Vicki

Scouting is a great idea! The only serious injury I've heard of in our troop was me - I fell off a rock and broke several ribs. Goof. I still (and will always, I guess) get abuse whenever we hike in the rain - "watch out, there's a rock!" Why aren't you going to summer camp? It's a blast! Vicki

Sounds like you don't have the same limitations we do - I love your idea. I would echo others in suggesting that you get OA involved and make sure it's done in front of the entire pack. But, to describe ours. Our OA ceremonial team is definitely part of the crossover program! As the finale of the B&G the incoming Web2s are asked to sit in a tipi. The bridge is brought out, the lanterns on it are lit and the Boy Scout leadership and troop members in attendance are lined up on one side. Lights are dimmed (this usually takes place in a banquet hall, since it's Feb in the midwest). T

I was so glad to see this thread. I have just volunteered to be the ASM-new scouts in our troop because I could see our NS program foundering from lack of leadership. Our troop has about 20 active members and an NSP of about 5/6. The year before that we had three cross over and all three dropped out before attaining FC. Our NSP participates fully in the troop meetings - I'd say only three or four times a year do we take troop meeting time to work on FC advancement. I'm guessing from the input here that there is a happy medium we should be working towards in that regard. Any recommendatio

Hey, I got flack for Rocky Horror references! Watch it with the Elton John lyrics! Butt seriously folks - Scouting is like the Hotel California - you can check out anytime you like, but you can never leave. So it's best to just keep playing in the band... "Some folks look for answers, others look for fights Some folks up in tree tops, just looking for their kites I can tell your future, whoa just look what's in your hand I can't stop for nothing, I'm just playing in the band [chorus] Standing on a tower, world at my command You just keep a-turning, while I'm play

Hugolin, please don't apologize for your English. It's quite understandable. Better than my French! Bonjour et bienvenu (I hope I conjugated that correctly:

AZScouter wrote >Fox, you should really read what you posted, I hope you are not as closed minded and elitist as you sound. If you really feel women should not be allowed, then you should resign and allow a man to take over. I hope I have your attention now.> Wow, what a welcome to the forum! On her very first post, too. You got my attention. This is almost as rude as it gets, IMO, at least in this forum. Fox stated an opinion, and one that has been stated by others. I went back and re-read her post and I see nothing elitist about it. Maybe a little closed minded, but again, w

What scoutldr said in both of his e-mails, especially the last one - although I like "spidey safety sense", I may use that line:

So, Semper, I assume you were waving your finger at us (hmmm, but that would make typing difficult). Anyway, when that picture shows up of you with a hot dog in your mouth, I assume the accidental ingestion was because the dog was hidden in the bun and you just didn't know? Vicki

mb, I said "But it also bothers me that this will lead to the exclusion of two scouts". Not judging anybody, I'm absolutely certain from your e-mails that you're not planning to exclude anybody. As I said, you're in a tough spot. But the law of unintended consequences in this situation seems to indicate that if you do things during the day when the non-homeschooled scouts can't come, they will, by definition, be excluded. If the homeschooled parents can't give up some of their flexibility in order to do things in the late afternoon, evenings, or weekends, then they will be excluded. Unles

>Does it help to be more "boy led" if your committee is trained? Please be specific.> Geez, it would help if I re-read the original e-mail before I posted my answer, wouldn't it? Yes, I believe it helps enormously to be more boy led if the committee is trained! The more people who are trained, the more educated opinions you'll have and the more you'll be able to help each other "toe the line". Not to mention be able to handle the "failures" and "re-dos" involved with the experimentation that goes with having 13, 14 and 15 year olds running things (16 and 17 year olds every on

Whoops, sorry, forgot to mention - two of us have also served on JLTC/NYLT staffs as ASMs...me and the aforementioned Cubmaster:

Hmmm, I can't speak to the pack other than to say the CC is specific-position trained and has served on staff at seven Camporees. The Cubmaster is Wood Badged, has BALOO, is a Red Cross certified first aid and CPR instructor, is a BSA lifeguard and is doing her second tour at Philmont with her older son as I type this. On the troop side we have three BSA lifeguards (myself included), eight Wood Badgers (again myself included) and eight or nine of us are trained up through SM. Our Red Cross instructor (see above) runs us through first aid and CPR annually. Youth protection training is m

mbscoutmom, I appreciate the fact that you're willing to stick around and listen to others' opinions on this topic. I think what you're saying is that the homeschoolers' ability to keep their flexibility is critical to their willingness to participate in Scouting activities. Since that's one of the reasons to homeschool in the first place, I can understand that logic. But it also bothers me that this will lead to the exclusion of two scouts just because they aren't homeschooled. Reverse prejudice, if you will. Tough spot to be in - I guess I hope that you get a lot more interest from scho

OK, as long as GB resurrected this thread:

Prairie, I was trying to give him some ammunition:

Three immediate thoughts - 1) too militaristic, 2) hazing when it comes to the scouts who, for whatever reason, can't do pushups (OK, it seems to me it's hazing even for the scout who CAN do pushups) and 3) just generally a bad idea to single out scouts just for being late for a meeting or not being in full uniform when there's all kinds of good reasons why it might have happened (although I do think there's fewer excuses for not being in full uniform than there might be for being late). We really do want to encourage them to make it to meetings, don't we? Vicki (edited for clarification

Eagle in KY is right on the money in his reply. We frequently get donations the way he details. Gern - if a donor gives your CO money and earmarks it for the scouts, they cannot legally do anything but forward it to you. IRS regs are really clear on that point and, in extreme cases, it can be worth the organization's tax-exempt status to get it wrong. Look at the trouble the Red Cross got into when it even suggested using some of the 9/11 donations for administrative costs back in 2002. Do sloppily run churches always get this right? Of course not. But any church treasurer or

Gotta admit - our troop doesn't sell it. Our major fundraiser is pizza that we pre-sell. Our Venture crew sold it last year - that popcorn was good but not $18 worth of good - I'll just write a check to them for $10 this year - no calories and tax-deductible. Vicki

Wow, I learn over and over again how blessed we are - our CO provides us with a garage... Vicki

Just to add to what others have said here - we definitely had some folks in questionable physical condition in our course! Some of 'em I looked at in genuine disbelief and wonder. It is physical - we backpacked (short distance) to our overnight, walked wherever we had to go (in a hurry most of the time), participated in a service project, slept in wall tents - all in 90+ degree heat for the first weekend. Lost one member of our patrol to heat exhaustion (he obviously didn't get the water lecture delivered daily by an adult at all of our troop's hot camps). All kidding aside, there are some

>Actually I was thinking the same thing but calling it FOXScouting.com > Oh, Oh, can I get in on taking political potshots? We could call it TheNation.com! Vicki

stlscouter >Keep the uniform but don't let Oscar de Larenta design it-maybe the folks at Columbia or REI etc. > AMEN! I also think the team comparison is valid... Vicki

ronvo, I've just gotten back from camp with our troop at S-F (saw two shooting stars on my pre-Ordeal overnight), did a week two weeks ago at S-F for NYLT - definitely a piece of God's country. OTOH - I'll be in the Rockies two weeks from now (and have spent a lot of time out that way) and I was overlooking the Potomac six weeks ago. It's ALL God's country... Vicki

Hops - that's exactly the sort of information scouts are now getting at NYLT. Vicki

Marilyn M - I am not at all shocked that there are parents out there who are not sharing their sons' disabilities with leaders (taking your statement at face value). I just got back from serving as ASM for an NYLT troop - as the scouts got more stressed, three stood out as exhibiting abnormal symptoms. One turned out to be bipolar, another was ADD and the other had some nervous disorder that I never did figure out. None of this info was on the medical form - the bipolar I figured out by googling the med he was on (I was told ADHD for him which didn't make sense - his med was dispensed at ni