Chippewa29

Some excellent points have been made. There are a couple of things to clarify. First, each patrol has a patrol advisor to them getting the resources they need for their program. Second, we are really having to work with the Scouts to help them develop their program. In our younger patrol, it is easy, since all but the PL are first year Scouts.

However, for the older patrol, they were given the opportunity to develop projects and carry them out over several troop meetings. The first one went great, as they were preparing for the camporee. However, the next project they wanted to do never got past the brainstorming stage and their meetings ended up revolving around sitting around as a group and shooting the bull. These kids are all friends and get along great, but they weren't getting anything done. Now, we adults are working with them to help get some structure back to their meetings and actually get something done. They will still be able to develop their program, but we are trying to help them get more focused on doing actual Scouting rather than just hanging out.

Now, as our younger patrol is finishing their first year, they are working to develop their own program. We're going to try and get them started on the right foot so their meetings stay productive.

Again, thanks for the feedback.

Buffalo-

To answer your question, the patrols set up near each other (I try to encourage further apart so the younger guys aren't getting in the way of the older guys). As far as planning campouts go, the patrol leaders will sit down and figure out a schedule together. With transportation, the adults figure out rides for the troop in general along with other basic logistics (although the Scouts are responsible for buying, packing, and transporting their own food).

As with Jblake, we've realized with two patrols, a senior patrol leader is either not necessary or ends up being the PL for one huge patrol. If we were going to stay at two patrols, I wouldn't even think of adding an SPL. However, we'll see how it goes with three.

In our troop, PLC meetings don't really need to occur. The patrol works with his APL (consulting with his patrol advisor) and other patrol members to plan their part of the troop meetings. The two patrol leaders in the troop are very good about working together when joint decisions need to be made. Since our two patrols are very different (one is all 15 and older, the other 13 and younger), there isn't a whole lot of rivalry and the PL's are very easy to get along with.

My main concern will come when we add another patrol and more coordination is involved. I'll see how things go this term and if it looks like we need an SPL, then we can add one at that time. However, if they continue to go as smoothly as they have, then we will be able to just stick with our current system. As I mentioned before, our patrols have gotten much stronger than they've been in years with our system the past six months.

Six months ago, when doing our semi-annual elections, we had no Scouts interested in being the Senior Patrol Leader. Instead of coercing one of the Scouts to take the position, we opted to just run patrol programs within the troop. At our meetings, the two Patrol Leaders do the opening and closing jointly, then each patrol does their own activities for the rest of the meeting (except for maybe a joint game toward the end).

I was a little nervous at first, but it has worked out pretty well. Our patrols are much stronger units than they were before and the patrol leaders have had actual responsibilities they've needed to fulfill other than getting the patrol flag out and making a duty roster for campouts.

In addition to building stronger patrols, I didn't feel we had Scouts who were ready to be a real effective Senior Patrol Leader without getting more experience first in other positions.

My troop currently has two solid patrols and with 8-10 new Scouts crossing over soon, we will have soon have a third patrol. Our next term (starting March 1), we will plan on having no Senior Patrol Leader again. It will be interesting to see how things work out with three patrols in the mix.

My big question is how to eventually incorporate a Senior Patrol Leader back into the mix. Has anyone on the boards here ever dealt with a situation like mine? My big concern is that our troop will go back to being more "troop centric" rather than "patrol centric". Any insights would be greatly appreciated.

As a youth, I went to two National Jamborees, a World Jamboree, and two National OA Conferences. I really enjoyed the social aspect of patch trading. I met some wonderful people (some of whom I corresponded with for years) and learned some great things. The conversations I had with foreign Scouts opened my eyes to a much wider world.

Although some of my most fun experiences at the Jamborees were from patch trading, I agree with the other posters when they say a Scout shouldn't spend their entire time doing that one activity. Jamborees are about experiencing different things and meeting new people. There are some great activities to do at the Jamboree. You wouldn't want a Scout to spend all of his time at any one activity, patch trading included.

There are a couple of things to keep in mind with patch trading. As far as the cost of buying patches to trade, it is not cheap. That needs to be part of the overall budgeting the parent and Scout do together. When I went to my first National Jamboree, I took some patches to trade and spent most of my money buying souveniers in Gettysburg, Philadelphia, and DC. These were items that I really didn't think much about a week after I got them. When I went to my next National Jamboree four years later, I was really into the patch trading and spent my extra money on CSP and Lodge flaps.

Another thing to keep in mind is that deals are totally subjective. If a Scout is happy with what he received for what he gave up, then it is a good deal, no matter what the know-it-all older guy in his patrol will say. At NOAC 1992, I managed to trade for a lodge flap issued by the OA lodge in Germany that commemorated the Fall of the Berlin Wall in 1990. As far as face value of the patches was concerned, I probably traded "too much". To me, however, that patch has incredible significance and is one of my favorite patches to this day. I don't even remember exactly what I traded for it anymore.

One thing a Scout does need to remember when trading to keep from getting "trader's remorse" is to understand there are never any "deals of the century" and they should never feel pressured into making a trade. If they don't feel the deal is right for them, they shouldn't do it, no matter what anyone else says. There are a lot of armchair quarterbacks that will tell their buddies what they should and shouldn't trade. It really is the decision of the Scout actually involved in the deal.

Finally, I'll put in my two cents on another subject. The BSA highly discourages (forbids?) adults from trading with youth. I'm sure the objective is to keep the youth from getting "ripped off" by unscrupulous adults. From my experience at the five major trading events I attended as a youth, the problem wasn't with adults trading with youth. It was with 16 or 17 year old youth trying to rip off the 13 or 14 year newbies. On occasion, I would see a college age kids (technically an adult) trying to pull one over on a young Scout. I had nothing but wonderful exchanges with adults in patch trading. They were always very honest and gave me some wonderful knowledge to help me in my patch trading adventures. In fact, there were times when I would make them an offer and they told me I was offering too much for the particular patch I wanted. They would then show me what a more fair deal would be for what I had to offer. It was definitely "trustworthy" at its finest.

My troop currently has two patrols. One has nine Scouts from age 14-17. The other one has a 13 year old (PL) and seven new Scouts. In the past year or so, we've had some issues with Scouts not filling the different POR available, or in some cases, taking the POR and then not fulfilling their duties. Part of that was our fault, as we would beg Scouts to take the position when they didn't really want them. Our terms last for six months.

Last term, we decided that if the Scouts didn't volunteer to fill the positions, we just wouldn't fill them. We still had a couple of Scouts not do their jobs. For this term (which runs from September 1-March 1), we told the Scouts that they would be held accountable for their POR and would be removed (without credit toward rank) if they didn't fulfill their responsibilities. I also told the Scouts that if they wanted to be the Senior Patrol Leader for this upcoming term, they needed to speak to me before the election so we could discuss the position and make sure they were aware of what it entailed.

Not a single Scout expressed any interested in becoming the Senior Patrol Leader for this term. Having a group of Scouts (among the older ones) that aren't too keen on taking responsibilities, along with fall being a really busy time for a few key Scouts (marching band, football, cross country), we had no takers (we usually have 2-4 run for the position).

Knowing this, we just went ahead and selected Patrol Leaders. I told each PL he needed to select and APL (usually not done), patrol scribe (we usually just have a troop one), and patrol quartermaster (again, usually a troop position).

At the end of the meeting, I talked to the troop, as they were very curious about how things would run without an SPL. I told them we would operate for the next six months as two patrol programs rather than a troop program. We're going to divide the equipment and make each patrol function almost independently of each other. We'll still do the same monthly activities together, but for the troop meetings, they will each plan their own program (PL, APL, QM, and Scribe will be responsible for planning their meetings). Each patrol has an ASM for an advisor. One patrol will be responsible for the opening at each meeting, while the other one will do the closing. If they PL's choose to do an interpatrol activity together, they can. However, for most of the meetings, they will be doing their own programs.

After the meeting, I realized that this was going very old school. From what I understand, early Scout troops didn't have an SPL. The patrol leaders ran everything and conducted their own programs within the troop. Has anyone else lately run their multi-patrol troop with no SPL and just had patrol programs instead? How did it work out? What was the key to making it work?

Although I may be prejudice (I sell exercise equipment for a living), I am glad the BSA is pushing harder for its adult leaders to live up to the Scout Oath. One of the adults in my troop realize that he didn't qualify to go to Philmont. He'd been saying he needed to lose weight/get in better shape for a while, but this really spurred him on. Since January, he has lost over forty pounds. To do so, he is walking several days each week and he ate a very healthy diet that severely reduced his caloric intake (even brought his own food on camp outs). Now, his old uniform looks like a tent on him, the pain he'd been suffering for years is gone, and he feels better than he has in years. Now, his diet is less restricted, so he can eat more normally. He said it was really tough, but is incredibly happy that he did it.

I hope that more adults will take up that challenge. I'm sure their families and Scout units will greatly appreciate it.

This past spring, my troop had two 15 year old Scouts transfer from a nearby troop. I am sometimes a bit skeptical when an experienced Scout wants to transfer to another troop. The Scouts visited our troop meetings three times over the span of six weeks. I spoke with them and their parents extensively (the parents were letting their sons run the show on this- I took that as a good sign). I also made sure that the Scouts spent a lot of time getting to know the Scouts in my troop. I came to find out that the other troop (with whom I was a little familiar) had a lot of unwritten rules that caused them to not run their program in the way the BSA intended. My troop is boy led for a large part (even though we could get better) and we pretty much follow the three aims and eight methods as they are intended. The transferring Scouts wanted a troop where they knew what to expect and where they felt they had a voice. After a few visits, they felt they had found the right troop and transferred over. They are both very nice Scouts and have fit in well.

Our new Scouts have said there are a few other Scouts in their former troop who are looking to transfer as well for the same reasons. I've said they are welcome to visit, but am not encouraging the transfer of Scouts from one troop to another.

When a possible transfer comes to visit, I always tell them that the grass is usually greener from the other side and to make sure they are switching troops for the right reasons. In the past, we've had Scouts transfer into our troop that supposedly had problems with their previous troops. What we found out within a few months was that the problem was really with the Scout and not the troop.

As stated before, if you see Scouts transferring from your troop to another one (or if you have a low retention rate), then take a look at what you are doing. We lost a fair percentage of our members last year (they all left Scouting), but they were Scouts that didn't really want to do the Scout program. They were more interested in just goofing around with their buddies. Once we lost those Scouts, our troop actually got better. Since then, we've recruited members that really want to do a Scouting program and are a better troop for it. If your most serious Scouts are leaving, that is a problem. However, if it is young men that don't really want to do the Scouting program, it may be a blessing in disguise.

While a Cub Scout and early in my Boy Scout years, my mom did a great job sewing on the stuff. I had learned to sew a little bit when I was young from my best friend across the street (a girl that I, in turn, taught how to throw a baseball). When I was 13 and getting ready to go to the Jamboree, I needed two full uniforms with the special jamboree patches. At that point, my mom taught me how to sew the stuff on. We each did one of my uniforms, and from then on, I did all of my own stuff (except for merit badges, for which Mom used her machine to put on the sash).

When I got to college, I was in Navy ROTC. We had to sew on our own patches to our uniforms. If the Marine Staff Sergeant didn't think the patch was sewn on correctly, he took it off and told you to do it again. I was one of the few midshipmen who never had to re-sew on a patch.

When I got my new uniform in 1996, I sewed on all of the new patches and have made the changes since then. At summer camp this year, I taught a couple of Scouts how to sew on a new button to their Scout shirts. Their moms were thrilled when they got home with new buttoms sewn on.

I have to agree with what was said before. Scouts that sew on the patches themselves will probably take a lot more pride in their uniform.

My troop is currently at a major crossroads. I've chronicled the trials and tribulations of my troop the past several years since I became SM in 2001. A few years ago, we had 24 Scouts in the troop (up from six when I took over as SM) and things seemed to be moving along pretty well. In late 2006 and early 2007, we produced four new Eagle Scouts and while not perfect, we realized we had come a very long way over the years.

Due to Scouts aging out and a couple of bad recruiting years (area has been weak), our membership is down to thirteen Scouts. That is a whole other topic that can be discussed at another time.

My bigger concern, however, is that a wave of apathy has taken over the troop. Our troop goes camping each month on trips selected (entirely) and planned (for the most part) by the Scouts. The troop meetings are devoted to preparing for those outings and are planned at monthly PLC meetings. However, we are lucky if we get 50% of the Scouts attending campouts. At meetings, while some of the Scouts are serious about getting things done, but we have several of the Scouts that just come to meetings to hang out with the guys. They wear very little, if any, uniform and have no desire to advance or participate in the Scouting activities. The Scouts have planned some great events and really promoted them amongst themselves, but these Scouts (all 14 and older) never come.

If it were just one or two Scouts slacking off, I wouldn't pay as much attention to it. Some kids just want to be in Scouts to hang out with the guys and maybe go on an occasional campout (1-2 per year). These aren't bad kids, but they just don't want to do anything, no matter how much the Scouts or adult leaders encourage them. However, the slacker mentality is filtering down to some other Scouts in the troop. We have some serious Scouts that have gotten really lazy about wearing their uniforms and are goofing around more at meetings.

At this point, our troop is stuck in a rut, going nowhere fast, etc. I think our problem with uniforming goes back three years when someone on the committee (who is no longer with the troop) got the committee to pass a by-law (much to my displeasure) stating that pants weren't part of the uniform and the Scouts only needed wear the shirt. At the time, we had over twenty Scouts with about 70-75% that would wear full uniform on a regular basis. Now, we have maybe a third wear full uniforms on a regular basis. At summer camp this year, we had eight Scouts that wore their full uniforms for breakfast, dinner, and evening activities every day. Now, back at home, most of these Scouts are showing up at events with little to no uniform (they are told all the time they are supposed to wear it).

We also have an issue with discipline. As much as the youth leaders try to keep things moving, goofing off wastes a ton of time on campouts and meetings. Two of our Scouts attended NYLT and were amazed at how quickly things got quiet when the SPL put up the Scout sign. Even though our troop is a little older, there are still times when an adult has to step in and get everyone to quiet down so things can get done. Again, there isn't an issue with anyone getting hurt or things getting destroyed, but some of these Scouts just don't know when it is time to stop goofing around.

My feeling is that the time has come to change how we are doing things in the troop. We need to require full uniforms. Our problem isn't that the Scouts don't have the uniform parts they need. They just don't wear them. Also, if Scouts don't really want to do Scouting-type activities, do they really need to be at the troop meetings goofing around? Wouldn't they be better off finding something they are passionate about and doing that instead? As I said before, if it were just one or two and they weren't dragging down the rest of the troop, I wouldn't mind as much. However, the goofball, apathetic attitude seems to have taken over our troop. I think that turns off other kids that may be looking to be serious about any activity they join.

We recently had a Scout who told us that he wouldn't be there for the next few months because he made an "elite" soccer team that requires them to be at practice the same night as our troop meetings. This team also charges more money than we do in a year (for a season that last a few months) and requires their members wear full uniforms (they have to buy new uniforms each season along with warmups and duffle bags). This team cuts more kids than they keep. However, this same Scout (very nice kid) rarely wears a full Scout uniform and only shows up have the time. I think the only difference between Scouts and soccer is the standards that have been set. The soccer standards are very high and I think that is why he has chosen to follow more of that path.

Some people feel that if you try to get too "gung ho" or push uniforming or discipline, then kids will quit. However, I've noticed that the largest, most active troops in my area require uniforms and are very disciplined. If we decided to get really serious and take a more disciplined approach, I feel that we will probably lose a few Scouts. However, I feel the troop (and the Scouts that stay) will be better off in the long run if we take a more disciplined approach.

Should I take more of a wait and see approach or is it time to get serious and bring down the hammer? Do we start sending Scouts home if they don't have on their uniform? If we have to tell them more than once or twice to stop goofing around, do we call their parents to take them home?

I've tried sitting down and talking one on one with the apathetic Scouts. They may shape up for a week, but the following week they are back to little or no uniform and goofing off as much as before. At this point, unless we take more drastic actions, I don't think things will improve.

This has gotten pretty long. Any feedback on this would be greatly appreciated.

I went to the Scout Shop this morning and bought a new uniform. Although I got a pair of switchbacks when they came out a year and a half ago, I went ahead and got a new pair of pants. I hadn't gotten a new uniform shirt since 1996. I ended up getting the shirt (short-sleeved), pants, belt, hat, and socks. The latter three I got so I could show the troop. Here are my thoughts now that I've seen the real thing.

1. The shirt material is nicer than the old uniform. The shoulder loops are too big for the epulats (sp?). Maybe National can make them a little smaller, use less material, and pass the savings on to us. A funny thing is that my previous uniform is a large. I bought it when I was about fifteen pounds lighter than I am now. However, I tried on both the large and medium shirts and ended up getting a medium because it had the same fit as my large "old-style" shirt.

2. The pants are a much nicer material. I'll probably use my switchbacks in the summer and these new ones in the winter. Or, I may use the new ones as my "indoor" uniform pants.

3. I really like the belt, but I am a fan of the smartly polished brass. I can always wear my brass belt if I feel nostalgic.

4. The socks are great, although I choked at paying 4 1/2 bucks for a pair. They are way more functional than the previous high top socks.

5. I'm not a fan of hats in general, but I really like the new hat. HUGE improvement over the red/green one from before. No more foam or plastic!

As far as the conversion to green, I do like the more subtle look of the patches. I was one of the few that liked when they changed the position and rank patches back in the early 90's. I'm glad to see the uniforms going toward more subtlety. Overall, I think it is an improvement. No need for everyone to rush out and get new uniforms. However, as time goes on, the look will improve.

I'm now in my mid-30's and still single and childless. I've worked with my hometown troop since I got back from college 13 years ago, first as ASM and now as SM for the past 7 1/2 years. I have had issues with adults (old enough to be my parents) not taking me seriously and have had a couple of parents say that I don't understand kids because I don't have kids. However, as time has gone on, I've been able to win over pretty much everyone.

On occasion (especially when talking to Cub Leaders), I'll have people wondering why I'm single and working with the Scouts. My answer is simple: I enjoy working in the outdoors and I feel it is important for the Scouts to have good role models beyond their parents.

After all these years as being the younger leader, I'm close to most of the parents age (although I have yet to deal with a parent younger than me). My challenge now is more trying to relate to the younger kids than it is to convince the parents I am an adult. Now that the kids see me as being older, I'm fortunate to have a couple of 19 year old ASM alums that can be the "cool young guys" and take that mantel from me.

About five years ago, we had a family join the troop where the dad was a seasoned Scouter. At a committee meeting, someone made a comment about how I was too young to lead and didn't understand kids because I didn't have kids. Before I could say anything, Rob got up and said that instead of rejecting my help (I had be SM for two years at that point), the troop needed to embrace the fact that I was there to help all the Scouts (not just one or two) and that my experience as a leader and track coach gave me some wonderful insights to kids that parents focused on their own kids wouldn't have. From that point on, I didn't hear anything else from within the troop.

I definitely have to agree with scoutldr on the enforcement of the standards. Four years ago, I did my BSA Lifeguard for the second time (18 years after the first) and was told by the instructor that we needed plan on being there all day to earn it. We had class from 9a-12p, 2-4or5pm, then did a shift lifeguarding for open swim every evening. The BSA Lifeguard and Lifesaving MB students had to staff the open swim (regular staff was there as backups) on Thursday night. The waterfront director had me in charge of the whole operation. It was very tough, but a great week and a wonderful learning experience.

Last summer, my troop was at a different camp. Two of my Scouts took the BSA Lifeguard class. They only had to be at class for 2-3 hours a day and only had to work one two hour shift lifeguarding at the waterfront (the camp where I did mine was four two hour shifts). As I was renewing my certification, I went to a couple of the classes and wasn't impressed by the skill level. While a few years before, we were drilled multiple times on the various techniques needed, the students in this class shown the technique and then practiced it once or twice before moving on. The Scouts in my troop could kind of do these techniques, but I wouldn't want to rely on them to be the one rescuing me.

Technically, the standards were the same. However, one camp far outshone the other when it came to actually producing quality BSA Lifeguards.

I'll admit that I am an addict when it comes to check my email. If I'm on a computer, I'll check it multiple times during the day. However, if I don't have access, then I'm fine without it (like this past weekend when I went camping with the troop).

I have mixed feelings on the subject of having WiFi access at summer camp for the adult leaders. I greatly enjoyed summer camp last year, as it allowed me to completely get away from the world for six days. However, my job sometimes entails very quick communication to close a deal. As I am paid mainly on commission, missing a deal could cost me a lot of money. Fortunately, my troop is going to camp the week after July 4, so it should be a very slow week.

Overall, I feel we should be able to get away for a week and not have to worry about work or anything else outside of whether or not little Johnny is making it to his Basketry Merit Badge Class. Escaping like that is incredibly theraputic, no matter how good your life is outside of Scouting.

Before I post my comments, I want to give a little background on myself. For my profession, I currently sell exercise equipment and have about 5-6 years experience in doing so. Also, I've got about a decade of experience coaching girls high school track and field. I am a registered counselor for the Personal Fitness merit badge. I've designed workout programs for many friends and family and taught more people flexibility than I can remember.

As you can probably guess, I am a big proponent of physical fitness, but not one of those nutcases that lives on protein bars and works out three hours a day. I currently work out 5-6 days a week (40-90 minutes at a time) and eat healthy.

First of all, I learned very quickly when dealing with teenage girls not to use the words "fat" and "skinny". Those words can drive them to do some very harmful things to their bodies. I've learned to use the words "in-shape" and "out of shape". I coached girls that looked overweight, but were actually very healthy and in good shape. I've also had girls that were thin and ate a ton of junk food, but were so out of shape, they couldn't run more than a lap or two around the track without stopping. I'm sure we can all picture similar scenarios in our minds.

Anyone can add a physical fitness component to their lifestyle. They don't necessarily need to get in shape to run a marathon, but everyone can do some sort of physical activity on a regular basis.

Most people have a lot of misconceptions when it comes to getting in shape. First of all, if they don't drop a ton of weight or feel like teenager within a couple of weeks, they give up and think they can't do it. The body takes at least 3-4 weeks of regular activity to 90% acclimate to that activity. That means it takes the body almost a month to simply adapt to being able to work out regularly. Yes, it will be tough those first few weeks before you really feel (or see) tangible results.

Another misconception (although different) is that people feel in order to get in shape, they have to spend 2-3 hours a day getting in shape. We all know that most adults don't have that kind of time or desire to work out that much. They see these drastic results on "The Biggest Loser" and say to themselves "they could do it because they were on the show". That is correct. They gear their entire lives around getting in better shape, have the best equipment, personal trainers, and are monitored daily by doctors. However, fitness does not have to be an all or nothing concept.

I have a friend that was about 70-80# overweight. She wanted to lose weight for her health and so she could play with her kids. After she got a physical from her doctor, we sat down and discussed her goals. She wanted to lose 70# by her class reunion that summer (four months away). When I asked what she was willing to commit, she said she could do about 45-60 minutes per day. Very reasonable, considering she had two young kids and worked part time. I told her to focus on losing 1-2# each week, nothing more. Consistency would be way more important. The first day, I had her walk ten minutes in her neighborhood. Then, I showed her how to stretch properly for 15 minutes and did a few minutes of simple strength exercises. When she asked about doing more that day, I just told her to trust me. Of course, she was sore the next day. Over a period of a couple of months, she built up to walking 20-40 minutes a day, 5-6 days a week and also stretched daily and did strength exercises 2-3 days each week for fifteen minutes. In all, she spent 30-60 minutes a day working out. By her class reunion, she had lost 18 pounds and was feeling better than she had in years. The last time I heard from her on this, she was almost a year into her program and had lost about 45 pounds. The important thing for her was that she was consistent and found a program that she could fit in her lifestyle long term.

I believe you should only try to lose 1-2 pounds per week. Your body simply cannot adjust itself physiologically any faster. If you lose weight faster, your body goes into "survival mode" to slow down your metabolism and retain the body mass. You hear about those people that lose "30 pounds in five weeks". Those people usually end up gaining the weight back because they cannot sustain what they are doing and their body goes into survival mode.

In regards to the beginning of this thread, there are some things we can do to encourage adults to live healthy lifestyles. First of all, start with yourself. Are you actively living a healthy lifestyle? Promote it without being pushy and you may find a few disciples. Every spring, when your Scouts do the physical fitness testing for Tenderfoot, make it a troop wide event with contests between patrols. My troop has troop records we keep for all of those fitness tests as well as the ones for Personal Fitness. Keep records for the youth (at each age level) as well as for adults (just make sure your records include under 40, 40-50, 50-60, and 60+). My troop is holding a sports campout this spring and will include the fitness testing for Tenderfoot and Personal Fitness Merit Badge. I will be strongly encouraging the adults in the troop to participate in this part of the campout.

Something my troop does on pretty much every campout is include a hike of at least an hour. Also, while the Scouts are cooking dinner, I'll try and grab some adults to go on an adult only hike. That gets them out of the Scouts way for a while and we usually end up hiking for about an hour, getting in 2-3 miles.

For troop meetings, have hikes on a regular basis. We've done a night hike in the winter for a troop meeting that was a lot of fun. Also plan activities for your troop that are active and encourage the adults to participate.

As for food, volunteer to put together the menu for the adults (if you cook separately) and do the shopping. Show them that you can have a great meal that is actually healthy for you. Don't feel that you have to have dessert with every meal. Also, if you'd like to eliminate cracker barrel, then schedule your meals a little further apart. Instead of the standard 8am, 12pm, and 5pm meals, we tend to eat more at 8am, 1pm, and 7pm. By the time they are done with dinner, it is 8pm or so and they aren't hungry before they go to bed at 11pm.

This post has gotten to be the length of a Russian novel, so I better sign off. However, before I do, I wanted to extend an offer to anyone who has questions on developing a fitness program to contact me through this site. I'll be more than happy to offer an guidance I can.

I joined the Cub Scouts in December of 1980 not long before I turn 9. A friend of mine from school (thanks, Myron!) got me to join. Cubs were ok. Looking back, they followed the program pretty well, but I wasn't into the "cubby" things. I got my Bobcat, Wolf, and Bear, but only earned a couple of arrow point (definitely not a star in advancement area).

When I turned 10 and became a Webelo, I got WDL that was an Eagle and ran us more like a Boy Scout patrol than a Cub Scout den. Told us about going to the Jamboree and Philmont and the different adventures he had as a youth. Got us (well, me at least). Did pretty well in Webelos, earning 9 of 15 activity pins and getting my AOL. Fortunately, the WDL took us out hiking a couple of times, tought us how to build fires, and gave us a taste of what it would be like to be a Boy Scout.

Crossed over as soon as I turned 11. The troop I joined met in a VFW hall and most of the adult leaders were WWII vets that sat in the back of the meeting room and smoked the whole time. Went on a couple of campouts and was doing ok. At that time, my WDL called and said he was helping to form a new troop. Of course, I transferred right away. Loved my new troop and found Boy Scouts to be the perfect fit for me.

I'm still with that troop 24 years later, only now I'm the Scoutmaster.

Fun is a relative term with many definitions. For some people, fun means goofing around with no direction. I came across a definition of fun a while back that helps to put things in perspective with what we are looking for.

"Fun in Scouting is the sense of satisfaction and pride you get from many hours of dedication to something worthwhile. When Scouts feel this sense of 'fun', they are compelled to seek it out again through more success."

Not all Scouts are going to agree with that definition, but they just need to go along with it. We have some Scouts just like to go camping or just hang out with the guys. As long as they are not interfering with the purpose of the program for other Scouts, then they are welcome. Some eventually get more excited about advancement and the work involved, but others eventually leave or age out simply with great memories and some great experiences with their friends.

Although I don't necessarily agree with the idea of term limits, I strongly agree that you need consistent fresh blood coming into your leadership (both youth and adults). A megatroop in our district (100 youth) has a SM who has been with the troop since he was a youth and has been SM for twenty years. Although he has been in there forever, he is definitely no stick in the mud. He is always wanting to try new things and make their troop better. Also, he is very good about getting new leaders involved and getting their input.

One of the reasons my troop is more prosperous now that it has been in its 24 year history is the fact that I've been SM for 6 1/2 years. We just had an Eagle COH (our 17th Eagle over the years) where the honoree was the first in troop history to have the same SM his entire career.

In a couple more years, I'd like to be able to step aside. A certain leader can only take a troop so far. I'll get the troop to a certain point and then someone else can take it to even greater heights. Once I do leave, I'll make sure I disappear for at least six months and not be active for at least a year so the new SM can feel free to make changes and not have me hanging over him (or her). I don't want them to have to deal with what I dealt with.

As someone previously stated, a Cub pack tends to be more "fluid" in their membership, with no one thats been around for a long time (more than a few years). Scout troops, on the other hand, have some people that may have been around forever.

If you want to change something, it does take time and very good interpersonal skills. An excellent book on dealing with this is "The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership" by John Maxwell. There are a couple of chapters where he specifically address the issue of making change within an organization.

I used this book to help transition my troop when I became SM. Although I had been with the troop since I was a youth, for the first half of the previous decade, I had been off to college and the second half, a part time leader. The SM had developed an iron grip on control of the troop during that time. Although he asked me to take the job, he wanted me to run the troop just like he did. As I tried to make changes, he would block things. At the time, he and his wife still did a ton of work for the troop, so I couldn't ask them to leave.

However, over the next couple of years, I built recruited new people, built relationships with the Scouts and adults, and developed a support base around my vision for the troop. About two years after I became SM, I got tired of dealing with this guy. The difference was that pretty much everyone in the troop was recruited by me and we had a lot more adult support. The role of the former SM and his wife had diminished. When I made a move for a big change, the former SM protested. His cries fell on deaf ears and he left the troop.

I just got back from our fall camporee and fortunately, things went well for the most part. The Scouts had fun, the weather was great, and the Scouts did a pretty good job with campsite operations.

Something I am really getting concerned about is what one of our Scouts eats on campouts. This Scout is 13, in eighth grade, and has been around for 2 1/2 years. He's a First Class Scout and a very nice kid. A little immature for his age, but overall a good kid.

This Scout is the pickiest eater I have ever come across. He won't eat fruits, vegetables (except for french fries), bread (unless its a bagel), milk, water (unless mixed with Kool Aid), fruit juice, cereal (unless its a sugary kind), pancakes, french toast, peanut butter, etc. The only healthy things he will eat are steak and chicken (and he'll only eat chicken if its done a certain way). This kid will eat junk food all day long if you let him.

Here is a breakdown of the menus and what he actually ate yesterday. For breakfast, the Scouts made scrambled eggs and bacon with orange juice. He ate a piece of bacon and a doughnut and drank hot chocolate. For lunch, the Scouts had sandwiches with ham, turkey, lettuce, tomato, along with kool aid and nacho chips. He ate the chips and kool aid. For dinner, they had spaghetti and meatballs along with biscuits and milk. He at a bagel with cream cheese and drank kool aid again. Of course, he had no problem eating a couple of smores at crackerbarrel.

I've talked with his dad (very good guy that is active in the troop and a normally healthy eater) about this in the past. The dad says his son just refuses to eat anything healthy and he'd rather have him eating empty calories than nothing. As I am single and childless, I don't feel like I can press this issue too much, as I've had multiple parents in the past stating that I don't know kids because I don't have them (another thread for another time).

My instinct on this is to tell the Scout that if he doesn't eat healthy food, then he can't have dessert or crackerbarrell when its something unhealthy that he does like. I've seen numerous picky eaters over the years on campouts that would get less picky as the weekend went on and realize that some of these "icky" foods actually weren't half bad. The picky Scouts that stick around have always gotten less picky over time.

I know that some Scouts are just picky eaters (especially when younger), but this Scout just refuses to change and it looks like his parents have just given up on getting him to eat anything healthy. Also, the other Scouts are questioning why he gets to eat what he wants while they have to go by the patrol menu?

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

My troop does a six month cycle. A scout is always eligible to run for reelection. Our terms start Feb. 1 and August 1. We have Scouts in the troop that are involved in an activity that prevents them from being SPL/PL (such as marching band or football in the fall, musical or baseball in the spring). The PLC for the spring/summer term gets to do the detailed planning for the spring campouts and take charge at summer camp. The PLC for the fall/winter term get the fall campouts and is in charge when we do our annual planning conference (January, so they get final say on the campouts for the next year).

I find it amazing how some families don''t have the time to do a service project, but are insulted when they find out they missed out on something that goes along with it.

This situation reminded of something that happened in my troop about 15 years ago. Our committee chair at the time was head of the local historical society. One Sunday evening, a local historic cemetery was vandalized. She was called that Monday morning by the caretaker to see if she could help find a few volunteers to help clean up. She and her son (one of our PL) called around the troop to meet that afternoon at the cemetery for a couple of hours (messages were left for those that didn''t answer the phone). Four Scouts (out of 13-14 in the troop) showed up and helped out for a couple of hours. For their help, the caretaker ordered pizza for them when they were done. Also, the Scouts that showed up got service hour credit toward their next ranks.

That evening, the CC gets a call again from the caretaker. He tells her the local newspaper wanted to do a story and take a picture of the Scouts for the paper. She calls the four Scouts who were there and told them if they wanted to be in the paper, show up the next morning. Three of the four came in uniform and had their picture in the next edition of the paper.

The next week at the troop committee meeting, a couple of the parents of Scouts that didn''t show up (they got the call, but had "other things to do") made a big stink about it. They accused the CC of just trying to make her own son and the other two Scouts in the paper (good friends of her son) look good at the expense of the rest of the troop. Fortunately, one of the other parents (whose son wasn''t there also) defended the CC and said that since everyone was called and it was a last minute thing, then it was completely fair. If the Scouts didn''t show up for the work, then they shouldn''t get to be in the newspaper picture.

As I heard someone say once, "If you think the whole world is against you, eventually, you''ll be right." Let that parent complain to whomever they want about her son "missing out" on that activity.

With our troop, the Scouts know if their cell phone goes off during a troop meeting, it becomes mine for the duration. It got ridiculous last year when during our opening flag ceremony, our SPL''s phone rang and not only did he not turn it off immediately, but he answered it. Fortunately, his mom was there and saw him do that, so she put the nix on him having his phone at meetings or other Scout events.

The summer camp we attended this year didn''t allow cell phones at all, for two reasons. First, they didn''t want kids calling home to mommy as soon as they got homesick (Calico- I loved your description of that). Second, other camps had the problem of kids using their cell phones to take pictures in the shower and post them on the internet.

The biggest problem we had at camp this year was a 14 year old calling his mom (we didn''t see him doing it) when he didn''t like what was on the menu. She would come to camp (she was staying at her parents place ten miles away) under the guise of his grandparents wanting to see him (this happened Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday). Mom would take junior to the trading post and let him fill up on junk food. On Wednesday before dinner, we caught him doing it and took his phone from him. When mom showed up about 25 minutes later, we asked her to take the phone with her. She was dismayed by our request and wondered, "what if junior needs to get a hold of me?"

As far as adults go, you can''t really tell them they can''t have a cell phone. The past couple of years, I espoused the joys of being able to get away for the weekend and disconnect from the world. More and more adults in my troop love this idea and leave their phones off, maybe checking their voicemail once or twice while we are on the campout. Most understand that they don''t need to update their wives on what junior is doing at the campout every hour or be told what their daughter''s soccer game score was five minutes after the game ended. That news can be transmitted when they get home on Sunday.

In the past, I''ve often written about a Scout in my troop that has dealt with OCD, ADHD, and Aspbergers Syndrome. He drove me crazy at times in his Scouting career, but fortunately, he was (and still is) a really nice kid that had some challenges to deal with.

Miracle of miracles, this young man had his Eagle Court of Honor a month or so back. When he joined the troop, he was a few months shy of 11 with the intellectual capacity of an 8-9 year old, the body of a 6-7 year old, and the emotional maturity of a 4-5 year old. Now, he just left for college as an 18 year old. He''s still a couple years behind in his physical development and has the emotional maturity of about a 14 year old, but intellectually, he is more a like a college junior or senior than a college frosh.

I am very thankful his parents recognized after a short time in Scouts that he would need to work for his awards and didn''t pull him from Scouts and put him in something else where he could get more instant gratification. Although it was a bumpy road at times and I had many "discussions" with his parents on the how and why we did things, they eventually came around and realized that he needed to be treated like the others Scouts for his own development.

This Scout won''t go down as one of the great Eagle Scouts or leaders in our troop''s history, but there has never been anyone in our troop that has come further in his physical, emotional, and intellectual development. Ultimately, that is what Scouting is really all about.

Another good side note to his Eagle COH: two of the invited guests were a pair of brothers (a few years younger) that dropped out of the troop a year and a half before. The older one just didn''t like camping or other outdoor activities. The younger one liked the stuff Scouts did, but is another kid with ADHD and Aspbergers. He had a very hard time getting along with the other Scouts and didn''t want to take orders from anyone, youth or adult.

After the Eagle COH, the younger of the two Scouts (just turned 13) came up to me and said he wanted to join the troop again. He said he had been thinking about it and the fact that our Eagle dealt with the same issues as him really inspired him.

Despite my reservations, I told him he was welcome to come back for our next troop meeting. When he and his mom (a very nice lady that understands her son''s issues and is focused on helping him overcome them rather than cover for him) came to the next meeting, I sat down with the two of them and told him that if he wanted to come back to the troop, he would have to do what we were doing whether he thought it was fun or not. Also, he would have to follow the orders of the youth and adult leaders. Fortunately, his mom backed me 100% and said she would support her son only if he agreed to what I said.

He has been back with us for a month now and is doing much better. He went hiking with us last weekend and is excited about going camping next month. His attitude and willingness to cooperate still aren''t perfect, but he is about 80% better now than he was a year and a half ago. Who knows, maybe another miracle will occur in the next few years.

I haven''t had cable TV since 1993 and I didn''t have a TV at all from 1994-2000. I didn''t miss it at all. In the fall of 2000, I got my own place for the first time (meaning no roommates, as I hadn''t lived at Mom and Dad''s since the early 90''s). Mom and Dad thought I would be lonely, so they showed up at my place one day with a TV and VCR. I''ll watch it occasionally (really enjoy "Lost" in the winter), but I can go for a week without watching it and not miss it.

I am thankful as well for my Mom kicking me out of the house in the summer when I was a kid so I wouldn''t watch too much TV. It got me outside exploring, which I love to do to this day.

When I first joined the Scouts and was getting ready for my first camping trip, I was dismayed by having to miss my Saturday morning cartoons. That weekend really changed my perspective. I had so much fun that weekend, the next Saturday I skipped out on cartoons to go play outside and dragged a friend of mine hiking in the woods by our houses. Oh, the miracles of Scouting.