On October 27th, the ICO scouts went to the Powerade Centre for the 5th Annual Scout Sleepover. There were 12 scouts between the ages of 8 and 15 accompanied with 2 leaders. That night, they cheered on the Brampton Beasts, the local hockey team, alongside dozens of other scouts during a hockey game against the opposing team, the Wheeling Nailers. For the duration of the game, we huddled together to chant for our team and felt terribly upset when they lost. We sang along to the songs that played on the speakers and some of us even danced to the music. Others were attempting to warm up in the cold arena by indulging in some over-priced arena food. Throughout the game, the scouts were featured on the video board and were enthralled each time they appeared on the big screen. At one point, they caught the attention of Boomer, the Beast’s mascot by hollering his name. They all had beaming smiles when he came over to posed for a group photo with them in the end.
Post-game, the scouts had the opportunity to meet the Beast players. They all got in a line but were too eager to stand still. During the meet and greet, they were able to talk to the players. They introduced themselves and exchanged a few words with all of them. Afterwards, they all got signed autographs as a souvenir to remember that starstruck moment.
Later that evening, the scouts went up to their room. We laid down our sleeping bags, mats, pillows, and blankets, we changed into our warmest pyjamas, and got ready for our evening. We were all generously given freshly popped popcorn and soon headed back into the arena. There, we were able to enjoy a movie on the video board as our last activity on the trip. So, we grabbed our snacks and blankets and cozied up on the chilly arena balcony before heading to bed.
In the morning, we were greeted with a hot breakfast. Some of us were still trying to wake up and some were immediately re-energized after a night’s sleep. Finally, we were packing up and heading outside into the early hours of the morning. With the help of everyone on the trip, we were able to load up the bus quickly with our bags and gear. Before long, we were back on the road for a rainy ride home.
