"Supercampers" complete advanced Plast program at Vovcha Tropa (08/08/99)

"Supercampers" complete advanced Plast program at Vovcha Tropa

by Volodymyr Fedorak
Special to The Ukrainian Weekly

EAST CHATHAM, N.Y. - For two weeks, 35 Plast youths age 15-16, directed by a five-person camp command, participated in a special program of activities for advanced campers that included hiking, rock climbing, pioneering and sports.

The campers also benefited from "leave no trace" training in ecology, worked toward earning the Plast physical fitness medal for their age group and constructed a 40-foot climbing wall in their camp - one of six taking place simultaneously at the Vovcha Tropa (Wolf's Path) campsite in upstate New York's Columbia County.

The Camp for Older "Yunatstvo" (Tabir Starshoho Yunatstva) as it is officially known, (popularly known as "supercamp"), was directed by Taras Ferencevych, who was assisted by Adriana Bida, Andrew Mykyta, Volodymyr Fedorak and Deanna Yurchuk.

This year's camp was called "Vichno Molodi" (Forever Young), a reference to the fact that youth and optimism are eternal and necessary - especially in today's complex times. As the camp song put it: "Our youth will conquer all."

The campers, all of whom have several Plast camps to their credit, also had discussions on philosophy and received copies of a booklet titled "Cache of Wisdom," featuring readings by renowned thinkers from Vasyl Symonenko to Charles Baudelaire, from Yurii Starosolsky to Henry David Thoreau, from Mykola Horbal to Lao-Tse, and others.

One of the highlights of the supercamp's multifaceted program, which encompassed more than 10 disciplines of scouting, was hiking in the scenic Adirondack Mountains. Separate groups climbed three peaks: Mount Marcy, at 5,344 feet the highest point in New York state, Mount Algonquin (elevation: 5,114 feet) and Phelps Mountain (4,161 feet).

Also memorable were the camp christening and camp skits on the theme of "Adio Powers" (a take on the popular Austin Powers movies). The supercampers also prepared and conducted a sports competition that included soccer, Frisbee, volleyball and other events for the benefit of younger campers at Vovcha Tropa.

At the official closing ceremonies campers received certificates acknowledging their successful completion of this rigorous camp. But no one rushed to leave, as all still were under the influence of the beauty of this camp in the mountains of New York and the magic of the "Great Game" (Velyka Hra) that forms the basis of Plast's program of self-education.

Bidding each other farewell, many of the youths vowed to return in the year 2000 for the third "supercamp" at Vovcha Tropa and others pledged to meet again at other Plast gatherings.

Volodymyr Fedorak, a member of the Siromantsi Plast Troop, hails from Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast, Ukraine. He is currently visiting the United States. (Andrea Roman contributed to this report.)

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