5thGenTexan 504 Posted August 26, 2020 Share Posted August 26, 2020 Woodbadge in October for me. Weekend 1 - Oct 10. Weekend 2 Oct 31 4th year as DL, 2nd year as CM. My biggest challenge as a leader is delegation. Today 08/25 I went to the local clinic for my physical, he doesnt have vaccines in the office so I will head to the local Pharmacy for my TDaP. Stay tuned... 1 Link to post Share on other sites
BAJ 90 Posted August 26, 2020 Share Posted August 26, 2020 I just got back from Weekend 1 on Monday (“I used to be a... I guess I still am... an Eagle...”) and am working away on writing my ticket. My weekend 2 is coming at the very beginning of October. It was.... a lot of fun... and good. And, given that I had absorbed some of the Woodbadge skepticism found some places on the internet, I went in with bit of a jaundiced eye at the start, so that’s really a rave review (think the “clearly real 4* reviews” on Amazon vs. the 5* ones that don’t ring true). I think my daughter summed up my going in skepticism in a sort of funny way — when I was describing what I’d seen about the activities before I went and told her “It looks like it involves a lot of singing camp songs” and her response was “I am so sorry Dad, I know that will be very hard for you.” I even sang crazy camp songs (poorly, in full disclosure) and came out the other end thinking it was a great experience. Joking aside — look forward to it. They told us we were the first group testing a new curriculum and so there have been some changes from what you can find online. We got some of the growing pains in terms of timing and logistics hiccups from the fact that change was being implemented, but I thought the curriculum was really pretty good (and I have gotten variations of leadership training/mediation training/etc. at different points in my life). My patrol is awesome — maybe the best part was having a group of engaged Scouters who are in the trenches different places to go through the process with and to be able to talk to for an extended period, and I got some perspective about where things are and where they might be going that I absolutely hadn’t gotten elsewhere. I admit that it freaked me out some to be in the largest group I have been in since COVID happened. Scouters are much better at keeping their masks on right and being careful than Scouts are, but was still a biggish group. We did a lot outside, but the weather meant that we had to do a good part inside too. Life in the time of COVID is a life of risk management, however. (One of my ticket items is likely to be about that which I will probably ask the forum here for help with — and it was clear that “managing to scout through COVID” and get troops and packs and crews out the other side in one piece was going to be part of others’ tickets too.) And working on my ticket writing last night, I realized I was actually excited. I think I am coming up with things that will help my unit (and maybe others) and some pieces of my plan have as a core part getting the scouts involved in helping me do it. We had a troop meeting last night (that I joined virtually out of an abundance of caution) and I let them know that I was going to be coming to them for help because now I had requirements to work on too... and I saw at least a scout or two sort of perk up at that, so maybe that part of my plan to use my working my ticket to get them more energized will work too. Have fun — it will be great to hear your reactions too. 2 Link to post Share on other sites
ParkMan 1293 Posted August 26, 2020 Share Posted August 26, 2020 Hi @5thGenTexan, Congrats on getting ready for the course. You have my sincerest hope that you have an absolutely wonderful time. I attended just before I became a Cubmaster and it was a great help for me as I took that role on. Like you, I have a hard time with delegating. I had a blast and really enjoyed it. I've since staffed three times in large part because of the wonderful experience it was. I'm looking forward to hearing about your course as you attend! @BAJ - Thanks for the amazing review. It's great to hear such positive feedback. Those of us who will be involved with staffing the new curriculum are excited about it and so it's wonderful to hear such positive reactions from someone living it. I'm thrilled that you are excited for weekend 2!! Link to post Share on other sites
Scoutmaster Teddy 58 Posted August 28, 2020 Share Posted August 28, 2020 I used to be an Owl, and a good old Owl too! C3-133-11-1 I used to be a Staffer, and a good old Staffer too! C3-133-14 Troop Guide C3-133-16 Scribe C3-133-19 Chaplain (Gosh... I slid down pretty far...) JK! 1 Link to post Share on other sites
SSScout 1616 Posted August 28, 2020 Share Posted August 28, 2020 WB was a good experience, learned some taught some, exampled some.... Blew bugle some.... First time, When I presented my ticket ideas, everyone said they were good/great, BUT . . . I couldn't do them. Why? Well. in my past Scout time, I had done alot of Cub Scout stuff, and so at the CSDC, I earned the position of "First Assistant Everything Else" (wife was CSDC Director), so many of my tickets were Cub Scout directed. But at the time, I was "officially " registered as a Assistant Scoutmaster. Scoutmaster types CAN'T do Cub Scout things... What to do? The WB staff huddled and came back :: "You should be a COMMISSIONER !! They can work in ANY program !" Great ! What's a Commissioner ? Within 48 hours, I was a registered, bonafide Commishner. And the rest, as they say, is prolog..... Link to post Share on other sites
5thGenTexan 504 Posted August 31, 2020 Author Share Posted August 31, 2020 I am not asking for any super secret info, and I know this kinda depends on the course. Do I need different camping gear for the second weekend? My normal tent and stuff I am not carrying for a long distance. If there is a possibility I need lighter weight stuff, I need to start shopping now. No, the Troop can't loan me anything. When they camp, they take the big trailer with tents as heavy as what I have. Link to post Share on other sites
ParkMan 1293 Posted August 31, 2020 Share Posted August 31, 2020 7 minutes ago, 5thGenTexan said: I am not asking for any super secret info, and I know this kinda depends on the course. Do I need different camping gear for the second weekend? My normal tent and stuff I am not carrying for a long distance. If there is a possibility I need lighter weight stuff, I need to start shopping now. No, the Troop can't loan me anything. When they camp, they take the big trailer with tents as heavy as what I have. The camping requirement varies from course to course - but generally the expectation is that it's pretty typical stuff. We work on our courses to make sure that gear is not an obstacle for anyone. I wouldn't sweat it. If you are really stuck for gear, bring it up weekend one and I'm sure someone can help you figure out a solution. The course and materials are the point - not what kind of tent you have. Link to post Share on other sites
BAJ 90 Posted August 31, 2020 Share Posted August 31, 2020 (edited) Our staff folks were really nice to us... they recommended not bringing too much heavy personal gear, but also said that if we had to bring a heavy tent or something, we could add it to the stack of the patrol cooking gear that someone would be kindly transporting down to the campsite for us. (That said, I think this was only going to be a issue because of the relative positions of our campsite v. the parking lot at the relevant camp.) Other than that, there wasn’t any guidance that we needed anything special — the main difference highlighted between Weekend 1 and 2 was that each patrol would have to manage their own cooking gear. Edited August 31, 2020 by BAJ Spelling problms Link to post Share on other sites
SSScout 1616 Posted August 31, 2020 Share Posted August 31, 2020 What he said. Pay attention to everything they send you. Ask questions as needed. Bring extra rope, duct tape, and a silly hat. And if you are so skilled, your bugle. Have fun. Link to post Share on other sites
5thGenTexan 504 Posted September 2, 2020 Author Share Posted September 2, 2020 On 8/30/2020 at 8:01 PM, ParkMan said: The camping requirement varies from course to course - but generally the expectation is that it's pretty typical stuff. We work on our courses to make sure that gear is not an obstacle for anyone. I wouldn't sweat it. If you are really stuck for gear, bring it up weekend one and I'm sure someone can help you figure out a solution. The course and materials are the point - not what kind of tent you have. The gear is an issue if my normal tent is going to be too heavy to carry to the second weekend campsite. The time between weekend 1 and weekend 2 isnt the time to bring something like that up. I understand its about the course, but in real life it takes time to place and order and that order be shipped. Link to post Share on other sites
T2Eagle 902 Posted September 2, 2020 Share Posted September 2, 2020 Unless they specify ahead of time, and it would probably have to be some sort of targeted audience course to do so, no one is expected to have backpacking level equipment for WB. There are no fitness requirements for the course, and a lot of participants are going to be from the Cub level where they haven't yet invested in light weight gear. Assuming that your tent isn't so big that it takes more than one person to move it anywhere you should be fine. 1 Link to post Share on other sites
ParkMan 1293 Posted September 3, 2020 Share Posted September 3, 2020 15 hours ago, 5thGenTexan said: The gear is an issue if my normal tent is going to be too heavy to carry to the second weekend campsite. The time between weekend 1 and weekend 2 isnt the time to bring something like that up. I understand its about the course, but in real life it takes time to place and order and that order be shipped. To add some context. I've staffed several courses, so my recommendation is based on my observations with many participants. 1) @T2Eagle is spot on. This isn't an advanced outdoor skills course. It's not a backpacking course. It's a leadership development course. They staff knows that not everyone will even own a tent let alone a lightweight backpacking tent. 2) Unless your tent is crazy heavy, I expect you'll be able to find a way to manage getting it to wherever you need to camp. While discouraged, I've watched people bring cots, dutch ovens, coolers, etc. 3) You will become friends with your fellow course mates. One of them will have a spare tent I am sure. There will surely be a moment weekend 1 where you can ask to borrow one if you are really concerned. Of course, every course and staff is different. So if you are still really concerned about it, email the course director or registrar. They'll be honest with you. Link to post Share on other sites
SSScout 1616 Posted September 3, 2020 Share Posted September 3, 2020 *sigh* "" It depends" (always). One of my courses was a "set up your Patrol Camp" (bring your tent) type. One was in a just vacated summer camp and the tent platforms were still up. (two to tent). One was we come in and Set Up Our Tent Platform prior to the summer camp. None were expected to be a Philmont hike to the site camp with all your gear on your back type. The concentration is (or was !) on Scout Leadership, not so much Scout Skills Demonstrating... Link to post Share on other sites
5thGenTexan 504 Posted September 7, 2020 Author Share Posted September 7, 2020 Got TDaP this morning so shot record is good for the medical form. Next step is pre-event meeting this Saturday. I understand there will be an opportunity to purchase shirts and other marketed attire. Link to post Share on other sites
5thGenTexan 504 Posted September 13, 2020 Author Share Posted September 13, 2020 A Scout is Trustworthy.... but I might lie next time. 😂 That TDaP vaccine kicked my butt. I spent the entire week feeling like I was running a fever, and couldnt make it but a few hours without a nap. It was bad enough I scheduled a Covid test on Thursday evening that came back 'Negative". I was sure I had something though. I missed my orientation meeting this morning, still felt pretty weak and tired this morning. Much better this evening, so I am hoping that is all behind me now. Course begins on Oct 9. Link to post Share on other sites
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