PA Scoutmaster

I don't know about 2016 but we were able to get in last year for 2014 without too much difficulty. Put in for lots of dates and several adventures and you should have good luck! If you don't get it, go back right after deposits are due and you will find openings.

I think 25 out of 38 is outstanding. We have around 35 in the troop, and often have 10 to 12 on any given outing. It is a rare boy that is only in scouting. Almost all of our scouts are in sports, band, theater, etc. Most other activities are mandatory in the sense that if you miss a practice, you don't play. Almost all of our older scouts take multiple AP courses, jobs and other obligations. In our area, scouting tends to attract the high achieving kids with lots of stuff on their plates. I used to stress over it, but long ago I decided that the outings will happen, and those that attend will

Mashmaster, I'm really sorry for your loss as well. As someone who lost his father at a very young age, I know that the boys will have a feeling of isolation in addition to their sorrow. Perhaps you could find a way for the pack to honor their father.It will be very important for the boys to have a sense of belonging, and their friends in scouting can be a huge benefit.

Our troop has a long standing tradition of going to the same camp and campsite every year. Some boys look forward to the same tent. We've talked about maybe adding a second week of camp to try something different, but I don't think they would be willing to give up the camp they love.

Our camp still runs Sunday through Sunday. It's quite the logistical feat to get 15 troops in and 15 troops out on the same day.

I agree with the above comments. A common way to play pick-up games is to eliminate the offensive and defensive lines. These are the big guys in the middle that protect the quarterback / try to get to the quarterback. Instead, one guy on defense has to count to 5 slowly and then can go after the quarterback. This gives the receivers some time to try to get open for a pass. You can start by practicing throwing and catching the ball that will be oddly shaped to you. A bit like a rugby ball but more pointy on the ends. i think you've got a great idea here - maybe we can give rugby a try!

As a SM without OA experience, I had mixed feelings. The elections in our troop were absolutely a popularity contest, with guys getting in that barely showed up for troop events and never did any service. Other guys that helped out with every service project and Eagle Scout project were getting left out. For the life of me, I couldn't figure out why. I finally realized that even with the OA election team explaining what the OA is all about, the young scouts all look at the guys who are eligible and vote for the oldest, the biggest or the funniest. PLC decided a couple of years ago to start usi

Good one, Stosh! It can take a while to learn that. My first year at camp, my son came up to ask me something "Dad.." One of the experienced ASM's stopped him and said, "Dad's not here. This is Mr. so and so. Go ask your patrol leader."

Scouters can earn the mile swim as well. I can testify that it was much easier at 14 years old than it was at 47. I don't really care about a patch, but I went along to support some young scouts that wanted to try. About 5 minutes in, I knew they didn't need my support. I only needed to finish and save face.

We're happy with our council camp but have looked into a second week at a camp out of council. I know some local troops that go out of council and I've never heard of them getting any grief. It seems interesting that councils will give units a hard time for going out of council, but they will actively seek out troops from other councils to come to their camp. Camp, like troops, should put out a good program and people will come.

Most of the troops in my area still use the red, with a lot of them still using the community strip instead of council patch. I always liked the community strip as a conversation starter at Summer camps and other multi troop events: "Oh, you're from anytown?"

In all seriousness, I think this looks great! What a perfect opportunity to talk about the history of scouting, the role of den mothers, etc. Anything to keep the scouts engaged is a good thing. If your wife is more comfortable in the dress, I say go for it! (Did I mention she looks great?)

Ok, now this is more of a GSUSA issue. I can't speak for their uniforming standards but overall I would say this is acceptable.

Ok, some of the patches are in the wrong place. They are wearing neckerchiefs, so overall, I'm ok with it.

Thankfully the 150th anniversary Gettysburg encampment was last weekend! What a fantastic job by the New Birth of Freedom Council. There were 3500 scouts camped within the battlefield, everything went off without a hitch. Maybe they could give some pointers to the federal government.

I have had one or two boys in my troop express interest. I think it would be great for scouts to learn about the history of scouting. At a recent Eagle BOR, the candidate was asked which merit badge he would add to the list of Eagle required. He said Scouting Heritage.

Kudzu - Last Child in the Woods is a great book; I have recommended it to many. We live in a connected society, and it is necessary to disconnect sometimes. I have a boy in my troop that I swear would go through withdrawal on his first few camping trips when he was away from video games. One of my fondest moments was when he climbed up on a huge boulder, looked around, and said, "This is awesome!". The look on his face was priceless as it dawned on him that maybe outside isn't so bad after all.

I don't think Jamboree had any impact on our local program. We had 6 boys from our troop go to Jamboree, and 4 of them attended Summer Camp as well. Finished camp on Sunday, went home and showered, re-packed and left for Jamboree. I imagine the next week (or 2) in camp may have had lower attendance since it coincided with Jamboree.

I don't like the "refusing a conference" gambit. Speak to the scout about expectations before the conference. I agree with Basement Dweller in that I give conferences when the scout requests it. I prefer to do them during an outing rather than a meeting. There is something about sitting down outdoors and letting the boy talk that really works better than being off in a corner in church basement.

We just got our lottery results back with 3 crew for the Coral Reef sailing adventure. I think the crews of 6-8 give good flexibility. We have 30 days to get an idea of how many boys are interested - so far we have 10 within 24 hours. When you are awarded a number of crews, you have the option of only taking one or two. The last time our troop went, we recruited a couple of boys from other troops and it worked out well. I plan to have one of our older scouts that went last time (2010) to talk about the trip and get the boys excited.

We have a couple of patrols that have used Class B. They make nice patches and the boys are happy with them. Patrols should use any name they like as long as it isn't offensive.