Ely Beavers show off Cycling Skills
10th June 2007 - Witchford
Beaver Scouts from across Ely District gathered today at Witchford Village College for the annual District Beaver Cyclo-cross. Split into small groups, their task was to complete a number of cycling challenges, ranging from simple slaloms to more advanced bicycle skills. So what exactly did they face?
Ball Skills
Arguably the most difficult of all the challenges, the Beavers were made to dribble a ball round cones whilst cycling their bikes. This required huge amounts of skill and patience. Many of the Beavers took their time and did a good job of it...despite some wobbles.
Maze
The maze provided a test of the Beavers forward thinking, as well as balance. The idea was to sucessfully navigate the maze without the Beavers putting their feet on the ground. After many attempts and a few falls to start with, all of the Beavers completed this and in quick time too, without cutting corners.
Limbo
How low could they go? The Beavers were made to duck as they cycled through a host of lowering gateways. Bars did tumble, as did some of the gates, but many of the Beavers eventually worked out that the trick was to speed, aim, then cruise underneath the bar whilst ducking as low as they could.
Rope Slalom
The Beavers had to follow a course of swaying rope whilst slaloming round cones along the course. This gave the Beavers a chance to test their control skills and provided moments of speed pedalling and tight turning...which occasionally led to mixed results.
Balance Slalom
This was the shortest of the courses but prepared the Beavers for the ultimate obstacle course that lay next. The Balance Slalom consisted of a small ramp and thin balance beam, followed by a slalom round to the finish.
Obstacle Course
The Obstacle course tested even the bravest Beaver as they took on the larger ramps and a seesaw. If they managed not to fall at these hurdles, then the slalom was bound to send them off course! It ended with a cross over the first ramp, requiring a run-up and some neat pedal power to complete the 'stepest' part of the course.
After 2 hours of hard cycling, the Beavers were in for a treat! To finish off, all of the parents were invited to take turns at the obstacle course...some obviously more suited to the small bikes than others! Though there were no accidents or falls, it did provide moments of amusement and was the perfect end to a very enjoyable event.
Before going home, all of the Beavers gathered together for a group photo and collected a certificate from the District Commissioner, David Briston, for completing all 6 of the courses. They also walked away knowing that their efforts would count towards the Outdoor Challenge and Health/Fitness Activity Badges.
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