Troop 4 Newsletter

• Feb 3-5 - Winter Cabin Camping
• Feb 7 - Troop Meeting
  6:30 - 8 pm
• Feb 10 - P163 Pinewood Derby
  6:20 pm @ Bethesda
• Feb 12 - Committee Meeting
  12:30 pm
• Feb 14 - Troop Meeting
  6:30 - 8 pm
• Feb 18 - Pancake Festival
  10:45 am - 2:45 pm @ Expo Center
• Feb 21 - Troop Meeting
  6:30 - 8 pm
• Feb 21 - Join Scout Night

Birthdays

Outings

• Rotary Pancake Festival
  February 18
• Black River State Forest
  March 31 - April 2
• Summer Camp
  July 9 - 15

At the February 7th Troop Meeting, we will be training how to setup and run the track and software. We will also be running some races! Everyone is invited to BRING THEIR OLD CARS to run and have some fun!

Come early and enjoy all-you-can-eat pancakes for only $5.00. Scout in uniform and working are FREE!

Where: Black River State Forest
When: March 31 - April 2
Cost: $30

Permission slips need to be back to Liz by MARCH 14. As always, Class I permission slips are required. If you don't know if we have one on file, see Liz.
Scouts -- A Camp Long Lake 60th Anniversary T-Shirt is included! We need your T-shirt size when you sign up!

The Scouts started the day receiving their boots, skis and poles. Fitting the boots was a new experience for them. Everyone was not used to having their foot and ankle locked in one place. Walking was also new and quite different from wearing tennis shoes.

After receiving the equipment, the group headed outside for a beginner lesson. Our instructor showed us how to move with our ski's on. We learned how to skate, which makes it really easy to move on flat areas. We also learned how to herringbone and sidestep, so you can go up a hill. Then he taught us how to turn by bending our right or left knee out. The ski does the work!!! Everyone learned this right away except Mr. Lange. He had to practice this several times to get it because he was doing “old school” turns. The last thing we learned was very important. It was how to stop using the snowplow. This is where you put the tips of your skis together and push the backs out.

Everyone mastered the tow rope to get to the top of the hill called White Carpet. There we learned how to ski across the hill to control our speed and practice turning. We also had to watch for other skiers and snowboarders. Then the real fun began. The Scouts were actually skiing. After some practice some of the Scouts met with the Snow Sports merit badge counselor. The other Scouts continued to improve their technique and went to Sunburst's main hill to ski Pussy Foot.

The weather started cloudy, but then turned sunny/partly sunny. The Scouts gathered for lunch and then headed out to the slopes for more downhill fun. The Scouts were pretty well done by 3:30 P.M. It's surprising how tired you can get from sliding down a hill. But everyone had a great time and learned a new outdoor winter sport.