“Never fear our cheesy cheer, Troop 33 is here!”
It was with this phase that Jaffrey Boy Scout Troop 33 met each station of the annual Boy Scout Klondike Derby on Saturday, as they raced against teams from other Boy Scout Troops across the state to show their wilderness survival skills, speed, scout spirit and teamwork.
And out of the 20 teams who competed, Troop 33, with their “cheesy” cheer, took first place.
The team consisted of Scouts Logan Hocter, Patrol Leader Michael Johnson, Lead Cheerer Jacob Levesque, Quartermaster Corey Collins, David Levesque and Kamryn Caspricone.
Scout Master Josh Levesque said it’s a great testament to the teamwork of the troop, who hasn’t been able to meet as regularly as they would have liked due to COVID-19, including a mandatory break over the holiday period. He said there were points that he wasn’t sure the Derby would be able to carry on at all.
And it wasn’t business as usual when the troops met at Camp Carpenter in Manchester on Saturday. The race was split into two heats, to limit the number of scouts on the course, and there were strict restrictions to help the event carry on safely. The event is usually accompanied by an overnight cold-weather camping trip, which didn’t take place this year.
“To have an opportunity like this, showcase our skills and be normal, even for half a day, was great,” Levesque said. “Everyone appreciated the work the council did to put on the event, because it wasn’t easy.”
For the Derby, teams of six scouts must build a dogsled to carry their gear, and then, using a team of six scouts, mush from station to station – or “town to town” – to accomplish tasks for the “mayor.” The tasks are intended to show off scouting skills, such as first aid, fire starting, wilderness survival, wood land tools, and map and compass skills. Scouts have 20 minutes to fulfill each task, and are awarded points on whether they were able to complete the skill, and their speed and proficiency.
Jacob Levesque, 13, was a member of the team, and said the best part was being able to meet in person again, after summer outdoor activities had come to an end.
“It was fun to be able to get out and do something together. We haven’t been really able to meet since July.”
Jacob, who has been a scout for three years, said the troop was well prepared, and had used the short amount of time between the holiday break and the Derby to get together and practice the skills they would be demonstrating.
“This year, we made sure that we had everything down,” he said.
Jacob said the wilderness survival and outdoor activities are the aspects of Boy Scouting that attract him the most, and he was glad to be able to get back to the basics.
Ashley Saari can be reached at 924-7172 ext. 244 or asaari@ledgertranscript.com. She’s on Twitter @AshleySaariMLT.