Oldscout448

Why is it so hard for some people to realize that the worth of an award is directly proportional to the amount of effort that went into earning it. I wouldn't take $100 for my Eagle badge but I could go online and buy the same one for 10 bucks at least it would look like the same one. The scouts aren't stupid, they can see what's going on they know what's real they know what is fake they spend their whole lives as students listening to teachers lie to them or tell them the truth. If we as scouters water the order or the eagle or anything else down they will know it within a we

Not a thru or even a section hiker, but I have done three 50 milers on the AT. As well as a lot of weekends there. Mostly in the Va, Md, Pa area. Stories? You want bears, mud, lightining, sitting with some very good friends watching the harvest moon inch over the eastern ridge flooding the valley at your feet with silver?

SSS. Scout, I can't seem to get the PM to work, so apologies to the other posters here. Yes I have shark teeth from the cliffs, and have faced the dreaded nettles. But it is my sad duty to report that I joined boy scouts in '69 and Roosevelt closed in '68? after half a century of serving scouts. The older scouts talked of it often around the campfire, and as a tenderfoot I listened intently. I wish I could have camped at the birthplace of The Order of the Mystic Oak.

I did manage to move the brotherhood ceremony to after dinnwr. It's a start I guess. I think the selling point was that this way brotherhood candidates could also serve as elongomats, without " deserting" their clan to attend a ceremony. The reaction of the youth who had never witnessed a night time ceremony was everything I expected. They were awe struck. I also hold that Meteu's line " we are gathered here together, underneath the stars above us." Makes no sense at 5:00pm . It just sounds ridiculous.

Agreed,It seems that most troops rarely venture more than 50 yards from their trailer, which means no more than 50 yards from the road.where is the promised adventure in that? I have gone " drop and plop" camping with some troops, and the scouts just sat under their big 50 lb. dining canopies just sat there! I got up and went for a hike out of sheet boredom. I went perhaps a mile and back. I saw deer,Turkey ,heard redtailed hawks, woodpeckers,jays, smelled a skunk,and so on. What did the scouts see back at camp? Nothing. Any wonder that the scouts say it gets boring after the

Yup, tooth of the great fish!

This has been a subject of much debate among the ceremonies bunch for years. All agree that the ceremony is much more impressive in the dark. I can assure you in my (and SSS. Scouts) lodge from 1965 at old Roooosevelt untill 1982 at Hollowood it was always dusk when the ceremonies started. At least in the five chapters of our lodge I worked with. I think we had 24 back then. Somewhere between 82 and 97 all that changed. The emphasis seemed to shift to quantity rather than quality. So to entice more participation the weekend was shortened. That's my guess anyway.I have been trying for the las

Seems entirely appropriate for us scouting nuts who would rather work in the trenches

anyone want a BIG box of popcorn?

Eagles, some soar, most flap, a few have to battle gale force headwinds. A scout salute to your son!

At the risk of being snarky, does the CO. also refrain from a beer on St Paddys day?

David CO, If arrowmen are doing nothing more than backslapping and self praising then they have totally missed the point of the Order. If the only ones you have met are like that then I am truly sorry. I admit that they exist, I have meet them as well. But around here anyway they are a small minority. We try hard to correct them when we find them. It is about serving, helping, leading by example, and yes there is a certain pride that comes with belonging to the Order. But it should be a humble inner pride, not a " I am better than all of you " Oldscout448

May his remaining scouting years be full and happy ones. And remember the scouting trail doesn't end at Eagle. Oldscout, (eagle class of '76)

Well Eagle 94, the chapters never totally split. They were so small they just couldn't survive on their own. You can imagine how fast they burn out when the scout who is chief as also running the elections, and is on the ceremonies team,(because if he's not they only have three members ( and is the ordeal master. So the two chapters still had joint ordeals every spring the southern team came up to help out and every fall the northern team went down to return the favor. Still it going to be a very interesting few months.

I joined boy scouts in '69 and the older scouts still talked about the "good ol days" before they had to go to a council camp. it was a two week affair for the older scouts,they worked on some MB stuff but mostly it was leadership training and getting the camp ready for the newer scouts who came on the second week. One of the dads had about 40-50 acres of woods with a pond. So there was swimming. dead tree felling, tower building , all meals were cooked by patrol over an open fire, black powder shooting, etc. Dont know why we stopped doing that and started going to summer cam

Welcome indeed! It's a different world as a scouter, No more badges or medals, but the reward of watching a cub literally jump for joy when he gets his badge/ ribbon / trophy is something to treasure forever

Ya know I just discovered that I am not as "over " my sons old SM as a grownup should be. I am still pretty angry about the boys who had their scouting lives wrecked. Zuzy, you might want to keep that in mind should you try to follow my "in your face " ideas Oldscout

No book?! I swear this sounds like the same guy. Only his son would be 20 something now. I feel for you and yours I guess you could buy two copies of the SM handbook. Give one covertly to the new SPL so he knows what a SM should and should not do. Hand the other one to the SM at a meeting how about.... " Since it is very clear that you don't know your job, perhaps you can take some time and read your handbook. You always want the scouts to read theirs right?

Control issues? Stosh, this guy had 'em. squared, cubed, and deep seated. Never seen anything like it in all my years in scouting and may I never see it again. But to address Zuzy's latest, the SM is trying to change the troops leadership positions without elections? Is that verified? If so it is grounds for a SM, CC. CoR meeting that should go like this... CC " Your job as SM is to deliver the scouting program to the boys as is clearly laid out in the SM handbook. If you are unwilling to do that, your sorry butt is fired services to this troop will no longer be required.

Scout son #2 did that very thing a few years back. The scouts loved it! But the sm was livid when he found out (no one tried to keep it a secret) I like the Bev's idea, but it is not without risk. Oldscout

In our troop we always have the committee do an eagle board of review all of the scouts are very aware will be done at a district-level so this is really just a last chance for the scouters to listen to the 16-17 year olds reflections on his scouting career. It's amazing to listen to the insight from someone who was just a tenderfoot a year ago. Or was it two or tbree or... six! How did that happen? We talk about what Eagle means to them, what it means in the eyes of others, what their plans are, and anything they want to talk about. The most common theme is the scouters don't challenge

Ouch! I didn't even consider a ceremony with no troop at all. I can't think of any eagles I've known who would even consider such a thing

No that is not outdated. In fact I heard it at an OA chapter meeting three weeks ago. It is my understanding that the scout who has earned eagle can have any ceremony he wishes. If HE wants the OA folks to dress up in Blackfoot headdresses and give him an ' eagle' feather that's just fine. If HE wants just a simple handshake from the SM at a troop CoH, also fine. Or no ceremony at all. Up to him Oldscout

I did once "fail" a scout for star rank. To this day I don't know what the problem was. The scout was so scared/nervous/whatever he couldn't speak to answer a single question. Although he did manage to nod his head in the beginning, after a few minutes he was shaking and crying. After 15 minutes of gently trying to get any response the board regretfully asked him to come back another time. A fellow scouter once failed without regret a scout who was attempting to use his older brothers doctored merit badges cards. But I suppose that would fall into "not completing requirements b

was just wondering... what is louder an air horn or a 44 magnum?