Troop 281 Cincinnati, OH

The meeting on Tuesday was an explanation of what and what not to bring on the upcoming backpacking trip. Examples of what TO bring are: · Your ten scout essentials · A camelback hydration system (if you have one) · Under Armour · Hiking socks · Small light weight boots · Duct tape (the 11th scout essential) · Water purification systems · Bungee cords What you shouldn’t bring are: · Cotton clothing · Heavy winter boots · Cast iron pans (they can be used for killing bears, however) Jack Van Keuren, Historian

Over the weekend, scouts attended their annual ski trip at Mad River Mountain. They stayed at a farm near the mountain and they enjoyed visiting the farm animals and eating delicious meals of pancakes, spaghetti, and biscuits and gravy. Of course the scouts expected to have a good night’s sleep the first night, but some would have to wait until Saturday night for that because energy drinks dragged some scouts’ nights into the early morning. On the mountain, the scouts snowboarded, skied, and even went tubing. Mad River has a plethora of slope difficulties from green circles to double black diamonds and terrain parks, so everyone can be at home. Nick B. even brought a video camera to record himself snow boarding. Jack Van Keuren, Historian

On Sunday the scouts of troop 281 attended Scout Sunday at the Anderson Hills United Methodist Church. Scouts also served as ushers. Grant K. and Ross K. served as acolytes and Elliot H. gave the Morning Prayer. Mr. S.* gave a speech about the Boy Scouts of America being 100 years old this month. Also about how William Boyce was lost in the fog in London and a Boy Scout helped him find his way to his hotel. This intrigued him, he had never heard of a Boy Scout before. He then met with Baden-Powell, founder of the Boy Scouts in England, about starting a Boy Scout program in the U.S. The Boy Scouts also had a laptop set up in the lobby with a slide show, orange juice and, donuts. Jack Van Keuren, Historian *Doug Siebenbergen, former troop 281 Scoutmaster is now the church - troop liaison. Ed.

On Saturday, February 6, the youth leaders from Troop 281 received a five hour training session. It included multiple demonstrations such as usage of the patrol method, and the E.D.G.E. (explain, demonstrate, guide, enable) instruction method. There was also an explanation of different leadership styles. After they finished, the scouts traveled to Fountain Square where they ate at Chipotle and met with their mentors. After they ate, they went ice skating on Fountain Square, where not a single person left without falling at least once. Everyone had a good time and took away a lot from the marathon skill session. Jack Van Keuren, Historian

Tuesday’s meeting was all about skiing and snowboarding! First Alex R. gave a presentation about skiing. He showed the scouts about 2 different types of skis. The first was down-hill or alpine skis. These skis are made for down hill skiing. Second he showed everyone about trick skis and how they differ from alpine skis because they have lip on the front and back to allow for skiing in reverse. After that he showed about boots and poles. Next Nick B. gave a presentation about snow boarding. He explained different board types (downhill and trick). He also presented about the boots and bindings and how they differ from ski boots and bindings. Both Alex and Nick presented about the importance of dressing properly while skiing or snowboarding. It is also important to have your face covered or where sunscreen because even though its cold the sun reflects of the snow and can still burn you. Jack Van Keuren, Historian