Eagle74

Another potential source for used climbing rope for knot tying practice is the fire department or a USAR (Urban Search and Rescue) team if there is one in your area. Because our rope is used for rescue and rescue training purposes we regularly and frequently rotate rope to out-of-service status for life-safety reasons. I can say that in our case, we would be happy to see it put to such a good use. The original lengths as we use it range from 100 to 300 feet. The only stipulation would be that we would cut it to your prescribed lengths so that we know it can't be used for climbing, rappelli

It's all in the eyes (ears) of the beholder. For several years now I have put together a PowerPoint slideshow - set to music - of the past year's events for the August COH. For the last one I used an excerpt - the last 1/4 of the song - from P.O.D.'s "Youth of the Nation". To the words of '. . . we are, we are, the youth of the nation . . . ' the slides are of old Norman Rockwell prints. I also used this section as part of a slideshow during my son's Eagle COH. A number of people commented to me about how much they enjoyed that section of the show; how emotional they thought it was

If this is the case (21 years old) there sure have been alot of ASM adult leader applications accepted from our troop in error. We currently list at least 5 in the 18 - 21 range.

BW, I don't have a *problem* with it. I don't see anything wrong with it. The comment was partially tongue-in-cheek. We have used popcorn sales to fund the entire Cub Pack and Troop programs for years. I fully agree it is an excellent product. The "like quality or merchandise" is not in the value of the popcorn; it's in the value of the program that your "donation" funds. The simple fact is that you pay more for the product because there is a built-in additional mark-up - a donation - over and above the product suppliers profit margin, for funding of BSA and local unit activities

"The BSA requires that a unit exchange a like quality service or merchandise in exchange for money." Boy Scout popcorn? BW, wouldn't want to touch that one with a ten-foot pole; though not disagreeing with what you have stated regarding fundraising.

Thanks for the tip. Always looking for new material for JLTs, etc. I'll have to check it out.

Agreement here on having the APL fill the role. I hesitate to use the term "chain of command" with its military connotation, maybe organizational line of authority might be better. The positions in Scouting as well as other well led organizations exist to allow for a smooth transfer of authority and responsibility both up and down the ladder of the organization's structure. This situation fits neatly into the reason for the APL (ASPL, ASM, etc.) position - normally assigned duties, plus stepping up /acting as "fill-in" as the occasion arises. The hard part would be when to draw the line if

Yes, the BOR does determine whether the candidate actually has performed as necessary to qualify for the Eagle Rank, or not. The details are found in BSA's "Advancement Committee Policies & Procedures" manual. For instance, execution of the Eagle project as pre-approved by the Unit Leader, Troop Committee, Benefactor and District Advancement Committee is reviewed by the BOR. "This pre-approval . . . does not meant the the BOR will approve the way the project was carried out." Herein lies one of the problems with a last-minute project. All work on the project is to be completed bef

The one I speak of was the same way. Starting at 1 year out leaders were gently prodding, at 9 months out prodding a little more, by the time 6 months out hit it was down to "Do you want this or not?' and the reply was always "Yes, I'm working on it". It was not us that wanted it for him, he wanted it. He was reminded of a couple of others that almost didn't make it; they too were working up to the last minute, although not nearly at this extreme. But, he didn't want to prepare and work for it. He went into MB counselor sessions totally unprepared. It took repeated meetings about his proj

Maybe I should more properly put this under "Issues and Politics", but here goes anyway. (Have you already picked up on the sarcastic tone?) Eagle candidate "does/completes" numerous merit badges within last 6 weeks before his 18th birthday (completing most within the last few days) - including some difficult ones like Family Life, Communications, Personal Management, Citizenship in Nation - even switches counselors on one at 10:00pm the night before his 18th bday to complete with an "easier" counselor. Must be led by the hand step-by-step to submit acceptable project paperwork and plan

Just curious mk9750, how did things work out?

Good ideas in the posts above. Here are a few more: Brightly colored rope helps (if nothing else it makes it look more interesting). Two colors work well for knots that are tied with two pieces of rope or both ends of one piece. Tie two different colors of shorter rope together then use the ends. Helps with visualization of the knot. Once the boy gets the basics of the knot, use it in a practical manner. It's more fun to use the knots to tie a stack of magazines together, lift objects, etc. Create a challenge or game. Turn off the lights for a prescribed time (1 minute, 30

BW is correct. The federal statute is 50 CFR Sec. 22.22. In short: Native Americans may apply for a permit to take, possess, or transport . . . bald or golden eagles, their parts, nests, or eggs . . . for religious purposes. It is illegal for all others to possess a bald or golden eagle or any part thereof. There is actually a repository for eagles found dead from which most of the parts come.

Beavers + Eagles became Beagles Dragons + Cobras became Drobras (not all work out well)

Maybe this should be a new thread, but I've been curious for quite awhile about the Eagle percentage numbers. Is there an explanation for the rise from 2% to 5% over the past 10 years or so? Not to say that being in the 5% is still not a significant accomplishment, but I always just wonder about reasons for a statistical change of 150% of any sort in a relatively short time.

In this situation, use one of the short, sweet, and simple Eagle COH "ceremonies" that can be found in the Advancements section of this site or at eaglescout.org. It can be tied in with a campout, troop gathering, troop COH, or even during a troop meeting. Not knowing your Eagle, it's hard to know his thinking. Some are quite aware of the significance of attaining the rank, but simply do not like all of the falderall associated with a major ceremony where they are in the spotlight. I have known several who were quite humble about the whole thing and were very content with a simple reco

Correct! The Scoutmaster should not need an invitation to be present at regular meetings of the committee; rather he should be expected to be there. Then again there are other meetings involving the committee or members of the committee where the Scoutmaster need not be present, is not expected to be present, and at times should not be present. Not that the Scoutmaster should be subverted by a conniving committee, but rather the Scoutmaster does not need to have his finger in every pie the committee bakes. If the Scoutmaster does not have enough trust and confidence in his committee to

Aside from what the books say - and I agree with most of what has been said - on the practical side from our troop, the SM is a part of all of our regular committee meetings. Along with reports from the treasurer, equipment person, transportation person, COR, etc, there is also a designated spot on the agenda for a Scoutmaster's report. The SM is expected to keep the committee up-to-date on the activities of the troop, how the troop is running, activity plans of the PLC, etc. We also have an SPL report on the agenda, but it is often difficult for the SPL to make this meeting in addition to

When I was pack treasurer, accounts were established using the chartered organization's tax ID (church in our case). Any funds of the pack, troop, etc. are technically property of the chartering organization - should your pack fold, all pack property and funds revert to the chartering organization (Bob White, correct me here if I'm wrong). Two different directions to take in establishing the account: 1. Establish the account with a church official as the primary signator. Have authorized users from the pack (either single signature required for checks or two, depending on how you

Good alternate activity OGE. Add a mini cyalume light stick (about 1-1/4" x 1/8", sometimes hard to find) to the rocket or the chute pack and you can watch them come down, too.

Liability, Liability, Liability. If for no other reason, a risk management approach indicates there is absolutely no gain for the risk taken. This one is like sticking your behind through the fence and hoping the horse won't kick it. From the information provided, it appears that you won't meet the basic requirements set forth by BSA. Further, check the law for the area of Canada that you will be in: "Federal regulations prohibit the use of firecrackers and bottle rockets in Canada. Only low-hazard recreational fireworks may be used by the general public and then, only in areas wh

Our troop does not own tents; boys must supply their own - and these boys are not from a "money area" (no offense taken). Pros - "Ownership" It's yours - take care of it - No maintenance burden for troop, no storage space needed. - Doesn't matter if there are 10 kids or 100 - Pride - I sold popcorn, saved my allowance, etc. to buy my tent and I'm proud of it. Cons - Financial burden is informally placed on some Scouts and not on others since not everyone buys a tent. I think that both of my sons' tents have been on every campout for the past six years. - "Ownership" It's

Do you suppose anyone from the B.S.A. reads this forum? Do you suppose anyone from the B.S.A. is paying attention? I am a firm believer that members of an organization with a uniform should be in uniform (as prescribed). But without belaboring this point further . . . low quality coupled with a high price makes this concept a lesson in futility for BSA.

Great stuff here! This is why I keep coming back to the forum. Only wish that all threads were this productive. There is a basketful of good ideas here that I will pursue further for our JLTs. KoreaScouter - my feelings exactly. I am not aware of any such material from BSA and that's why I did a value-added program. We did follow the JLT handbook, though. I think JLT should be a modular, progressive endeavor. All boys go through the initial, basic JLT and then can move on to more advanced and in-depth training. The whole idea afterall is to mold and prepare our leaders of the

Yes, probably the only durable, sensible, utile part of the current scout uniform ensemble. Find the older buckle though to make it even better. Teach the kids the proper way to wear it metal on metal. Just need to convince them the goal is proper uniform wear; not a fashion statement to have a tail hanging from the belt. Forget about teaching the parents.