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BornInThe60s

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About BornInThe60s

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    Kansas
  1. Kids can and will surprise you. I had doubts about my own son getting through his Ordeal, but he made it with flying colors. (He even had that "I'm not going to cry, I'm NOT going to cry!" look on his face as he walked out of the council ring for the Pre-Ordeal.) I'd say it was a transformative experience for him, as he went from being the insecure kid I'd been negotiating with and dragging to campouts for two years into an engaged and involved Scout. (Three years later, he's now ASPL, Chapter Vice-Chief, heading for his second summer on Camp staff, and 1.5 merit badges and the proje
  2. If I'm in "Class A" (yes, I know), either my very experienced blue official OA cap, or a red 2009 NOAC cap. If not, a floppy-brimmed Columbia hat when it's hot, and green canvas Tilley when it's not so hot. But it's almost always too hot to wear the Tilley on my sweaty head, which is also a reason I've never purchased the "Indiana Jones" hat.
  3. SctDad: As a freshly-minted Chapter Adviser, I hate reading things like this. The Chapter has let you down, no bones about it. But, while the OA is youth-led, I will suggest that this is really an adult failure. A big part of mentoring/advising OA youth is making them "own" the service responsibilities they take on in exchange for the "privileges" of OA membership. (From their perspective, I think these are exalted Scouting social status, fancy patches, and Lodge weekends free of annoying first-year scouts.) It sounds like someone has not accomplished that task. (And, frankly, it
  4. Congrats! Sometimes, the best thing an adult can do for OA is simply encourage the Scouts to get involved. OA is a wonderful thing when it works, but sometimes it takes a little bit of prodding to get them to events post-Ordeal so they actually get that chance to see it work.
  5. I'm generally pleased with the new uniform, but there is always room for improvement. Good things: The fit is greatly improved. The cotton/poly shirt looks miles better than the old version, while the nylon version is miles more comfortable than the old version. Hey! An actual sewn placket down the front! I didn't like the "french placket" construction in the 70s, and I didn't like it on the De La Renta uniform, either. I love the cargo pockets on the switchbacks - finally, a good place to put all the stuff I carry around in the field - cell phone, multi-tool, etc. The
  6. I was at NOAC, and the National Chief and Vice-Chief were wearing the wool slacks just about every time I saw them. I'm beginning to think that gold loops and wool slacks are sold as a set. I very rarely see a troop or district level Scouter wearing them.
  7. I'd opine that the main reason OA defines youth as "under 21" is because we have a structure of Sectional/Regional/National Chiefs and officers above the local lodges. If you want youth to fill those positions, then you need to give them time to develop as leaders and become known to those outside their local lodge. The possibility of electing an 18-20 year old Scouter who earned First Class as a "BSA" youth is just an interesting by-product. ;-)
  8. flyingember: You say you don't see many lodge flaps on the leaders in your area. Well, unless your leaders are less than 35 years old, there's a very strong chance they were never exposed to OA as youths, and they probably aren't disposed to have much to do with it now. The HOAC merger may have happened in '75, but I know there weren't many (if any) OA elections held in Missouri troops before I went to college in '83. 25+ years later, State Line Road is still something of a barrier in this council. Come over to the Kansas side sometime. You'll find plenty of Arrowmen leading tr
  9. I've got hundreds of CDs. Everything from Beethoven to Robert Johnson to Frank Sinatra to Led Zep to Willie Nelson to AC/DC to The Clash to U2 to Barenaked Ladies. But the only thing I really need is Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. Because it ain't no sin to be glad you're alive!
  10. This year, we're doing a fishing derby, a swimming party, and a KC Royals baseball game. (Recently, that would have qualified as minor-leage baseball.) We also let the boys count participation in a District or Council Camp for the individual awards. Last summer, we tried to do a softball night and picnic, but we were rained out. That was just about the only time it rained last summer, IIRC.
  11. htc1992 writes, "To me, those who are Cub Scouter Arrowmen could show the best of Scouting by training and teaching potential Boy Scouts. They'll see their leader wear the stuff and they might be interested in the program in general." Exactly. When I went to Den Leader training, the trainer encouraged us to wear the representations of youth awards to which we are entitled - Eagle, Arrow of Light, and religious award knots, OA Flaps, the (rather complicated) OA coup worn by our lodge, Mic-O-Say coup, etc., as a way of getting the boys to ask us about them. They provide instant teach
  12. From page 33-4 of the Cub Scout Leader book: "Webelos Scouts should not spend the night as participants at the event if the program is Boy Scout-based." In my district, the Fall camporee has seperate daytime programs for Cubs, Webelos, and Scouts, and Webelos are invited to camp with a Troop. Does that sound acceptable?
  13. I'm the only one in my Pack, too. Unfortunately, I don't really have the time to be much more than a "send in my dues and wear the flap" member right now. Chapter meetings are the same time as Roundtable, and it's just about impossible for me to work a weekend Lodge event into my schedule right now. I'm not 100% sure, but I may be the only registered adult in our Pack who was a Scout as a youth. (I know a couple of the fathers were, they asked about my Philmont Arrowhead when I wore it to our Blue and Gold.) Our neighborhood skews a little older, so most of my parents (just like m
  14. Congratulations! I've just spent a year as a Wolf Den Leader, and it is one of the most rewarding (and also frustrating) jobs you can have. The other posters have said many useful things, but I'll toss in a couple more for good measure. 1. Make the meetings fun. Boys who are having fun are easy to manage. Boys who are bored are just about the opposite. 2. The Program Helps and the "How-To" book are lifesavers, when you can't come up with a good idea. 3. Don't make advancement the primary focus of all your meetings. Many of the requirements really are best accomp
  15. One line in one of Mr. Steele's posts got me to thinking: "Wouldn't it be great if our membership was strong enough to be able to get wierd pants and sox cheaper?" Here's my thought: Why do we need weird pants and sox? There are stores all over the country that carry functional, well-fitting pants in various shades of green. I suspect that if I look hard enough, I'll even find some that are made in the USA. Instead of swimming against the tide with a unique shade of olive, why doesn't the BSA pick a "standard" shade in a style that is readily available from several manufa
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