Col. Flagg

Yes! In Texas we go punting all the time...but we call it "wake boarding".

Seems the trailer became unhinged from the truck. No word for the SHP on why though.

Not a velcro fan. Does not look a crisp as a good sewing job which only takes just a bit more effort...and teaches a great skill.

Troops might have high deductibles in order to lower their rates, so insurance may only cover so much. If they have lower deductibles then they need to keep money in the bank to pay the higher rate. In either case, savings is needed to pay x amount. And if one needs a new trailer insurance does not enter in to the equation.

@@Stosh, if that troop owns a trailer, then 8-10k is a drop in the bucket to purchase a new one. If it needs an emergency fix, that money would go pretty fast. I agree that there's a limit to the amount a unit should hold in savings, but that will differ from troop to troop. But to say that ANY savings is a bad idea is simply not true for most units.

Perhaps this advice was put in there by the pool management lobby. I mean, who wants to clean out the filtration systems if someone's lunch comes back up?

We have parents that won't let their kid go to summer camp without mommy texting them all day. I think you'd be hard pressed to find many American parents that would let their boys do something like this. You'd find some no doubt, but not many.

@@backpack is right. A Scout being thrifty does not mean existing without savings from which to draw. In fact, that is very prudent assuming -- as he points out -- that there are controls in place to monitor account. Funds have been pilfered during fundraising events, so not keeping a savings account does not guarantee the money raised isn't being funneled in to some committee person's personal bank account. Good financial controls are always a smart idea.

How about you put up the proposed plan for using the arrows. We can neg or pos rep the post based on our feelings. Highest number wins.

Many leaders don't have the skills their first years are supposed to have. Sad. Side Note: I read today in Scouting Magazine about the first Eagle's EBOR. He had Beard, Seton, West and Wilbur Longfellow (ARC luminary) on his EBOR. B-P he'd met the day before and was in town. Talk about "pucker factor". He had to demonstrate all these skills and the deliberation for the award took over a month. He was 17!! And we have kids (and parents) today who complain about "re-testing".

Robby, do you like gladiator movies?

@@Stosh, the best org chart I have seen has the PL at the top of each patrol and the boys underneath him. The SPL is off to the side along with the other troop leaders (ASPL, Instructors, etc.). The adult "boxes" are off to the side of the SPL...and very small. I think BSA does a disservice to the program by promoting graphics like these in the ILST and other materials.

I thought this was appropriate...

While I believe your interpretation is correct, I think the modern thinking of many SMs is "master" connotes leader of the Scouts, with all the egocentric eccentricities that go with it.

As our District Commissioner always says, "Retired unit leaders are always welcome on district committees."

Moral of the story: Neg rep all you want...there's no consequences, just daily limits. (Which seems to go for + repping too. Go figure, limits to being nice and not nice. )

LOL. Yeah I am not one to be offended by the term Scoutmaster. I think of it similar to "Range Master" or "Hike Master". They make sure the rules are followed but the execution of the task is still up to the persons doing them. Advisor is what we do. Scoutmaster is just a title.

This is a great approach. To be honest, after a while (several months) I would have no problem of him fading back in. We had a former SM take a similar approach. He spent several months "in exile" and then returned about 10 months later to camp and help out. The kids by then had fully accepted the new SM and were fully engaged with him. The former SM would help as needed, then spend some much deserved time breaking in that new hammock.

He can't reply.

We had the Flaming Ice Cubes long ago (1990s). They had a patch done up which, I would swear, was "borrowed" by some patch supplier and later resold. Not sure who came up with the name first, but I am willing to bet it was not the company making money off the patch.

I like the "Advisor" term, to be honest. It is more accurate as to my role as an adult "leader"; just as a good Scoutmaster, using the Patrol Method, is more an advisor than "master" of Scouts.

Not to derail and already derailed thread, but I am surprised the term "Scoutmaster" was kept. I would have thought that with the Patrol Method being so prevalent that another term might be more appropriate.

I've seen it happen and a popular east coast (ish) camp. Facility renovations lead to one facility being out-of-service, so doubling up happened. Showers were missed, meals were missed and the mess hall was open until 10pm due to angry campers.

Well if all the usual people who post neg rep you today they will only be able to do it once. I''l neg rep you tomorrow.

I think it is just habit. My district always says "Scouters" and the Venturing Advisors follow along because we know they mean us. Heck, I suspect a large portion of the advisors have a khaki shirt or two in the closet, so they are just like you and me. Most troops that also have crews I *think* have learned the terminology. In the end I think the crews and advisors are easy-going enough to know that "units\troops\patrols" also mean "crews" and "Scouters" mean "Venturing Advisors". I like Venturing for that reason... it is far more laid back than Boy Scouting.