Plast U.S.A.'s largest campground hosts spring camporee (06/18/06)

Plast U.S.A.'s largest campground hosts spring camporee

by Laryssa Czebiniak

EAST CHATHAM, N.Y. - East Coast Plast youths flocked to Plast U.S.A.'s largest campground, "Vovcha Tropa" for the annual camporee during Memorial Day weekend, May 27-29. This springtime eveny known as "Sviato Yuriya" translates as the Feast of St. George - an event devoted to the scouting organization's patron.

Twelve troops of 12 to 17 year-old "yunaky" and "yunachky" took part in this year's Sviato Yuriya, totaling 131 scouts, 22 counselors and three members of the Lisovi Chorty fraternity in command positions as organizers of the event.

Troops represented cities around the East Coast, including Boston, Hartford, Conn., New York, Newark, Passaic, Philadelphia and Washington. Troops competed against each other in various tasks.

This year's theme centered upon the phrase, "Ya ye Plast" (I am Plast). "We chose it in order to help instill a sense that each scout is important in the overall structure of Plast," explained Adrian Podpirka, the camp scribe.

Sunny skies gave the organizers a chance to implement all planned activities, such as a round-robin sports competition, a weekend-long scavenger hunt and a "fox run," during which pairs of scouts trekked all over the vast campground utilizing their compasses and cartography skills to find as many points on a map as possible within an allotted time frame.

Physical agility, mental strategy and teamwork skills in particular were tested during the terrain game, which took troops to twelve stations. Some points included a slingshot accuracy contest, creative building with ropes and branches, timed tent-pitching, memory games and a "spiderweb" test, where one scout is blind-folded and needs to crawl through a web of rope while the troop tells him or her where and how to move.

Scouts were challenged at every turn during the day. In contrasts, the warm star-studded nights were devoted to more relaxing or social events. Saturday's outdoor dance in the new pavilion inspired a hopping kolomyika. Though Memorial Day weekend has often been a rainy weekend in past years, rain gear was instead utilized as protective ground cover during Sunday night's campfire. Troops were judged on their original skits, based on the camporee's theme.

There were high expectations for the chili cook-off, as it was to serve also as a meal. Troops made a true effort to prepare delicious chili in a creative setting. The Washington boys' venison chili was the only one of its kind. The Newark girls created wooden placemats out of sticks and others poured chili into bread bowls. Hartford, the eventual winner of the contest, served the judges chili with a side dish of varennyky under a private awning, while one scout serenaded them with a musical instrument.

"Many of the kids had never cooked before and all of them did very well. They showed a lot of creativity and initiative," said program coordinator and chili judge Tymish Halibey. "A few of them thought outside the box, such as making chili dogs." The program director, Pavlo Mulyk, and several other Lisovi Chorty also judged this contest.

Father Ivan Kaszczak made a special trip to Vovcha Tropa to ensure that Sviato Yuriya participants were able to attend divine liturgy.

During Monday's closing ceremonies plaques were given out for highest troop point totals - three for girls' troops and three for boys' troops. The New York girls won first place, followed by Newark and Philadelphia in second and third, respectively.

In the boys' category, Hartford's mixed troop of boys and girls won first place, with New York and Passaic in second and third places.

With the lowering of the Ukrainian and American flags, another Sviato Yuriya came to a close, its prematurely hot weather giving everyone a taste of summer camps to come.

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