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Buffalo Skipper

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Everything posted by Buffalo Skipper

  1. moosetracker. What I meant was that on a blue card there is NO part which goes to the council, except prehaps the counselor copy of any underage staff member at camp. I worked as a counselor at camp for several summers back in the early 80s and I handled (along with the camp director) the blue card of every scout who went through my program area; I do not have the counselor copies of these cards as that was kept by the camp. I also have in my possession the blue card applicant of every merit badge I ever earned. Before camp, I issue a Blue Card to every scout for the merit badges he
  2. Councils never "used" Blue Cards. Blue Cards are used by troops. It contains 3 parts. One for the Counselor, one for the Scout, and one for the Troop. If a troop wants to use them, then: use them!
  3. Lots of different factors will come into play here. For one location (geography and climate). If you are in an area where longer trails are limited, or there are fewer shorter trails, then the troop may not get out as much with either day hikes or overnight backpack treks. Also it depends on your leaders. If few leaders want to hike, this may also limit the opportunities. Our troop backpacks 2x a year (Warm up in December and a 3 day/night trek in January, further from home). In Utah, Dec/Jan would likely be too cold or snowbound to safely hike, but our summers are limited due to ext
  4. Fee structures will vary greatly from camp to camp/council to council. Our council rules are that if the unit we participate in both council fundraisers and FOS, we get the use of camp facilites for free (outside of council sponsored events). This includes camping, all buildings/meeting faciliites, and even camp canoes/trailers for troop canoeing events (we took 9 council canoes 5 hours away for a 60 mile canoe trip at no cost).
  5. Opening a can of worms, but not trying to stir the pot. On the new site, under Uniforms & Insignia > Hats & Caps it has only the following Boy Scout (not CS/Venturing) headgear--Campaign Hat and the Centennial Boy Scout Uniform Cap
  6. Eagle92: "I admit I have not used Scouts Direct yet, but the Alps sleeping bag I got the wife for her birthday is AWESOME! My only regret is that it's hers and not mine"Scout Direct and Alps are the same company. If you buy the same products thru Scout Direct you get a 45% discount as a scout leader. Troops get a 55% discount for a one time troop purchase.
  7. Rather than drag down my other thread, let me ask a very straight forward question with no strings attached: WHAT IS THE PURPOSE AND FUNCTION OF A TROOP COMMITTEE?
  8. That is what puzzles me the most. I did call the UC, who is a close personal friend of mine, and in fact, we are co-workers (he retired 2 years ago, but he is here about 15 hours a week on an outside contract). He is someone with whom I speak almost daily on Scouting. He and I have taught classes together, and we almost always see things eye to eye. He agreed that there was no need for an ASM to be at a committee meeting unless specifically requested to attend. He hails from a troop with an extremely large and effective committee which is a model of effeciency; very different from ours.
  9. The committee meets once a month on troop meeting nights. For the past few 2 years, we have not had sufficient ASM support to allow me (SM) to leave the troop meeting to attend the Committee Meeting. In the past 5 months, our ASM corps has grown in number and experience, and I have finally been able to attend and participate in committee meetings. Last night, one of our ASM (parent of 2 scouts) was able to break away from the troop meeting (there were 3 other ASMs in attendance) and he came over to sit in on the committee meeting. As soon as he walked in, the Committee Chair leaned ove
  10. My son has the Clearwater 20 mummy bag. Not the rectangle bag about which you inquired, but I can tell you the quality is great and he has on several occasions had it down to 20 with no problems. He really likes the bag. Just my 2.
  11. For those of you who may not be aware, one of our local scout leaders is hiking the Appalachian Trail. He goes by the trail name of Cimarron, and has led crews toPhilmont 15 times! He hiked the entire trail several times in section hikes (completing over multiple years) but he is committed to hiking all of it in a single year. A friend and fellow scouter is helping keep his journal updated on nearly a daily basis. For details on his exploits, read his trail journal here: http://www.trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?id=337584(This message has been edited by Buffalo Skipper)
  12. You can't really force a scout, but you can trick them a little. We encourage rank advancement in different ways. First, we have a really cool board with name "chits" which are hung in groups by rank. Everyone can see what rank you are, and when a scout completes a BOR (most often same night), they are called before the troop, presented with their rank patch and move their chit from one rank to the next. Patrols compete for Patrol of the Month, and rank advancement is rewarded handsomely. This does not fix the problem you have presented, but it does foster an environment in which sc
  13. I believe the committee guidebook states that registered committee members may vote. It also states that the SM is not a member of the committee. This is not a question of voting, but of attendance.
  14. I have a few committee meeting questions. Who is allowed to attend a committee meeting? I don't mean vote, I men who is allowed and NOT allowed to be present?(This message has been edited by Buffalo Skipper)
  15. I once put together a proposal for a similar camp for our troop, but neither the scout nor the adults bought into the idea, so it died. But I did discuss it with the forum here. http://www.scouter.com/forums/viewThread.asp?threadID=281071#id_281071 I agree that with a T21 emphasis, limit the badges to 2. First Aid is a no brainer, but also consider something like Nature or Forestry. You may also consider setting up to do a partial on Cooking, for those scouts who want to participate. Also, do day hikes to places of interest (waterfalls, firetowers on mountains, etc). Try to plan on
  16. OGE, I love the Rowboat #9 skit! It may well be my favorite of all time! Two summers ago, the first year I took the troop as SM, I insisted that everyone wear our neckerchief, which is very unique and dates back nearly 75 years. Everyone balked, but on the way to chow on Sunday evening (our first meal) we passed a scout walking the other way who said smartly: "Cool neckerchief." Later in the week a staff member from England asked for one of our neckerchiefs to take home. It was given, and was the first time that I know of that a neckerchief was given to a non troop member. I am
  17. We had a scout last year who I recomended to take the BSA Lifeguard course. As was the case above, the camp leaders guide did not include the age requirement. However as SM, I advise and counsel every scout on every badge they take, so I researched the age requirement, which the scout met. Different camps have different expectations on what merit badges scouts of different ages and experiences should take. I understand that for MBs, there is no age limit imposed by BSA, but I do respect the recomendations of camp programs.
  18. Thank you, my friends, for your replies and input. We have some interesting dynamics coming together for our upcoming Summer Camp trip, and the ASPL and I (SPL is out of the country that week) are going to be sitting down to talk about camp. ASPL is a real natural leader and has the respect of the scouts. He wants to do some fun things with the troop for all else to see. Last year we tried bringing back an old troop tradition of presenting an "Order of the Fork" award daily to a staff member. But he asked about doing something else to "Set the troop apart..." (his words). I like the idea
  19. Last year at Daniel Boone, one troop would get their plates and all stand silently behind their chairs at the table until all members were present, then everyone would sit down at once. It made for an impressive sight. I am curious to hear some of your troop's traditions at summer camp. Anyone?
  20. Wow. Polarizing topic. But aren't they all when talking about scout led. We assign an adult to coordinate the scout leaders for the COH. The adult (often an ASM and or Advancement Coordinator) works with a scout who is responsible for the COH. Requirement 8 of Communications MB states: "Plan a troop court of honor, campfire program, or an interfaith worship service. Have the patrol leaders' council approve it, then write the script and prepare the program. Serve as master of ceremonies." Sounds like that should be done by a scout. The SM (me) working with our SPL works to identify
  21. Any word on what country they are made in? It would be nice if it was the good ole US of A, but I guess that would be asking too much...
  22. Sorry, catching up on some old reading I have missed. When I saw "Triple Crown" my first thought went to the (unofficial) Triple Crown of backpacking: The Appalachian Trail (2168 miles, Pacific Crest Trail (2645 miles) and the Continental Divide Trail (2558 miles). I wonder how many National Camping Award Hiking rockers that would be good for....?
  23. As a Scout, I was never elected to the OA by my troop. That was back in the 70s/80s. I was always disappointed, but rolled with it. Eventually I accepted an adult nomination (different discussion) and went through Ordeal. Because I was not selected as a scout, I have worked hard to see that elections are run fairly. I make nomination forms with each eligible name on them. I also include on each ballot the instructions to choose as many candidates as you feel are deserving, and repeat that you can vote for more than one candidate. The only scouts not selected were those who were
  24. I am looking for some feedback on how different troops handle meals for scouts in non-patrol leadership positions. Specifically, I am looking at where you may have your SPL or JASM take their meals. Do they eat as a guest in a patrol? Do they prepare their own meals, or do they eat with the adults? Just trying to get some ideas to present to our PLC.
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