Cub Scouts from around South Florida gathered at Davie’s Camp Elmore for a weekend of fun and competition. Among the hundreds of Cub Scout Webelos attending were dozens of the first girls to join Scouting BSA. They proved they belonged by matching the boys equally in all the competition events.
South Miami’s Pack 280 led all teams with four awards for the third year in a row.
Chariot Race – 1st place
Chariot Race – 2nd place
Gateway construction – 1st place
Campfire skit – 3rd place
This year’s chariot race winning team consisted of three girls and two boys from South Miami’s Pack 280. A chariot race begins with three poles and three ropes lying on the ground. The team constructs an “A” shaped chariot and drags it the length of the course with a rider upon the cross piece. They then have to disassemble the chariot and return the parts to their original state. The team finished 30 seconds ahead of the second place team, a team of five boys also from Pack 280, who finished nearly a full minute ahead of the next team. Pack 280 also won first place in the gateway construction competition.
Webelos Jamboree is a Boy Scouts of America – South Florida Council event that brings together 4th and 5th grade Cub Scouts in a weekend of learning and showing their skills. Scouts participate in seminars focused on outdoor activities such as campfire cooking and plant identification. They also compete in pioneering skills to build structures such as gateways and chariots.
Each pack creates a camp that is judged on the quality of the campsite and the gateway entrance to it. A gateway is a structure built of poles and ropes and can reach fifteen feet high. In addition to a campfire skits competition, there is a race to build a chariot that will carry a rider the length of the course in the least amount of time.
While there was much debate on the merits of girls becoming full members of Cub Scouts when it was announced earlier this year, this past weekend girls proved that they were equals to boys. Many of them have been informal members of their packs while their brothers participated, and have taken the Cub Scout motto “Do your best” to heart.
Those interested in joining Cub Scouts can visit BeAScout.org to find the unit closest to them.
For more information:
JD Anson projectbluejd@gmail.com (305) 297-9731
Donna Jimenez donnabjimenez@juno.com (786) 877-3368
