Campmasters

[shortridge]

So your troop or crew is going camping for a fall, winter or spring weekend at your local scout reservation, with big plans to hike the trails, do a primitive survival overnight, paddle down the river, experiment with some new dishes. You and your SPL check in with the volunteer campmasters, and then .... what?

 

I'm interested in hearing about experiences your units have had with campmasters, good, bad or neutral. What can a campmaster do to support your troop? What shouldn't a campmaster do? Any campmasters out there with stories to share that could help other campmasters, especially newbies?

[nolesrule]

I wouldn't mind reading some responses. I'm putting in my first weekend as a campmaster this coming weekend at our smaller camp. I'm looking forward to it.

[SSScout]

Campmasters...

A bit of a sore point around here. If I am to understand the term to be a title for a person who has had some training so as to be knowledgeable about the camp in question, and serve as a camp host or a volunteer guide for a Scout unit visiting the camp, then I am that.

Some time ago, a man took on the duty of training folks to be CMstrs for a Camp nearby. They (we) would be, on weekends at least, sort of an unpaid Camp Ranger or host for the Camp. We knew the geography, what keys fit what door or gate, where the tools were, who was in charge of what, valves, switches, sanitation, emergency plans and contacts. I think there were a dozen or fifteen of us. Had a handbook, special ID card, a uniform hat.

Then the Council decided that such a corps of people was not needed, in a matter of weeks they (council) told the head Campmaster to not do his thing any more. They fired the CRanger and the CProgram Director and hired a new set. I found this out by showing up for a weekend for which I had signed up months ahead and no one at the office knew what I was talking about. Campmaster? What's that?

I phoned the fellow who had trained me and he said yep, no more CMstrs.

Personally, I think such a program is a blessing for a Camp, but evidently some don't. I didn't pursue any investigation of the why's or how's involved.

Got a couple of pretty hats out of it.

 

Done well, such a program can be nothing but a benefit. I say, ask that Cmstr for help and let him/her feel good about helping your unit.

[mbrownkc7]

Here is my little piece of advise. BE NICE and don't think you are better than the campers visiting your camp just because you wear a staff t-shirt.

 

That is what I see alot of when I visit our local council camps. The nice men who volunteer can make the experience a great one but the the old grumpy man who yells at all the boys and barks all day makes me wonder what the darn he is doing there.

 

 

[nolesrule]

From my training, it seems that the position is a combination liaison between visitors and the camp ranger, and also as a commissioner-type. I figure that my experience as a UC should help to remember the "BE NICE" part. Trying to remember where all the shut-offs are after one quick walk-through of the camp, even with a marked map, is gonna be the hard part.

[Gunny2862]

Our Ranger fulfills that function and we use that term for a Merit Badge University and Pre-Camp Orientation for Scoutmasters.

 

I've got no experience with the program as you describe it but can readily see how there could bee some really great points to it especially for "new" Adults visiting an area or for a Troop visiting an unfamiliar reservation. I can also see how a curmudgeon who has not grasped that it's about the boys could easily ruin a weekend by imposing too many unnecessary strictures.

[shortridge]

Very interesting - I gather from the responses (or relative lack thereof - maybe I should have titled the thread "Campmaster Uniforms" or "Campmaster Wood Badge" ;-) ) that such programs aren't as widespread as I thought.

 

In my neck of the woods, campmasters are volunteer Scouters who join a 4-5 member crew of other volunteers year-round at our two reservations. They basically run the camp during the weekend, giving the resident camp director some time off. They do orientation, tours if requested, run the trading post, check items out of the commissary, hold Friday night leaders' meetings, check units and out of their sites, and run a Saturday program if requested. (Each crew has its own specialty and advertises the program topic in advance ... things such as dutch oven cooking, knots, Totin' chip, even Railroading).

[SSScout]

Shortridge: That's what I was talking about. My Cmpmstr mentor was never told upfront why the program was shelved. Maybe I'll give him a call again. He lives on the other side of the river from me...

[nolesrule]

With the exception of summer camps, OA weekends and maybe a camporee, our camps usually just serve as another camp ground during the year, so I guess in our council the campmaster duties are a bit lighter. We have access to all the equipment to check out to units as needed, but use of the dining hall is rare. The trading posrt is not open on regular weekends.

[shortridge]

nolesrule: Any advice or insight to share from your first weekend?

 

I'm going to my first weekend, which also doubles as a training weekend, in two weeks. I'll be on a crew with my former Scoutmaster and his wife, and my former Cub day camp director, who's known me since I was about 8. Going to be a very interesting time.

[nolesrule]

I've already had my second weekend, too. With a baby coming soon, I scheduled both weekends I had to do for the remainder of 2009 in August.

 

Follow the rules, be a good host. At least at my camp, the campmaster is the final decision maker while on duty.

 

Activity levels were low because it was August. My first weekend, we had a new scout patrol. That was it. For the second one, we had one troop for a PLC planning weekend, another just in for half a day to use the pool.

 

So I did my rounds of the camp a couple times a day, just to look out for anything unusual (the camp is in the middle of a developed area, so trespassing does occur infrequently). I visited the units camping a few times a day, to get to know the adults and shoot the breeze, otherwise it would have been a lonely weekend. I visited at downtimes or during meal prep so as not to interfere with program. I even got invited to dinner Saturday night for the second weekend. Turns out I'm the newly assigned ADC for the UC assigned to that troop, so we had a lot to talk about during dinner.

 

Next year, I plan to haul my telescope. Even though the camp is in the middle of a developed area, the ambient lighting is much lower than around my house, which is near an airport that has a coast guard air station. Maybe I'll sign up to be an Astronomy MBC.

 

I expect the job is most stressful during cub family camp weekends.

 

Now if only we could do something about the infamous "Camp Soule water". I brought my own drinking water, but had to go the weekend without a shower because the odor was nauseating. Dry shampoo for the win.

[SctDad]

The way that I have always been told campmasters work is like this.

 

THey are there to help the units that are camping on council properties and take the place of the Camp Ranger. This leaves the Camp Ranger free and available to keep doing his normal camp duties.

 

I understood them to be a facilities coordinator for the units/event. Our council uses them, but they need to have another training so they can get some more.

[nolesrule]

I'm sure that a campmaster's responsibilities vary by council. A lot depends on size of camps, where they are located and how willing the ranger is to let someone else be in charge of the property.

 

In my case, I'm a campmaster at the smaller of our camps, located in a suburban area. We are given complete decision-making authority. Granted, I'd call the ranger or our campmaster coordinator or staff adviser for advise if I felt I needed some, but when on duty, I'm in charge.

 

So far, the biggest decision I've had to make was on a request for a troop to use a campsite other than the one listed on their camp usage form. Like I said, my 2 weekends were fairly quiet with the limited camp usage.

 

 

Our council, on its campmaster application, also requests a list of hobbies you have and if you are an MBC to list which merit badges. That way you can offer demos or even merit badge opportunities.

[SctDad]

It is funny that we are discussing this, because at out council committee for cub Scouts we were discussing this. What our council does sounds like good program. They have a campmaster house for those service to stay in during their service. They even said that the family can come up. Sounds like a good weekend trip.

 

I think that it could be a good program if done correctly.

[nolesrule]

Yeah, family is allowed to come up with me at our camps. But with the camp just 15 minutes from my house, it's not really necessary.

 

My 2 year old daughter loved looking for rabbits and gopher tortoises after an ASM from a camping troop mentioned in front of her that the camp was filled with them.

 

My first weekend there, my family came for dinner both nights, and we saw rabbits as we went for a walk after eating. But she was disappointed we didn't see any turtles. Sunday morning, apparently she woke up and told my wife she wanted to go to "daddy's house" so she could see a turtle. We walked around for a bit but didn't see any.

 

But after the troop checked out, I did one last drive around camp to make sure all lights were off and no water was running anywhere. At the last campsite, I spotted a 18-inch gopher tortoise. I quickly drove back to the campmaster lodge, grabbed my wife and daughter. She got to see her turtle.

 

It's memories like that that'll make for such great experiences.

 

On the other hand, my second weekend it rained most of the time. So I stayed indoors, organized my patch collection and watched some preseason football (yeah, the campmaster lodge has cable TV).