Senior
Briefings
● It’s On Ice
If your Unit is in the two-thirds of the States in the snow belt, it can do something spectacular when called on this winter for an act in a Council circus, high school assembly, or Scout Week demonstration. That is an ice rescue staged in realistic fashion.
A skater gliding around a pond suddenly breaks through. As he thrashes around in the water, another skater comes along, tries a rescue by incorrect methods, gets too close, and also breaks through. Then two Senior Scouts—instead of the Lone Ranger—come along and rescue the skater-swimmers.
The action takes from five to ten minutes, depending on how much of a script is written for it. A commentator verbally sets the scene and explains the wrong and right rescue techniques as they are used. If a public address system is not available, a megaphone or a strong voice should be sufficient.
The spectacular part is the staging. It is best in an arena where the spectators look down on it, although a stage will do, the lower the better. A platform is set up and covered with newsprint. The platform can be put together from fifteen long tables such as found in many church dining rooms. Set them together, three long and five wide, with an opening in the center of the resulting oblong. In this opening set a tank of water. It may be hard to get and handle, but it is the crowning touch when the audience sees the victims splashing about in real water.
Cover the whole platform, including the hole, with three or four thicknesses of blank newsprint. Ask the press foreman at a newspaper plant for the paper left on the spindles at the end of the roll.
The four actors, wearing ice skates, can give a good imitation of skating on ice after a little practice. Rehearse the act—dry runs without the water and paper—until it clicks. The actors and commentator will have to coordinate themselves. The men at the mike may have to work up a few ad libs where action might slow down in a performance. Then have a dress rehearsal.
Ice rescue techniques may be found in the Safety Merit Badge pamphlet and the Scout Field Book.
Game Equipment