Eagle94-A1

Chocolate? CHOCOLATE! WE WANT CHOCOLATE!

My comments are not directed at the girls only, but ALL Scouts. IMHO there is indeed a trend of "rank inflation," or more specifically a lowering of advancement standards by national that has lead to "rank inflation." The standard for advancement use to be "Master the Skills" as stated in BSHBs prior to the 12th edition in 2009. But even before 2009, I was seeing a lot of "one and done" in regards to advancement. Even with the removal of "Master the Skills" from the BSHB, the Guide to Advancement stated until approximately 2015, "The badge represents what a Scout CAN DO, (sic) not what he has done." Now "Master the Skills" is not in there. And the Guide to Advancement states, "Advancement, thus, is not so much a reward for what has been done. It is, instead, more about the journey: As a Scout advances, the Scout is measured, grows in confidence and self-reliance, and builds upon skills and abilities learned. The badge signifies that a young person—through participation in a series of educational activities—has provided service to others, practiced personal responsibility, and set the examples critical to the development of leadership; all the while working to live by the Scout Oath and Scout Law."

Cross Over use to mean one specific event: Moving from CUB SCOUTS TO BOY SCOUTS (now SCOUTS BSA) . Don't know when the term started being used to mean moving from Tigers to Wolves, Wolves to Bears, and Bears to Webelos, but IMHO it has denigrated the actual Cross Over Ceremony. Yes moving up within Cub Scouts can be a big deal, but it is not the same as moving fromthe Cub Scout program to the Scouts BSA program.

In my humble opinion, YES EACH CANOE NEEDS A MAP OF SOME SORT! (emphasis and here on out emphasis too ) Doesn't matter if it's map case and bought maps, or made your own in ziplocs. THINGS HAPPEN. I was in LaDomaine, Quebec paddling and a storm hit. We got all stretched out, buddy boats didn't stick together, and my canoe was by itself, out of site of everyone. We had no idea where the rest of the group was, and kept paddling, hoping we were on the right patch to catch up with them. Thankfully we were, and we found them. Especially since I got hypothermia. 🔵

You are correct, it is not new science. However when I teach BLS, there is a lot of confusion regarding when to use Compression Only CPR, which is only on adults. Even instructors were saying you can do compression only on infants and children. Had to show the journal that said still needed to do mouth to mouth, or mouth to mouth and nose, for infants and children. Actually they want you to start with compressions, then breaths now. The idea is that some oxygen is still in the bloodstream, and by pumping, you can get it going where needed.

Guide to Advancement stated that until recently, I want to say until about 2015 or thereabouts. And no, they have dumbed down the standards.

Once upon a time, they did for the youth. I remember when a first aid certification, let alone a WFA cert was not needed to do high adventure. Just 13 and First Class, which at the time required First Aid Merit Badge, or higher. Maybe National requires the various certs because it recognizes "One and Done" is becoming the norm? Heck even the G2A no longer says such things as "Master the Skills" and "The Badge represent what the Scout CAN DO (sic) not what he has done." Instead the G2A says "Remember, it is more about the journey. A badge recognizes what a Scout has done toward achieving the primary goal of personal growth." 😞

Once upon a time, a NCS certified COPE director could do the inspections on those structures over 6 feet. Sadly I did not have any time with the troop I grew up in to let them build the Boatswain's Chair we use to do at Scout Shows. a 25-30 foot tower on one side, 20-25 foot on the other, aircraft grade steel rope connecting the two, and a USN Boatswain's Chair to ride between the two towers. One pioneering project I have seen done, and the Scouts love, is catapults. One of the activities in the old JLTC syllabus, today's NYLT, was building catapults and launching water balloons at the other patrols. It's a great way to cool everyone off on a hot summer day. Staff had a blast walking in with ours already made and pelting the participants while they built theirs. 😎

Yep, found the relevant clause in G2A and changed my post. you beat me to it.

I thought I read somewhere that T-2-1 physical fitness requirements and Personal Fitness requirements cannot be completed at the same time. Never mind. Found out double dipping is now allowed by the Guide to Advancement 2019 unless specifically prohibited by the requirements. 😠

The pack I had been in for the past 10 years, and many packs I had the honor of either performing at, or watching my OA chapter team perform at, had BOTH ceremonies done the same night. Depending upon the pack, or the situation in the pack, either the AOL Ceremony had a specific ending and the troop(s) took over for the Cross Over Ceremony, or the two ceremonies were interconnected. But it is always two separate ceremonies. Why two Ceremonies? Not everyone continues into Scouting. I have seen some Webelos just receive the AOL, then not Cross Over. I personally would rather see this, than the Webelos Cross Over, then never be seen again, especially after handing out over $100 of troop neckers, slides, etc. Yes a Troop I was in was told a bunch of Webelos were Crossing Over to them, when the pack knew before the ceremony they were leaving Scouting after earning AOL. Not only a huge chunk of change was lost when we were on a very tight budget, but a lot of time was wasted as the neckers and slides were handmade by adults in the troop. I have also seen Scouts who did not earn AOL, but had turned 11 and were Crossing Over with their den anyway. Usually these were the guys who joined either late in 4th grade, or in 5th grade, and had to earn Bobcat, Webelos, and AOL. With the 2015 Program Change, and its 2016 revision, that won't happen as they now need to earn Bobcat and AOL.

I think part of the negativity towards this Scout is that there has indeed been adults saying their girls will be the first female Eagle, and they will do anything to reach that goal. Sidney Ireland is the best example of this as her troop has been pushing this issue since before girls were allowed. Sidney is currently wearing a Life rank, despite just having enough time as a Scout for only First Class, let alone Star and Life, and they have been pushing an Eagle Project on their council. Part of it is that a lot of experienced Scouts have seen this "Eagle at any costs" attitude before when it was just boys. Heck I ran into one Eagle whose family was SM, ASM, and COR/CC, as well as MBCs, and sped him along the trail. When his EBOR caught discrepencies and problems and told him how to rectify the problems, they appealed to the council (and lost), then to National. National granted him Eagle stating "you do not penalize the Scout for the errors of adults," which caused an entire district advancement committee to quit in protest. Those who have not truly earned Eagle, not only do a disservice to themselves and other Eagles, but to all Scouts. I believe the concern to keep the standards is the cause of the "negativity."

My thoughts. If she actually met the requirements AS WRITTEN, and truly "Master the Skill" needed for advancement, good for her. Now it's time to give back to her patrol and troop while continuing her journey. HOWEVER, if short cuts were made, fudging done to get stuff checked off, and a few other things I've seen done with boy units as well, Then I am strongly opposed to this. And as others have stated it does a disservice not only to the Scout, but others as well who will see her with that First Class Rank, and expect her to have the knowledge, skills, and abilities that rank entails when she does not. I have worked with Scouts who had First Class or higher rank, and couldn't do basic skills like knot tying or first aid. Heck this past weekend at camporee, EVERY SINGLE PATROL needed some instruction to complete the knot tying event I staffed. NSPs I could understand, but we are talking venture patrols ( do they still call the older scout patrol that?) with Life and Eagles in them. Advancement should be a journey, not a race. Eagle is not the goal of Scouting, but rather a recognition. The goal is to produce responsible, informed, and active citizens.

Compression Only is Friends and Family. Although it is mentioned in Basic Life Support. Sorry it's been a while since I taught Heartsaver so I need to review if they practice it or it's just mentioned. Just remember, if it is a infant or child, YOU MUST DO RESCUE BREATHS! ( MAJOR EMPHASIS). Compression only CPR is not effective with kids because the problem is most likely to be respiratory and not cardiac. Had a discussion about this with another instructor about it and had to pull out the actual article explaining the new science.

Depends upon which AHA class you take. Friends and Family is the compression only CPR class. It's very basic, and it's purpose is to get folks comfortable doing something in an emergency. The Heartsaver series (Heartsaver CPR and AED; Heartsaver First Aid, CPR, and AED) is for non-first responders, and does teach one man CPR and AED using 30:2 compression to breaths. It also doesn't teach using an ambu bag since that is for 2man CPR. And it covers adults, children, and infants Basic Life Support for Health Care Providers teaches both one-man and two man CPR and AED use for adults, infant and children. Goes over the 30:2 rations for all of one man CPR and 2 man adult CPR as well as the 15:2 Infant child 2 man CPR. Also teaches ambu bags

Not really. There is an agreement between all the different first aid/cpr agencies to use the same content. American Heart Association is responsible for CPR criteria that everyone else follows. American Red Cross is responsible for the First Aid side of things. They pretty much work together I am told.

I really miss the Chef Kits. Had everything needed for a patrol of 8, and it all nestled into one pot.

I honestly believe there is no such thing as an ideal troop, not even Bill Hilcourt's. For us mere Scouters, it's because we are human and are dealing with others. Bill's excuse was he was trying new things and working them out before he wrote about them. Let's face it, when trying something new, mistakes will be made and learned from. That being said, all of us should be striving to that ideal troop. and when you get there, let's face it, when the new SPL starts, you may be regressing a bit as Scouting is a continual process. My troop growing up was not perfect, but we were Scoutled and made continual improvements. Current troop has issues, but we as a troop are working on it. One of the biggest problems is when adults "know better," and don't make the effort to even try for the ideal. I was in a troop where the SM knew better and would not even try to work it out. He didn't have the patience to let the Scouts sort things out on their own. Scouts lost interest, got bored, quit, or zoned out. I had to get out of that troop.

While I wish we could go back to the pre-2018 days when Scouts didn't need 2 Adults over 21 for day activities, sadly these are the current rules. Since you need one other registered adult over 21 in attendance, MAKE SURE THEY CAN SIT ON THEIR HANDS AND KEEP THEIR MOUTH SHUT! (emphasis) As others have posted, many adults cannot keep quiet and interject into the PLC. At one PLC I attended, It went from the SPL starting the meeting, to one ASM taking over and running the meeting among the adults and organizing the year for the Scouts. After that PLC, SPL didn't care anymore, and didn't do his job. Best PLC I ever attended had the 2 adults present cooking hot dogs and hamburgers for us and STAYING OUT OF OUR WAY! Once we finished, he ate and swam in the SPL's pool.

Golf carts.

District camporee has uniform inspection. Old troop has an informal one. Scribe keeps track but does not use the uniform inspection form. Current troop does surprise inspections at meetings. Sheet is not used, but they are looking for all the items on it. Troop I grew up in did weekly uniform inspections.

Not official, but I actually put all of mine on a sun hat, both Scouting and YMCA. Also had a First Class Anchor representing my time in Sea Scouts on it. Sadly the hat was lost in Hurricane Katrina.

Just went to REI's website. here are some of the shirts for men. Womens and I can go on. So I think the idea that bright clothing in the outdoors is acceptable to true outdoorsman. That being said, a lot of my gear of OD, coyote brown, or camoflaged as it is USGI surplus. Joke in my troop growing up was "Government surplus, if it is designed to survive combat, it may survive Boy Scouts." I am still using my A.L.I.C.E. pack I got used in 1988.

I am pro uniform. I know that there are families with financial restraints because I was in one of those families growing up, and with 5 members in the family at one time, it get expensive fast. BUT WHERE THERE IS A WILL THERE IS A WAY! (emphasis). Growing up, I had hand-me-downs, thrift store, and even imitation uniform parts. In fact, I did not even own a complete, new uniform until college, and then it was issued to me by the Scout Shop I worked at. (DISCLAIMER: I am a former National Supply employee in addition to former DE.) I am fortunate in that the quality of the older uniforms is 110% better than the current uniforms, and I still have those uniforms from young adulthood and during my professional career in service still 20+ years later (OK, some of the socks have been thrown away, and my favorite uniform shirt from the 1970s is on it's last legs ). But my kids have uniforms from thrift stores, Ebay, Craig's List, etc. Even the wife's uniform was from Ebay. Again where there is a will, there is a way. Like I said, I had imitation Scout pants for a while. Only difference between them was the BSA snaps. I was fortunate that for my troop black socks were OK with the pants, but you better have the Scout socks in shorts. But I was constantly searching the nearby thrift store for pants and finally got them There seems to be a big difference between those troop that are fully uniformed and those that are not. The fully uniformed ones tend to be more active, have more pride, and tend to retain older Scouts better. I've been in troops of both persuasions over the years, and the fully uniformed ones were better. Now, do I wish the BSA uniform was better quality, cheaper, and more outdoor oriented? Absolutely. But the uniform is a recognizable item to the public, and whether it is a fashionable one, or an outdoor one, we need it to promote the organization Finally regarding GSUSA, one of the complaints I've heard about them is their lack of visibility in the public. You see Girl Scouts selling cookies, and the only way to tell is the boxes of cookies, unless you have them wear a vest or sash. Whereas if the Scouts BSA unit is selling popcorn, or spaghetti dinners in my troop's case, you can tell we are Scouts because we have a uniform.

One troop I was in had the following requirements to go on an extended backpacking trip: First Class rank and had to go on one of the weekend backpacking trips (anywhere from 10 to 18 miles depending upon location). Rationale for First Class rank was that at that point all of the basic outdoor skills have been mastered, and they would not be a burden on the entire group. Mandatory prep trip was because A) we wanted folks to have some experience and know what they are getting into, B) test out any new gear they got before the major trip, and C) Make sure everyone was in shape to do the main trip. We had Scouts and adults have equipment issues on prep trips. Unfortunately we had one adult who could not make the prep trip due to work, and he had some major issues on the trail. Now, anyone who wanted to could go on the weekend prep trips. And it was encouraged. My middle son was a 11 year old Tenderfoot when he did his prep trip. Glad he did. The next year when he planned to go on the AT, that year's prep trip coincided with a 2 day statewide competition he and his team were involved with. If it wasn't a team competition, he would have skipped it. One thing that helped motivate the older Scouts, and revitalized interest in Scouting, was we used a Venture Patrol to form the backpacking crew. With the exception of 1 Scout, everyone was 15+ and First Class or higher. The 12 year old in that patrol had been backpacking with his dad since he was 9, and had more miles on his feet than all of the Scouts combined, and many of the adults including me But he still had to meet the First Class rank requirement.