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I don't think I'd bother over goggles or masks if I'm testing just one kid. Although a boy jumping in can loose them off his head. And in a lake, that may mean taking time to find them. With camp-load of kids in line to be tested, I can see where an aquatics director might prefer to avoid the hassle. "in a strong manner", but it's just a terrible test. What does that mean? How do you tell all of the leaders in your group to evaluate it in the same manner? What is the actual intent of that? A lawyer/soccer ref I know who trains new kids, sometimes refers to famous test-cases by way of explaining certain difficult calls: "It's kinda like porn, you know it when you see it." Some of the tell-tale signs of a "less than strong" manner:Floating partway before the end of the test.Turning yards before the edge to cut distance.Holding the edge/dock for more than a second when making a turn.Not keeping a roughly strait line. Swallowing water and sputtering part way.It's not that any one of these would make me ask the kid to come back rested and re-test. But the right combination that would give the "hair raising on the back of the neck" feeling would definitely do it. When that happens, I try to take a moment and talk the boy through it. I'll ask him how he felt about it? Was he proud? Or was he worried he didn't have it in him? Was he sure he could do that again right away if he had to? Would he like to come back tomorrow practice a little and do it better without everyone rushing him? Usually, it's not just your opinion. The boy knows he didn't do his best. Given the opportunity, he'll come back and try harder and be better for it.

but the woods are not outside the back door. Brew, let me call BS on that. There has to be some plot of land somewhere within 10 miles of you worth camping on. Pack up, walk there. Break the cycle. b430, it's really tough seeing 3 overwhelmed MC's trying to make a program happen. I would suggest this two step approach: 1. Be thankful for them. Show it in any way you can. My committee was never seen on troop outings. SM, maybe an ASM or two, and the 40 of us. But, they kept the wheels going. 2. Set the boys down and say, "Guys, whatever gets done around here, it starts with us. Bring your calendars and let's nail down some dates." (Encourage parents to send boys with their family calendars or a list of open dates.) Make achievable goals.

I don't think it's a high demand MB. If you would have pitched it to my oldest, he might have taken you up on it. He lettered in four sports in HS. But then again, he was also trying for a 5th letter in Girlfriend, so I'm not so sure how dedicated he would be to the MB! My youngest is in soccer year-round. Your council office might be able to give you overall stats. Your SM might be able to give you the name of the Sports MBCs in your district, and you can give them a call to find out how each operates and how many boys have called. I think the latter approach would give you a better feel for what you might expect.

It's important to realize we aren't just testing for a pool swim. If a first class scout comes up to me and asks to take my kayak for a spin with his buddy (say, one of my female venturers who works as a life guard), I'm going to trust the swim test he did at camp and she did to get her job was good enough. I'm not going to ask, "Didja swim a real 100 yds or a watered down 99?" Now, if it's been more than a year and the guy doesn't keep in shape, I might schedule a party at the local pool and keep and eye on how willing he is to hit the lanes.

Waterfront is all lake. So, checks are a pretty practical safeguard. If a boy doesn't want to swim test, we don't make him. There's no shame in starting camp a land-shark. We're not a 1st Class First Year troop, so there's no point in rushing a kid and turning a routing safety practice into a hazing ritual. I keep my certification up to date so that we can test boys whenever they are ready. I also make a point of volunteering at camp, so aquatics staff are freed up to teach those same kids later on.

SP - Good work on the transition. This is something I am having a tough time with. It's not that adults don't care. It's that they see my job (or the job as CC) as "too involved". I get lines like "I'm a follower, not a leader." Really? You're raising four boys (five, if you count hubby), and you're not leading? You know the really sad part? The adult support of a crew is 10 times easier than that of a pack. You put in an hour here or there, and the youth will return 50 (once they catch on that you're only putting in that little bit of time and the rest of it you're off having coffee with other advisors or inspecting the car)! Getting parents to dive in and come together is a skill. You should be proud.

Brew, Yes, it happens. Our troop is in that "slump." The patrol will pull together a yell to get their tenderfoots (we don't have many) to advance, but won't use it in competitions in such. It gets worse as the boys get older. Part of it was a new troop that spun off of ours. Part of that was fed by a line of SMs who "allocated" patrols. So, that's one mess to untangle. Then we'll have a sit-down with the older boys at summer camp. Maybe discuss how to build in a little tradition. Something that as adults they'll be proud to see in scouts when they return for a visit.

You may call BS on your veteran leaders. Of course the little gompers don't want to sit in sweltering heat while DL's dole out awards. But fishing, baseball games, parades, an evening at the pool, picnics, etc ... will attract a great number of boys. Anyway, I use Google Spreadsheets to generate quick surveys for venturing stuff. (I also use them for online activity sign-up.) The have a built-in form generation, and the results go straight to the spreadsheet. Just a few questions is all you need. I usually open with a silly one like "How many cookies did your family eat at the Blue and Gold?" Then ask open-ended questions like "What was your favorite pack activity?", "What would you have rather not done?", "What would you like to do as a pack?" Then I'd finish with "If you'd like to help with this activity, please put your name." You could set up a grid of activities and folks could click how much they like each, but I find that text responses help get people brainstorming. If you get names, be sure to follow-up by calling and thanking them for their feedback.

In my opinion most kids in Scouting enjoy camping. So to follow your line of thinking why count the number of nights camping as a requirement? T - 1 and Camping MB all require nights camping. Because the purpose of T - 1 is to become qualified to take your patrol hiking and camping. There's nothing wrong with a boy learning a little accountability in terms of setting aside a few hours for service. It's just IMHO not a First Class skill.

We lost that battle a couple of years ago. Now, instead of wasting energy smuggling, the boys are trying to figure out the most dependable way to maintain battery life (e.g. how to rig solar panels, dynamos, etc ...) To do that for any length of time requires teamwork because you need to know what device gets priority relative to how much juice it consumes. Of things that get in the way of us forming "real" patrols, electronic devices are way down at the bottom of the list.

We have some bad kids in our troop. One has had a parent come with him on nearly every activity. The boy is slowly growing out of his aggression, but it's a rough climb. Anyway he gets that we won't put up with his behavior because we told him "We don't put up with your behavior." He's at the point where he can usually time himself out preventatively. Another has had to be threatened to be sent home. If you've given warnings, suspend him. Tell him he'll be welcome back with a parent. If you get a chance to talk to the parent, explain that their boy unfortunately needs more supervision, and they are probably the best folks to to fill that role.

We are seriously mistaken if we think this is an issue of property use. By virtue of the fact that the GSUSA has young Catholic women in its care, it asserts the right to understand (and potentially counter) any cultural influences that may be contrary to its teachings.

Leather thong is aLso great material. Stain to your preference.

Any ship in a storm! As momma (who,if pinched, bled Bible) said, always be ready to give a reason for the Hope that is in you. If you can do that in a boy friendly way, you should have the job. Most Christian COs support lay leadership! You just have to mind what your boundaries (e.g., serving communion or holding baptisms ipwould require ordination in most sects).

We have a large number of camps, which our council markets aggressively. Prices vary. Our boys love 'em, so we go. Some of them do have good hill top locations for star gazing (not so easy to find nowadays). Prices are competitive with state parks in the area. The one is in ski country, and accommodations are really nice, so our VOA holds a winter getaway weekend there. Council camporees and Area Venturing Summits are hosted there as well. Non-scouting organizations use them. My son's freshman class used the cope course at one camp. Still, IMHO, nothing beats making friends with a local farmer.

Unless the CO is the tail-hook society, CM is out of line. COR needs to know. Frankly, the guy's wife needs to know. She might be the only one he'll listen to. I am seeing this from the perspective of a Crew advisor who has seen capable moms demoralized by the slightest perception of the "old boys network." We want you to be more enthused about the program as your kids grow (I'm sure the GS leaders will feel the same way). Behavior like you described undermines that.

If it was five months after moving to bear, and a boy up and said "You know, there was this thing in our Wolf book that we never did ..." Guess what my den would be doing the next week? So if your boys are rarin' to get started on the Bear book tonight, move on! If parents complain just tell them these guys on the internet gave you permission! Actually if you tell everyone you'd like to start calling it the Bear den on June 1st, and listen in case there's a major issue, odds are everyone will fall in line with that.

Charter Organizations that provide equipment and funds. That sounds funny to me. Agree with SN that it's a mistake to thing that the GSUSA program does not support a vigorous outdoor program where there is demand for it, but the majority of leaders don't see the demand for it. Most of the women who I see stepping out of the woods are not GS. At most GS cookie sales, you can ask the sellers what their troop is planning to do with what they earn. I have yet to meet one whose trrop was planning to attend some radical feminist rally!

... our guys enjoy helping the community ... As most boys do. After all that's the slogan. So, why bother making it a requirement?

I would be more upset if the majority of priests were dismal. Puns aside, It seems to me to be an overestimate of avowed practicing homosexuals. I've seen similar accusations directed toward GSUSA.

If the boys organize it and coordinate other volunteers in the clean-up, I would count it as a troop activity for first class requirements. If you let my troop camp there, I promise you my SM will count it as a camping night for our boys. So I guess if your boys camp there, they should count it for a camping night too! That said, because it's local, you need to decide what to do to make it an adventure for the boys. Maybe a hike to one of the farms to learn about its operation? A pioneering project? Making stations of the cross for the CO? I personally see it as a great location to do an ILST course. Any teaching materials are just a walk to the church. You get the idea. If the boys are taking advantage of the proximity just to avoid spending a day with the troop, showing up at the end of the day and running home before breakfast, I would not count it. But, if they are cashing in the reduction in travel time to be productive, it would qualify in my book.

Don't know how many stream crossings are on the AT, but in wilderness areas, I carried a pair of water shoes instead of sandals/crocs. They had a durable sneaker tread, so I could hike in them a ways if I was tired of the boots. downside: They would stink to high heaven if they never aired out.

sunto A-10 compass. Needle settles faster than anything (even my electronic compass), declination lines in the housing, and the instruction book was we'll written.

Not a fan of the service hours obsession. (IMHO the phrase "counts for service hours" should be banned from all announcements.) I wouldn't want Tenderfoot advancement to be held up because of a troop that had not scheduled a project suitable for a young boy's age and skill level. Frankly, I would like to think that you could use rank as a rough guide to which boys are suited for certain projects. (For example, setting a bunch of pre-Tenderfoot scouts to road-side litter pick-up is a recipe for failure. Tenderfoots, on the other hand, should have learned the basics of hiking on a road, so any safety instructions are reinforcing old material, not presenting new material.) When you think of T2F as preparing a boy to serve, it kinda makes sense why clocking hours isn't so explicit.

Eliminate "using the EDGE method" from 4c.