Challenge Trophy Camporee location?
The 23rd CTC will be held October 21st, 22nd, 23rd, 2022 at Camp Babcock-Hovey, 7294 County Road 132, Ovid, NY. We rent the entire Camp!
Who attends the CTC?
Everyone is welcome to attend the Challenge Trophy Camporee regardless of district, council, region or country of origin. We normally have at around 7 different BSA Councils, Canadian Troops and Girl Scout Troops attend the CTC.
Webelos, Troops & Venturers may attend for the weekend.
Cubs, Webelos, may attend on a Day Pass & participate in the program on Saturday. Troops and Venturers that do not want to attend for an entire week may use the Day Pass for a full day of fun on Saturday.
Crews, Senior Youth, Explorers, adults may attend with their respective Units or as Staff.
If you have never attended this event, please consider visiting us. Your scouting youth will thank you!
What is the CTC Camporee based on? How did it originate?
People have asked these questions and the answer is:
The CTC Sub-camps are designed after a Traditional Subcamps used at a camporee near the Canadian / Michigan border since the 1950’s – the Wadiscoca Fall Camporee. The name is not a NA Indian word as most people believe.
WAllaceburg DIstrict SCOut CAmp = WADISCOCA
This was Scouterdoug’s original home Camp / Camporee during the ’90s when Volunteers ran the small annual Camporee that used different colors to identify 3 Subcamps. Adults held the leadership roles in subcamps and event areas. Souterdoug was a volunteer in charge of the logistics & program at the 41st Annual Wadiscoca Fall Camporee in 1996 and he relocated to NYS the next year in Nov 1997.
Sadly, Camp Wadiscoca was closed in 2009 so the Camporee Series was discontinued.
Challenge Trophy Camporee History:
The Challenge Trophy Camporee (CTC) series was started in May 1999.
The subcamp structure from the Wadiscoca Fall Camporee was used where subcamp are named after colors, but at the CTC the Leadership roles were given to 2 youth, Mike and Jon Reynolds, who ran the 2 Subcamps at the 1st CTC. To make things easy and better organized, the Campsite were staked out with stakes of the Subcamp’s Flag colors.
Everything else was done to meet the Goals set out for the CTC Camporee series.
At the closing of the 1st CTC, youth stepped forward seeking Youth Staff Roles at the 2nd CTC. The snowball was now rolling down the hill so to speak! In 2015 we had around 180 Staff at the 17th CTC. Around half of staff was youth.
The attending units competed for plaques had their Unit’s number engraved on a brass plate which is attached to the original Challenge Trophy. The CTC grew so big that the “Trophy” had to be retired.
Most people are surprised to hear that there is an actual “Challenge Trophy”. 
Yes – the Challenge Trophy Camporee is based on an actual Trophy.
The Best Troop at each CTC kept the Trophy for a year after winning it. This practice continued from the 1st to 7th CTC. The Trophy was retired after the 7th CTC.
The Trophy was made from scrap materials in my workshop. It is made of several hard woods (Maple, Oak, Walnut, and Cherry) and varnished natural. It stands 18” tall is 10” wide.
CTC Goals:
We had 6 goals when the CTC was envisioned and planned. They are as follows,
1) The CTC is to be designed and run using the 7 teamwork Principles
2) The Program is to be youth run where legally possible.
3) The Events are to be unlimited in quantity.
4) Patches are to be of excellent quality to be a sought after trading patch, and it is not to be tied to a single Theme.
5) Scouts are to be awarded for Scouting Excellence.
6) CTC is to utilize a continuous improvement program as it grows.
So where are we with these goals?
Teamwork: (Goal #1)
The entire Camporee program and logistics is based on Teamwork. The youth Leaders are taught the 7 teamwork principles before the CTC and they practice these Leadership Skills at the Camporee in their selected Role.
That is, we teach and provide an opportunity to practice and learn Team work Principles.
- 1) Leadership
- 2) Resources – Wise use
- 3) Clearly defined roles
- 4) Enthusiasm – fun!
- 5) Effective Communication
- 6) Work towards goal(s)
- 7) Control of the ego
The Youth Leadership team is –
Youth Camporee Chief Team, that are in charge of almost everything,
Youth Subcamp Chief – In charge of a subcamp – and there are 14 of them
Youth Event Area Coordinator – in charge of an event area assigned to each sub-camp containing around 35 events. There are 14 youth leaders in this role.
Youth Support Staff – Working with the youth leaders above.
Staff: Youth (Goal #2)
As stated above, the Challenge Trophy Camporee is designed to be run by youth. The structure is based on subcamps and assigned event areas which breaks the entire camporee into manageable sections. Training is provided for the youth leadership team. The leadership team consists of Youth Camporee Chiefs, Subcamp Chiefs and Event Area Coordinators. The support youth staff is usually made up of younger scouts who wish to be a leader at future CTCs. Adults are trained as advisors where they provide support if needed. The Camporee program was built slowly but consistently “larger” over several years.
Staff: Adults (Goal #2)
Adults in Host Troops are advisors to the Youth Staff – in a supporting role.
As the CTC grew bigger, there became opportunities for Adults in support roles &/or where required for the safety of the youth or by BSA Policy. Several Adults are in Leadership Roles of specific areas like Ranges, Food Service, Crafts, Logistics, etc.
CTC Subcamps: (Goal #2 & Goal #6)
In 2019 at the 21st CTC we will have 14 subcamps for Troops identified by 14 colored flags plus a Staff Subcamp for a total of 14 subcamps. Each Subcamp has a Youth Camporee Chief and a Youth Event Area Coordinator.
Event Areas: (Goal #2)
Each subcamp has an assigned Event Area. The youth Event Area Coordinator is in charge of the Event Area. The CTC supplies all of the Event Equipment in the Subcamp’s assigned Event Areas.
Adults from attending Troops volunteer ½ day to help run Events to place them in an important Role as part of the overall CTC Team. Each adult gets a Volunteer Award Patch.
CTC Events: (Goal #3)
The program of the CTC consists of Team Building Events, Educational Events, Fun events, Crafts, Displays, Campfire, Scout’s Own, Demolition Drag Derby (3D), Subcamp Chariot Race, Camp Site Inspection, etc. In 1999 the CTC had 50 Events, and in 2018 we offered 750 events on the Event Cards. Refer to the Events Page for more details.
Awards: (Goal #5)
There are approximately 175 plaques awarded for Scouting excellence.
We also provide 14 Program Patches the Scouts may earn by doing the respective program.
Teamwork, Outdoor & Nature Skills, Craft Patches, Educational Events, Fun, Shooting patch, Chariot Race participant, Event Volunteer, Demolition Drag Derby, Sport Events, Never Give Up, Scouting Excellence patch, top inspection in each sub-camp, top 5 patrols in each sub-camp.
Staff gets a Staff Trained patch after the Training is completed.
Continual Growth: (Goal #6)
People: (Goal #6)
The 1st CTC had approximately 170 people. It was held at Mendon Pond Park.
The next year the CTC moved to Camp Cutler where it grew to around 1,000 people 10 years later and we really stretched the space and resources of the Camp. We became too big for Camp Cutler.
The 13th CTC was relocated to Babcock Hovey Camp in 2012. This provided a much larger Camporee Field to allow future growth. 5 years later the CTC had around 1,800 people for an 80% growth since the relocation. The number of Subcamps increased to keep pace with the number of attendees.
In 2016 a 14th Sub-camp was added to allow future continuous growth and 1 year later in 2017 we had over 2,000 people at the 19th CTC. Actual number was 2,165 people.
In 2019 we will have 14 sub-camps plus a staff sub-camp for a total of 15.
The CTC structure from a logistical point of view is now capable of holding 150 Troops on the Camporee Field.
Patches: (Goal #4 & Goal #6)
There was 1 patch at the 1st CTC.
In 2017 we had 29 patch designs for the 19h CTC.
The CTC patches are a well sought after Trading Patch. At the 19th CTC our Central Trading location in 2017 had 90 seats and 10 tables in a rented Tent. At the 20th CTC in 2018 we increased the size of the tent to 120 people.
In 2019 we plan to have 32 CTC patches. We added 3 new ones!
Events: (Goal #3 & Goal #6)
In 1999 at the 1st CTC we ran 50 events. At the 19th CTC in 2017 we ran 750 events.
Feedback used for Continuous improvement: (Goal #6)
We use feedback from attendees to continuously improve the CTC. After each CTC we ask for Feedback of what we did right, and what we can do to improve the CTC.
Example – in 2003 when we grew to over 250 events, Scouter Tim Patnaude of FLC Troop 96 recommended we run the Event Areas the Host Troops are responsible for only ½ day. This idea was accepted and today we still run the Youth Run Subcamp’s Event Areas for ½ Day.
More history:
Check out the website pages for the past and future CTCs by clicking on the history tab. There are plenty of pictures to provide you with some idea of what the CTC is.
Make sure to “Like us” on Facebook – www.facebook.com/ChallengeTrophyCamporee
Challenge Trophy Camporee 