More than 150 at Scouts' Klondike Derby

January 18, 2015 at 12:05a.m.

CANFIELD

When it came to the “Limbo Rock” and handling a limbo stick, Chubby Checker sang and popularized the lyrics.

Kyle O’Brien, on the other hand, didn’t need any vocal prowess, but did need to be flexible.

“You have to make sure you don’t touch the ground on each side,” said the 17-year-old member of Boardman-based Boy Scout Troop 60.

Kyle was referring to the “limbo under a limbo stick” competition, one of the many indoor and outdoor events that made up Saturday’s annual Klondike Derby at Camp Stambaugh, 3712 Leffingwell Road.

Sponsoring the gathering was the Whispering Pines District Greater Western Reserve Council Boy Scouts of America. Troop 60 hosted the winter event, which drew more than 150 Scouts age 11 to 17 and at least 50 leaders.

The derby, themed “Polar Beach Blast,” was intended to teach a variety of skills and foster a deeper appreciation for Scouting as well as to reinforce the value of teamwork, cooperation and other attributes, organizers said.

The “limbo” event was part of Hawaiian games, one of seven stations that made up the festivities. The other six were mute, deaf and blind; a scavenger hunt in the Scout Museum; map and compass; fire-building; first aid; and signaling.

Scouts spent about 30 minutes at each one and earned up to 15 points per station, including 10 based on skill level and three for teamwork, noted Joe Vasko, a Troop 60 committee member.

For the “limbo” competition, Kyle and his fellow Scouts earned points by carefully meandering under a rod affixed to two poles without knocking it off. Adding to the difficulty was performing the task without allowing their knees to touch the ground, he explained.

Assisting with the effort was Jeff Wormley, a Scoutmaster with

Troop 101 of Struthers.

Last May, Kyle earned his Eagle Scout award for having built a 16-square-foot display box for the President James A. Garfield National Historic Site in Mentor. The box contains information pertaining to events at the museum, he noted.

Even though the temperature hovered around 40 degrees and snow covered the landscape, a few reminders of Hawaii were evident, including a sled containing a light-green, inflatable palm tree, as well as several Scouts wearing colorful leis around their necks.

Among those handling a sled were Adam Al-Halalmeh and Jason Lawrence, both part of Boardman-based Troop 46.

“The objective was to go all the way around the right side of the cones,” said Adam, who estimated that he walked several miles with the sled.

The event encouraged participants to work well with one another, continued Adam, a 2 Ω-year Scout. He added that he also appreciated having learned proper techniques for helping choking and burn victims and in other medical emergencies, courtesy of the first-aid demonstrations.

“It’s adventurous, but very tiring,” said Jason, who was exhausted from having also traveled up a few hills with a sled in tow.

A bit less physically demanding was the map and compass event in which the boys were challenged to read topographical maps and work as teams to answer a series of related questions. For example, some oriented a map of the Canton area and used a compass and ruler to plot distances, read symbols and determine elevations.

Others enjoyed the scavenger hunt in the museum while learning about the history of Scouting and Boy Scouts founder Robert Baden-Powell.

Toward the end of the derby, the boys were given gold nuggets to bid on camp-related merchandise during an auction. In addition, Scouts who slept in tents or under the stars Friday night received the “Sourdough Award.”