Troop185

I too had a lump in my throat when my son, David, "cross over" into Boy Scouts. His 1986 Webelos group, which I was the leader of, was the first group to join the Boy Scouts in March, after the Blue and Gold, instead of at the end of the school year. Webelos was a one year program back then. In Webelos we had had a lot of fun, going on as many field trips as we had regular den meetings.

"Do you guys want to work on anymore Webelos activities badges, or do you want to join the Boy Scouts?"

"We want to join the Boy Scouts!"

And so they join the Boy Scouts and drove everyone crazy with, "Will you sign me off on this?" His group was really into camping and advancement. Every campout had a big Capture the Flag game in the evenings. Their teams were established far before each campout. One team got short way radios to talk to each other. David constructed a radio jammer to cut off their communications. David was always engineering different things. He always had string tie across the top of the inside of his tent so he could pull his flashlight across the tent on a pulley at night.

We took our first wilderness trip to Ontario when David was 11. After meeting different characters out in the wilderness, David told me "They always tell you not to talk to strangers. But they are the most interesting people!"

When he was 12, he was paddling in the back of a canoe with his buddy on a huge lake in Northern Ontario. This is when I realized he was going to be a success in life. The wind was really blowing in on us. If you stopped paddling, you went backward fast. It started raining, and you could not stop paddling to put on your rain jacket, or you were going backwards. The wind was blowing so hard, the person in the back of the canoe could not hear what the person in the front was saying. David had tears in his eyes from paddling so hard with only an 11 year old helping him, but he never quit. I knew then, he had the perseverance to go with his intelligence. Larter in that summer of his 12 year, David met with the DNR and the Coast Guard to plan his Eagle Project for the following summer.

David became a 14 year Eagle. In high school he became a National Merit Scholar and got a full ride to college. David love theater and as a freshmen in college, volunteer to work behind stage. Instead, they hired him as a Master Sound Tech. Two years later, he gave up this job to become the only undergraduate to work with medical students in research and doing operations on rats. He became the Supreme Court Justice of his Student Court. He had a faculty parking sticker, his own office, and knew every girl on campus.

David undergraduate degree was in Chemical Eng. He went on to medical school at the University of Michigan where he met his wife. Today, he has a great family, and is an ER doctor. I take all the credit since I taught him First Aid Merit Badge!

Red Cross requirements are harder than BSA. YMCA requirements are more difficult than Red Cross!

In the past, our Pack use to give out camping gear like canteens. Now they give them a white, first aid neckerchief from the scout office which the boys seem to like. They wear them instead of the Webelos neckerchief the 2nd year. It help old guys like me to tell the different between 1st and 2nd year Webelos.

I also had a scout that woke up in the middle of the night to find a ratcoon sitting on his chest.

My best story is years ago when I was a Provisional Scoutmaster at a Boy Scout camp. I had forgotten to give one of the scouts his pill he was taking before he went to bed, about a half hour earlier. I took the pill over and open his tent flap to see a skunk eating a candy bar under his cot. The boy sat up in his bed, and I told him, "You can get your pill in the morning!" The skunk finished the candy bar and then, wandered away.

Our troop has 13 Assistant Scoutmaster (including me) registered at this time. We have about 60 scouts.

A few years back, our District combined the Fall Camporee with recuiting Webelos. They called it a Show-O-Ree. Webelos could come out on Saturday to the local Boy Scout Camp and meet the troops and the Boy Scouts. Each troop had activities gear toward the Webelos for Saturday.

The first year, our troop scheduled their regular meeting before the Show-O-Ree, and meet at the camp. The camp was only 15 - 20 minutes from our regular meeting place. They set up their tarp, tents, and many of the stations they were going to have for the Webelos. This saved them a lot of work Friday night when they came back out to spend the weekend.

The next year, the Boy Scout were busy with something else, and did not get out early to set up. Unknow to them, I talked to the Webelos Leaders of our Pack; and we took the Webelos out to the camp, with several parents, on Thursday night. We set up the dining tarp and all the tents for the Boy Scouts. We left a large note for the Boy Scouts, "This campsite was set up by the Webelos of Pack 185, for the Boy Scouts of Troop 185!"

Friday night, it was pouring rain and the Boy Scouts had no idea everything was set up for them, until they got to camp.

Most of the Webelos came back out on Saturday to do the actvities and get recuited by The Boy Scouts. They really like the idea they set up the Boy Scout campsite.

Since today is the "Big Game", I thought I would share this story:

Four summers ago, we were backpacking in Northern Ontario. One cold morning I found out a young scout, David, had forgotten to pack a sweatshirt. Luckly, one of the dads had an extra sweatshirt with him - a Michigan sweatshirt. Unfortunately, David's two parents had both graduated from Ohio State, and were a bad influences on David. He did not want to put on that swearshirt! I "strongly encourage" David to put it on.

Later when we got home, I told David's dad about it. "Good for David," was his reply.

I found that a two year difference in age is important. I had good success with 11 year old, first year scouts being Den Chiefs to 9 year old, 1st yr. Webelos. The Den Chiefs have always stayed with the Webelos until they graduated into Boy Scouts in 1 1/2 year.

The last two Eagle Court of Honor I went to, had slide shows. I like it, probably because I took some of the pictures (when they were in Webelos or young Boy Scouts); and I am in some of the pictures.

Our Troop is co-sponsored by a Catholic Church, but we do not meet there. In the past year, they have required every adult registered with the Troop, to take a 3 hr. class in person, "Protecting God's Children". So far, no one has rebel; even though it is a repeat of Youth Protection, and we have many leaders that are not Catholic. Every other Catholic Church that I know of, has started the same policy for anyone that works with youths.

In your case, I would recommend that you contact your Catholic Bishop, and ask it this is their policy: "That all members of the Pack must belong to the parish!" I think your priest is making up his own policies!

On our Clothing & Equipment List for wilderness trips; in bold headlines it reads: Do not let your mother pack for you! The young scouts always get a kick out of that.

Our first overnight backpacking trip with young scouts is usually to the Sand Dunes next to Lake Michigan in June. The hike is through a lot of loose sand, in a Federal Wilderness Area, but less than two miles each way. With rest stops, it might take usover an hourto do 35 minutes of walking. We cook dinner over an open fire, wade in Lake Michigan, play in the sand dunes, and hike back out after breakfast the next morning. If the bugs (black flies)are real bad, or if rain is coming, we don't spend the night ( I have a cabin within about 35 miles.) Wet sand is not a lot of fun.

Since we are only going overnight, the scoutsonly taketheir swimming suit, towel, and a sweat shirt. The heaviest thing they carry is their sleeping bags, and 2 qts. of water. They carry the food, the adults carry the tents.

I wear the tie when I am serving as a Webelos Coach (i.e. Pack Meetings). I wear the troop neckerchief when I am acting as an Assistant Scoutmaster at troop meetings, etc.

We had 22 new scouts join us last Spring. 16 are still very active. In May we had a Tenderfoot Weekend. 17 of the new scouts went to it - all 16 that are still active!

Everyone that went had a good time despite the rain (it rained most of the weekend). Most of the scouts completed their tenderfoot requirements.

It is no secret, in order to retain the new scouts, you got to get them out camping. And it helps if you can work on, and complete some of their requirements. They need to have fun, but also, feel like they accomplish something.

Has anyone hear of the Akela Award? It is suppose to be an award for the end of Webelos / first six months of Boy Scouts. I have been trying to find the requirements for it, and have not had any luck.

Do not be afraid to invite the Webelos on some of your more exciting campouts. In the Spring, our troop is taking camping trips to Hocking Hills in Ohio, and the Bruce Penisula in Ontario. Now both places are about 300 miles from here, and we will not get many Webelos and their parents to join us. However, over the years I have had the parents tell me, that is what sold my son on joining Boy Scouts.

I agree with Eagle90. Some of our best troop campouts, were ideas we took from other troops. Your troop will miss out on a lot of exciting adventures if you wait for the boys. Scout do not have the resources and contacts that adults have.

Adults backpacking for the 1st time, usually have more problems than youth. Bringing a parent along that does not want to be there, will only increase your problems.

Lynda, thanks for the great story about your son. I really enjoyed it and you should be proud of him.

Back when I was younger and not too bright, I was a Webelos leader for two dens. My son was a life scout at the time and our Den Chief for both dens. We meet with the Webelos II on Wed. at my house or my assistant's, and the Webelos 1 came on Thursday. There were 9 Webelos in the first group, and 5 in the second.

Of course, my assistant who was the scoutmaster at the time, and I were both doing Boy Scouts on Tuesday!

Yes, my son made Eagle and he is a emergency medicine doctor now with two children. It has been my experience that most good Den Chief go on and get their Eagle!

In regards to your question on the Eureka Timberline Tents: we prefer the 4 man with a vestibule for their boots. They can also leave their rain gear in the vestibule.

We figure on two scouts to a tent, but often have 3 scouts in a 4 man. This works good if they do not have too much gear. The younger scouts often prefer that, especially if it is cold. The only time we put four scouts in one, is on wilderness trips.

I have a two man Eureka with a vestibule that I really like. But if I am car camping, I go with the 4 man, unless it is really cold. The 2 man is 5 by 7 feet, the four man is 7 by 9 feet.

We just had our first Pack meeting Sunday night with about half that number of boys. After awards, I took the whole group outside to play Capture the Flag for about 1/2 hour, while the leadership talked to the parents. I divided them up so the Tiger Scouts were with the older Webelos, etc.

I do not think that the Tigers really knew what they were doing, but they had a great time running around with the other scouts. Capture the Flag is a great game for large groups and different ages.

When we came back in for snacks, the Webelos had a Power Point Presentation on a camping trip they took during the summer.

Another thing we have done, is work with the scout on finishing his Arrow of Light at the Boy Scout meetings in the Spring. We did not officially registered him into the troop until he got his A.of L. Thus the boy came to the meetings with his friends, but worked on different requirements.

I would leave it up to the boy to decide what he wants to do.

Any troops that have had success with Webelos Open Houses, we are looking for ideas, suggestions for this Fall.

Our Troop meetings are in a very large room with a lot of tables and chairs. We are able to have SM conferences in the back of the room away from the group, or sometimes, we sit at a table on the stage. (Talk about being in view!) Everything depends on how much noise there is. The scout usually has to scheduled a conferences a week ahead.

This past weekend, we had a campout for new scouts. 12 earned their Tenderfoot by the time we had the campfire, Saturday night. We had scoutmaster conferences and board of reviews going on all over the place. I had extra assistant scoutmasters and committee members scheduled to come out for dinner Saturday, so we could get everyone done.

My van was parked there, and it was not raining then, so I opened the two back doors, and the scout and I talked sitting on the back.

We had our first Tenderfoot Weekend this past weekend. We had two new patrols of nine boys each, and a leadership group of seven boys; six 13 yrs. old, and one 14 yrs. old. They were outstanding and related well with the new scouts. They did all the teaching and signing of books. Twelve of the new scouts received their tenderfoot at the campfire Saturday night.

Some 2nd year scouts came out to the campfire to do skits, and some of them spend the night. One 16 yrs. old boy came out to M.C. the campfire for communication merit badge.

We receive new scouts from several different packs, and after the weekend, they feel like they belong and know some people in the troop now. I think they and their parents were all impressed with the leadership scouts. I would highly recommend having a tenderfoot weekend for your troops!

We go to the Recreation Center of two different colleges every year. One in the Spring and one in the Fall. Beside swimming, we play racketball, basketball, dodgeball,etc. We always invite the Webelos. During the winter, we usually go to a local high school to swim once or twice. And sometimes on trips, usually on the way home, we will stop at a recreation center to take a swim. It is a great way to bring the scouts home clean!