back to the starting line without running. This test
was repeated for with two man teams within each patrol. The patrol
with the best average time won the event.
LOG CUTTING
-----------
Another timed event. A Scout was given an ax or hatchet and
told to cut a log in half. On the sound of a whistle the scout
began chopping. When the log was cut in two the stop watch
judge recorded the time. Each Scout in a patrol performed this
test. The patrol with the best average time won the event.
SCORING AND AWARDS
------------------
Each Scout's time for a test was recorded and then all the patrol
members times were added together and divided by the number of
patrol members to get the average time for the patrol. The patrol
with the best (average) time won the event. At the end of all
events the best troop was the one whose patrols won the most events.
Ribbons were awarded for 1st, 2nd and 3rd within a troop and a
1st, 2nd and 3rd ribbon was presented to the troops who won the
most events.
There was some very stiff competition in these events and it really
build team work and patrol spirit.
Do you have any more skill tests that you can add to this ?
Please tell us what you've seen at your Camporees for competitions.
Serving You and Scouting,
Richard Axtman
Assistant Scoutmaster, Troop 1, Littleton, MA
Nashua Valley Council, Lancaster, MA
Personal E-mail: mailto:troop1@poboxes.com
and
Founder and President of "Scouts NewEngland" (SNE)
SNE Web site: http://members.tripod.com/~SNE
SNE Group E-mail: mailto:sne@poboxes.com
