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Scouts warm up to Freeze-Out
Video
By Sean Barron
Activities ranged from tying knots to practicing basic first-aid skills.
CANFIELD — Before moving to their next activity, numerous Cub Scouts wanted to tie up a few loose ends.
So a few dozen youngsters broke into two groups, took ordinary pieces of rope and, with the rope and wooden posts, put their knot-tying skills to the test.
The 45-minute indoor event was one of seven main activities that were part of the annual Cub Scout Freeze-Out, which began Saturday at Camp Stambaugh, 3712 Leffingwell Road. The event, sponsored by the Whispering Pines District of the Greater Western Reserve Council Boy Scouts of America, continues from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday at the campground.
Hosting this year’s program, themed “Reaching for the Summit,” was Cub Scout Pack 184 of Austintown.
Giving a demonstration on tying a variety of knots was John Vargo, a member of a U.S. Coast Guard auxiliary in Bazetta Township.
“It’s important that they learn different knots for safety later on,” Vargo said, adding that he knows at least 12 ways to tie bowline knots, commonly used to rescue people from the side of a cliff or from drowning.
While some Scouts enjoyed the warmth of a cabin to work on their knots, others, such as 10-year-old Michael DiRenzo of Boardman, endured the cold and donned a blindfold to try his hand (and feet) at an obstacle course.
“It felt kind of odd; you had no clue where you’re going and had to listen to your leader,” said Michael, a member of Cub Scout Pack 114 of Boardman, after completing the competition.
The course required the blindfolded youngsters to feel their way through a roped-off area to pick up spilled bottles by following instructions from their leaders. Afterward, they got their sight back and lifted a “curse,” noted Rick Ferry, a committee member with Boy Scout Troop 184.
The activity was set up to encourage teamwork, enhance the boys’ listening abilities and reinforce leadership skills, Ferry said.
Another event saw the boys using maps and compasses to navigate their way on trails to reach various stakes, at which were tokens leading to small prizes.
Not far away, other Scouts used a “marshmallow gun” made of pipes, as well as slingshots, to shoot marshmallows and dog food pellets at targets.
At one site, the boys broke into groups of three, where one youngster pretended to be hurt after a train accident and the other two had to assess his injuries, lift the boy onto a sled and pull him out of harm’s way. That activity was set up to teach basic first aid, one organizer said.
Elsewhere, Scouts used an elaborate pulley system with a hook and ropes to transport a bucket to another area where its contents could be safely disposed of. That activity was designed to simulate cleaning up a hazardous-waste spill.
The Freeze-Out is expected to draw around 500 youngsters in grades one through five from Hubbard and Mahoning County, noted Sarah Marino, Whispering Pines’ executive director.
This year’s event also should have about 300 parents and other volunteers, Marino said, adding that the program also provides a host of crafts and games, as well as good opportunities for added family time. It also encourages teamwork and allows youngsters to practice certain hands-on activities they likely learn in school.