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| Michael, Jason, Beck, Paul, Tyson, and Joe at flag ceremony |
Friday morning started off nicely with cool temperatures and lower humidity. We actually felt the most breeze of the week as well. The troop was in charge of the flag raising ceremony today and the troop awoke a little earlier to practice and get there in time in Class A uniform. The color guard led by SPL Jacob did a magnificent job and represented the troop well. Unfortunately, the American flag we were given to raise had no grommets! Paul, Beck, and Jacob handled this situation well and just raised the other flags and reverently held the American flag.
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| Beck and Michael in a "carry" relay |
After the ceremony, we went to breakfast and had mixed results. One table was somewhat pleased with breakfast while the other table was pretty unimpressed. We were served Eggo pancakes with syrup flavoring and scrambled (folded) eggs. After breakfast, scouts headed to their final merit badge classes before a busy afternoon at the waterfront. The Eagle Bound folks (first year scouts) participated in some relay races to reinforce skills.
We all met for lunch after merit badge classes and were treated to hamburgers, chips, and mini moon pies. It was surprising how many didn't know what a moon pie was! After lunch there were a few merit badge items that needed to be tended to and then everyone headed down to the waterfront for the water carnival!
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| Luke, Joe, Trey, Boone, and Hunter before race |
The water carnival is a troop competition with seven different events. The events include Water Spaniel Special, Swim by Weight, In and Out Canoe Race, Life Jacket Relay, Fun Noodle Race, Canoe Tug of War, and Scoutmaster Belly-Flop. Our Water Spaniel Special contained a relay team of Luke, Joe, Trey, Boone, and Hunter. The scouts had to paddle with their hands and find a specific buoy and bring it back. The majority of the scouts swam in the Swim by Weight competition and Beck and Joe placed in their divisions!
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| Canoe Tug of War competition. |
The In and Out Canoe Race was led by Hunter and Boone. This proved a difficult event because of how hard it is to get into a canoe from the lake. The Life Jacket Relay was led by Michael, Joe, Trey, and Beck. This is a relay where you swim with the life jacket. The Fun Noodle Race was won by Tyson! Mr. Lytle kindly agreed to compete in the Scoutmaster Belly-Flop contest and finished with a very respectable 7 of 10. There were a few "boos" after he chanted loudly "War Eagle!", but they're just jealous. The carnival ended with a tough fought Canoe Tug of War battle with Troop 98 of Columbus. Our contingent of Jacob, Jason, Joey, Joe, and Luke battled hard, but eventually swamped their canoe.
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| Andrew Stanford before the Iron Man competition |
After the water carnival, we had to rush back for the flag ceremony and dinner. We were treated to pasta, green beans, peaches, and chocolate chip cookies. After dinner a few headed down to the waterfront again for the triathlon. This event was rescheduled from the storm the day before. Assistant Scoutmaster Andrew Stanford participated as an Iron Man and the troop also had a team of Michael, Joey, and Luke competing.
The triathlon consisted in a quarter mile swim, a 2 mile run, and a half mile canoe paddle. Andrew competed in all events on his own while Michael took the swimming portion, Joey took the running portion, and Luke took the canoeing portion. Michael really struggled with swimming a quarter mile, but he finished! His determination is quite impressive. Joey and Luke picked up the team well by finishing strong on the running and canoeing portion. All who participated should be proud.
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| Luke, Joey, and Michael strategize before triathlon |
After the triathlon it was time for the closing campfire. The troop performed the original skit "Most Interesting Scout" written by Assistant Scoutmaster Davis Baird. They did a fine job and the camp seemed to like it a lot. There were many other skits and songs and awards given out. The troop did earn the Commissioner's Spirit Award for demonstrating good scout spirit all week at camp. This was a well deserved award for the troop that worked hard all week.
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| Scouts dancing at closing campfire |
Everyone went to sleep for one more night at camp. Several were overheard mentioning how nice it will be to sleep in their own beds! For more pictures from Camp Sequoyah Day 6, check out our
troop photo album.
