Scouts test their skills during Wiesbaden's Klondike Derby
January 31, 2012
WIESBADEN, Germany (Jan. 31, 2011) -- There was not enough room for Boy Scout Troop 107 of Wiesbaden in this year's Klondike Derby in Kandersteg, Switzerland, but they did not give up.
In true Scout fashion, they created their own Klondike Derby.
The troop, joined by Boy Scout Troop 90 from Frankfurt and a den of Webelo II scouts from Pack 13 in Wiesbaden, held its first local Klondike Derby at the Rheinblick Recreation Complex Jan. 14.
The Scouts tested their first aid, knot tying, fire starting, orienteering and shelter building skills at five stations, said Neil Ravensbergen, an assistant scout leader who organized the event.
"We wanted the boys to work together as a team and show off their Scouting skills," Ravensbergen said.
Troop 107 Scoutmaster Jeff Stone said all the skills are outdoor problem solving and leadership skills. The Scouts received points at each station depending on how well they executed the task, and at the end, troop leaders tallied the points to declare who did the best.
"I thought it was really cool because we got to do the orienteering and go through the woods," said Mark Krueger, 10 who said he had a great time at the derby. "I liked being able to jump over logs."
At the orienteering station, the boys had to go out into the woods, find points using a map and compass and estimate distances.
Eagle Scouts Max Sarsok, 16, and Ben Barnhart, 18, helped supervise a group of younger Boy Scouts as they worked their way through the stations.
The derby went well, especially considering it was the first one, Sarsok said.
Although the Rheinblick derby was much smaller than the one held in Switzerland, the only main difference was that Rheinblick did not have snow, Sarsok said. In all, 33 boys and 16 volunteers participated, Ravensbergen said. Hopefully, the local Klondike Derby will become an annual event.
The Golden Falcons patrol from Troop 107 came in first; the Flaming Arrows patrol from Troop 107 came in second; the Webelo II den from Pack 13 came in third (with Eagle Scout Carl Ravensbergen leading the patrol); the Foxy Foxes patrol from Troop 90 came in fourth; and the Behrs from Troop 90 came in fifth.
Though the day's temperature was in the 30s, Scouts and their parents kept warm by standing next to fires and drinking hot cocoa.