Fingal County Shield 2019

So things have been a quiet lately on the "updating the Blog" front, but that is because we have been so busy training for the Fingal Scout County Shield. This is a competition camp where scouts have to build their own sites - including, pitching tents, building altar fires, food preparation and wash-up areas, food and equipment storage, tables and benches, and a gate. They have to maintain it all to a very high standard over the weekend.

They have to cook a test meal and be marked on hygiene, presentation, as well as taste. They have to participate in scouting challenges such as pioneering, navigation, code breaking, first aid, and backwoods skills. They have to prepare a skit and perform it in front of the 150 people attending the campfire.

They have to do all of this while they are being marked on how well they have completed the task and how well they have worked together while also maintaining a log book of the camp. As you can imagine, a lot of preparation needs to go in to an event like this and that is why we have been so busy lately.

The scouts and their scouters started their training at the start of March when Brendan rejoined the section from Ventures. The initial focus was on building a team that would get on well together and really help each other out. There were 12 volunteers for the team, but only 8 could be picked. This was a great problem to have as it meant that everyone would be competing for a place and so do their best. The theme for the camp was "Movies" and the scouts chose to go with The Avengers and Agents of Shield. They named themselves the Black Panther Patrol.

We arranged a day in Bog O The Ring Campsite for all of the scouts to see if we could get the fundamentals of the site built. At this stage 2 or 3 dropped out realizing the amount of work and effort that they wold need to put in. However, everyone, including the scouters, found the day brilliant and saw what a patrol campsite should look like. It will help the whole scout section to aspire to more when they go on camp.

Following that there were plenty of training sessions at weekends and evenings that the usual scout meeting was not on. We used the meeting hall and green area in front of the school as well as Brendan's back garden to perfect the lashings and style of the gadgets.

We did not enter the competition last year so none of the scouts on the team had been to a Shield before. So, as a training camp, we booked in to participate on the Reachra Shield camp in Larch Hill on the first weekend of the Easter Holidays. Reachra is the scout county next to us and we are friends with some of the scouters there from other camps and events as well as just generally being super sound.

The team really pulled together and had a great weekend despite the wind and cold. It stayed dry. There weer a lot of learnings and as a result of the weekend a few tweaks and redesigns could be implemented to make things better for our own competition. Although there were no marks going for the skit, our Black Panther Patrol got up and performed theirs. Everyone laughed at the right times and really enjoyed it, which is encouraging.

When all was said and done, the team achieved Silver Standard, which was amazing and what we were hoping to achieve. They also took home the trophy for the best skit.

Over the Easter Holidays there were a few more training sessions and then all of sudden, it was Friday 3rd May and it was time to get serious.

FRIDAY

We arrived on site and were immediately taken aback by the length of the grass. It was waste deep on some of the scouts in places. Unfortunately it had not been cut prior to the competition. This was going to make even more challenging. After a brief opening ceremony, the site build began. Leaders were not allowed near them again. At 9:30 the site build stopped for the evening and the scouts gathered in front of DJ Cuttlefish and his Decks of Doom!!!! (aka Sean and his laptop). The lights were on, the speakers were set and the tunes started pumpin' for all of 2 mins until the generator packed it in. The choke had been left out and it was flooded.

While the scouts were at the "disco", a team of scouters were conducting a safety inspection on the sites to make sure that tents were pitched correctly and nothing was unsafe on the sites. Meanwhile at the disco, the program team improvised and reversed a car up and the laptop was hooked up to it via Bluetooth. They even turned on the hazard lights to make it more disco like. It's important for the scouts to socialize and interact with each other. Following the disco everyone headed for bed knowing that tomorrow was going to be busy.

Saturday

Site build was from whenever breakfast was finished until lunchtime. The scouts had to get as much done as they could in that time as well as clean up after breakfast and lunch and put everything away neat and tidy. While the scouts were doing that the program team of scouters and ventures set up the bases for the afternoon's activities. They included code breaking, first aid, navigation, backwoods, and pioneering. The scouts were marked on teamwork, cooperation, leadership, inclusiveness, and effort. While they were offsite, their sites were thoroughly inspected for safety, hygiene, and camping standards. How well the tens were pitched. How well the pioneering gadgets (fire, gate, table etc.) were constructed. How good the layout of the site was. It takes a lot of time to go through 12 sites in such detail.

On Saturday evening the scouts prepared a test meal on an open fire and again were marked on preparation, hygiene, presentation and taste, as well as teamwork, cooperation, leadership etc. There were some amazing smells wafting up from the sites and again the standard seems to have been very high. When all the wash-ups were done, it was time for the campfire, which was lead by Brendan. Each patrol had to perform a skit they had made up based on the theme of "Movies". We had everything from the Oscars to Jaws and Avengers to Wizard of Oz and everything in between. Our scouts had prepared an homage to the Avengers, with a bit of a twist. It went down really well and everybody laughed at the appropriate times.

SUNDAY

Dawned early for the scouts. They had to be up and ready for off site activity by 8:30. In line with the theme, they were TAKEN. Kidnapped and piled into a bus with blacked-out windows, music blaring, people shouting at them and banging on the windows, and then spun around the narrow roads of North County Dublin. They were then dumped at the side of the road, given a map and told to make their way back via two bases. It took a couple of hours to complete. The scouts were terrified, but absolutely loved it.

When back on site, they were given ingredients including taco shells, a pineapple, avacado, mince, and lettuce and told to prepare a meal on their fire. Following this Ready Steady Cook Challenge, it was time to start taking their sites down. Everything needed to be dismantled and packed away neatly. There was a final inspection of the site to make sure that it was clear of rubbish and that Leave No Trace princeples were adheared. Patrol equipment was also inspected to make sure it was all clean and dry and packed properly so to be ready for the next camp. There was also a uniform inspection, before gear could be loaded into vans and traliers.

All patrols assembled for the closing ceremony. Parents and scouters were there and the tension was mounting. Thomas , the County Commissioner, thanked everyone for coming and asked the scouts if they enjoyed the weekend. Shane, the County Program Coordinator and Camp Chief, thanked specific scouters for their help in running and organising the camp. Then it was time to give out the prizes.

Both Swords patrols won the award for Patrol Spirit

Lusk won the award for Interpretation of the theme as they dressed as Snow White and the 7 Dwarfs all weekend and came second overall.

Bremore won the Campfire Skit

Balbriggan won Campcraft, Log Book, Bases, and were the Overall winners. Well done to them.

Click here for Photos of the presentations.

There was another twist in the tale though as the county had 4 places on offer for the Phoenix, which is the national event in August. Because Balbriggan had two teams in the top 4, the team who came 5th would also be going to Phoenix.

4th place went to Rush and they were delighted.

Then Shane announced 5th place and it went to none other than 89th Bremore. A huge cheer went up (Mostly from Brendan). All of the hard work and training that the team and scouters had put in had paid off. We were aiming for the top half and a silver standard. We achieved that and won a trophy and a place at the Phoenix as well. It was a major step for 89th Bremore Scout Group and should not be overlooked. The scouts and their parents were delighted. Scouts and Scouters from other groups came over and congratulated the team. It was an amazing few minutes.

The Black Panther Patrol from 89th Bremore had done what they needed to do to the best of their abilities and were rewarded for their enormous effort and dedication.

Well done to these Legends of Bremore Scouting. We are so proud.

Jack - PL and Safety Officer

Aaron - APL and Combustion Manager

Alex - Head Chef and Food QM

Zoe - Scribe and Paramedic

Molly - H20 and Site Manager

Ellie May - Soux Chef and Hygiene Controller

Charlie - Equipment QM and Border Control

Sadhbh - H2O and Sleeping Tent Maintenance