The following ten events are the formal competitions for the upcoming Projectoree; the Scoutmaster Chariot Race (an unscored "fun" event) is also included "FYI." You are welcome and encouraged to practice all the events - after all, the principal themes of the Projectorees are to help build your Patrols and have fun, and practicing the events ahead of time will help you achieve both objectives. Certainly your PLC should review this entire package in the near future so they'll know what to expect.

For the events you and your Troop have signed up to run, it is paramount that you: (A) Get your materials together as soon as possible; and (B) Practice the event with your own Patrols in order to work out the bugs. This is especially critical for new events (or events that are new to you.) Fair warning - you cannot successfully throw these events together at the last second; it just won't come off.

As previously discussed, you MUST provide the Shadow Adult and Senior Scout Staff for each of your events. If you are unable to do so (or would prefer that your Senior Scouts interact with other Senior Scouts running other events), your staffing requirements will be filled from the general Senior Scout "staff pool." This will also help ease the manpower crunch if some of your Senior Scouts suddenly drop out (which, as we all know, can indeed happen.) Your Shadow Adult(s) and Primary Senior Scout(s) for each of your assigned activities MUST come to the final organizational meeting in order to discuss staffing and equipment needs, and to receive other pertinent instructions.

If you need financial assistance in preparing your event, please give us a call - we'll do what we can to help. We encourage you to make semi-permanent materials; after all, we intend to run these events for many years to come.

Finally, it's worth repeating - the first six Projectorees were spectacular successes, and were acknowledged by virtually every attendee (both Scouts and Adults) to be by far the best "group camping" events they had ever participated in. Short of horrendous weather conditions, we expect this year's events to be even better. Please keep focused on that promise as things get hectic. And remember, your role in the success of the Projectoree is critical! Yours in Scouting....

- Dr. Bob

With the exception of the Caber Toss, Egg Toss, and Running Kim's Game competitions (which are discussed below), all events are based on time - the less time needed to complete the event, the better; the caber and egg tosses are based on distance. All events are "normalized" for age and ability differences in one of two ways: (A) By having graduated difficulty levels, i.e., more difficult for older/larger Scouts (Caber Toss Only); or (B) By dividing the final score (time, or for the egg toss, distance) by the average age of the Patrol. In either case, the resulting scores are then compared to establish overall finishing places - the Top Patrol in the event gets 1 point, Second Place gets 2 points, etc. As previously discussed, all finishing Patrols are always rated over non-finishing Patrols (i.e., regardless of added time penalties), which are in turn rated over disqualified Patrols (if any.) In cases of ties, either in individual events or in the overall competition, the younger average-aged Patrol wins the tie; for those who will scream even about this, note that we've never had a tie yet, except when Patrols didn't finish an event (but we still want a by-law in place, just in case.) The overall winners are those Patrols with the lowest number of points at the end of the competitions. We will be awarding First through Eighth Place Patrol Awards.

In addition, we have (as practically as possible) arranged each event to handle different Patrol sizes, i.e., the number of Scouts in the Patrol. For most of the events, this will be merely by having enough Scouts in the Patrol run two relays to bring the de facto Patrol size up to 10 Scouts (which is the maximum Patrol size.) The events where this protocol is impractical are the Caber Toss, Egg Toss, Running Kim's Game, and Obstacle Course, which are therefore handled as follows: In the Caber Toss, the final score is trivially scaled up to 10 Scouts by dividing the aggregate total best distance by the number of Scouts in the Patrol to get the average distance, then multiplying that value by 10 to scale it up to a "full Patrol" value. In this case, the highest resulting score is the winner (and receives 1 point, etc.; note that there is no age normalization for the Caber Toss, since that event is already difficulty handicapped.) The Egg Toss is handled the same as the Caber Toss, except that the average distance is multiplied by five (i.e., the number of throwing teams, not Scouts), and that the final score IS age normalized (since there is no difficulty handicap.) In the Running Kim's Game, the score is based on the number of points accumulated by identifying objects. In the Obstacle Course, each Scout runs the event once, and the total aggregate time is divided by the number of Scouts, then multiplied by 10 to scale it up to a "full Patrol" value, which is then age normalized.

Average age will be determined based on years only (not months.)

Finally, as in past years, each Patrol will have a (yellow) scoring sheet, plus the Staff at each event will keep a second (blue) scoring sheet for each event (to help encourage honesty and also in case a Patrol Leader someone somehow manages to lose his scorecard.)

Preliminary Note: This is a new game for the Projectoree; therefore, the instructions may be incomplete or in some ways impractical (too easy, too difficult, too short, too long, too difficult or subjective to score, etc.) It is therefore very important to try this event at your home Troop, work any bugs out of it, and report any necessary adjustments to the Projectoree Organizer BEFORE THE APRIL 30TH ORGANIZATIONAL MEETING.

Equipment Needed:

1) 20 "Poster Stakes" in good condition (bringing several extras would be prudent)

2) 4 folding chairs or milk crates

3) 36 16-ounce plastic cups

4) 32 pieces of pliable, 1/4 or 5/16ths inch rope, each 4 feet long (having extras would be prudent)

5) 4 Stopwatches

6) 4 Pens for Scoring

7) Two stakes, with sharp points

8) A hammer for pounding in the stakes

9) Roll of yellow or white twine

10) Water Cooler, Disposable Cups (200) and Trash Bag

Instructions:

This is a exercise in lashing and Patrol cooperation. The scenario is that the Patrol must construct a "Bangalore Torpedo" by sheer-lashing 5 poster stakes together, then using the torpedo to knock over 9 plastic cups (set up in 3-cup "triangles") on a chair or milk crate at the far edge of the reach limit for the torpedo. All Scouts should be involved in the lashing, but the 4 SMALLEST Scouts are the only ones who can handle the torpedo to knock over the cup triangles. When successful, the Patrol must disassemble the torpedo and neatly place all items at the starting point.

Four identical setups are needed. The Set-up Troop will need to create a starting line (which the Scouts cannot cross) from the stakes and twine, then place the chairs or milk crates at the very far edge of the reach of the torpedo. Obviously, the Monitors will have to tie at least one torpedo in order to properly measure this distance. The distance must be identical for all 4 Patrols. If a Patrol ties their torpedo too short, they'll have to modify it when they see they can't reach the cups. THE PATROL MAY NOT "THROW" THEIR TORPEDO AT THE CUPS; if they do, they are disqualified. Make sure you make this clear before they begin.

Each Patrol gets 5 poster stakes and 8 pieces of rope. No pre-layouts or pre-assembly is allowed. At "Go," the Patrol begins the assembly. If the Patrol's lashing job is so terrible that the torpedo falls apart upon use, the Senior Scout Monitor can give hints so that the Patrol has a better chance of succeeding. The clock runs from "Go" until the Senior Scout Monitor accepts the Patrol's clean-up. If there's still time left before the next event, the Scouts can try again, but only for fun - not for score.

Supervision Needed: 1 Shadow Adult, 4 Senior Scouts

Remember to mark all scoresheets before allowing the Patrols to depart! Normalization for age will be done by the Scoring Coordinator.

Preliminary Note: This is a new game for the Projectoree; therefore, the instructions may be incomplete or in some ways impractical (too easy, too difficult, too short, too long, too difficult or subjective to score, etc.) It is therefore very important to try this event at your home Troop, work any bugs out of it, and report any necessary adjustments to the Projectoree Organizer BEFORE THE APRIL 30TH ORGANIZATIONAL MEETING.

Equipment Needed:

1) 4 Basketballs, underinflated (to the point where you can easily push in about 1 inch)

2) 4 Soft nerf-balls, about 4-5 inches in diameter

3) 24 8-feet long 1x2 furring strips, marked 32 inches from one end and 18 inches from the other; having a few extras would be prudent.)

4) Measuring Tape

5) Two stakes, with sharp points

6) A hammer for pounding in the stakes

7) Roll of yellow or white twine

8) 4 30 gallon trash cans (plastic or metal OK)

9) 4 Pens for Scoring

10) 4 Stopwatches

11) Water Cooler, Disposable Cups (200) and Trash Bag

Instructions:

This is a physical coordination event. Six Scouts each take a stave, and the group works together to pick up a basketball, carry it in the air over a 50 feet measured distance, and drop it into a 30 gallon bucket. When successful, the remaining Scouts in the Patrol who did not work with the basketball repeat the exercise with the soft nerf-ball. As needed, Scouts from the first (basketball) group will fill in the second group in order to bring it up to six Scouts. When finished, the Scouts must retrieve the basketballs and nerf-balls (by hand) and stack all staves and balls back at the starting line. The clock runs from "Go" until the Senior Scout Monitor accepts the Patrol's clean-up. If there's still time left before the next event, the Scouts can try again, but only for fun - not for score.

Set-up:

Four identical setups are needed. Each has to be separated by adequate distances such that the Patrols will not run into each other while they are carrying the balls (as a guess, 20 feet should be enough.) The stakes and twine are used to measure the starting line. The twine can be marked at 20 feet intervals to define the starting points. The 30 gallon trash cans are placed 50 feet away from the starting line, opposite the starting points.

Supervision Needed: 1 Shadow Adult, 4 Senior Scouts

Clarifications: The minimum Patrol size is 6; therefore, it is possible that the same group of Scouts will do both runs. Patrols with 10 Scouts will need to have 2 Scouts from the first group work with the second, and so on. The groups MUST PICK UP THE BALLS; they cannot roll them along or attempt to throw them towards the buckets (if they do, have them re-start from the starting line). No Scout can touch more than 1 stave, and BOTH HANDS MUST BE WITHIN THE 32 INCH MARK, WHILE THE BALLS MUST BE OUTSIDE THE 18 INCH MARK.

Remember to mark all scoresheets before allowing the Patrols to depart! Normalization for age will be done by the Scoring Coordinator.

Equipment Needed:

1) Four equal sets of logs - 3 each of 2, 4, 7, 11 and 15 pounds

2) Measuring Tape

3) Distance Markers or small stakes, sharpened to points

4) Small hammer to drive in stakes

5) 8 Sets of Gloves

6) 4 Pens for Scoring

7) 1-2 Magic Marker to mark distances on stakes

8) Individual Patrol Scoresheets

9) Calculator

10) Water Cooler, Disposable Cups (200) and Trash Bag

Instructions:

This is a straightforward physical fitness competition. Each Scout in the Patrol will throw all three logs (each of equal weight) from one set for distance; the size of the logs used will be based on the height of the Scout, as follows:

Below 4' 8'' - 2 Pound Logs

4' 8'' to Below 5' 2'' - 4 Pound Logs

5' 2'' to Below 5' 6'' - 7 Pound Logs

5' 6'' to Below 6' 0'' - 11 Pound Logs

6' 0'' or Greater - 15 Pound Logs

The heights of the Scouts are listed on their Patrol Scoring Sheet; do as best you can to make sure the Scouts are throwing the proper sized log. Scouts should wear gloves to avoid getting splinters (this has been a problem in the past.) Keep absolute control of the Scouts - Safety is paramount! Do not allow Scouts to wander "downrange," even off to one side; past experience has shown that many Scouts have very poor control of their throws!

Again, each Scout throws all three logs in his designated set. The throws are to be an "underhand flip" (a caber toss) which you should demo to everyone at the start. The logs should do at least one full end-over-end rotation in mid-air before landing. Scouts can either "stand and throw" or "run up and throw," whichever they prefer; however, "run up and throw" Scouts are to be penalized 5 feet if they cross the throwing line before throwing the log (they can cross from momentum afterwards). No overhand throws are allowed! (too much danger of shoulder and muscle injuries.)

After the Scout has made all three throws, record his best attempt only on the provided special Scoring Sheet (while he and members of his Patrol goes and picks up his logs). Keep it moving, you've only got about 15 minutes total for the entire Patrol! Scouts are only allowed one set of tosses - that is, this event is NOT normalized for smaller Patrol sizes by having 10 Scouts throw. Once all the Scouts in the Patrol have completed their throws, follow the directions on the Patrol Scoring Sheet to determine their final score, and enter it on the Patrol Scoring Sheet (the yellow one the Patrol Leader has) and on the Event Scoring Sheet (the blue one you have). If there's still time left, the Scouts can go ahead and throw again, but only for fun - not for score.

Supervision Needed: 1 Shadow Adult, 4 Senior Scouts

Clarifications: The distance markers are to help quickly measure throws; using a tape measure for this is extremely slow! Recommend placing 3 sets of markers (between the 4 throwing lanes) at 5 foot increments; use the tape measure to set the markers accurately. Measure best throw to the nearest foot, rounding up to avoid complaints or hard feelings (i.e., be generous.)

We suggest using cut pieces of lumber (2 x 4's, 4 x 4's, or garden timbers, etc.) As "logs." These can be cut to length or screwed/nailed together to achieve proper weights. "Logs" from 1999 are still available at my house. If you have to prepare new ones, be careful to use dry wood when starting your cuts! - if the wood is wet, its weight will be inaccurate when it dries out. Final weights should be marked on each with a large, indelible marker. If you have to buy wood, keep your receipt; you will be reimbursed from Projectoree funds (however, the "logs" all then become the property of the Projectoree for use in future years.)

NOTE!: If you use previously built logs, please check that the weights are still accurate! If not, modify to suit.

Remember to mark all scoresheets before allowing the Patrols to depart! Normalization for age will be done by the Scoring Coordinator.

This sheet is only to help the Senior Scout Monitors keep track of each Patrol's Performance. Use a different sheet for each Patrol! Each Scout makes three throws of his designated set of logs. Record the best throw only for each Scout below. When the Patrol is finished, calculate the score as detailed below, and enter it on the two scoring sheets (the Patrol Sheet and the Event sheet.)

Patrol Name: ____________________________________ and Number: _________ Troop: __________

Record BEST of THREE Throws ONLY!

Scout #

1) ____________ feet

2) ____________ feet

3) ____________ feet

4) ____________ feet

5) ____________ feet

6) ____________ feet

7) ____________ feet

8) ____________ feet

9) ____________ feet

10) ____________ feet

Number of Scouts in the Patrol: ________ Combined Best Throws (in feet): __________ feet

Divided by the Number of Scouts in the Patrol: __________ feet x 10: ___________ feet (Enter THIS Value!)

Once you have entered the data on the two scoring sheets, you may discard this sheet; please do so properly (i.e., in a trashcan) - Thanks!

Equipment Needed:

1) 24 Surveyor's stakes (at least 18 inches high, each sharpened to a point)

2) 4 x 100 feet long pieces of rope, at least 1/4 inch in diameter.

3) 8 x 25 feet long pieces of rope, at least 1/4 inch in diameter.

4) 4 milk jugs (or equivalent plastic jugs)

5) 4 life-sized dolls (each imitating a 2-3 year old child)

6) 45 thick headwraps (scarves) to blindfold Scouts

7) 4 40 x 60 feet square tarps

8) 24 thin metal tentstakes

8) Measuring Tape

9) 4 Pens for Scoring

10) 4 Stopwatches

11) Water Cooler, Disposable Cups (200) and Trash Bag

Instructions:

This is a teamwork exercise. The scenario is that a child has wandered into a small cave and gotten lost somewhere inside. The Patrol must rescue the child, but has no flashlights to help. All that is known about the cave is that there is a winding 25 foot passageway with about a 40 x 60 square feet room at the end. The Patrol (blindfolded) must stay attached to each other by feel, and crawl down the passageway (a rope attached to sticks in the ground), with the last member carrying a coiled rescue rope. As much as possible, each Patrol member should remain attached to the passageway rope and to their buddy in front of them. The entrance to the room is marked by a milk jug. The Patrol should tie their rescue line to the jug so they can find their way back to the entrance. Once this is done, they need to do a team search of the room (a tarp) to find the child. Once successful, they follow their rescue rope back to the jug, then proceed back outside down the passageway after retrieving the rescue rope. Teamwork and proper organization of the search inside the room is critical to rapid success. A lot tougher than it sounds. The Patrol score is based on time, starting from "Go" and ending when the last Scout is out of the passageway, and the rescue rope is properly re-coiled, as judged by the Senior Scout Monitor.

Four identical setups are needed, preferably in an open field. The "rooms" are actually 40 x 60 foot tarps, which are stapled to the ground at the edge grommets with standard metal tent stakes. The passageway should also be winding, not just a straight shot into the room. The dolls should not be placed until all four Patrols are blindfolded, and should be placed at about the same location in every setup and for every run of the day (for consistency and fairness.) Certainly some Patrols will stumble across their "lost children" by blind luck; that's OK! Be careful that early arriving Patrols don't see where the dolls are placed - you may need a guard (the Adult Monitor???) to keep Patrols away until they're supposed to be there. A large sign "CAVE RESCUE PATROLS - STAY HERE UNTIL WE CALL YOU!" may be helpful to prevent problems. It is suggested that the dolls be placed about 2/3rd's of the way into the room, but it's up to you. If they prefer, Patrols can just leave one member at the jug to mark the entrance rather than tie off a rope, but if they do they'll be one man short on the search; that's up to them. Note that talking is fully allowed, but caution each Patrol to keep the noise at a reasonable level, lest they confuse their neighboring Patrols.

Supervision Needed: 1 Shadow Adult, 4 Senior Scouts

Clarifications: There is no normalization scheme for Patrols with different numbers of Scouts. The easier (wider) search pattern possible by larger Patrols is offset by the difficulty they will have working their way in and out of the winding passageway (which is tougher for bigger groups.)

Penalties: The Senior Scout Monitor may immediately remove any Scout who attempts to slip his blindfold to see where the doll is located. "Accidental" slippage is at the Senior Scout's discretion - perhaps the blindfold can be refitted, and the Scout spun around three times in a new spot in the room to misorient him - up to you.

Remember to mark all scoresheets before allowing the Patrols to depart! Normalization for age will be done by the Scoring Coordinator.

Equipment Needed:

1) 120 Eggs (assumes 240 total participants)

2) A 100 foot Measuring Tape

3) 40 - 50 paint mixing sticks, sharpened to points on one end

4) A roll of string

5) Small trash can, with a plastic bag liner

6) 2 - 3 rolls of paper towels

7) 4 pens for scoring

8) Patrol Scoring Sheets

9) Calculator

10) A large bucket of water (for cleanup of hands and clothing)

11) Water Cooler, Disposable Cups (200) and Trash Bag

Instructions:

This is a standard egg-toss game. All the Scouts in the Patrol divide into 2 man teams; odd Scouts can team up with odd Scouts from other Patrols (for fun only, not for score), or wait and do a second relay with one of their own Patrol's Scouts for score if time allows. Each pair is given one (and only one) egg. The 2 man teams stand one step apart on a center line, and the first tosses the egg to the second. If successful, both Scouts take one step back, and the second passes the egg back to the first, and so on until the egg finally breaks during a toss. At that point, the distance between the two Scouts is measured and entered onto the Patrol Scoring Sheet. The Patrol score is calculated from the Patrol Scoring Sheet. NOTE THAT SCOUTS MUST THROW THE EGG, NOT ROLL IT!!!

The rules of this game have been deliberately misinterpreted by some Troops to mean that the distance the egg flies is entered; thus, their teams have thrown their eggs as far as possible (with no intention to catch them) in order to maximize their score. Again, the distance between the Scouts BEFORE THE EGG IS THROWN is the distance to be entered. This is NOT a measure of how far a Scout can run before the egg hits the ground!

Clarifications:

1) The field is laid out as follows: A piece of string is staked out about 60 feet wide to mark the center line. The Scout teams will be tossing back and forth across this line, and moving step-by-step away from it. In order to easily estimate distance (rather than trying to use the tape measure for each team, which is very slow), several rows of sharpened stakes are inserted into the ground at 10 foot interval distances from the center line (that is, at 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50 feet away.) The magic marker is used to mark the distance away from the center line on the stakes. 40 stakes is enough for four such rows, giving you a 100 foot span for throwing. It is doubtful whether anyone will approach 100 feet, but who knows?

2) One Senior Scout monitors all the teams in each Patrol. Since the maximum Patrol size is 10 Scouts (5 teams max), he should be able to keep track of everyone. If this is not practical, then the teams can work one at a time. (This will have to be determined by practice!) However, one team at a time may take too much time - watch the clock!!! If the monitor works with all teams, it is recommended that he tell everyone to stop throwing while he enters the value of the team that just broke their egg on the Patrol Scoring Sheet (and gets them out of the way.) Alternately, he can ask each team that breaks their egg to stand in place until everyone is done, then measure all teams' final standings. Whatever works!

3) When the Patrol is finished, the senior Scout will calculate their score, and enter it onto the Patrol and event scoresheets.

4) Paper towels are to be provided to help Scouts clean up themselves and the field before moving on to the next event! Based on previous viewings of games of this type, about half the Scouts will have the eggs break in their hands or against their clothing, while the other half will jump out of the way at the last second and let the egg break on the ground. Things are going to get rather messy! Note that the field will be used for other events later in the day, so the Scouts MUST do some cleanup (as best as they can - no-one is expecting miracles) before leaving.

Penalties: Substitution of a hard-boiled egg or equivalent for a normal egg: Disqualification "Rolling" an egg - Treat roll as final throw (as if the egg broke.)

Supervision Needed: 1 Shadow Monitor, 4 Senior Scouts

Don't forget to mark the scoresheets before allowing the Patrols to move on to their next event! Normalization for Patrol Age will be done by the Scoring Coordinator.

This sheet is only to help the Senior Scout Monitors keep track of each Patrol's Performance. Use a different sheet for each Patrol! Each team throws until their egg breaks; record the distance for each team below. When the Patrol is finished, calculate the score as detailed below, and enter it on the two scoring sheets (the Patrol Sheet and the Event sheet.)

Patrol Name: ____________________________________ and Number: _________ Troop: __________

Team #

1) ____________ feet

2) ____________ feet

3) ____________ feet

4) ____________ feet

5) ____________ feet

Number of Teams in the Patrol: ________ Combined Best Throws (in feet): __________ feet

Divided by the Number of Scouts in the Patrol: __________ feet x 5: ___________ feet (Enter THIS Value!)

Once you have entered the data on the two scoring sheets, you may discard this sheet; please do so properly (i.e., in a trashcan) - Thanks!

Equipment Needed:

1) Will need to pre-gather sufficient amounts of wood, including tinder, kindling and small sized fuel. The wood will need to be pre-sorted into identical packets for each Patrol, so that no Patrol has an unfair advantage with respect to materials. You need enough for 24 Patrols.

2) A package of strike-anywhere matches.

3) 4 One Gallon Pots (the medium size from the BSA Cook-kits)

4) 2 pounds of thin spaghetti

5) 4 Stopwatches

6) Large Supply (10 - 20 gallons) of water (for boiling and putting out fires)

7) Several safety firebuckets, full!

8) A 1 Quart Measuring Cup

9) 12 Six-Foot Staves (for Tripods)

10) 4 pieces of rope (for tying tripods and hanging pots).

11) 4 standard tarp poles (or equivalent)

12) A first aid kit, emphasizing burn treatment supplies. A supply of ice (and plastic bags) wouldn't be a bad idea, either.

13) A trash can for waste spaghetti.

14) 4 metal trash can lids to build the fires on.

15) 4 Pens for Scoring.

16) Water Cooler, Disposable Cups (200) and Trash Bag

Instructions:

Before the first Patrol of the day, the Senior Scouts should start a fire in each pan in order to dry it and the ground underneath; otherwise, the first patrols are penalized due to the cold wet ground and possible condensation on the pans.

Each Patrol gets its wood supply, a trash-can lid, 2 matches, a One Gallon Pot already containing 2 Quarts of water, a handful of spaghetti and a tarp pole.

The Patrol must be divided into three equal groups (as best as arithmetic will allow). One third of the Scouts must build the fire on the trash can, one third must build the tripod, and one third must suspend the pot, position the tripod over the fire, cook the spaghetti, and dole it out strand by strand to each Patrol member. The Patrol will need to save an appropriate piece of wood from their supply in order to dole out the cooked, HOT! spaghetti strands. No Scout may receive more than one strand at a time. Each Patrol member must tie a single overhand knot with his spaghetti strand around the tarp pole. Patrols must tie 10 knots; Patrols with less than 10 members will have to have sufficient Scouts tie 2 knots. All Scouts must tie one knot, but no Scout should tie more than 2 knots.

If the Patrol lights their fire with just 1 match, a 30 second bonus is taken off their total time. Each extra match past the original two is a 30 second penalty (i.e., added onto their total time.) If a spaghetti strand breaks while attempting to tie the knot, the Scout can retry with what's left or go get another piece. The overall time will be based on the Patrol finishing their 10 knots. This is a long event (two time segments.)

Supervision Needed: 1 Shadow Adult, 4 Senior Scouts

Don't forget to legibly mark scoring sheets before Patrols depart! Scoring is based on the total time needed for the Patrol to tie 10 knots - if they started their fire with one match, 30 seconds is taken OFF of their time; if they needed more than two matches to start their fire, a 30 second penalty is ADDED ONTO their total time for EACH extra match. If they cheated by using a Bic Lighter or some form of firestarter (e.g., lighter fluid) to assist the starting of their fire, the Patrol is disqualified. If they did not complete the event, mark their scoresheet as DNF. Disqualified patrols are scored as DSQ. Normalization by age will be done by the Scoring Coordinator.

Equipment Needed:

1) 44 1 foot x 1 foot blocks of plywood or equivalent.

2) 8 6-foot staves

3) 4 pieces of rope to tie sheer lashings

4) 4 mousetraps

5) 4 pieces of string for tying washers to staves

6) 4 heavy washers (or 12 medium weight washers)

7) 4 stopwatches

8) 4 traffic cones

9) 4 Pens for Scoring

10) Water Cooler, Disposable Cups (200) and Trash Bag

Instructions:

This activity combines Patrol teamwork and basic Scout skills. Each Patrol will get 11 wood blocks (regardless of Patrol size), 2 staves, rope for tying a sheer lashing, a piece of string and a washer. The Patrol will line up behind the start line, each Scout on a block of wood, with all the spare blocks (minimum 1 for Patrols with 10 members) behind the last Scout. The staves, rope, string and washers may be carried by any Scouts. The mousetrap is set up about 40 feet away, with a traffic cone about 10 feet in front of it. At go, the last Scout in line retrieves the free block behind him and passes it to the front of the line, where the first Scout places it in front of him at a reasonable distance (more on this later). At this point, all Scouts may step forward one block towards the mousetrap. Once everyone has stepped forward, the last Scout can again retrieve the last block in line, and the process is repeated. Simultaneously, Scouts in the line should sheer-lash the two staves together, and tie the washer and string onto the end of the resulting lashed pole. As you can guess, the efforts to pass blocks, step forward and tie lashings and knots all at once can cause total pandemonium if not organized properly.

When the line gets to the traffic cone, the Scout in the lead may use the pole extension (which will be just long enough) to lower the washers onto the mousetrap and "snap the trap." If he's having difficulty, he can ask the Scouts to continue passing more blocks to the front of the line in order to move closer to the trap. In this way, even if the Patrol cannot properly tie a sheer lashing, they can still get to the trap (but it will take them longer to do so).

Once the trap has been snapped, the lead Scout makes a U-turn, circling the traffic cone, and returns to the starting line. To repeat, he doesn't just turn around, making the last Scout in line the lead Scout for the return, he stays in the lead. The passing of blocks continues until the mousetrap crosses the starting line. Again, Patrols with properly lashed staves have an advantage, since they can reach across the line with the extension. However, the mousetrap/lashed staves combination cannot be thrown across the line.

"Reasonable distance" between blocks was stressed above. If the lead Scout is large and is making enormous jumps towards the mousetrap (a typical problem in this event), eventually the smaller Scouts behind him will be unable to jump the gaps between blocks, and the Patrol will be stuck in place. This problem is exaggerated by forcing the Patrol to make a U-turn instead of just reversing in place. Therefore, the lead Scout has to be one of the Patrol's three smallest Scouts (Patrol Leader's choice.)

Penalties:

"Dumping" the staves and rope: 2 minutes

Scouts stepping off the blocks onto the grass: 30 seconds, each offense

Scouts "throwing" the free block(s) to the front of the line, or passing it across the gap during the U-turn (i.e., bypassing the intermediate Scouts in line): 1 minute, each offense.

Scouts "throwing" the mousetrap across the finish line - disqualification.

Supervision Needed: 1 Shadow Adult, 4 Senior Scouts

Don't forget to mark all scoresheets before the Patrol departs! Scoring is based on the total time needed to complete the course, plus any added penalties. Patrols not finishing the event should be scored as DNF; disqualified Patrols should be marked as DSQ. Normalization for age will be done by the Scoring Coordinator.

Preliminary Note: This is a new game for the Projectoree; therefore, the instructions may be incomplete or in some ways impractical (too easy, too difficult, too short, too long, too difficult or subjective to score, etc.) It is therefore very important to try this event at your home Troop, work any bugs out of it, and report any necessary adjustments to the Projectoree Organizer BEFORE THE APRIL 30TH ORGANIZATIONAL MEETING.

Equipment Needed:

1) 50 Separate Scout Related Items; none smaller than a compass, none larger than a backpack

2) 24 copies of an alphabetized list of the 50 above items, in reverse descriptive order, e.g., "sleeping bag, red," or "flashlight, yellow."

3) 6 Poster Stakes, sharpened to points

4) 1 hammer for the stakes

5) 15 x 4 feet of black plastic

6) A staple gun, loaded with staples

7) 4 Pens for Scoring

8) 10 - 12 pens for Patrols (only need 4, but some will walk away on you!)

9) 72 pieces of blank paper (for the Patrols)

10) 8 clipboards (4 for the Patrols, 4 for the Senior Scout Monitors)

11) 1 Stopwatch

12) A Measuring Tape

13) Two surveyor's stakes, sharpened to a point

14) Ball of yellow or white twine

15) Water Cooler, Disposable Cups (200) and Trash Bag

Instructions:

This is a Patrol cooperation game. The Patrol Leader organizes his Scouts in a relay fashion; at "Go," a single Scout runs 50 feet to the barricade, which has 50 Scout related items behind it. He may look for 10 seconds at the items, and must count "One - Two - Three..." til he reaches ten, then must return to his Patrol. The times are monitored by the Shadow Adult, who should send Scouts back if they're obviously counting too slowly. When the Scout returns to his Patrol, the next Scout may leave; this is monitored by the Senior Scout monitors. The Scout who just returned tells what he saw, and the Patrol writes it down while the second Scout is doing his run. Each item should be doubly described: a blue daypack, a mesh-style Scout hat, etc. Each item is worth up to two points if doubly described.

The Patrol runs as many Scouts as possible until five minutes have passed. At "Stop," any Scout who has left the Patrol can continue through his run, but no more may follow. After that, each Patrol gets 2 minutes to finalize their list, then they read it off to their Senior Scout Monitor. The Senior Scout monitor checks off each item described against his master list, and queries for the second descriptor if not given "What color was that fleece?" When the Patrol has given all their answers, he tallies up their final score, at one point for each correct item, and a bonus point for one correct descriptor on that item. This is the Patrol's final score.

If there's still time left, the Scouts can go ahead and do the run again, but only for fun - not for score.

Supervision Needed: 1 Shadow Adult, 4 - 8 Senior Scouts

Remember to mark all scoresheets before allowing the Patrols to depart! Normalization for age will be done by the Scoring Coordinator.

Equipment Needed:

1) 8 large, low cut carboard boxes

2) 20 Twenty Foot pieces of 1/4 inch diameter rope

3) Ball of Twine or string

4) Measuring Tape

5) 4 rubber tie-down straps, tied into an "O-Ring" arrangement, with 5 ropes attached in a symmetrical array around the O-ring.

6) 8 "Fuel Containers" - Tubes of about 6 inch diameter and 18 - 24 inches tall

7) 24 Ping-pong balls

8) 4 Small Stakes, sharpened to a point

9) Small Hammer for pounding stakes

10) 4 Stopwatches

11) 4 Pens for Scoring

12) 20 sets of "el-cheapo" gloves (to prevent hand chafing)

13) Water Cooler, Disposable Cups (200) and Trash Bag

Instructions:

This event involves Patrol teamwork. The basic idea is to move "spent nuclear fuel" from a "nuclear reactor," and replace it with fresh fuel. Since nuclear fuel is deadly, this has to be done remotely.

The event is arranged as follows: set up 4 equal arrangements, each being 2 cardboard boxes placed 25 feet from each other. Note that you will need a large area of ground to set up the 4 competitions - or the Patrols will be running into each other while doing their transfers. One fuel container is placed in each box, upright, containing three ping-pong balls at the very top of each (more on this below.) Five Scouts from the Patrol use the O-ring/rope combination to pick up the spent fuel container and move it to the other box without spilling any of the fuel (the ping-pong balls); each ping-pong ball dropped is a 1 minute penalty. Picking up the fuel container is not easy! - the Scouts have to array themselves around the container, evenly pull the O-ring open and drop it over the container, then allow the O-ring to constrict over the container. The Scouts then apply just enough tension to pick up the container - without allowing it to slip out - then walk it over to the other box, and place it in the box without allowing it to tip over or knock the other container (already in the box) over; this is a 3 minute penalty. If they do knock over the container, the Senior Scout Monitor will set it back up. The stopwatch continues to run! At this point, they remove the O-ring arrangement to the side, and the other half of the Patrol takes over. The second group moves the fresh fuel container from the second box back over to the first box in the same manner. Once done, they again walk the O-ring to the side; time is called when they reassemble at the starting point (which is marked by one of the stakes.) Patrols with less than 10 Scouts must use adequate Scouts from the first group to fill out the second group (however, all Scouts must participate in one group or the other - don't let anyone sit off to the side and watch!)

Supervision Needed: 1 Shadow Adult, 4 Senior Scouts

Clarifications: Designing and fabricating the O-ring arrangement and fuel containers will be the only really tricky issue in this event. Note that equipment for this event exists from previous Projectorees - ask! If no longer available (or if you have to make another one), proceed as follows: For the fuel containers, use of standard heating duct pipe (6 inch diameter) or a thick-walled cardboard tube of about the same diameter should work. A base should be put on the tube to make it slightly bottom heavy and increase it's stability when sitting. The tube should be filled with crumpled paper up to within one inch of the top, to provide a base for the ping-pong balls. If you want to be really clever, find and put some radioactive labels on the outside of each container, and paint the fresh fuel container a different color than the spent fuel container.

The O-Ring is trickier; although I suspect that there are large O-rings or the equivalent for sale, I've never seen one myself (then again, I never looked before). It is possible to use one of those black rubber tie down straps or bungee cords and fabricate what we need. In addition, the ropes will have to be arrayed equally around the O-ring and "hard-wired" in place; otherwise, they'll slip around the circle and you'll just pull the O-ring into a long thin strip (which clearly won't work, and will frustrate the Scouts.) I think this "hard-wiring" could be done with just electrical tape, but I suspect that you will also need to somehow pass a thin wire through the O-ring material and the rope in order to fix the rope in place. Having one extra O-ring setup (in case one breaks) may be a prudent idea also.

Each rope should be knotted about 3 feet from the end (that is, the far end versus the O-Ring) in order to give the Scouts a gripping point and prevent them from edging in closer to the fuel container (a common problem in this event.)

Penalties: 1 Minute for each lost ping-pong ball, additional 3 minutes for each container which falls over.

NOTE! - This event is often too much for small Scouts to accomplish (they either can't pull hard enough, or get pulled off their feet by larger Scouts on opposing ropes.) In these cases, the Event Staff has the discretion to allow two small Scouts to work together on a single rope if, in their judgement, a single Scout cannot handle the rope alone. If necessary, in the worst case scenario, the staff can allow all 10 Scouts in a "New Scout Patrol" to double up on every rope in order to do the event, if they're all small kids. In this case, the Patrol will have to do the entire event twice, in order to match what other Patrols have to do (i.e., two runs with 5 Scouts.) Remember - the intent is for the Patrol to succeed, not fail!

Don't forget to mark the scoresheets before allowing the Patrols to depart! Scoring is based on the total time needed to complete the two transfers, plus any penalties. Patrols not finishing are scored DNF. Normalization by age will be accomplished by the Scoring Coordinator.

Equipment:

1) Obstacle Course Setup (Troop 111 has all course materials)

2) 4 Stopwatches

3) 4 Pens for marking scoresheets

4) Calculator

5) Patrol Scoring Sheets

6) Water Cooler, Disposable Cups (200) and Trash Bag

Instructions:

The course is set up as the coordinating Troop see fit; note that it should be a good compromise between challenge and safety, and should take the average Scout about 2 minutes to run.

Each Scout runs the course one time only; if time permits, Scouts can run the course again, but only for fun, not for score.

In order to make this event do-able for physically challenged Scouts, assistance will be provided at some of the more challenging points, if needed. If assistance is needed, a two minute time penalty will be assessed (two minutes total, not for each point of assistance!)

Penalties: 1 Minute for each patrol that does not have a patrol cheer.

In addition, a two-minute time penalty will be assessed for "skipping" a point of the course (which has been an occasional issue in the past, as Scouts have skipped difficult portions of the course in order to improve their time.) That's two minute for each infraction!

This is a long event.

Don't forget to mark the scoresheets before allowing the Patrols to depart! Scoring is calculated based on the Patrol Scoring Sheet. Patrols not finishing are scored DNF. Normalization by age will be accomplished by the Scoring Coordinator.

This is only to assist the Staff with Scoring Individual Patrols. Use a fresh copy for each new Patrol!

Patrol Name: ____________________________ and #: ____________ Troop # ___________

Number of Scouts running the course: ___________

Total Time: _____________________ plus any penalties = ________________________

Convert this time to total time in seconds = _______________________

Divided by the number of Scouts = _____________________

x 10 = ____________________

Convert this time back to total time in minutes/seconds = _____________________ (Enter this value!)

When done, enter the calculated values on both the Patrol and Staff Scoring Sheets, and discard this properly (i.e., in a trashcan.)

Equipment Needed:

(1) 40 Eight-Foot pressure treated 2 x 2's, in excellent condition (no cracks or splits) - we have had problems in the past! Please check that each stave can be bent heavily without cracking!

(2) 40 Five Foot sections of 3/8 inch rope

(3) 4 Traffic cones

Instructions:

This is an end-of-the-day non-scored "fun event." Each Troop is given 3 staves and sections of rope to set up a tripod chariot to carry their Scoutmaster down a race-course (around the main competition field.)

Pre-setup is not allowed. At "GO!," the Troop lays out their staves into a tight triangle, and lashes them together. Each lashing must have a minimum of three wrappings and three frappings - this must be monitored by the Senior Scout Coordinators, and Troops should not be allowed to proceed until they have tied correct lashings (either square or diagonal lashings are OK.) Once this is done, their Scoutmaster (or other assigned Adult - but not a Scout!) sits on the tripod, which is then raced around the main field. The four traffic cones should be used to mark the four corners of the course; each Troop should go around the cones.

As noted above, this event is not scored, but the top three winners will be announced at the campfire, so please get the Troop #'s of the top three finishing Troops.

Supervision Needed: 1 Shadow Adult, at least 4 Senior Scouts. (If insufficient Senior Scouts are available, recruit Adults to judge the lashings.)

- Dr. Bob

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30 April 2000