West Bend, WI — Long before he was a 16-year-old Eagle Scout candidate and Senior Patrol Leader of Troop 226, Jacob Lindsay was a wide-eyed seven-year-old kid discovering winter for the very first time.
His family had just moved to West Bend, WI from San Antonio, trading in scorching Texas summers for snow-blanketed Wisconsin winters. For Jacob, one hill stood out more than any other: the sledding hill at Ridge Run Park.
“He loved the snow from the start,” said momKaila Lindsay. “But he also realized pretty quickly that getting up the sledding hill was the hardest part.”
For Jacob, trudging up that icy incline was part of the fun—most days. But when he watched a family friend with physical challenges struggle to make the climb, it struck him differently. Right there, at seven years old, he announced someday he was going to fix it.
This year, as a junior in high school and in his 10th year of Scouting, Jacob finally made good on that childhood promise.
With the support of Troop 226—West Bend’s VFW troop—Jacob designed his Eagle Scout project around installing a sturdy assist rope along the main sledding hill at Ridge Run.
The goal was simple: help kids, parents, and anyone else hauling a sled make it back to the top with a little more ease and a lot fewer wipeouts.
The concept was easy. The work? Not so much.
Jacob spent the summer and fall coordinating volunteers, gathering materials, and learning the ins and outs of digging post holes in stubborn Wisconsin soil. A major boost came from Valley Hydro-Excavation out of Campbellsport, who donated their time and expertise to help tackle the toughest part of the installation.
By late October, the posts were in, the rope was up, and Jacob was standing on the hill he once struggled to climb—this time knowing dozens of families would have an easier trek come winter.
And right on cue, the first big snowstorm of the season arrived this past weekend, giving the community a chance to break in the new addition.
Parents pulled their toddlers up the hill with one hand. Teens gripped the rope and laughed their way to the top. A few newcomers paused halfway, surprised at how helpful the simple line of rope really was. Jacob watched some of it himself, quietly proud.
For Jacob, it was personal—an idea planted in childhood, now brought to life through years of learning, leading, and sticking with a mission.
Ridge Run’s sledding hill hasn’t changed. But thanks to one determined Scout, getting to the top sure feels a whole lot easier.
