Scouting’s annual Jamboree is always a massive event. But this year’s National Scout Jamboree at Fort AP Hill in Virginia was extraordinary — it marked the 100th anniversary of scouting in the United States.
Among the 44,000 Boy Scouts who gathered for the event last month were two dozen representatives of West Windsor’s Troop 40. One of them, Nikhil Shenoy, a rising junior at High School North who has been active in scouting since first grade, filed a report. Excerpts are below:
Jamboree was packed with so many activities that the phrase “I’m bored” was non-existent. There were several activities that Scouts had to complete in order to get special patches that would go on their uniforms. The activity stations included Action Centers, Outback Centers, and Informational Stations. Action Center activities included Air Rifle Shooting, Archery, a Bikathlon, Pioneering, BMX biking, Rappelling, Shotgun Shooting, and Mountain Boarding. The Outback Center activities are required. Activities included a Canoe Slalom, a Canoe Sprint, Scuba Diving, Fishing, Kayaking, Snorkeling, and Rowing. Informational Stations included an American Indian Village, a Merit Badge Station, National Exhibits, Disabilities Awareness, and Technology Quest.
Aside from the activities, a lot of people asked us whether we were from the Jersey Shore and it became rather annoying. But as the days wore on, we began to represent our state with loud cries of “JERSEY!!!!!!!!” followed by fist-pumping, with no one understanding that we were mocking the TV show.
The first Arena Shows consisted of a skydiving team, a fly-over by F-16 jets, a speech by Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, and an artillery display.
The second Arena Show included an appearance by the bands Switchfoot and Honor Society. Mike Rowe, host of the Discovery Channel Show “Dirty Jobs” and an Eagle Scout, made a guest appearance. The show closed with a giant candle lighting ceremony, starting from one flame on stage and being spread to each of the 44,000 scouts’ candles, and the biggest fireworks display at a Scouting event.
During the entire Jamboree, Scouts and adults alike put out patches from their respective councils and jamboree troops for trading. Patch-trading is one of the most enjoyable activities at the Jamboree since you can get patches from all over the country, and even from outside the United States. In addition, each council has a special Jamboree patch for each troop that they have sent.
Many of the Jamboree patches have themes to them. For example, there are entire sets based on The Blues Brothers and the Marvel Comic Book Heroes. Others are based on the culture or history of that council, like Central New Jersey’s patches. Our patches all consisted of scenes from the Revolutionary War. People set up stands outside each campsite and line all the main roads in order to get the best business. Patch trading at the Jamboree almost becomes an addiction for some Scouts, and because of its time-consuming nature, can cut out a lot of time from activities. Although patch-trading takes up a lot of time, the pay-offs can be quite good.
All in all, the 2010 National Scout Jamboree was filled with a plethora of activities and events for scouts around the country and world. The Scouting movement was well-celebrated on its 100th anniversary and holds promise for the future.
Scouts from West Windsor Troop 40 included Griffin Petri, Aayush Sharma, Garret Erickson, Thomas Vinci, Michael Foley, Brian Foley, Joseph Petrozzini, Andrew Shook, Winston Leung, Daniel Fitzpatrick, Jay Gopalan, Ryan Linskey, Stephen Soundrarajan, Fred Williams, Vineet Shenoy, Nikhil Shenoy, Sylvan Zheng, Matthew Duffy, Michael Rexroad, Koran Goldstein, Adam Niemann (assistant senior patrol leader), and Matthew Rexroad (troop scribe).
Adult leaders were Scoutmaster Richard Ruff and Assistant Scoutmasters Martin Rexroad, Jerry Luz, and Jonathan Ruff.
