"save camp pouch" march to city hall

yesterday afternoon there was a rally at city hall in support of camp pouch. scouts began on staten island, took the ferry over to manhattan, and walked up to city hall (another group walked over the brooklyn bridge and joined them) to protest the proposed sale of the boy scout camp on staten island to real estate developers! i walked over from my office across the street to express my support for the scouts.

here is a video clip of the event from the staten island advance:

Save Pouch Camp Committee hits City Hall

my first camp out was at camp pouch in the early 1970's; and i spent many a scouting weekend at camp pouch during that decade! while it's been more than 30 years since i camped there, amazingly, i returned to camp pouch just last fall for a trail race! that visit was just a few weeks before i learned about the proposed plan to sell the camp! i'm shocked that such an extreme solution to current financial problems would even be suggested - much less acted upon.

this is an action that would impact generations of future new york city scouts - don't stand by and let it happen on your watch!

support efforts to save camp pouch!!

boy scouts celebrate their 100th anniversary today!

the boy scouts of america are 100 years old today! the "america" part distinguished them from their slightly older bethern, who started scouting a bit earlier in england. on february 8, 1910, william boyce incorporated the boy scouts in delaware. he had been inspired by an earlier trip to london, where boyce had met unknown scout who helped him and thereafter refused a tip. in 1908, robert baden-powell published "scouting for boys" in london, where scouting unofficially began.

my days as an active scout ended thirty years ago. from boy scout camping trips, to the order of the arrow, and then, finally, as an associate advisor to my explorer post, i had some great times thanks to scouting. i've relived some to those times vicariously over the last 10 years as katie now participates in girls scouts :D

most recently, i took a trip back in time to visit my old boy scout haunt, "camp pouch" on staten island. last fall a cub scout troop held a 5k trail run as a fund raiser! that was an incredibly fun time. but just last month the news turned sour when it was announced that camp pouch may not only be closed for financial reasons, it may even be sold outright and some of the pristine woods developed. argh!

anyway, that doesn't take away for an otherwise great milestone for scouting!

happy 100th anniversary!!

update: check out emmy's pictures from the 100th anniversary night celebration!

the scout 5k trail run: race report

for me, the trip to staten island for the scout 5k trail run was an excuse to revisit camp pouch, the sight of many a camp out with my old boy scout troop. camp pouch was, in fact, the location of my very first camp out, pre-scouts, with my uncle, cousin, and brother way back in the mid-1970s! the last time i was there was probably 1979 - 30 years ago.

the morning rain didn't auger well for the trip. but it was reduced to a light drizzle by the time we pulled into the camp parking lot. the course was basically a double loop around the lake. it had a couple of decent hills, but the trickiest part was a sharp downhill that was wet and slippery with moss. i was surprised at the relatively large turnout on such a gray, gloomy day. there were almost 90 finishers.

the highlight of the course was the great vista of the lake - framed in the fall foliage. the one jarring contrast to that otherwise bucolic picture was a ghastly soda machine stuck in the middle of the dirt road that lead down to the lake access! the race began and ended on the jamboree field. a flashback that caught me by surprise as i cruised along the lake front was of perch fishing, with bread crumbs on a tiny hook!

but, back to racing. since there were no mile markers (or none that i actually noticed) i couldn't gauge my pace. not that it really mattered because, mile splits or not, the race was basically a fun run for me. with the mud, hills, and occasional drizzle i was more than okay with the 23:03, 7:36 pace, finish. that was enough for 11th overall and 5th in my age group.

the next morning i'd put my trail shoes back on - with the same gray rainy weather and muddy conditions - to run the kurt steiner xc 5k at van cortlandt park!

here are some race photos.

2009 boy scouts of america 5k: race report

this was my fourth time running the boy scout 5k - one of my favorite events. the race raises money for a great cause, scouting, and has an equally great post-race party at mickey mantles. my only time goal was a sub-21 finish (to make up for my somewhat poor showing in 2008). the course begins on the 72nd street transverse and covers almost 2 full loops of the lower park. the only drawback, no mile markers.

weather-wise, the conditions were incredibly humid (with some light rain before and after the race). before the race, i picked up the healthy kidney 10k race bibs, chips, and shirts and then met up with emmy at the 72nd street entrance to the park. at race registration we met up with sal and chris. i skipped the warm up, but emmy and chris went out for an easy run before the start.

when the race went off i found myself in a small string of runners - two of whom quickly bolted to an early lead. i watched as chris overtook all but the first runner, as we reached the south end of the park. it wasn't long before chris caught the lead runner and took over the lead. at that point i was in 4th or 5th place and worked my way up 3rd as we turned north on west drive.

at the start of the second loop, i caught up to the 2nd place runner on the transverse. i passed him as we went south on east drive. chris was a good 40 seconds ahead, solidly in first place. by the time i turned north, back on west drive, i had slowed down a bit. i was primarily concerned with holding second place, which i did with a 20:41 finish. after a quick congratulations to chris, i grabbed my camera and got a shot of emmy finishing.

this was chris' second straight win, and emmy's third, at the bsa 5k! now it was time to celebrate at mickey mantles - where we also met up with bea, chris' wife. not only was there hot food and adult beverages, but each runner also received a gift bag at the end of the night.

don't pass up this great race next year :D

here are my race photos.