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Jamboree experience strongly encouraged
Source:
Cranberry Eagle
Written by:
Peter Gemperle
Published:
August 11, 2010
The 2010 National Scout Jamboree was held at Fort A.P. Hill, Va., from July 26 through Aug. 4. Peter Gemperle, 12, of Cranberry Township, attended the 10-day festival. A member of Troop 403 in Cranberry, Gemperle is currently a First Class Scout. He is the son of Lyn and David Gemperle of Cranberry.
On the first day of the Jamboree, Fort A.P. Hill became America's fastest-growing city as 44,000 Scouts, leaders, and volunteers arrived to call "The Hill" home. Here are some of the interesting things I did and saw during my Jamboree experience.
I traveled back in time to 1907, and visited the first ever Scout camp at Brownsea Island Camp. Lord Baden-Powell was Scoutmaster of the camp, and with his Kudu horn he explained the games and mission of this re-creation.
Boys, dressed in period costumes, played tug-of-war, an early version of basketball and set up the original camp layout. I was amazed to find out that Brownsea Island was only 1½ mile by quarter mile! The roots of Scouting started right here at Brownsea Island.
I spent several days at the Action Centers trying my hand at archery, trapshooting, pioneering, rappelling and buckskin games. My favorite was the buckskin games area with a large variety of contests that mountain men participated in during the early 19th century.
One of our own Moraine Trails Council shooting staff, Jerry Heindl, schooled me on the finer points of shooting a muzzle-loading rifle.
Cracking a whip, throwing a tomahawk and roping a steer are all important skills to master for a mountain man-in-training like myself. My knife and tomahawk throwing are fairly accurate, but my whip cracking needs some work. I knocked the balloon off the post, but it survived. I don't think I'm ready for the mountains just yet.
The extravagant B.S.A. 100th Anniversary arena show on July 31 began with a bang as a flight of military jets burst on the scene. The new permanent Scout Jamboree site, The Summit, was unveiled as a video of the West Virginia New River Gorge landscape was played.
The 80,000 Scouts and adults plus guests were treated to an appearance by The Discovery Channel's Dirty Jobs host Mike Rowe. Mr. Rowe's talk was from his heart and inspired us to commit to the principle that "A Scout is clean; but not afraid to get dirty." And that is something that I can agree with!
The crowd broke into spontaneous chants of "USA, USA" and "BSA, BSA" while waving small America flags and glow sticks. The show ended with a spectacular fireworks display that lasted at least 45 minutes. The display was the largest fireworks show ever held on a military installation. The two-hour walk from our Subcamp to the arena was really worth it.
There are endless opportunities for new experiences at the Jamboree. The 2010 United States Postal Service Postage Stamp was unveiled during a ceremony at the Jamboree Headquarters. The stamp shows a modern Scout taking in the beauty and sights of America just as the many Scouts before him did.
I enjoyed the underwater world through the Discover Scuba and Snorkel Search activities.
I even had the chance to join my fellow Scouts in finishing an ocean life mural that was started by the famous California artist Wyland. My addition was a large yellow coral. The completed murals will hang at the Wyland Foundation gallery in Aliso Viejo, California.
Patch trading is a popular pastime at the Jamboree. Scouts set up patch trading sites along all the major walkways. This time-honored Scout tradition operates every day and well into the evening.
After dark, the walkways look like old time battlefield encampments with Scouts gathered in circles around a flickering light. In the center of these small circles is a Scout with a lantern ready to trade his patch collection.
Overall, the Jamboree was a mix of outdoor, water and people activities that gave me a chance to learn new skills. From participating in a 5K fun run to visiting the Jamboree National Forest on the Conservation Trail to having my ball cap branded by the National Venturing exhibit, I have tried so many new things in my 10 Jamboree days.
The hot, humid weather did not dampen the thrill of meeting Scouts from all over the world and trying my hand at new challenges. I will recommend any Scout to attend a Jamboree, I can't wait for the next one in 2013.
Congratulations to the Boy Scouts of America on their 100th Anniversary. I, for one, am looking forward to the next 100 years.
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