MONTICELLO, N.Y. – The ninth annual winter outing for the Plast cub scouts of the greater New York area took place on February 7 at the Holiday Mountain ski resort in Monticello, N.Y. This one-day ski trip was organized by the Spartanky senior Plast sorority.
Forty-three Plast cub scouts along with their families, totaling over 80 participants, took advantage of gorgeous weather and group discounts to enjoy skiing as beginners or novices on the trails of the beginner-friendly ski mountain. Snow tubing was also available for everyone. The ski trails and tubing tracks were generously covered with man-made snow, allowing for a full day of snow sports.
In keeping with Plast tradition, the day concluded with a large bonfire built by the Holiday Mountain staff for the Plast group. The participants warmed up with songs and filled up with chocolate s’mores. The organizers guided members of the audience in acting out the Ukrainian folk tale “Rukavychka” (The Mitten) to everyone’s applause. The bonfire ended with the traditional song “Nich Vzhe Ide” (“Night is Coming”) and an “iskra” (spark) message that passed through the hand-linked chain that united the attendees.
The scouts and their families all left very pleased with the day’s outing. Among the skiers were a dozen Plast scouts who had started to come to these outings as cub scouts and who wanted to continue their participation.
This year’s Spartanky organizers included Talia Danysh, head of the New York City branch of Plast, Romana Pylyp, Lida Prokop, and Lesia Matijcio, with Lesia Magun, Lesia Kozicky and Vira Myskiw providing preparatory support.