/usr/web/www.marshallindependent.com/wp-content/themes/coreV2/single.php
×

‘A lot of fun stuff’ at Scout Jamboree

Photo by Jenny Kirk As part of a fundraiser, Marshall Boy Scouts Jace Dekker, right, and Evan Greenfield help run the bouncy house obstacle course during the Ace Home and Hardware Coke event on Wednesday.

MARSHALL — Eleven Boy Scouts from Troops 238 and 320 in Marshall are enthusiastically looking forward to joining about 40,000 others at the National Boy Scout Jamboree this upcoming week in West Virginia.

“I’ve heard there are several things you can do there that you can’t really do anywhere else,” 13-year-old Jacen Dekker said. “I’m really looking forward to that. There’s zip-lining, whitewater rafting, a lot of fun stuff.”

To help fundraise for the trip, the local Boy Scouts worked the Ace Home and Hardware Coke event on Wednesday.

“This is a fundraiser for us so we can get some money for the trip,” Dekker said. “It’s going pretty good. I handed out popcorn. I worked both the basketball and volleyball bouncy house and this obstacle course bouncy house one.”

Evan Greenfield also thought there was a good turnout for the fundraising event at Ace.

“I think it’s pretty good,” the 13-year-old Greenfield said. “There seems to be a lot of people here. There’s a lot of families. I was actually expecting a lot less kids.”

Like the other Boy Scout, Greenfield volunteered his service in a number of ways.

“I’ve been working these bouncy houses here,” Greenfield said. “From 5-5:30, I was in the dunk tank, getting dunked. That was actually pretty nice. It felt good to cool off.”

Along with a variety of bouncy houses and a dunk tank, attendees could also enjoy pizza, cotton candy, popcorn, slushies and much more.

“Ace is a big supporter for our Scouts,” parent Amy Bauer said. “They’ve been out here about three years — just not three years in a row. Ace gets out all their bouncy houses for the Coke event. I’m sure it helps promote them. Our Scouts man the houses and help with food. The funds are earmarked for Jamboree.”

Greenfield said he’s very excited about the opportunity to go to the Jamboree.

“I’m going to see some things I’ll probably never see again,” he said. “There’s a lot of stuff out there. I’ve heard there’s power ball — it’s like paint ball except it’s got powder. There’s a lot of mountain biking because we’re in the mountains. There’s ATV stuff and paddle board stuff. And for one of the days, we’re climbing to the summit.”

In addition to Dekker and Greenfield, the Scouts heading to the Jamboree include: Daniel Bauer, Paul Bauer, Tim Boersma, Cody Kesteloot, Ben Leek, Nolan Meyer, Kaden Strate, Isaac Timmerman and Daniel VanKeulen.

“This is my first time going to Jamboree,” 17-year-old Cody Kesteloot said. “First, we’re going to Washington D.C., touring around there for about three days. We’re flying to Washington, D.C., then we’ll drive to West Virginia and camp for about a week and a half there.”

Sixteen-year-old Isaac Timmerman said he is really looking forward to whitewater rafting and riding ATVs.

“That should be a lot of fun,” Timmerman said. “I’ve been whitewater rafting in Colorado. It was only Class 2 and 3 rapids and we had a guide, too. They go up to Class 6, but 6 is basically a waterfall.”

Two other thrilling activities caught the attention of 16-year-old Tim Boersma.

“What I’m probably looking forward to the most is the mile-long zip-line and there’s an obstacle course on the water,” Boersma said.

Kesteloot added that he is also looking forward to patch trading.

“We’re able to trade with other people,” he said. “For us, we want to get the most authentic patches, so that way we can trade a whole bunch.”

The 2017 National Scout Jamboree held July 19-28 marks the 19th national jamboree held by the Boy Scouts of American and the second located at the Summit Bechtel Reserve in West Virginia.

“The Jamboree is held once every four years,” parent Lori Timmerman said. “These Scouts signed up two years ago to attend. It will be one of the highlights of their scouting career.”

Boersma said that most individuals only get to attend the National Jamboree once.

“You join Boy Scouts in seventh grade and your last opportunity to go is the summer of your junior year, so most people only get to go to National Jamboree once,” he said. “You have to go your first year to be able to go twice.”

For more than 100 years, the Boy Scouts of America has helped build future leaders by combining educational activities and lifelong values with fun.

“I like that we get to learn leadership skills and grow as a person,” Isaac Timmerman said. “And we also get to do a lot of adventure stuff and camping.”

“I like camping the most,” Boersma said. “But it’s also fun for the meetings on Thursdays, to learn new things and hang out with friends.”

Greenfield added that he enjoys keeping busy through Boy Scouts.

“I’m doing stuff that I probably wouldn’t do otherwise,” he said. “I’m learning a lot of skills and stuff that I can use later on in life.”

The National Jamboree is a physically demanding experience. Fortunately, the Boy Scouts organization teaches the young men to prepared, both mentally and physically.

“There’s a lot of walking,” Greenfield said.

Timmerman agreed, saying that “they’ll be walking a lot — like 10 miles a day.”

Kesteloot said that along with the priceless opportunity to meet new people, the Jamboree is basically a lesson in survival.

“We’ll be camping the whole time,” he said. “The most dangerous things there are bears and the heat. But the heat is the most important part. There’s a lot of people who end up in the infirmary for dehydration.”

Boersma noted that approximately 40,000 Scouts will be attending the Jamboree.

“The National Jamboree is not technically the World Jamboree — that’s separate — but there are people that come from other countries,” Boersma said. “The World Jamboree is also every four years, but it’s two years apart from the National Jamboree.”

The World Scout Jamboree is set to be held in 2019 at the Summit Bechtel Reserve.

The last World Jamboree in North America was in 1983 in Alberta, Canada. The U.S. hosted its last one in 1967 at Farragut State Park in Idaho.

Newsletter

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *
   

Starting at $4.38/week.

Subscribe Today