Top cadet takes home honours
Positive attitude nets youth award during expedition camp
Joseph Tunney
Northern News Services
Friday, August 19, 2016
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
Thirteen-year-old Justin Powder is a top cadet. His name has been engraved on a trophy with the distinction while at a Basic Expedition Course in late July.
Justin Powder, left, shows off the Top Cadet trophy, newly inscribed with his name along other Top Cadets, with his mother Sharon Low at expedition camp in Yukon. - photo courtesy of David Moretta |
The three-week program organized by the Whitehorse Cadet Training Centre is designed to give cadets experience with wilderness challenges.
For his mother, Sharon Low, the achievement shows how far the cadets have brought her son.
"He had to step way out of his comfort zone," she said.
She describes her 13-year-old son as shy but said since joining the cadets two years ago he's come out of his shell.
The best part of the camp for Powder was the abseiling, or descending a vertical drop with the help of a friction device attached to a harness, because he said he felt like he was in a movie as he descended from a 30-foot wall.
However, Low, who is a Cadet Instructors Cadre officer, said it was in activities like canoeing where her son shined.
"During the two days of canoeing, because Justin is confident out on the land, the camp organizers put him out with one of the weaker kids," Low said.
"For a 13-year-old kid, to do that sort of peer leadership - that's quite a big accomplishment."
It was these leadership skills as well as a willingness to take initiative that earned Powder the trophy.
"The award (is given) for overall performance," said Nathan Romkey, who was the commander of the platoon Powder was a member of. "While we were camping he would make meals quickly in the morning and just stuff like that."
Romkey said these personality traits came out during one of the hikes when Powder was really encouraging others to keep pushing themselves.
"Not only did he have a positive attitude but he tried to help others with that mentality as well," Romkey said. "He was always upbeat and encouraging others."
Powder said he was given a plaque to keep but also that his name will be engraved on a trophy kept back in Yukon.
"He becomes part of the history of that camp," said Low. "It's been there for years. I've been going since the early '90s."
Powder said his first choice of camps was actually a marksmanship camp but that because he was at too high of a level he had to move to the expedition camp.
