Scouts On Assignment

[Editor's note: Every four years the Boy Scouts of America holds a celebration of Scouting, a ten-day event where Scouts camp out, try new activities, interact with sports and entertainment role models, and reaffirm their commitment to the Scouting movement. More than 45,000 Boy Scouts and adult leaders from all 50 states and 26 countries converge on Fort A.P. Hill, Virginia, to take part in the Jamboree’s many activities, including: boating, snorkeling, scuba-diving, flight simulation, wall climbing and archery, to name a few.

The Observer is proud to have two Scouts "on assignment" – Peter and Robert Slater of Westlake – reporting back to the community on their experiences at the 2010 National Scout Jamboree. They will be working with journalists and educators as part of the “National Hometown News Service.”]

Day 1 of the 2010 National Scout Jamboree: Monday, July 26

The National Scout Jamboree is held every four years, but this Jamboree is special because this year is the 100th Anniversary of Boy Scouts of America and the 110th Anniversary of Boy Scouts world wide. This article features just a small glimpse of the story of Troop 1305 [one of four Cleveland-area Jamboree Troops] and their experiences at the 2010 National Scout Jamboree at Fort A.P. Hill, Virginia.

It all started at around 11:00 p.m. on Sunday in the parking lot of the Cleveland Visiting Nurses Association building as the four buses departed for the Jamboree. We drove for hours, many of us unsuccessfully trying to get some sleep, while others loudly sang, shouted and generally goofed off. At 2:00 a.m., we stopped at a rest-stop where many scouts purchased soda, coffee, and energy drinks, fueling the noise and sleeplessness further.

THE JAMBOREE: JULY 27-AUGUST 4

During the days we mostly worked on activities like scuba, pioneering, BMX, rifles and snorkeling. Though, while we were out and about we had a chance to meet some people from different countries, and trade patches with them. The best thing that my brother, Robert, and I did was going to scuba where we had a chance to look under water in a swimming pool for cool prizes and souvenirs.

Also, we had a chance to go to pioneering and build wooden hammers using methods that would have been used during pioneering days. The worst part of these days were that every morning and night we had to pick up, cook, eat, and clean up our meals which in some cases were very difficult to do. None of us were good cooks and we burnt things a lot, which made clean up a lot harder. So far Jambo has been fun but a lot of work.

THE JAMBOREE: JULY 27-AUGUST 4

During Jamboree, in addition to the many varied activities that you can do, there are also Arena Shows. There are two major shows and also several minor shows that occur. The first show I attended was dubbed the Kick-off Show, which was held on Wednesday, July 28. Jamboree started with our arrival early on Monday, July 26, but for some reason they don't have the kickoff show until two days later. I don't understand the logic but that is how it was. 

On Wednesday morning we had to wake up early and, instead of cooking a full breakfast, we had grab food and go as the mobilization for the show started at shortly after 7:00 a.m. After eating what was supposed to be a breakfast but really was only a snack for a teenage boy, we had to hike two miles to the Arena. 

We took our seats on the grass with all the other 46,000-plus scouts in a sea of khaki and green. The program started with a band whose members were staff volunteers, they weren't too bad when you figure they had only been practicing for a short while together. After the band played, the Army Golden Knights put on a show – that was awesome to watch. 

THE WRAP-UP: AUGUST 4–AUGUST 7

Overall the Jamboree was a once in a lifetime opportunity that I will not soon forget. I was able to explore all of the wonders of scouting in one place. I wish there had been more time; scouting offers so much that the 10 days of Jamboree just wasn't enough to be able to try everything.

I also had fun touring after the Jamboree. We got to do some educational stuff like visiting Jamestown (America's first settlement) and nearby Yorktown, but we also got to go to some really fun places like a huge water park and the National Aquarium. 

THE WRAP-UP: AUGUST 4-AUGUST 7

The National Boy Scout Jamboree was very fulfilling. I met many people from many places, I experienced many new and exciting activities, and saw many exciting and inspiring programs. The program were fun, the people were nice and the food... Well let's focus on the good stuff shall we? Don't worry if you ever get to go to the Jamboree, you can find good food but it will cost extra.

The two arena shows were fun. Activities such as scuba diving and air-rifles were some of my personal favorites. I also enjoyed collecting the various “Rockers” – small badges that go around the Jamboree insignia patch on my scout uniform. At the Jamboree I actually didn't earn any merit badges, I was too busy doing the fun stuff. I guess that was the biggest surprise to me, I really anticipated that being at scout camp for almost two weeks, I would have plenty of time to earn lots of merit badges. Oh well, guess I will have to get to work on those when I get home.