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Showing content with the highest reputation on 03/04/19 in all areas

  1. I think Barry has hit the real issue on the head. Then add X% of Lions continue to Tiger. The simple fact is the Cub program is long and repetitive. Scouts and families burn-out before reaching Boy Scouts. I fear we could predict troops hurting with the addition of Lion and Tiger. . If you assume the best annual retention rate of 85%, you need 100 cub scouts to feed a health troop size. If you assume a more real retention rate of 75%, you need a 210 cub scouts to feed a health troop size. If you did not have Lion and Tiger ranks, troops would be much more healthy
    2 points
  2. That was in fact the bet, that the girls will be a growth opportunity. All the chips for the future were put on G and the wheel was spun. Honestly the ball is still bouncing and we do not know if that bet will pay off. As was noted in the bankruptcy conversations several months back with the exposure on insurance, dwindling numbers, spending at the Summit, and unfunded pension liabilities the BSA needed more members. The registration fee went up significantly in 2017, so that was a lifeline toss. Recruiting more boys to the program has been a challenge. During his listening and speak
    2 points
  3. One of the tenants of Catholicism is that each of us has an obligation to attend Mass on Sunday unless grave circumstances would prevent it. Going camping does not typically constitute grave circumstances, but Clergy can provide dispensation to miss mass. (Which is how practicing Catholics attend Philmont). Plenty of Catholics don't attend mass every Sunday, but it's a requirement of our faith and teaching of our Church. So it's less of the CO in that particular case trying to be "Imperial" and more of the CO and Troop Leadership making sure that the Catholic Scouts meet their duty to God. May
    2 points
  4. I like your Scouts Own Service plan. I also agree with you that duty to god is one of the most important aspects of the scouting program. But for me, talking directly to scouts about god is the better than a sleeping pill. The look in their eyes isn't too different from the Zombies. From my SM perspective, the value of god is best highlighted with a few subtle words after a self reflection of a recent scouting experience. For boys this age, growth from duty to god is usually, unsuspecting, subtle, and personal. In general Scouts Own Services are the most dreaded and boring part of the a s
    2 points
  5. Steaming hot comfort food, smothered in cheesy goodness. Nothing satisfies a "meat and potatoes" kind of guy quite like a meaty, cheesy, potato casserole... INGREDIENTS 2 pound bag frozen tater tots 2 cups grated cheddar cheese 1 pound ground beef 1 can cream of mushroom soup 1/2 cup milk DIRECTIONS Heat coals for dutch oven. Brown ground beef in skillet. Drain fat. Add soup and milk to ground beef. Mix. Line dutch oven with foil. Put a layer of tater tots in Dutch oven. Cover with meat mixture. Top with grated cheese. Repeat la
    1 point
  6. Don't worry. I'm sure they'll make a comeback one day. Hopefully, along with leisure suits, nehru jackets, and platform shoes!
    1 point
  7. 8000 after just a month is pretty good ... especially considering a new troop had to be created. 77,000+ cub scouts last year. That's pretty good too. I was hoping it would be higher, but it's still good. This will take years to shake out to see the real effect. I would not stress or argue over the numbers at this point. At this point, the numbers are more curiosity than a useful fact.
    1 point
  8. Yes. There was a period where the lighter weight pants had that built in belt with a backpack style locking clasp. We have a couple of pair like that in our uniform closet.
    1 point
  9. First, I’m adamantly opposed to blanket rules. I prefer that each Scout be judged on his/ her attitude and accomplishments. However, one of the requirements for being on the ballot for OA is approval of the Scoutmaster. We do that because the SM should know the qualities of the Scouts in question better than anyone else in Scouting. OA is not a rank or merit badge where the requirements can be checked off. It is an honor, where first the Scoutmaster must approve and then the Scouts. I have watched thousands of Scouts go through Ordeal and some have been 11-12 years old. Most o
    1 point
  10. Totally agree. But I would also hope that the scouts would be able to decide that, and I'd trust them to make those choices in their votes. If it works the way it's supposed to, they should be voting for scouts who have been around long enough to prove that they deserve the vote.
    1 point
  11. What happened to the Patrol Method and "boy-led"? Seems like this is the perfect opportunity to put that into practice. Let all eligible scouts appear on the ballot and let the scouts decide by vote. Isn't that the point of these elections? I find myself increasingly frustrated by the adult interference in the BSA lately. I see it locally, a lot. A SM at a recent district event made the comment in front of a crowd that he actively enforces age rules for advancement, especially higher ranks. He admitted in front of a crowd that he blocks advancement unless a scout is at an age that he
    1 point
  12. Wow, here is why we created the "Faith and Chaplaincy Forum". Oh, wait..... mrkstvns You are on the money. Are you a Scout Chaplain? You would make a good one. When I began to help with IOLS , I noticed there was no mention of "Reverent" in the syllabus. When I offered to lead a discussion about such, I was taken up on it, and the following was the result. The need to include the Scout's Spirituality , often misnamed or misconstrued as "proselytizing" is often missed. as in many parts of Scouting, the Scouts need some examples to proceed . How do they know h
    1 point
  13. One of the hardest things for me to get used to was reprimanding other people's kids in front of those parents. Especially other leaders' kids. Like @Treflienne mentioned, maybe someone needs to step in and do what everyone has been hoping the mom would do. In fact, maybe the mom is hoping for exactly that. We have a sort of un-written rule in our Pack: Whenever possible, another leader intervenes in a situation with a scout who has a parent leader in the Pack. So in my Den, if my ADL's kid is acting up, I step in before the dad/ADL does, whenever possible. It helps reinforce the roles of
    1 point
  14. When Orange Boy Scout Troop No. 1 Invaded the Lincoln Memorial I recently came across an interesting mention of Orange Boy Scout Troop No. 1 (now Troop 14) in a copy of the Marine Corps Gazette magazine (Vol X, No.3, Dec. 1925:192-193) that mentioned an otherwise unknown (at least to me) encampment of Orange Boy Scouts. The article describes Marine Corps Boy Scout summer camps and provides details from when Troop 1 from Orange, Va. attended the camp from August 29 to September 6, 1925. ...read more
    1 point
  15. Our pack does the following. The Pack provides a kit to every scout at the annual Christmas party and keeps a few in reserve. In January, a week or two before the race, there's a pack meeting where parents bring in tools and the cub scouts that need assistance bring in there blocks of wood, and everyone works for a couple of hours to design, cut, sand, etc. (everything but paint and apply graphite) to help anyone in the Pack that needs it. This really helped a couple of scouts that didn't have that help available at home. Rules of the race are pretty simple: you can check in the night bef
    1 point
  16. There was a group in the camp tapping trees for maple syrup and they saw the damage and heard the noise of the walls popping. One person had a drone and others grabbed cameras waiting for the collapse.
    1 point
  17. We have had so much snow here lately, and more in this part of the state. Just had a blizzard move thru this area last week. This is one of my councils camps. Glad no one was hurt.
    1 point
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