Photo By Sgt. Maj. Michael Pintagro | Maj. Michael J. Swienton (right), the Pack 69 Cubmaster and a member of the 21st...... read more read more
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KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany – Around 80 Cub Scouts and Boy Scout volunteers, parents and siblings from throughout the solar system descended on Vogelweh Elementary School for a “Space Derby” that tested the ingenuity and patience of local military community children – not to mention parents – as well as the durability of glue-based joints, rubber bands and plastic model propellers.
A fleet of around 40 rockets piloted by an equal number of Scouts representing Pack 69 as well as the Barbarossa District and planet Earth joined the space race, held every other year rather than annually due to the challenges inherent in intergalactic travel, the intricacies of model spacecraft construction and the delicacy of rubber band-based propulsion.
Scouts and parents constructed the rockets from kits including lightweight balsa wood blocks, plastic accessories and rubber bands. The Scout-parent teams typically sand the wooden pieces into rocket form, assemble the propulsion system to the best of their abilities and decorate with paint, stickers and accessories. The rockets, propelled across a string-guided orbit by the release of tension from tightly wound rubber bands, ideally reach docking stations on the other side of the galaxy – and the elementary school courtyard – in one piece.
The boys competed by den – which coincides with age, school grade and rank in the Scout structure. The fastest rockets launched by each den received an added boost during a brief and informal award ceremony conducted after the last ship docked.
The Earthlings rotated through various “stations” to avoid congestion in one solar system – a wise concession to reality by Scout Fleet Command. “Attention spans just aren’t long enough for all the Scouts to stand and watch every race,” Jen Guth, the Pack trainer and a key event organizer, said with a smile. The alternate extraterrestrial activities, including an “asteroid toss,” arts and crafts, and, inevitably, visits to the refueling (also known as snack) station, proved as popular as the rocket races themselves.
The asteroid toss, during which Scouts attempted to hurl beanbags through a gap in the “solar system” while an “asteroid deflector” strongly resembling a young, male Earthling attempted to block their path, exerted a powerful gravitational pull. Guth, who continues to volunteer with the Pack even after the graduation of her sons, created a “flying saucer construction” station for artistic astronauts. “We grabbed everything we could find in the Scout Hut – paper plates, markers, scissors, glue, pipe cleaners,” she said. “It worked pretty well. The boys and their sisters were all walking around with their flying saucers.”
Key Pack leaders described the event as a mixture of healthy competition, Scouting ingenuity and family fun including just enough “science” and research to encourage learning without scaring any Bears or Wolves into the nearby woods.
“It’s another unique opportunity for the boys to experience creative application of things in motion,” said Maj. Michael J. Swienton, a mild-mannered member of the 21st Theater Sustainment Command Operations staff by day and Pack 69 Cubmaster, or senior leader, by weekend. “It provides them a chance to show their creativity and build something with their parents, as well as enjoy another afternoon of friendly competition. While they’re obviously focused on having fun with their fellow Scouts and families, there’s also some science to it – so there’s an opportunity for the boys to go deeper into it if they’d like.”
The event, Swienton noted, builds on a variety of themes emphasized in the Scouting program.
“The Space Derby is another ideal opportunity for family interaction,” he said. “They work as a team putting the rockets together, so they collaborate on a creative enterprise in addition to the competition. A number of the siblings participated as well, so this gave us another opportunity to integrate them into a family activity.”
Swienton acknowledged the Space Derby lies at the outer edge of the universe of the feasible.
“It’s a little harder,” he said with a laugh. “You can’t really try this at home. It’s not done as often, partly due to the logistics and partly due to the physical requirements. The Space Derby is a little more complicated for the organizers and the participants, but that makes it all the more rewarding when it comes together.”
“It gives the Scouts the opportunity to be a little creative and teaches good sportsmanship,” Guth added. “From the leaders’ standpoint, it’s an opportunity to organize a pretty challenging event and make it something fun and successful for the kids.”
Adult volunteers described the derby as, well, out of this world.
Mark S. Brandon, a Department of the Army civilian with the exercise branch of the 21st TSC Operations section and father of two Pack 69 Scouts, called the derby “wonderful. You learn something every day,” he said. “The space theme always captures their imagination. We had some problems and had to make a few emergency repairs. But they had fun. The event was very well-structured – the other activities kept the rest of the Scouts busy while one group was racing.”
Organizational leaders conducted the Space Derby in conjunction with the March Pack Meeting. The monthly gatherings include adminstrative activities, award presentations, announcements, games, songs and skits in addition to the occasional balsa wood rocket launch. A series of terrestrial racing events, including a “Cub Annapolis” held in December and the trademark Pinewood Derby conducted in January preceded the intergalactic derby. Scouts participate in a variety of outdoor, sporting, creative, educational and citizenship activities in addition to races.
Kaiserslautern-based Scouts inhabit the best of all worlds. They not only enjoy rare opportunities specific to Europe but benefit from a unique blend of service cultures. “We have such a dense community and such a concentration of Army, Air Force and civilian leaders, a few entirely outside the military and even a handful of international Scouts,” Swienton said. “That unique collaboration opens up all sorts of opportunities for the boys.”
Their remarkably expansive and comprehensive district falls entirely within the Milky Way, but includes many regions few Scouts have gone before. The district, Swenton noted, spans from Denmark to Morocco and from Spain to Jordan. Upcoming international events include a camping trip and educational venture scheduled for the end of April in Normandy, France.
As they followed homing beacons back to their mother ships, flying saucers and rockets in hand and uniforms reflecting the ravages of an afternoon of intergallactic pursuits, the Scouts seemed as energized by camaraderie and sugar as the racing results.
“I really liked the asteroid toss – I almost got a point,” said 8-year-old Nicholas Tapley, a member of the Wolf Den. “I also liked the snack station because I was real hungry.”
Far from a lone wolf, Tapley’s views attracted howls of assent from fellow Pack members.
“The best part was getting three in a row at the asteroid toss,” said 8-year-old fellow Wolf Ethan Peavey. “There was a big hole, and I told them the space ship would break down if I hit the target.”
“I like the Space Derby,” added 10-year-old Brady Branyi of the Webelos Den. “Building the rocket and then racing it was the most fun, and throwing things at (fellow Scouter) Jonathan in the asteroid toss was the second best part.”
| Date Taken: | 04.08.2014 |
| Date Posted: | 04.10.2014 05:05 |
| Story ID: | 125239 |
| Location: | KAISERSLAUTERN, RP, DE |
| Web Views: | 63 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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