Local scouts ‘camporee’ at Woodlake’s rodeo grounds
This past weekend, dozens of scouts belonging to various patrols got together in Woodlake to enjoy a slice of nature and compete against one another in friendly competitions
WOODLAKE – Live Oak Scout District recently held their annual camporee, where the Valley’s various troops and patrols competed in various activities, bonded with their cohorts and camped out under the stars.
On Nov. 3, scouts, with ages ranging from 4th and 5th grade Webelos to high school seniors, made their way up to the Woodlake Lions Rodeo Ground, where they set up tents and prepared for Saturday’s plethora of activities.
“They’ll go out for the whole morning and afternoon, moving between different stations with no set time frame,” said Chris Plumlee. “We’ll have Tomahawk throwing, knife throwing, first aid challenges, knot tying challenges and various other actrives of that sort; at the end of the day, we get together and give out awards.”
While they were supervised by adults, the scouts led each other during the activities, allowing many of them to practice leadership skills which the younger scouts could witness the “individuality” that they’ll be granted once they move up in ranks.
“You won’t see an adult around these competitions telling the scouts what to do,” Plumlee said. “The scouts have their own leadership and those youth leadership will tell them how to do stuff and give them advice.”
Both boys and girls were able to participate in the activities, with no different rules or distinctions being made between either gender courtesy of the boy scout’s recent introduction of female members.
“A few years ago, they allowed girls to join, so we (had) boys and girls competing (with and) against each other,” Plumlee said. “At the end of the day, it’s really just a friendly competition between the different patrols.”
The camporee commenced after the scouts were called together to engage in a non-denational “open kind of religion thing” as a way to wrap up their time in Woodlake with one another.
