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  2. If BSA is supplanted, does that suggest "Scouts BSA" will be rebranded (again)?
  3. Today
  4. It seems dumb. Our girl troop had flourished with 22 Scouts at its max. We have ebbed down to 12 between this year and last. It wasn’t because of BSA. Maybe if they really moved from Boy Scouts of America to nearly 100% use if BSA they could get “there” without as much turmoil. Seems like a waste of resources. So, does this mean Scouts BSA just becomes Scouts? Again, turmoil that we already went through. Is the juice worth the squeeze? No.
  5. And don't forget the "occasional" driver who will have no idea where their spare tire is when that cursed flat tire occurs.... Hey, HERE'S an opportunity.... Automotive Merit Badge afternoon in the church parking lot.....
  6. Actually @SSScout, it is not communicated well, but BSA requires all drivers check their vehicles prior to departure: https://filestore.scouting.org/filestore/pdf/680-696(21)-SAFE-Transportation-Checklist-FPO3-5172021.pdf "Motor vehicles used to transport Scouts must complete Pre-Trip Transportation Inspection before travel for each driver and vehicle. This includes correcting all deficiencies." btw, @RichardB, "Motor vehicles" don't complete checklists... people do. Would recommend re-wording this statement on the form.
  7. Convoys,,,,, Every driver MUST have the good directions. I marched in the Purdue Band 1966-1970. When we went to away games, it was a military operation. Ten or more busses, two or three trucks, a couple of private cars.... The student corps (I was a "supply sargent" , helped load and arrange stuff) listed, ordered, spoke to the drivers, and answered to the faculty staff. No cells, some radios, paper maps, memoes, lists of people and gear. Even a Troop of a half dozen cars/vans/ trailers, 35 people, needs knowledge, organization, cooperation, understandings. Convoys are
  8. @RichardB, thanks! IMO, we are in a good place with the driver policies we have now. No need to revisit "convoy" or "caravan." Are you still seeing a trend of convoying being a causal/contributing factor in vehicle incidents? I do have some recommendations on improving the Transportation checklist. How do we plug into the apparatus to suggest those changes? For example, "Windshield Wipers" are not on the checklist, and darn well should be 😜 Several other things should be considered for inclusion, particularly for trailers... happy to provide input. Also, do you hav
  9. Transportation guidelines change over the years. Language around travel has also changed, as has driver education. Today's terms and laws focus on distance between cars, following to closely, tailgating, adding more following distance during inclement weather. It did not make sense to keep using antique terms. However, I'll entertain language if you all have it. There is also no longer language around carbon tetrachloride....has not been available in years.
  10. Haven't heard this one... but am getting intel on potential council mergers. Of course, that scuttlebutt has been flying around for years... As for the name change, looks like someone wants to "leave a legacy"... smh
  11. Is this the big announcement? Is everyone at the launch getting numbered jars of scout jam?
  12. It looks like they have obtained trade marks for naming, products and indication of membership.
  13. Rumors of a rebrand to Scouting America... anyone have anymore information? Allegedly being revealed Tuesday Morning at NAM.
  14. Yesterday
  15. Our pack just participated in our local part of a worldwide conservation status check in urban areas called the City Nature Challenge. Because the overlap of scouts and scouters with conservationists isn't an accident, the person organizing our city's effort on behalf of the city was a scouter for many years and still runs a survival camp for troops. So we got to talking about more scouts than just our pack participating, and looped a commissioner in, who in turn connected the city organizer with council. So far, so good, let's do a good turn and be Earth Protectors. We connected with cou
  16. Last week
  17. Welcome, @captkeating! I can relate to your excitement about reconnecting to scouting as an adult leader! I'm sure you will have a great time together, while Building a Better World while you're at it! I saw a joke BSA leader badge on Etsy the other day that said "CAT HERDER" and that seems to be the job as a cub scout leader! Good for you for stepping up! I'm thinking about incorporating collaboration games into next year's pack meetings to give the cats some focused experiences with what happens when you collaborate vs don't 😂
  18. Dear Scouters, I just wanted to introduce myself and say what a great resource this website is and how excited I am to be a part of it! I am overwhelmed (in a good way) by the amazing resources available about and for Scouting. I was a Scout as a youth decades ago. I achieved the rank of Life Scout, and I was also Senior Patrol Leader. Last year, I volunteered to be my son's den leader, which was my first experience as an adult leader. I have many fond memories as a Scout, and Scouting is one of the main reasons I love the outdoors as an adult. We go camping as a family every year w
  19. I certainly hear and appreciate your frustration, and I can tell that your frustration is from a commitment to have a thriving, growing, valuable program that works and helps the Scouts get the leadership and life skills that will truly make a difference for them. I think that part of what inherently frustrating (potentially) about a program like this is that we are a volunteer army, and everyone, Scouts and adult leaders alike, are at varying levels of experience and leadership. I know that when I said yes to being my son's den leader last year when he joined as a Lion, it had been deca
  20. And, for the history buffs, see page 49 in the attachment, right side, #10. 2007 Printing, BSAGuideToSafeScouting.pdf
  21. Take out point 5, everything else applies when drivers are on their own. Before cell phones, we moved a whole troop of 120 six-hundred-miles and ended up at the destination with in 15-20 minutes. So it works well. Before cell phones, we used radios that had a range of 50 miles. Our trailer broke an axle in Colorado and all other cars knew within minutes. A plan was set to which car would help and which ones would continue to next stop at a safe place for a bunch of scouts. Much better than stopping a whole caravan of cars along side a busy two lane highway. Barry
  22. Where I have seen it “fail” is when you get on local roads with traffic lights. It can easily split up and cause people to either brake hard or “blow” a light. Not good stuff.
  23. May 2, 2024: "ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Rodney W. Sippel on Thursday sentenced a former Boy Scout volunteer to 22 years in prison for hiding cameras in bathrooms at a St. Francois County, Missouri scout camp. Judge Sippel also ordered David Lee Nelson to pay $55,000 in special assessments that will go to a fund for victims and prevention programs and $6,810 to pay for counseling for the victims in this case. After he gets out of prison, Nelson will be on supervised release for life, with special conditions that include a prohibition against any contact with minors without permi
  24. I don't remember the prohibition against convoying on the old tour permit but we usually only had 3 vehicles when going anywhere and we made sure everyone understood the route we were taking before setting out. The difference often being that the drive leader HAD to lead from the front rather than middle as on a hike. I suppose others would have called that convoying, we called it being aware and keeping the group together.
  25. As I noted earlier, the old tour permit specifically noted no convoying or caravaning. It was on the permit someplace and had to be noted and signed. But, basically, as noted here everyone should know where they are going in case they get lost. Meet up places for head count is a good idea. Most importantly have some sort of connection other than vision to the others.
  26. convoy so that if a vehicle has a failure, we can still get the youth/adult to the train on time. And the wounded vehicle can sort out repairs later. 4. Things happen. Run out of gas. Bathroom stops. 5. Lead MUST know the number of vehicles following, and MUST have a good sense, well perfect, of what the last vehicle looks like headlight wise. 6. A written list of cell phone numbers distributed to all drivers, and if not, MUST exchange cell phone numbers to lead and tail drivers. 7. Tail driver NEVER, NEVER, NEVER, passes the second to last driver. The tail driver is
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  • Posts

    • If BSA is supplanted, does that suggest "Scouts BSA" will be rebranded (again)?
    • It seems dumb. Our girl troop had flourished with 22 Scouts at its max. We have ebbed down to 12 between this year and last. It wasn’t because of BSA. Maybe if they really moved from Boy Scouts of America to nearly 100% use if BSA they could get “there” without as much turmoil. Seems like a waste of resources. So, does this mean Scouts BSA just becomes Scouts? Again, turmoil that we already went through. Is the juice worth the squeeze? No. 
    • And don't forget the "occasional"  driver who will have no idea where their spare tire is when that cursed flat tire occurs....     Hey, HERE'S an opportunity....   Automotive Merit Badge afternoon in the church parking lot.....
    • Actually @SSScout, it is not communicated well, but BSA requires all drivers check their vehicles prior to departure: https://filestore.scouting.org/filestore/pdf/680-696(21)-SAFE-Transportation-Checklist-FPO3-5172021.pdf "Motor vehicles used to transport Scouts must complete Pre-Trip Transportation Inspection before travel for each driver and vehicle. This includes correcting all deficiencies." btw, @RichardB, "Motor vehicles" don't complete checklists... people do.  Would recommend re-wording this statement on the form.
    • Convoys,,,,,    Every driver MUST have the good directions.   I marched in the Purdue Band  1966-1970.  When we went to away games, it was a military operation. Ten or more busses, two or three trucks, a couple of private cars....  The student corps (I was a "supply sargent" , helped load and arrange stuff) listed, ordered,  spoke to the drivers,  and answered to the faculty staff.  No cells, some radios,  paper maps, memoes, lists of people and gear.   Even a Troop of a half dozen cars/vans/ trailers,  35 people,   needs knowledge, organization, cooperation, understandings.  Convoys are useful, but not in today's traffic.  Funeral processions get SOME respect, but not much without police escort. DO NOT expect Google speed estimates to match reality.   Be patient. Smile and wave.  A Scout is Courteous, Helpful,  Friendly and Cheerful, even in I-95 traffic on a friday afternoon......   Cell numbers, PAPER DIRECTIONS and or maps,  stop and regroup spots along the way. Lunch stops with sufficient parking   spaces.  Traveling  in Scout Casual, Scout hats and matching tshirts gets lot's of smiles and even discounts or FREE LUNCH sometimes.   AND encourage folks to check out their vehicle BEFORE the event. Tires pumped up, oil level okay, mufflers attached (!),  windshields washed (Scout service !) ,  seatbelts operational....  See you on the trail !
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