Plast youths compete in annual Sviato Yuriya camporee (06/19/05)

Plast youths compete in annual Sviato Yuriya camporee

by Danylo Peleschuk

EAST CHATHAM, N.Y. - For the members of Plast in the United States, Memorial Day weekend is a time for the annual Sviato Yuriya camporee; a gathering of scouts from various cities across the Northeast to celebrate the spring season, and the impending arrival of the Plast summer camp season.

The camporee is held in honor of St. Yurii, the patron saint of Plast Ukrainian Scouting Organization. However, the host campground for the jamboree varies from year to year. This year, Vovcha Tropa (Wolf's Trek) hosted one of the weekend-long gatherings, which took place on May 28-30, in East Chatham, N.Y. Another Sviato Yuriya camporee was held at the Pysanyi Kamin campground in Middlefield, Ohio for those who were unable to make the trip to upstate N.Y.

The primary organizational force behind the weekend's agenda at Vovcha Tropa was the Plast fraternity Khmelnychenky. The fraternity is experiencing an upsurge in activity, largely due to a recent and steady flow of new, young candidates. The two "komendanty" of the jamboree were Andrij Rakowsky (head) and Marko Pawliczko.

The participants in the weekend's festivities included several larger chapters of Plast, which represent major Northeastern cities such as New York City, Newark, N.J., Boston, Philadelphia and Hartford, Conn.

Both the male (yunaky) and female (yunachky) divisions of scouts age 11-17 from each chapter traveled by chartered buses from their home cities early Saturday morning, intending to arrive at Vovcha Tropa between 10 a.m. and noon. Once the entire crowd of more than 160 kids had arrived, the eager campers were assigned spots for their campsites, which were arranged by the cities they represented. After unpacking their belongings and setting up the tents, the weekend officially began with appropriate opening ceremonies, which included a prayer, raising of the flags and a reading of the weekend schedule.

Following the official commencement, the campers were guided down from the campsite to the main athletic field, where they were divided into groups for a large-scale, round robin-type game. This "terenova hra" (field game) was designed to test the scouts' knowledge of Plast history, as well as proper camping and survival techniques. The game was conducted over portions of the campsite's 350 acres of terrain, and lasted approximately three hours.

The first day continued as the campers cleaned up and chilled out in preparation for the DJ-hosted mixer that was to follow. The dance was held at Vovcha Tropa's widely recognized Zelenyi Budynok, or Green Building (affectionately dubbed the "ZB" by veteran campers). The lights dazzled and the music resonated throughout the night, as the kids unwound and became familiar with each other again, following an entire year of being away from their dearest camp pals.

The evening, however, was not to last long, as the campers would soon head back to their campsites and rest well in preparation for yet another full day of activities that included sports and a traditional bonfire.

Morning wake-up came at 8 a.m. sharp, but by that time most of the kids had been already awake, washing up and waiting in anticipation to see what the new day would bring. Upon eating breakfast in the large open field by the tents, the campers were once again provided with a chance to socialize and relax before marching back downhill to the camp chapel, where a solemn liturgy was held in front of a crowd of more than 200 people.

Following the liturgy, the campers partook in an outdoor lunch, then headed back to the campsite to prepare for an afternoon of athletic competition. The afternoon's games were organized and conducted by the Plast sorority Spartanky, who provided the necessary support required to run the activities. From padded Sumo wrestling to kickball, the kids enjoyed an array of sports, while taking in the warm sun of a beautiful May afternoon.

Once the campers grew tired, they were led back to prepare for the traditional bonfire. The enormous and exceptionally well-built "vatra" burned on for over two hours as the yunaky and yunachky sang out their favorite Plast songs. In between songs, yunaky and yunachky performed short skits that they prepared at home ahead of time. The acts were performed in accordance with the theme "Razom Nas Bahato" (Together, We Are Many), named after the immensely popular anthem of last year's Orange Revolution. The performances were observed and graded by the staff of counselors, and were weighed into the total grade for each chapter.

The annual Sviato Yuriya celebration does indeed bring with it a spirit of friendly competition; each chapter competes against others for the top rank at the close of the jamboree. However, what matters most to the campers is the invaluable time spent with fellow Ukrainians during this three-day weekend that heralds the beginning of the camping season.

As Monday approached, the camporee wound down to its final morning of clean-up and the closing ceremony. During the concluding formalities, the winners were announced and awards were presented. Conducting the procedure was the head "bunchuzhnyi" of the camporee, Ivan Schmotolocha. The results of the competition put the New York City boys' and the Passaic girls' divisions in first place. Second place went to the Boston boys and the New York City girls, while Newark's boys and girls took third.

The weekend concluded more quickly than anyone had imagined; by noon on Monday, the campers had boarded their buses and were headed back home to explain to their American friends the unbreakable bond with fellow Ukrainians that was yet again renewed.

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More than 600 photos of Sviato Yuriya will soon be available for viewing online at www.xmel.org. Like the photos on these pages, they were taken by Taras Borkowsky, Adrian Horodecky and participants of Sviato Yuriya.

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