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Area scouts compete in annual event |
| By: Scott
Benjamin |
01/30/2004 |
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"They had a blast," said Thomas Tyrell, the leader for Troop 5,
which mostly includes 11 to 13 year olds.
The troop's Midnight Soldiers patrol captured the first-place
ribbons in a competitive finish with 127 points during the all-day
event, which was held Saturday at the Hoyt Scout Park in West
Redding. The Weasels, also of Troop 5, placed second with 125
points.
"It was a great day for it, and I think they learned a lot," Mr.
Tyrell said, even though temperatures hovered well below the
freezing mark.
Joey's Patrol of Troop 33 in Danbury and the White Moose of Troop
270 in Newtown tied for third place, with 124 points each.
The 370 Scouts, who came from troops in eight municipalities in the
metro Danbury area, were timed and judged at a variety of stations.
About 250 of them camped out at the park the previous night.
Mr. Tyrell said Troop 5 and troops 135 and 8, also from Brookfield,
organized this year's event. He said the derby also has been held in
recent years at Tarrywile Park in Danbury and at the Governor's
Horse Guard area in Newtown.
"It's been going forever," he said, noting that he participated in
the derby while he was a Scout in Westchester County, N.Y., in the
late 1960s.
The Scouts had been preparing for the event for months.
"We had to cut down wood and build it," Scout Michael Chengeri, 13,
of the Weasels said regarding the construction of his team's sled.
He said the most enjoyable part of the weekend was "shoving people
into the snow."
"It's about teamwork and leadership," Ray Pflomm, the leader of
Troop 135, said regarding the derby. "The natural leader usually
rises to the top."
He said that young people who participate in the Scouts acquire
valuable skills.
"I don't think the community knows enough about what we give back to
the community," Mr. Pflomm said. "When they're done with college,
through Scouting they will know how to relate to the real world."
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©The Brookfield Journal 2004 |
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