Scouting, Volume 68, Number 4, September 1980 Page: 75
98 p. : ill. ; 28 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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utes Troop 21 is first to put up a 12-foot
tower, beating Troop 311—chartered to
the Men's Club of Saint Mark United
Methodist Church—by several minutes.
Confident and proud, the tower-building
contingent, 10 strong, scramble up it to
prove its stability and secure a better
vantage point to announce their victory.
Hanging from the tower like gibbons, their
roar of triumph turns into a rhythmic
chant. "21! 21! 21!" Their comrades in
other parts of the field stop what they're
doing to cheer.
A few minutes later, back on the ground
but still flush with victory. 17-year-old
Duke Thigpen, "a genius with rope" in the
estimation of fellow Scout Paul Mobley.
explains their success: "There were nine
lashings on each side and we had nine
people working. So each Scout had one
lashing to tie. 1 was the leader and re-
sponsible for inspecting the lashings to
make sure they were tight. 1 retied a couple
that were loose. Everybody knew his par-
ticular lashing and 1 guess that's what did
it. It took us about 20 minutes, a lot faster
than we ever did it in practice. We were
better organized today."
Although practice and organization
play a key role, John Weant, associate
district Scout executive for the Vulcan
District and one of the judges for the
competition, recognizes another impor-
tant factor—group spirit.
"An inter-troop rally like this." Weant
says, "does a lot of things, but number one,
it builds a tremendous amount of esprit de
corps. Competition motivates people, to
build a tremendous amount of inner
strength. Anytime you're put in a situation
where you have to pool your talent and
effort with a group it also develops
camaraderie, teamwork, and real friend-
ship."
As it turns out, the last event of the
afternoon, the tug-of-war competition,
generates the most spirit. It's direct con-
frontation. pure and simple—troop
against troop. Determined Scouts kick
footholds for better traction and grip the
thick rope as if their troop's honor
depended on that single connection of
flesh and hemp. Tension builds.
Through a megaphone a judge shouts,
"Are you ready Troop 21?"
"Ready!"
"Are you ready Troop 311?"
"Yes. Sir!" thunders the answer.
Then with a whistle blast the contest
begins. From the sidelines, screaming
Scouts urge their teams on. "Go! Go! Go!
Go!" chants Troop 21.
A cluster of parents are up out of their
lawn chairs bouncing and hollering like
high school cheerleaders.
After five grueling minutes of struggle,
Troop 311 gains the upper hand. Slowly,
relentlessly, they pull the center ribbon
toward their goal line. Miraculously Troop
21 stops the advance. Eight seconds, nine
seconds, 10 seconds—it has all the ear-
marks of a standoff—11 seconds, 12
seconds. But then the beginning of the
end, the ribbon resumes its snail's pace
toward the goal line and a victory for
Troop 311.
While the judges tally the scores for the
afternoon, Don Jones, assistant Scout-
master for Troop 21 gives his assessment
of the rally: "There was a lot of skill
involved today. 1 feel like the boys learned
a lot. We have a Camp coming up next
weekend and we're going to take the tower
with us, set it up. and use it as a platform to
work on our signaling skills."
For Stan Washer, Scoutmaster for
Troop 311, the most important benefit was
the opportunity for the Scouts to test
themselves. "I think all the boys in both
troops had an opportunity to see what they
knew and what they didn't. One of my
Scouts made the comment a few minutes
ago that it's a lot easier to practice lashing
something at a troop meeting than it is to
build a tower. It's the difference between
reading about something in a book and
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Scouting September 1980
75
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Boy Scouts of America. Scouting, Volume 68, Number 4, September 1980, periodical, September 1980; Irving, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth353701/m1/75/: accessed April 23, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Boy Scouts of America National Scouting Museum.