European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - June 11, 1977, Darmstadt, Hesse Pago 2 the stars and stripes june 1977 kids went rest of the Way afoot too later and the raft tipped Byron Kenneady Augsburg Bureau chief had Germany the Sun was barely packing Over the bavarian Alps when the morning Calm was shattered by the laughing voices of 20 excited boys and girls ii was and already oars with trailers attached stood waiting in front of the elementary school at the Small american outpost in the Foothills of the teachers and parents hurriedly Gath ered children and equipment and drove away into the morning Mist kor these 20 sixth and seventh Grade children and 10 chaperones it was to be a weekend they would Long it was a weekend that almost proved fatal to half the the plan was to meet at the school and then make the two hour drive to there they would inflate two rubber assault rafts loaned by the 10th Spe Cial forces at bad and then float Down the Szalach most of the Day would be spent on the suitor in the Day they would leave the water and hike to a spot they planned to use As a campsite they would do the same each winding up near the German austrian where they would be met by a bus for the return trip Home they expected some White water fast moving water Over rapids and they planned to go Over a six foot and the children would be wearing life actually our plans were a Little More involved than jumping into waiting cars and dashing off for the nearest said Randy sixth Grade teacher at the the River rats adventure expedition was the brain child of Miller and his the three Day trip would not Only in clude Riding the River on but also cooking and advanced food the kids actually started making plans some two to three months Miller said the kids made their own beef Jerky and dehydrated said most of the Jerky was eaten during the hike As but some of it did find its Way into the first nights Stew cooked Over a Camp about k minutes after the rafts were crowd pleases among the girl gymnasts currently delighting crowds in Germany Are a pair of at Karen lir Kett dues a while Barbara Kil Rrt sen performs a six Young girl gymnasts from Bounce into German fans hearts 10 kids and three chaperones were fighting for their lives in the Baalack liver some of the kids got Overly excited when we hit the first Patch of White and i knew that the dam was Only a few Yards Down said Miller and some of the other chaperones had scouted the River several Days earlier and knew that to the left Side of the hut concealed from View was a huge about 20 feet the raft would have to stay to the right of mid Stream to miss the once through the one stretch of White Miller suggested that they pull Over to the Bank and let the excited kids Down before Irving to Cross the the kids were very thais when everything seemed to go Only Miller and the other two adults were pad they neared the left then Miller realized they make they were being pulled Down Stream by the heavy frantically the three adults tried to paddle for Midstream too late Miller shouted Over the Roar of clashing Hie raft struck the Boulder with a it Hung there for one Long then Slid off and under the falling water rushed into the rubber Craft and seconds later it flipped raft and paddles went Surg ing Down the raging a witness on the Bank ran to Stop the second that a he returned to help pull half drowned kids ind diaper once from the everyone kept their Heads and did exactly what we had told them to do should they fall into the water some of them but they reacted just right and no one got said Miller As he set xxx on the Bank wringing water from his shirt and counting Heads to make sure everyone was accounted Only the paddles were just then the final boy came crawling up the Bank and 1 have mister Miller he was waving a it was the Only one recovered kor As the almost drowned youngsters Dri Eil it looked As if the trip would end m its first a Quick voice vote brought the decision that they would r on hut without the it would mean a lot More but no one was willing in go Back in the the rafts were deflated and sent Hie group running two hours behind schedule when they finally walked into their first campsite watching the kids walk up the Mountain and begin putting up their tents and cooking the its hard to Tell Winch ones were almost drowned a Tow hours Miller Sior and photos by ki1 Hill staff writer Romany Isis american flipped and spun their a into the no a capacity crowd of More than pimple 10 the Ihland spun Halle Heie the my aged 11 to comprised a team Iron the Oak Harbor Oak Wash about mks mirth of Seattle other stops on the Giru in Vnuck Competition with the Here the girls performed a exhibition of their gymnastic abilities the gun nails arrived m Germany i immediately competed in a near Frankfurt kirov they Tive competed in in it Ollenburg and in much to their they competed with a gymnastic Tiam i an soccer Field the events Are usually held but the team won first through fifth and eighth places in to Hinburg anyway the group Bob and bile operate the gymnastics Bob was n the army stationed in Stuttgart when he met who was born and raised Here they were married a few years later in the Billie was visiting her Mother Here last october when she met Kurt a lop official in the local gymnastics Assoc a the the idea of bringing a learn from her 3 set fire to computer Center Home i Aii two armed men and a woman set fire to the computer renter at the University o causing damage Chi match at several million temperatures Schwil in Oak Harbor to Germany was bom interested in the u learn scheduled their stops throughout Ger the Money for this trip was raised by fundraising and Pri vate donations the trip Iii dict about Hob said the six girls Are All advanced members of the us gymnastic which has four Levels of Competition advanced ind elite the elite members for positions on the s olympic the team members Are Hene Charlene Tann 17 Kelly Barbara Ilertsen and Karen 1j the group will co Jieu in in saturday and Ami plan m near and her Ilive i Hagen a cure Iliev retune to the n s w to of Tat 4 it
