PANA — With a layer of ice left over from last night’s rainfall and temperatures reaching well below freezing, scout Gehrig Bunselmeyer started a fire with nothing more than a few sticks, kindling and a fire starter, all in just a few minutes.

Bunselmeyer, who joined Troop 202 in Decatur about four years ago, said he loved every part of it, from spending time with fellow Scouts to learning new skills like shelter construction or basic first aid.

“It’s important that people know how to do it because you never know when you’re going to need it,” Bunselmeyer said. “That’s the part of being a scout, you have to be prepared for the situation that you don’t want to happen, but could still happen.”

On Saturday was the Arrowhead District’s annual Klondike Derby at the Rhodes-France Scout Reservation, where scouts from central Illinois test their skills in the cold and snow and complete tasks like starting a fire and rescuing a injured person.

Derby chairman Phillip Outzen said 120 scouts signed up for the event, which included tomahawk throwing, fire building, whip training, jousting and compass, as well as emergency scenarios like chasm crossing, first aid and ice rescue.

Before arriving, Outzen said each troop had to build a sled from scratch or from existing parts. They used it to carry supplies and move between tasks while carrying a person up front.

At the end of the event, they can also race against each other with their sleds.

Each task aims to teach Scouts how to work and communicate as a team. They are then graded on how well they complete each task, Outzen said.

“It reinforces the lessons they learn in their troop meetings and the different things they’ve learned over the years,” Outzen said. “That’s all we do here, working on their leadership, teamwork and communication skills.”

Volunteers from the Eastern Illinois University Panther Battalion ROTC program were on hand to assist scouts at each station and guide them through scenarios.

Some scouts were tasked with performing first aid in a scenario where a troop leader accidentally “impaled” himself with a hatchet in his leg, while others had to navigate a field with only a compass.

“We do that quite often at ROTC, giving them the compass and hopefully personifying them with good character and leadership skills,” said Michael Barnes, senior accounting and finance officer. “Coming to events like these really puts those skills to the test in real life, and you can’t not practice because the weather is bad, you have to kiss the shit.”

Troop 202 leader Ryan Atwater said the event also highlights the importance of being prepared and making sure you’re dressed for the elements, as there’s no excuse for showing up in sneakers while there is still ice and snow on the ground.

Atwater said his scouts actually spent the night in a barn on his farm to prepare for the day, and some even cooked breakfast for each other that morning.

“We use the EDGE method and that means explain, demonstrate, guide and enable,” Atwater said. “They learn everything as they go, and even if you teach someone, you also learn things that you didn’t understand at first.”

As for Bunselmeyer and his castmates, he said he hopes they bring home the gold, but he’s really here to have fun with his friends.

“The people I met here, I will never see again in my life,” Bunselmeyer said. “These are people I grew up with and we do everything together, and that’s what I love, because these people are my friends who I would call my brothers.”