43
Cub Scouts play it cool for a day
Special to the Vindicator
Photo
The boys of Austintown's Troop 184 battle it out in a friendly game of conquer Saturday morning.
Special to the Vindicator
Photo
SCOUTS - The boys of Troop 3558 Edinberg, Ohio use team work Saturday morning.
By Sean Barron
CANFIELD
Vinnie Kacir enjoyed being part of a leather-craft activity and didn’t mind the pounding and noise that accompanied it.
For the 8-year-old member of Hubbard-based Cub Scout Pack 100, sheer fun and enjoyment were as apparent as the tools of the trade.
“My favorite activities are the BB gun and archery,” said Vinnie, referring to two offerings of a Cub Scout gathering he attended last year.
On Saturday, it looked like fun would be the operative word for Vinnie, who took part in the Cub Scout Freeze-Out 2011 event at Camp Stambaugh, 3712 Leffingwell Road.
About 175 Scouts age 6 to 11 from Mahoning County and Hubbard took part Saturday in the annual all-day gathering, hosted by Boy Scout Troop 22 of Youngstown.
Sponsoring the event was the Whispering Pines District Greater Western Reserve Council Boy Scouts of America.
Vinnie, a three-year Scout, was among those who used wooden hammers, dyes, bits, studs and other tools to make neckerchief slides, which are small, leather items with suede rope that slide under the neck, much like clip-on microphones. His intent was to place his initials and an imprint of a bear on the neckerchief slide, said Vinnie, who came with his father, Stephen Kacir.
One of the activity’s leaders was Kathleen Kopsco, advancement chairwoman for Troop 22 and a Merit Badge counselor.
Kopsco, who’s made a purse and many other items from leather, said the project also encourages creativity in the youngsters and helps them advance to the next Scout level.
The leather-craft event was one of several stations set up for the boys. The others were a bucket stack, slingshot and games called Conquer and King of the Bucket; hiking also was part of the mix.
One of those who went from pounding to pouncing was 7-year-old Joey Criazzo of Liberty, who’s also a Pack 100 member.
The E.J. Blott Elementary School second-grader enjoyed playing Conquer, in which participants form two teams and try to push a large green ball to score points. One, two or several players at a time from each team were instructed to be in contact with the ball as they tried to keep it within an area defined by small orange cones and push it to either end.
“It was very rough,” Joey said matter-of-factly about the competition. “I tried to stay on my feet.”
Joey, a two-year Scout who hopes to be a librarian, said this was his first Freeze-Out gathering. The youngster added that he appreciated the cooperation and teamwork that went along with the camaraderie and competition.
“I learned you have to have courage in yourself to go against boys older and bigger than you,” said Joey, who came with his mother, Heather Criazzo.
The event was themed “Scouting 101,” in part to review basic tenets and skills of Scouting, organizers said.