On Saturday, April 26, Troop 50 joined with other Saugahatchee District Cub Scout packs and Boy Scout troops for ScoutFest -- an expo-style demonstration of Scouting in Lee County that is now in its second year of being a part of the City of Auburn's annual CityFest event. ScoutFest provides district packs, troops and crews the chance to put Scouting skills on display while increasing awareness of Scouting in Lee County.
The troop's display consisted of a model campsite that included a lashed gateway and a fully functioning trebuchet -- the latter being a reprisal of the troop's 2013 ScoutFest display.
In addition to its campsite and trebuchet display, a three-Scout team from Troop 50 competed in the initial segment of the “Are You Tougher than a Boy Scout” stage show, which pitted Scouts against a team of three adults from the crowd. The two teams competed to see which could best master various Scout skills, including lashing together a tripod, pitching a tent correctly, and creating a functional emergency stretcher that could then transport a "victim" across the finish line. Troop 50 Scouts clearly won the tripod and tent-pitching competitions, but perhaps in a show of mercy to the adult team, show staff called the adults the winner of the emergency stretcher relay.
Anyone driving by or roaming the halls of First Presbyterian Church last night may have thought Scouts were practicing drills for basic training, as our newest Scouts logged their first efforts toward completing requirements for the Tenderfoot rank through a variety of physical skill assessments. Requirement 10 of the Tenderfoot rank requires Scouts to record their best efforts, then in 30 days show improvement, in physical tests such as...
...the long jump...
...sit-ups....
...pushups...
...and pull-ups.
Scouts working toward the Scout and Tenderfoot ranks met with Scoutmaster Baird and Troop Guide Davis to review progress toward completing those requirements. The troop also discussed plans for the setting up a model campsite and reprising its trebuchet demonstration at ScoutFest, part of the City of Auburn CityFest, on Saturday, Apr. 26. Having burned a few calories at the start of the meeting, the troop gladly partook in birthday cake and ice cream at the end of the meeting to celebrate Davis' birthday.
When most folks think of Boy Scouts, visions of camping, campfires and knot-tying come to mind. So, when Scouts suggested during the March Patrol Leaders Council that Troop 50 combine pioneering and lashings with the science of a trebuchet, more than a few eyebrows raised. But, thanks for the trebuchet experience and ingenuity of leaders Jim Perry and Wade Daniel, this far-flung idea became a reality as part of the April 27 ScoutFest, part of the City of Auburn’s 2013 Auburn CityFest.
The idea is simple, but the science of angles, force and counterweights – which dates back to the Middle Ages – may not always be an easy one to grasp. Scouts envisioned an exhibit that would allow participants to witness bot the ingenuity of Scouting with some if the organization’s basic tenets like knot-tying and pioneering. Visitors to Saturday’s display found on a pioneered, camp gadget-style table a homemade trebuchet capable of firing a football more than 20 feet through a lashed-together goal post. As the day went on, Scouts experimented with other projectiles, such as tennis balls and rubber balls given away at the event by Chick-fil-a. Scouts learned how to effectively adjust the trebuchet’s firing angles to compensate for changing weights and to allow for throwing farther distances.
ScoutFest also included two sessions of “Are You Tougher than a Boy Scout?” based on the National Geographic Channel’s recent series. The ScoutFest sessions, like the television series, pitted Scouts vs. adults to demonstrate which team had a greater command of Scout skills and knowledge. Andrew and Davis represented Troop 50 well in the morning and afternoon sessions, respectively. Check out video on Saugahatchee District's Facebook page or YouTube channel.
The troop had a great showing for the day with a majority of the troop’s Scouts – including several of our newest additions – helping throughout the day! Check out more photos and video in our online photo album or Facebook page.
