Scouts take to chariots at Mission

They didn't have wheels with razor sharp blades that cut into the competitor's chariot, and instead of horses, the chariot pullers were boys. And just like when the ancient Greeks and Romans held the sport, a feisty crowd cheered for their favorite teams.

It was the annual Cub Scout Chariot Races, put on by Dave Orr, cubmaster of Pack 100 of St. Ignatius.

Fifty-one Cub Scouts from three Lake County teams and one Sanders County team participated in the racing event, held at Mission High School in St. Ignatius Saturday afternoon. The competition, which ran nearly two hours, included just over a dozen races — double elimination — for the Tigers, Bears, Wolves, and Webelos Scouts from Plains, Polson, Ronan, and St. Ignatius, including some Charlo boys who belong to the Ronan pack. Each pack designed its own chariot, which was made of cardboard with a towel duct taped to the bottom to help it slide better, and four nylon ropes with a board on one end and wooden handles on the other. The chariots were custom decorated by the Scouts with drawings and stickers, and for the most part, the pack number.

Ten boys from ages 6 to 11 from Plains Cub Scout Pack 46/57 were part of Saturday's races. "They had a blast," said Don Damschen, an assistant cubmaster, whose son Douglas was one of the competitors. The Plains teams, named by the boys, were called the "Lightning Strikers" and the "Thunderbolts." Toward the end of the competition, Damschen arranged for the two Plains teams to take on one another.

For each race, one boy, usually the Scout with the lightest weight, rode inside the two-foot long by two-foot wide cardboard box while his four teammates pulled the chariot. Two teams went at a time, starting on opposite sides of the gym. The first to finish one lap was the winner.

According to the rules, the boy in the chariot had to wear a bicycle helmet. The pullers wore gloves. Although there were a few spills, the only injury was a father getting run over while trying to take photographs of his son's team. The chariot plowed into the man, sending him to the floor with a hard hit to the head and a shattered camera.

One team rounded the final corner with the chariot on its side, but its rider clung to the inside as it crossed the finish line.

Sam Arnold, a Scout from the Plains pack and one of the pullers, tumbled on the first turn in an early race, but he was unhurt.

Race officials didn't keep track of which packs won more, said Orr, primarily because there were several teams that included Scouts from more than one pack. Orr said every Scout received a medal or a first, second, or third place ribbon. He said that it was more important that the boys had fun.

The cubmaster wasn't sure how long they've held the chariot races at St. Ignatius, but he believed they were started in the early 1980s. Cub Scout chariot races are held nationwide. Orr said the number of teams and boys varies each year. Sometimes there were double the number of Scouts. In 2007, they had only six or seven races due to a lack of participation.

Last year was the first time the Plains pack took part in the races, said Damschen, who took six boys and one chariot to the contest last year. He said the teams were so evenly matched last year, they switched and had the heaviest boy of each team in the chariot.

The Plains pack used the chariot from the 2007 race, but made a second chariot, with the help of den leaders, Friday afternoon. Damschen said the pack most likely will participate again next year, but he believes they may have to make new chariots.

The cost of the chariot races was $2.50 per boy, enough to help pay for medals and ribbons, said Orr, who had 11 Scouts from his pack at the event.

Pack 46/57 will hold its Blue and Gold Awards Banquet at the Sanders County Fairgrounds' pavilion Thursday, Feb. 21, at 6 p.m. The pack's annual Pinewood Derby is slated for the evening of March 20 at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.