Scouting, Volume 38, Number 2, February 1950 Page: 32
40 p. : ill. ; 28 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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9.
fiy William WaxlUw&nilt
Asst. Scout Executive, Syracuse, N. Y.
It was five a.m. and dark as pitch when the
gang met on the steps of the Syracuse Public
Library. The school bus, we had hired, quickly
filled up with packs, skis, poles and gear, and we
were off. We had 75 miles to cover before 9:00
a.m. when things started popping at our Explorer
Ski Carnival at Snowridge Ski Center, a mile out-
side Turin, New York.
A couple of song-filled hours later, we spilled
out into the Turin schoolyard to marvel at the
two-foot blanket of that lovely stuff called snow.
Explorers from the surrounding territory were
there, and soon we were renewing friendships
and checking on those "hot" skiers from Rome and
Lowville we had heard about. Yes, they were
there, rarin' to go. While our four-man team was
putting the finishing touches on their waxing for
the cross-country orienteering race, the rest of us
piled into the school to register and find out where
we were to bunk that night.
Each of us received a bright orange armband
with a blue Snowridge Ski Emblem for identifica-
tion. Just then, one of the four Syracuse Univer-
sity Ski School Instructors, who had volunteered
to provide instruction for us "amateurs,"
shouted above the din that he would
meet us across the road after the start
of the orienteering. We headed for the
field behind the school and there found
the teams all set on a long line of red
and blue slalom flags marking the start-
ing stations. Our gang was "champing
at the bit," so we gave them the old
Post yell.
Ski orienteering is a new form of
cross-country race in which a team
races together, using a map and special
compass to locate several Control Sta-
tions on the course. You could see our
guys nervous as cats, and when the
starter slammed down the flag, that
whole line seemed to leap across the
field. The starter was one of several
local skiers who volunteered his week-
end to officiate at the Carnival.
It was a close race and a flying finish
with only 30 seconds between our gang
and the second place Herkimer team.
That's really close in a four mile race.
Congratulations and handshakes went
around in real Scouting spirit and every-
body headed for the school gym where
the local ladies were serving a hot
lunch.
A short trip by car over to the Ski
Center, and we donned our skis and
started for the slopes. The owner, a
former Eagle Scout, had arranged for a
special tow rate for Explorers, so we
flashed our armband at the toll house
and headed for the slalom race. There
were hills of varying sizes, and as soon
as the slalom race was underway the
instructors took off in several directions with Ex-
plorers of different ability following close behind.
It wasn't as easy for our team in the slalom and
those "hot rocks" from Lowville skinned them
good. Boy, could those guys ski!
When the big race was over, there were several
shorter and easier events for Explorers of every
skiing ability. They were all a lot of fun, but
the obstacle race was particularly good. On skis
you had to crawl, climb under a step ladder, over
sawhorses, and finally push a wheelbarrow.
The skiing day came to an end too soon to suit
everybody, but that didn't mean there wasn't more
on the program. We high-tailed it over to Lyons
Falls, a nearby town, and located our rooms. Many
had been donated by friends of Scouting.
A good old-fashioned country supper was wait-
ing us at the Lowville Grange. Even though we
weren't all expert skiers, we certainly were ex-
perts at "mowing down" those heaping family style
dishes of roast beef and all the trimmings. Songs
and spirit spiced up the meal and afterwards the
team scores were read off and some high sounding
titles and 10< prizes handed out to the amateurs.
Our team was still ahead but only by a very small
margin. One of our hopefuls received the title of
"Chief Sitzmaker."
32
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Boy Scouts of America. Scouting, Volume 38, Number 2, February 1950, periodical, February 1950; New York, New York. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth313161/m1/34/: accessed April 19, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Boy Scouts of America National Scouting Museum.