BOY SCOUTS Competitions, winners

The 2008 Klondike Winter Event on Saturday at Camp Stambaugh in Canfield had several tasks for which Boy Scouts had to rely on knowledge, team effort and cooperation for successful completion. A brief description of the events, as well as winners:

Landfill patrol: Scouts had to identify what’s improper at a campsite, such as an ax being left unattended and a tent being incorrectly pitched. Winner— Troop 101 of Warren, Eagle patrol.

Are we lost? The boys used a compass to direct them to any of nine markers, each of which had a flag with a circled letter that’s collected to form a secret word. Winner — Troop 101, Liberty patrol.

Fire starter: Flint and steel or a bow and drill were used to start a fire. Winner — Troop 93, Gustavus, Cobra patrol.

Catch the snow monster: A knot was tied around someone’s waist, with each end of the rope connected. The person leaned backward to test the knot’s strength. Winner — Troop 557, Cortland, Dragon patrol.

Remote knotting: Someone was blindfolded while standing by a tree with a 9-foot radius. Participants stand outside the circle and a 45-foot rope was used to tie a knot with others’ guidance. Winner — Troop 62, Garrettsville, Dragon.

Red snapper fishing: Four broomsticks, called staves, were tied together and wrapped with rope to create a makeshift fishing pole. A Scout was blindfolded and, with the help of others, instructed to use the device to find and spring a trap. Winner — Troop 50, Bazetta, Hawk patrol.

Dangerous knotty trail: Using their Scout handbooks, the boys walked silently along a quarter-mile-long trail to find and identify 10 different knots. Afterward, they wrote down in order the types they found. Winner — Troop 40, Girard, Dragon Riders.

Fire in the hole: Scouts filled a bucket with sand one teaspoon at a time, then stood and poured the sand over a canvas, completely covering a fleur de lis, which is a Scout symbol. Winner — Troop 86, Warren, Krang patrol.

Klondike sled: Troop 90, Hartford.

Overall winner: Troop 557, Dragon patrol.

Source: Doug Lyons, event chairman