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Encyclopedia WinterCampica - Suggest Change
Current Entry: Winter Camp Participation Award
This award was introduced at Winter Camp XXIV as a way to encourage youth members to experience all that Winter Camp has to offer. Completion of ten requirements from a list of 13 gained a camper a special gold-bordered version of the new Winter Camp patch introduced in 2000. Steve Clark and Philip Roscoe engaged in heated battle over the course of the weekette to be the first to win the award, with Philip narrowly beating Steve to a fully-signed scorecard. Twenty-one youths have received this prestigious honor.
No adult Winter Camper has ever touched a gold-bordered patch -- the seal was broken by Mike Quirouette at Winter Camp XXIV, and the patch package was carefully handled with tongs. Patches are awarded at camp by the Winter Camp adviser, who bears those same tongs in his handing of the patch. An obvious exception exists for adults who earned their award while youths, but in Steve Donohue's words: "No adult worthy of the name" would touch one of those patches.
Efforts are underway to close off even this exception: At the Winter Camp XXIX planning meeting, plans were discussed to seal Ethan Rein's patch in Lucite, in recognition of his imminent 21 birthday. Ron Donohue made this a reality at Winter Camp XXX, whenhe arranged for insulated drinking cups containing an imbedded Winter Camp patch for many veterans -- Ethan's housed a participation award patch, and he soon surrendered his original award after camp. The award patch has gained some unexpected fame in the Detroit Area Council, with patch collectors said to have offered as much as $400 for one.