WESTPOINT 56TH CAMPOREE

APRIL  27TH-29TH

Registration: http://www.troop49oakland.org/survey/index.php/311781?lang=en

Payment Page: https://www.thepathfinders.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/West-Point-2018-Payment-Page.pdf

Your fee will not be refundable unless someone else is able to take your spot.  We must pay West Point by February 14.

Troop 49, our troop has been accepted to attend the Cadet run Camporee at West Point!  250 West Point Cadets have volunteered to put on an amazing weekend and they expect 6,600 scouts will be in attendance.  There 18 events you can attend.  Some of the events include the Zodiac challenge (US army rafts), Ranger challenge, Swiss Seat / One rope bridge challenge, and Weapons.

Due to the substantial number of scouts and planning it requires for West Point they need to have commitments from troops early.  We must respond to them by Feb 14th or we will lose our spot.  Troops try for years to attend this Camporee and due to the support of a West Point Grad / Army Ranger we were selected on our first try. We will be camping out on Friday and Saturday night, cooking our own meals on our camp stoves.

This is most likely a once in your scouting life opportunity due to difficulty of getting a spot. We have 25 spots available, including adults, so please respond quickly if you are interested. The cost of the weekend is $45 and spots will be allocated based on when your register.

Details:

Troop Awards

The Camporee is not only a time of exciting events and demonstrations, but is also a forum for troops to show off their skills. Points will be awarded in different categories. The overall best troop will be determined for each sub-camp and an overall winner for the entire camporee will be awarded. Winning troops will be recognized at the Awards Ceremony on Sunday. The winner of the award is the troop with the most cumulative points in the events listed below. We recommend training for 2nd and 1st class basic scout skills in order to prepare for the various sites at the camporee.

Competition sites open on Saturday:

  • Camouflage
  • Litter/First Aid
  • Knot Tying
  • Leadership Reaction Course
  • Drill
  • Fire Building
  • Wilderness Survival*
  • Ranger Challenge*
  • Swiss Seat/One-Rope Bridge
  • Kim’s Game
  • Commander’s Challenge
  • Zodiac Challenge
  • Fitness Challenge
  • Weapons
  • Knowledge Baseball
  • TAC Challenge

Site Descriptions (tentative and subject to change)

  1. Graded Events (Round-Robin):
    1. Camouflage – At this site scouts will learn how to properly apply U.S. Army camouflage. They will be graded on their ability to apply what they have learned to a time standard.
    2. Litter/First Aid – At this site scouts will fashion a litter and perform first aid techniques. Scouts will have to apply what they know to an “emergency” situation. They will be graded on proficiency and time.
    3. Knot Tying – Scouts will be taught how to tie various knots. They will be graded on their ability to correctly tie the knots in a certain time limit.
    4. Leadership Reaction Course – At this site scouts will be given a specific problem to solve using given materials. The scouts will be graded by time with time added to their score for errors (touching minefield).
    5. Drill – This site is mandatory for every scout in attendance. The scouts will learn the U.S. Army drill and ceremonies techniques that they will use for the closing review.
    6. Fire Building – At this site the scouts will have to build a fire to burn a string that is at a given height. The scouts will be graded on how fast they are able to burn through the string and the materials they use to build their fire.
    7. Wilderness Survival: Scouts will be given a designated amount of time to look for materials to build a shelter and then given additional time to create the shelter. Once the shelter is graded on its’ usefulness, the scouts will be required to take down the shelter and attempt to make the site look as though it was unoccupied.
    8. Ranger Challenge – A combination of physical events scouts must complete (climbing ranger wall, carrying water jugs, etc.). Event requires scouts to work together as a team to best accomplish the challenge.
    9. Swiss Seat/One-Rope Bridge – Scouts will be taught how to tie a U.S. Army rappel seat and will be graded on their ability to re-tie the seat in 90 seconds. They will then have the opportunity to cross a one-rope bridge using their seat.
    10. Kim’s Game – Scouts will be given a certain situation to analyze to identify and remember the variety of items within the situation. After a certain period of time, the scouts will be asked to turn around while certain aspects of the situation previously analyzed are altered. The scouts will attempt to identify any changes that were made to the original site.
    11. Commander’s Challenge – This event will not be announced until the Camporee. It will be both physically and mentally tough and designed with a military background.
    12. Zodiac Challenge – The RB-15, also known as a Zodiac, is a U.S. Army raft. If these are not available due to supply issues, we will use canoes. The Scouts will have to negotiate a course on the lake. The fastest patrol will win this site.
    13. Fitness Challenge – Fitness is a critical aspect of military life. The scouts will be graded on the relative fitness of their patrol through participation in physical activities such as push-ups and sit-ups.
    14. Weapons – Scouts will be briefed on a variety of U.S. military weapons, their capabilities, and also their uses. Scouts will be graded on how well they retained each weapons’ characteristics.
    15. Knowledge Baseball – Scouts will play ‘baseball’ by answering questions about rank requirements, common scout skills, scouting heritage and some basic West Point knowledge. The more questions answered correctly, the more points the scouts can score.
    16. TAC Challenge – Scouts will carry dummy rifles and bound through woodland terrain to rescue a hostage at the end of the lane. They will face physical obstacles and be required to react to enemy contact along the lane.

Non-Graded Events:

  • Static Display: The contents of the static display will be United States Military weapons and accessories.
  • Demonstrations – There will be a variety of cadet club demonstrations for the scouts throughout the weekend.

Other Graded Events:

  • Campsite Inspection: Each troop will be judged on the neatness of their campsite. Judges will be looking for planning in the layout of the troop’s area, safety, and cleanliness. Lightfighter troops will be graded with the expectation that every item could have been brought by them over the trail; deductions will be made for items that could not have been brought in a scout’s backpack (i.e. folding picnic tables, picnic gazebos, or the RV Camper with cable TV parked in the middle of the patrol’s site). If you are not sure whether your troop applied as a lightfighter or as a normal troop, please contact CDT Emily Weiher at Emily.Weiher@usma.edu.

The following do not count toward troop points but individual awards are given for:

  • Scoutmaster’s Cook-Off: Scoutmasters are invited to participate in a chili and dessert cook-off at lunch time on Saturday. There will be more details to follow about this competition.
  • Troop Gateway Competition: Troops are encouraged to prepare a gateway for their campsite, to be judged by camporee staff. The troop must bring all materials and completely remove the gateway before leaving Sunday morning. Troops may not utilize trees, vines, or other vegetation from Camp Lake Frederick grounds.

 

 

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