Scoutfish

I'll tell you something else I learned while a CM for my pack. I would get to ther CO about 15 minute before anyone else. I'd unlock and set up whatever neded to be set up if needed be. Then I'd go to the door and gret parents and scouts... EQUALLY . By that, I meant I gave scouts the same warmm greeting and fuill attentiuon I gave adults. I have seen too many leaders talking to scouts and suddenly "drop" the scout when an adult came up to talk to the leader. I would ask the scouts how they were doing, how was schoool, shake their hands or give them a high five. I talked to them and not at them. I looked at them and not down at them. I treated every scout with the same respect I did any and every adult. I still have former cub scouts who have crossed over come up to me at the grocery store, wal mart, reastaurants, etc...and say hi to me and tell me what they ahve been up to. At camporees, I run into scouts who used to be in our pack but went to other troops. They come up and give me the scout handshake and ask how I am doing. I do the same: How's school?, play sports? Still loving scouting? How's the scouting and advancement gooing? Mom and dad doing okay? I have noticed that these particular scouts are just as every bit respectful back as I was to them. So, respect is also earned by us, not demanded. Not that I am saying you demand instead od earn..but just as a general statement overall. WE expect youth to respect us, but with the way we look down on them, and the way we treat them, have we really earned it ourselves?

"Its hard to think and talk at the same time. " As we demonstrate here on a daily basis! mrface2112, One of the problems we have is this: We think up grand and glorious ideas and plans for the boys that we just know they will like. We imagine it in our heads so far as to even decide what reaction they will have. And when they don't, we get upset. I remember wht it was like back then at that age. We are not talking teenagers, we are talking 11 year old max, but mostly 7, 8 and 9 year olds. We wouldn't dream of giving them car keys, leaving them at hoime alone while even going to the store for just 5 minutes, we wouldn't trust them to use a saw or BB gun alone....yet we expect them to act like mature adults during a long ceremony that...well to be honest...that most of the parents would be at if it wasn't for their precious angel bing in it. Time to step back, thing simpler and quicker and get it over with. Nothing wrtong with showing the boys something new and different, just remeber, they think witrh 7, 8 , 9 , 10 and 11 year old mentality, not our 25 - 55 year old mentality...not that I am 55 years old mind you, I am only 41.....ish.

In OUR pack, the COR said we are set up like this: The CM is the top dog ( under the COR, that is). The CC is in charge of the committee whos job it is to make sure the CM can deliver the program the way he sees it needs to be dealt. Yeah, pretty vague if you really go deep into it, but I get what he is saying. As CM, the committee's job was to make sure the perwork, forms and funs were all there so that our pack could give a great program to the boys. AS CM, my job was to find good orv greatr den leaders, to make sure those DL's understaood the program and how to give it on the den level, and to plan great campouts and be the emcee at pack meetings. Now, in our pack - like most I suspect - you have a core handfull of volunteers who do everything. We all wear 4 or 5 different hats and the positions we are registered at are only a hint of the real work we do. For example, at leaders meetings, I used to be the gavel holder. I set the agenda and steered the discussions. But whenI recruited a very awesome CC after the previous one crossed out, I slowly turned the reigns over to him - where they actually belonged. Our committee meetings include all committee and all leaders. Why? Because we all have time and energy vested into the program. It keeps us all on the same page too. Keeps things running smoothly. Technically, the committee meetings should just be the committee. So, last Monday night ( 5/21/12 ) I ceremoniously stepped down as CM to the pack. Technically, I will still be CM until June 1st when we submit the paperwork to council. Anyways, I has aplaque and certificate made up for our CC and also presented him with a knot for his uniform shirt. I told everybody about a conversation I had just under two years ago with a parent who asked what the difference between the CC and CM was. I told the mom: The CC is the backbone of the pack. He ( it was a guy) is teh man who works behid th scenes making sure all the scouts get their advancement turned in ( via Advancement chair), he makes sure all teh scouts are rechartered, he keeps up with all paperwork and permits. He oversees the funding and fundraising of our pack and program. He makes sure trhat all coimmittee members are working smoothly and together to benifit the boys in the pack. Basically, he is the infrastructure and buisnessman behind the curtains. As CM, I make sure den leaders deliver the program as BSA laid out and I come up with ideas and new activities for campouts and fun days. Oh, I also get the boys riled up on pack nights so that you get to take them home and try to put them to bed! So, looking around at the leadership and volunteers in my pack, I do know that the pack could run without a CM. Not saying it would be perfect, but it could work. Without a CC or somebdy

I find this interesting. I actually expected to hers something akin to parts of the Scout Oath You know "Beaver patrol yell: " Beavers are honest and reverent!" I didn't expect to hear : " SQUEEZE THE BUNNY! And I didn't expect it to be okay. Glad it was, but with all the pc happening today, I figured it would be turned down. So, talking with our CC, who's patrol was the Polar bears, he told me his patrol's yell: "DUDE!...Brrrrrrrrrr! " So what is/ was your patrol yell?

Funny thing: Just the other day, I asked my son what his patrol ( Pythons) yell was since I never heard one person speak of it or yell it. He says: "SQUEEZE THE BUNNY!" Next meeting, I asked another scout in the patrol what their yell was. They ( bunch standing together) yelled SQUEEZE THE BUNNY!!! So, short of having to have one, I didn't know if they would ever use it.

Nah Basement, I think he is also pointing out your district/ council professionals - even if he didn't know it: "Peck, whose organisation has 120,000 volunteers, told delegates at the Charity Finance Group conference in London yesterday that problems most often arose when volunteers did not receive the level of management required." "Peck said another major problem was when volunteers fell out. "When that happens, its often because they arent getting enough management support," he said." You are different because you kept at it instead of giving up....... Your professional staff is the cancer. You are just hardheaded! (This message has been edited by scoutfish)

I think cancer is a legitimate and actually rather accurate analogy. And I say this as a cancer survivor. Thing is, cancer is usually a slow process. It doesn't knock on your door announce itself and start working full blast in the middle of the spotlight. It sneaks in, does it's thing all nice and quietly and in the shadows. It takes it's slow sweet time. Nothing fast and nothing that stands out. Usually, by the time you discover it, it has sunk it's tendrils deep into whatever it had it's eyes on. You can beat it, but sometimes at a great loss and after losing alot of what you had. How many units lose great scouts, great parents, great volunteers, great leaders and committee? Did it just suddenly happen over night or was it a process that - at first- you didn't even know it was happening. A vote here or there, a disagreement there. somebody deciding to do something else instead. Maybe somebody just "slightly" changed the way something was done. Whatever it was that was the start...nobody noticed it. Nobody saw anything that caused alarm. Nah....it wasn't until a bunch of small tings together were causing problems and people were dropping out, things weren't getting done, the unit was the opposite of what it should have been. In fighting and cliques. Disagreements that went deeper than just disagreeing. It is often barely noticable at first, but as time goes by, the unit will die a slow, agonozing death. It is not pretty, it is not painless. Yeah, just like cancer, by the time you notice it, the damage is wide spread and alot of times, irrepairable. If you are lucky ( like me) you recover and do better than before - at least from your own viewpoint. In case you were wondering: I was diagnosed with Melanoma ; Stage III-B on Nov 12, 2009 after having a lymph node the size of two chicken eggs removed from my neck. Lymph nodes are supposed to be about half the size of a garden pea. This was the result of my immune system finding and attacking skin cancer somewhere on my body, dragging it to my immune systemn and killing all but maybe one or two cells. The Drs still have no idea where the original site was. My immune system attcked that early. I had two surgeries: Nov 9th and Dec 15 2009 Lost my Sternocledomastoid Muscle, 19 lymph nodes and part of my right side spinal accessory nerve. I was told that I had a 3 to 5 % chance or survival and that given the choice, I should want brain, lung, colon, or prostate cancer sinmce they are readily treatable. Melanoma on teh other hand, does NOT respond to chemo or radiation. There is no regular/ standard interferon treatment that works for people. You can try it, but wether it works or not is a total crapshoot and the odds are heavily against you. Me, all I can say is that God had his eye on me and other plans as the drs cannot find a single trace of the cancer in my body. Nope! Not cured. I will never be cured, just in remission . If I live to be 100 years old, and die without the cancer ever coming back, you could say I was cured, but technically, I was just still in remission. So, I only said that to give a background on why cancer ( in my opinion) is indeed an accurate analogy .

Patchtown : minimum order : 30 patches at $5.75 each Class B : Minimum order of 50 patches at $3.50 I sent a quote request to a few more places. One site had a minimum order of 10 patches, which is good for a patrol of 8 boys. Asked for a quote based on 12 patches. They boys are definatly paying for their own patches They are the Python patrol. No python patches in stock at scoutshop or any on line patch supliers, In fact, the boys chose a disign of two pythons in a square knot with the heads at the top of each side of the knot . I guess the heads will bight you if you are not carefull.

Just a funny thought: Ever notice when you are walking somewhere in the dark..say council camp...and you are doing well withouit a flashlight and you end up approching someboy with a flashlight - the very first thing they do is shine it in your face? I always tell our scouts that bunless it is a pitch black cloudy/ no moon night, you can usually see better and farther without a flashlight. Of course, I recognize my scouts in the dark by their voice, and they only reccognize me by shining a light in my face. But during the day, they could pick my voice out of a recording with 40 voives all talking at the same time. So now, they just INSTANTLY carry on with their "limited ablility" flashlight while I have to wait for my eyes to adjust again. When I do use a light ,I prefer a mini mag light with two "AA" batteries or one of those cheap 7 light LED flashlights that our COR picks up at Harbor Frieght or wherever he gets them. Cheap, bright and nothing to cry about if it gets lost/damaged!

While I think he should just get used to being in thetroop and not worrying about merit badges just yet, I do realize that there is an exception: Summer camp. THis is my son's first year of boy scouts too. He just crossed over a few months ago. Personally, I think he needs to worry about his T-2-1 before worrying about merit badges. But again, that's just me poersonally...an opinion that matters not. Only his opinion matters now. WEll, I should say decision, not opinion. But, summer camp is just a hair under a month away. What's he gonna do while there? Sit in a tent all day and read his handbook? NOPE! He's signed up for First Year Camper, ( used to be called "Trail to something or another" )Electricity MB, Swimming MB and Rifle MB. My son is a really good swimmer. Not Michael Phelps Great, but really good. He's a pretty good shot with a gun too. Shoots his own .22 quite a bit. Can shoot a .410 shotgun and a .12 ga pretty well too. So, here he is , been inboy scouits less that 3 months and is already having to decide on what MB's he will need to take at summer camp. Of course, you have to realize that the camp guide also lists who can take what, what age or time restrictions there are, and pretty much all the ones they ofere can be finished during a week of camp. He also started working on his geocaching MB with the entire troop as that was the theme of our recent camporee. But other than summer camp/ camporee, I'd like to see him ignore MB's until he' had more time in the troop just becomeing a good part of the troop. Still his call though.

"Just because YOU think that the concept of betrayal would not apply to YOU in those situations, does not mean that another person would not feel betrayed. Even if, as you say, high school students commonly practice these things on each other, how are you so certain about what exists in the minds of others? Great copmment! And I agree with it completrely. But also, just because you consider somthing to be a betrayal and that you were don a horrible wrong does not mean everybody else willfeel taht way too. From my experience working with people, being around people and also just happening to be a person myself, I can say that in 99 percent of the cases, the victem will laugh as he realized thatr he went througfh a ceremony that he only went through because he was accepted by the group as one of their own. You ever notice the difference between those who laugh with you versus those who laugh at you? People tend to prank those they like or vget along with and ignore those they don't. And let me ask this: After all tese years...even knowing that people did something as a fun initiation prank( in their minds because that is what they intended) - do you not now see they were not trying to cause you harm? Sure, things do not always go the way we plan. We might say a joke and end up nobody thinks it's funny. We might try to make a snide comment but nobody really put weight behind it. W sometimes try to be deep or clever and it doesn';t work. WE try to compliment a woman and instead, insult her. But just because it turned out one way doesn't mean that's the way we intended it to turn out. And just becaue you don't like the turn out or just because you saw it in a negative light doesn't mean everybody else will too. It could just be you!

Who do you use for custom patrol patches. By custom, I mean exactly that: a patch that is not offerend by anybody. And correct me if I am wrong, but understand that regulation size is 1 1/2" To start, we are only going to order ten patches even though the patrol consists of 8 boys. So far, I sent a request form and design to class B. Who do you recommend and who has done god by you so far? Thanks, Mark

Stosh, If you stop and smell the roses, you will get in trouble for trampling the3 flauna and flora, and you might go into Anaphylactic shock ! I myself don't listen to the radio much at all. Usually whenI drive, I listen to the music of the tires on te road, with the window down and the breeze blowing in my face. Same while in the woods: I like to hear the birds flitting around the bushes and underbrush. Love to hear the squirrels fuss at whatever they are fussing at. Listen enough, and you can hear dragonflys hover. But sometimes while I am cooking or resting, having a radio on - but just is loud enough to hear - hits the spot.

While I am not gonna argue that scouts who do hike in the woods all the time are great scouts or better scouts or not... declaring a real patrol by their being seperated from adults and other patrils is not even close to determining wether a scout is real or not. Patrols are groups of scouts. Thus if all teh scouts in a troop always hang out in one big group, or all vote on menues, duty rosters, etc...then they indeed not being patrols. They are being a battalion. But you are comparing a patrol to a group. A patrol is a size or grouping. Wether scouts are real or not is different. Suppose you have a troop of 20 boys who hike every 2 weeks. They only carry what they can carry on their4 back and hike 20 miles a day. Camp in hammocks, and only eat what nature provides( berries, nuts, catch fish, snare rabbits, etc...) But they do it as one big group. And the SM ,and ASM(s) much make all the plans and decisions.Any scout who has an issue or problem goes straight to the SM or ASM(s). Are they real scouts since they ignored the fundamentals of patrols and using the patrol methood? Are they real scouts since the adults are running the show? Then take a urban troop. Not welfare boys, but boys who are bottom middle class or even upper lower class incomes. You know- just able to afford to be in scouting.....but barely. They can't afford to travel 100 miles or 3 or 4 hours away to a rural or wilderness setting. The only option they really have is a city/county park. They seperate into distinct and seperate patrols. Each patrol will do their own thing and be seperate of each other while camping out in the park. They really can't use water from the creek or pond as the water filtration kits can't come close to handling the impurities and city polution. So they use tap water provided by water fountains at shelters. The city has a coide against fire rings,, fire pits or plain old open fires on the ground...so each patrol uses those pole mounted steel charcoal grills that are scattered around the park. But each patrol plans and cooks it's own meal. Troop leadership is also seperate and cooks their own meals too. After dinner, the PLC meets amongst themselves and then after that, meets with the adult leaders. Each patrol does their own thing and scouts are doing and learning by direction of their individula patrol leaders. So, which scouts are "REAL scouts" ? And does "where" they do ther scouting really matter as much as how they do their scouting? And in both cases, would either one be less real to youth who just stay home and play video games and never become a scout at all ?

WEll, the first time I ever napped in a hammock...I didn't start out with the intention of napping. It just happened. No pillow, no problem The next two times I napped on hammocks, same thing: just laying there relaxing and the naps just happened! So I started thinking I didn't need one, but I also realized that an unintentional nap is not teh same as planning on a full nights sleep. I also thought about the head being higher than my body. At home, in my regular bed, I use a latex foam pillow . Can't use anything else. I use it for the suppport and spring back that poly and feather pillows don't offer.

Pack, I have lived in southeastern NC since 1977. I still met people every now and then that I cannot understand what they are saying. I have a friend that when he says "tire" or "tower" I cannot tell which one he actually said. About every 6 months or 3,500 miles, he changes the "ore" in his truck. Me, I think I speak pretty normal without an accent, but I do use words such as " ain't, reckon, oughtta, yon't to , git, fittin to, etc" .....

I also have to be careful with my back. Hurt it when I was 10 years old. Not a spinal thing or nerve thing - just did something wrong to a muscle during crucial development time - according to a couple Dr.s. Thing is, I can pick up heavy stuff al day long with no problem. What I have to watch out for is reaching over too far or bending over and standing back up too quickly. I can far reach over to my right side and grab a 16oz drink the wrong way and be out of commission for a week. So anyays, I tried one on at the scout shop and it was comfortable. I mean it actually felt good to put it on. The weight ested on my hips and the chest straps pretty much just kept it from leaning over backwards. Cant remember what brand it was though. It was light bluish gray color. External fram, Big size.

Was thinking about setting up my hammock tommorow night and giving it it's maiden run. Then thought about wether i should buy one of those compact camp pillows or just use my pillow I use in bed. Then started thinking about how I sweat on my pillow when camping and how a camp pillow will keep me from having to wash it and let it dry before using it in my own bed again...blah, blah, blah....... Then it occured to me - Do you even use a pillow when sleeping in a camp hammock? I have taken a few naps on regular outdoor back yard hammocks, but a nap isn't sleeping 3 or 4 nights in a hammock. SO, do I need one?

We do pack activities at pack meetings, at pack campouts and during times when the oppertunity presents itself. Everything else is up to the Den Leaders. As CM, I do encourage DL's and offer tips and share any events or activities that I see happening through tv, radio, newspaper, online, etc....

We had both scouts and leaders wear swim goggles for the swim check. Nobody had a mask though. Of course, I'm not sure which is worse on teh eyes: The high clorine level at the pools or the "stuff" that is in the lake water. Side note: You ever wonder why some hotels have their clorine level cranked so freakin high? Because they want to keep from having to close the pools for 9 days if an inspector happens to find pee or poop in the pools in order to be sure all contaminants are gone. Keep the levels cranked just shy of buring your skin off , and you can tell everybody they can pee in the pool and the levels will be below the acceotable levels. Find poop and you scoop it out and keep going without any worrys. I'm talking about the cheaper places that the pool water is clouidy all the time due to high clorine levels. You know, the pools that will bleach a Hawaian Tropic Tanning Contest model pure white in 2 minutes flat!

" What is a "stripped" uniform? " Well, it appears that I wasn't the only one who read "stipped uniform" as striped uniform I had visions of Wood Badge participants wearing old time black and white prisoner clothing!

Well, I'm not planning on hiking the AT...at least not anytime msoon. It was our Council Registrar who is going to hike the AT this weekend. As far as trees, I don't see myself bushwhacking anytime soon either. JUst think of your avareage council camp or state park . THink about tjosr trails. Most are sufficently clear enough for two people to walk side by side, so I'd think I'd be okay. But I did want to hear what the more experienced people say. AS for clipping things on, I do plan on doing that, but not to the effect I look like a Christmas tree with "ornaments hanging every where. I don't necessarily mean everything will be clipped on either. Could be strapped tight to the frame. Right now, I will mostly be doing 3 days worth of clothing and misc gear and even the whole week as a leader for summer camp I am thinking my canteen, my hammock( rolled up and strapped in place) my sleeping bag, and maybe a 1 or 2 litre bottle of water. Again, not "real" hiking just yet. More along the lines of parking my truck when I first get to camp and hiking in instead of driving in, unloading then driving back out to park. Plus I am thinking that if I use a back pack, I will only bring what I need and not have room for other junk that could fit it's way in othyerwise. Thanks for the replies and don't stop giving them!

So do any of you have a muisic genre preference or do you just listen to any random type of music or random radio station? I listen to pretty much anything but gangsta / ghetto rap and Muzak. But there are certain songs that put me in a better mood and there are some that make me think deeply, and others that help me work with a better rythm. Know what I mean? Some songs or music will get you in a pattern. Help you keep stride or even help you work a bit faster or slower depending on what you are doing. If a scout wants to wear ear buds for an Ipod while hiking, AND the volume was set just high enough for him to hear the music, but low enough to hear the other scouts talking...then so what? As far as getting closer to nature of making sure somebody gets more out of something - who are we to decide what works? JUst because "X" works for me does not mean it will work the same way with others. Our troop does not care if scouts listen to the music while hiking in to camp or trail hiking. Just as long as the next guy can't hear it, otherwise, it is too loud. Plus as long as the scout can hear me, and understand what I am saying , then it;s okay. But realistically, how often does this happen? We go camping at camporees or such, the only time they really have time to listen is the short hike into our camp on Friday night, the short hike out Sunday morning, and the evening down time after flag and supper. The rest of the time, teh scouts don't have time or are too busy to enjoy it. If we go to the AT and - under the same criteria as I mentioned above - the scout wnats to listen to music as opposed to other scouts jaw jacking and the crunch of boots on the ground......then let them. If this is what makes them enjoy the hiking, then they enjoy it and will be willing to do it again. Take away all the minor things that lets them enjoy hiking, then they will have no reason to come back.

yeah, I suppose if you want to test the scouts ability to react ina real manner, you should wait til the end of the day - just after dusk - after a long hike in the winter, with snow on the ground and about a 1/8th inch layer of ice on teh lake...after the scout only had a pop tart and a few granola bars to eat all day . Make sure he is wearing heavy boots, pants, full coat, hat and gloves over long johns. Put a bag pack on him with his sleeping bag, tent, clothes, personal camp stove kit ( Jet Boil) and whatever else a scout might carry. Now, when he's not looking or realizing what might happen...push him in that cold lake! Now that's a REAL swim check! We go to a local YMCA pool. The water is over their head in the 2 lanes we use from one end to the other. They jump in, swim to the other end and back, then to the other end one more time. Then they change up their stroke. Then they show they can float. Biggest problem we have is that they all think they are Michael Phelps when they first jump in. WE have to keep telling them that they are not racing anybody. They just need to swim.

True with the NA immigrating here too, but they did it before anybody else and did it a long time before anybody else. They laif first claim and came from the other direction. So, My father was born in NC and so was my mom. May father is country boy while my mother was from Cape Hatteras with a thick hackney/ limey accent. I say house, she said Houwse. I say party, she says pauwty. I spend 5 dollars while she spends fauve dawlours. I like to go out. She likes to ouwght. So, because my dad was in the USCG, I was born In Cape May new Jersy. He retired 5 years later and moved back to NC. I was a "damn Yankee". Now days, while talking to anybody who has moved to NC from up north after retiring, I am a :"Damn backwwods Redneck". I just consider myself to be human. "Para" normal human, but human!