George Mason kicked off the Cub Scout Day Camp season on June 18 with Twilight Camp at Izaak Walton League-Centreville. With six different program stations to rotate through, there was never a dull moment all week.
At Archery, Range Officer Matt Smith and Archery Program Aide Noah Canody highlighted bow and arrow safety, skill building techniques, proper stance, and follow through. At the completion of camp, Scouts will have earned their archery recognition items–the belt loop and sports pin—and be well on their way to obtaining their Cub Scout Shooting Sports Award Certificate. Scouts were delighted when their arrows hit the target with more and more frequency, cheering with each improvement.
BB Range Officer Kate Schenaker, shared her love of shooting sports through emphasis on proper range safety practices, safe shooting techniques, and proper shooting stances. Scouts learned how to score their own targets, and were surprised and pleased to see how much their scores improved as they practiced throughout the week. Cheers could be heard quite regularly across the pond as Scouts grew steadily more proficient—all while having fun!
No doubt fish stories abound after a successful day fishing the pond at IWL. Scouts found that fishing can be fun, even if you don’t bring home a catch every time you cast. Among other topics, Fishing Director Tom Canody helped Scouts understand local fishing regulations and discussed different area fish then gave the Scouts the opportunity to drop lines in the water. Scouts took home “ribbon” fish to show “just how big was the one that got away.”
Nature Crafts director, Roy DeLauder made certain Scouts were acquainted with local flora and fauna before setting out on their nature hike, Scouts covered practical safety in the woods, discussed the high tick population what they look like and how to remove them. Scouts also learned to identify poison ivy, Virginia Creeper and a variety of various animals one would expect to see in the local area.
STEM station director, Jim Ashe caught everyone’s attention with his hands-on science experiments. On Day One, campers focused on learning about simple tools—pulleys, levers and wheels with each day progressing on to higher concepts of science like water density and volcanic activity.
The week in the woods ended with the annual flameless Campfire Closing program where the Scouts entertained their parents and invited guests with skits, songs, run-ons and lots of laughter.
The first day, our ride was enjoyable! We were able to keep up a reasonable pace and distance. Day two was a different story, the heat and hills were almost unbearable. Our strength, and endurance was definitely tested. Day two was without a doubt the hardest leg of the trip. The final day wasn’t a breeze, but nothing compared to the dreaded day before. Luckily this day gave us downward hills and cooler temperatures. One of my favorite parts of this trip was the hotel nights, after a long day of biking. We were able to make a lot of memories and bond with one another. The trip allowed me to discover my strengths and weaknesses, it gave me a roadmap for how to do even better on our next adventure! I never thought I would do this in a million years. I’m sure a lot of us, didn’t think we would make it (especially on day two). But with every pedal we believed in ourselves! Plus, a great 80s playlist for motivation is a big help!
