O.I. Schedule

Thursday Night 8:00 p.m. The never ending maze. ??:?? ?? Sleep is good!!! Friday 7:00 a.m. Thank you Darren for a calm wake up call. 8:00 a.m. Breakfast with no special guests. 9:00 a.m. The confusion ends for some: merit badge session 5a 10:15 a.m. The confusion ends for others with the final merit badge session of OI 2000. 11:30 a.m. PLC 12:00 p.m. Lunch: A fierce court battle and frightening guests of Christina Aguilera and Britney Spears entertained all at lunch. right: Friday lunch. Britney Spears (?) and Christina Aguilera (?) fighting like only real female pop stars can!

:00 p.m. Another Operation Icicle picture for the file.
2:30 p.m. Timber wolf hike.
4:00 p.m. "Wild Thing" wooh wooh, or is it "Let's get ready to Rumble" [Insert music].
6:30 p.m. Dinner at the Bore's Head Restaurant; hosted by Mr. Fairbanks who was killed following the meal to create a great stir among all. Everyone was a suspect in this murder which concluded the evening programs for OI 2000.
11:00 p.m. Let the flames being…or let the snow damper the beast - for a short time.
1:00a.m. official camp time Happy New Year!!!
 

The COPE Adventure -Tom Fairbank
Tuesday after lunch until approximately 3:00p.m. all the Scouts at O.I. attempted the Camp Freeland Leslie C.O.P.E. course. The Scouts first tried to pass the crevasse and after no success, moved on to the wall where the Scouts performed better but not as well as many hoped. The crevasse is two pieces of wire that grow wider as the Scouts travel farther across. The wall was a flat vertical wall made of wood about fifteen feet high that Scouts have to climb over to reach the other side. For both of these actives, Scouts had to bring across the whole troop along with gear.

On the crevasse the Scouts tried many creative ways to cross. One included having two Scouts cross at the same time and push in against each other. Another method was to have two Scouts cross at the same time, lean back and pull each other forward. A variation of this was to use toboggans instead of holding hands. Finally, many Scouts held hands and tried to cross the crevasse all at once which still did not work.
 
 
 

The Scouts climbed the wall by having tall strong Scouts push Scouts up as other muscular Scouts pulled them from the top. The Scouts at the top grabbed arms, legs, belts and hoped for the best. Neither event was successfully complied. The crevasse had no Scouts, nor gear make it across. The wall had many Scouts reach the top but still an estimated five to ten Scouts "died" along with three patrol boxes and eight toboggans.

left: The challenge of the COPE wall from above
 

Zelda -Logan Gulling
On Thursday night, all patrols successfully destroyed the evil Elf King. The Frozen Penguins finished first, and the Freez'n Balls were bored so they left early. The Barbarians (on ice) were the last to finish. The program had ten different sites where the Scouts either answered questions or completed tasks. The program was supposed to involve five keys, but one key did not exist. The castle resided at the pole barn where we were tested in a maze with riddles. Most patrols completed the course in 20 to 35 minutes.

Program Review -Sean Russell
Thursday night's program was very long and tiring. The program was very well constructed and ran until 1:30 in the morning. However, there were many down sides to the program. First and foremost, the camp sites that the staff occupied were too far from each other and too hard to travel too. In addition, one of the councilors that was in Gettysburg sent patrols on a bogus quest. This writer thinks that the minds of the program staff are very intelligent and are extremely hard workers. So, other than the time it took, the program was cool.

Elves vs Humans -Marc Nenia
It all started with an innocent birthday for the human king. Then, all of a sudden the room exploded with elves determined to take the crown. Thus the journey began. Last night's program was awesome. With sword fights, evil demons, old hags, and an incredible maze to culminate the program. Everyone enjoyed this program. After laying siege to the castle, King Maxwell (Pat Huslig) challenged Tharin (Johann Medcraft) to a dual to the death. Tharin slaked Maxwell, then ran with the crown, leaving the King's faithful knight, Sir Lukan (DJ Hird) to send the Scouts out to resurrect the kingdom. The staff kept in excellent character through out the program which I especially enjoyed.   

above: Sir Lukan (DJ Hird) kneels in respect to the dead King Maxwell (Pat).
left: One patrol tackles a puzzle to progress though the maze.	right: Tharin (Johann) at the end of the maze.

Traveling to each site was challenging, but all the patrols came through in style. I thought the plot line for this was great: the best yet. The challenges at each site were awesome as well. I liked how each piece of information the patrols received was vital solving the game. The maze at the end was the best part, even though most patrols did not have all the keys, they received an opportunity to pit their brains against the puzzles within. The only part that I disliked about the program was the minimal time allotted to complete it. Over all, everyone had a good time. Hats off to Johann, Pat, Will, and the commissioners.

Evening Program at its Best -Aaron Huslig
This week's program has been as hard and intense as ever. From fighting Poke-staff to honor bound samurai, evening program has been fun and inventive.

• We started the week on Sunday night with a great game of Capture the Flag.
• Monday night furious animals invaded camp called pokemon. Later, the Scouts had the pleasure of watching the first poke-staff competition.
• This was followed on Tuesday night by the clan wars of The Legend of the Five Rings.
• As usual, Wednesday night was movie night.
• On Thursday night, Pat, Johann, and the rest of the program staff pulled out all the stops and built an intricate plot and story-line for the Scouts to follow that culminated with a riddle-filled maze.

Patrol Flags -Mathew Kline
Throughout the week each patrol has worked on flags that represent their patrol, and what they have done during the week. When they arrived, they received a piece of cloth and from that point, were on their own. The flags have vastly improved during the course of the week. Some are mainly marker based while others have bits of felt and other materials affixed to them. The Ice Lords have added a hockey stick to their flag as a pole. However, another patrol's flag received some abuse due to the freezing temperatures and the snowy conditions. This resulted in a crumpled state. The flags here at Operation Icicle are not just representations of the patrols. They remain a historical document of what Operation Icicle has accomplished.

below: The Patrol flags on the final day of judging
(Front of picture, far right: Mike Utter of Troop 510 looks on with interest!)

Another Operation Icicle to Remember -Chris Cvengros
Over the past eight years, I have been blessed to experience the incredible experience of Operation Icicle. Since it's conception in the late 1970's, Operation Icicle has been a tradition, a home, and an unforgettable experience for hundreds of Scouts - both old and young. OI continues to be such an experience because of the people who reside at Camp Freeland Leslie the week following Christmas. At the top of this list must be Darren McArdle. His leadership and support makes Operation Icicle a warm home amongst chilling temperatures. Doc. John Schroeder brings the history of OI because he has experienced every Icicle since its conception. The men who have made the program such an incredible success this year also deserve applause. Pat Huslig, Johann Medcraft, and Will Cvengros' ability to image a fantastic program results in games and challenges that know no bounds and the Scouts cry for more.
The people who make the dreams a reality can not receive enough praise. Tom Opolony, Paul Sullivan, and Dan Johnson spent hours setting up and cleaning up after each program. Each program had its own difficulty. The culmination of their efforts resided in the amazing maze outside the pole barn.
The people behind the scenes never receive enough credit. These people include Jeff O'Rourke, Walt Schalk, and Rick Lea who buy and prepare our meals. They ensure that the program runs smoothly by doing anything else that needs to be done. Operation Icicle would not be possible with out the general staff to run the program. From merit badges to evening events, Operation Icicle would not exist with out everyone's collaboration.
Some of these events and people have been captured by Graham Holland in the wonderful song he wrote about the Operation Icicle 2000. The lyrics follow this article. It is a history and a story, and it captures the essence of OI. My personal favorite verse is the final one which, I feel, explains why so many Scouts and staffers return year after year; the beauty of this camp, and the beauty of its people.

The OI 2000 song

Words by Graham Holland © 2000: [music unknown]

When the snow falls up at Leslie, and the lake is frozen through
There are lots of things to see there, there are lots of things to do
All the Scouts from Three Fires Council travel there to have a spree
Though they pay for food and shelter all the fun and games are free.

OI, OI at Leslie, fun in the ice and the snow
OI, OI at Leslie, it's the best life that we know
Sing OI, OI, sing OI, OI
Sing OI, OI, sing OI, OI

An ice rescue or a plane crash, Scouts are tested to the max
For resourcefulness, quick thinking, and cold weather survival facts
Showing bravery and courage, we will always Be Prepared
Though the sight of Johann dancing is enough to make us scared.

Fun and games are on the menu for our program is the best
Just so long as you wrap warmly and you wear your thermal vest.
We enjoy ourselves so muchly we ask where the time has gone
By the way, how do you get Picachu onto a bus? Easy, you just get a sharp stick and Poke-him-on.

We'll transport you cross the ocean to the realms of old Japan
Where the "honorllable" Emperor will chose his new right-hand man
Here the tax man's "velly hollid" but the peasants are quite nice
We use money known as koku in exchange for "fruffy rice"

There are guidelines we must follow, there are rules we must obey
Like removing hats at meal times, and whitewashing Pat three times a day
Follow tips from the Commodore, and you will live healthily
Though no real germs in their right minds would risk the smell in the DVC

We can see Camp Freeland Leslie in the grip of winter snow
There's a beauty in the season just a privileged few will know
'Neath the crystal clear starlight I whisper a quiet evening prayer
For the beauty in the friendship and the fellowship we share