How to scout a new troop ?

[King Ding Dong]

You shouldn't be looking for anything, your Son should be the One Looking.

 

Personally I will tell you How I decided which troop to join when I moved from California back to Wichita Falls Texas. You Decide which one I joined

 

First Troop I went and Looked at (Biggest and Richest in Town at Time). Adult Scouters set me down..gave me My Eagle Schedule.

Fancy Scout Hut..Not well Kept..Plenty of awards on the Wall..Scouts running Around..Uniforms untidy.. No Dues..No Adults Involved in Meeting. Only Scoutmaster in Uniform.

reputation of an EAGLE FACTORY...

 

Second Troop (Another Big One and Money) as a First Troop..Nice Facilities..Introduced me as a Guest and Then Talked to me about Eagle. No Dues..Some Adults involved..Only Scoutmaster and Assistant Scoutmaster in Uniform..Reputation not as Bad as First in the Ways of Eagle Manufacturing.

 

Third Troop (Small in size, meet in a Scout Hut that was barely big enough, Had a Fire place though. Scout Hut was more of a Shack than anything else Hut was Like 12x20, No AIR, No Heating Except Fireplace) Equipment hanging out of the Open Rafters, Awards Every Where. Scouts were in Uniform, Orderly, Quite, Polite..Leaders Welcomed me and said Go Meet the Boys..There was about 8 in the Troop. They were planning Menu for Next Camping Trip...One joked New Guy gets to Plan the Menu. Had Refreshments.. Dues were 50 cents per week. Elderly Scouter talking with Boys about Nature. Every Registered Scouter involved in Troop in Full Uniform. Not Known for Many Eagles

 

Three visits was enough for me to find

What can I say, this board spoiled me. I know there is better out there now and not to accept the status quo.

 

Sign us up for the 50 cents dues per week troop.

 

How on earth do you expect an 11 year old new to a metro area of 3M to find and evaluate a new troop, when he is just discovering what BS are and do ? The one friend he has made is not allowed by his mother to be a scout. Beascout.org is a useless here.

[King Ding Dong]

Thanks for your opinion, keep them coming. Actually I bet those committee meetings run like clockwork. Any training event here I have been to have timers in the back with countdown flip charts and hand signals to keep things moving on schedule. I am curious what kinds of problems a Dads Of CO would have over one run by clergy ? My current on is a PTO and all they do is sign applications. I know, I am now PTO President. In theory I quite like the idea of the dads having an interest in a troop and hot having interference from professional clergy or a PTO that doesn't give a damn. While I am intrigued by the idea of a 300' troop from my inquiries, that animal appears to be extinct in my neck of the woods. But you never know. The generals ? One was a dad I talked two, the others were to old to plausibly be parents. I talked to the dad and he was evaluating the meeting to give feedback at a brief PLC after the meeting. This troop has several old scouters as ASMs. Why do dads whose sons have aged out of scouts stick around and help out troops ? Ask the board, we have a lot of them here. Is it a boy run troop, from the surface it appears more boy run than mine. The Scouters claim it is. What tests should I apply to make that determination ? That is a critical fact to get right, I doubt you will find any Scouter boast about his adult led troop. The dark shoes and socks thing is new to me but sure seems to be the culture among district level Scouters around here. I mention my troops uniform problem and the ASM said their "problem" was with shoes and socks. I took it to mean very minor. I just remembered I stated one thing incorrectly. The SM did speak in the middle of the meeting when the SPL asked him a question.

[King Ding Dong]

Thanks for your opinion, keep them coming. Actually I bet those committee meetings run like clockwork. Any training event here I have been to have timers in the back with countdown flip charts and hand signals to keep things moving on schedule. I am curious what kinds of problems a Dads Of CO would have over one run by clergy ? My current on is a PTO and all they do is sign applications. I know, I am now PTO President. In theory I quite like the idea of the dads having an interest in a troop and hot having interference from professional clergy or a PTO that doesn't give a damn. While I am intrigued by the idea of a 300' troop from my inquiries, that animal appears to be extinct in my neck of the woods. But you never know. The generals ? One was a dad I talked two, the others were to old to plausibly be parents. I talked to the dad and he was evaluating the meeting to give feedback at a brief PLC after the meeting. This troop has several old scouters as ASMs. Why do dads whose sons have aged out of scouts stick around and help out troops ? Ask the board, we have a lot of them here. Is it a boy run troop, from the surface it appears more boy run than mine. The Scouters claim it is. What tests should I apply to make that determination ? That is a critical fact to get right, I doubt you will find any Scouter boast about his adult led troop. The dark shoes and socks thing is new to me but sure seems to be the culture among district level Scouters around here. I mention my troops uniform problem and the ASM said their "problem" was with shoes and socks. I took it to mean very minor. I just remembered I stated one thing incorrectly. The SM did speak in the middle of the meeting when the SPL asked him a question.

I hate when that happens. damn you iOS.

[jpstodwftexas]

Again being in a Small troop is what spoiled me...Adults helping teach us...Certainly...but did they Run Stuff No.. Scouts ran the Meetings.. We Decided where to go Camping and When. Even when we had a Council Event we still did a Monthly Campout. Did they Dictate Us No..

We Won First Aid Meets every year we were competing..We took First Place in Camporees we attended. almost every time Best Camp site. We won Ribbons at Scout-O-Ramas. No 300 feet for Us. We had a Camp Trailer.. We Used big Bulky Chuck Boxes, cooked in Cast Iron...We Competed against the Adults all the Time..

They Wore Uniforms, We did to..

We Camped using old Canvas Baker Tents.. No High Adventure type Camping for Us...Because there was none available to us...We did not want to waste time walking in Circles around our Local Camps just so we could brag about doing a 15 miler or Wasting over half the time to Drive anywhere to "Back Pack" our way into a Camp. rarely would we drive More than 55 miles to Camp. We Lashed together Tent Frames..We Learned to set up a Camp..We learned First Aid..We learned Learned Scout Skills..We Camped on many Private Owned Ranches and Farms. We Went 55 miles away to Oklahoma Wichita Wildlife Refuge near Lawton Oklahoma to Camp. Look it up, Yall Mountain Folk will die laughing at What is Called Mountains around Here. We participated every year in the EASTER PAGENT there also at the Holy City..( Only Local troop to Do So). We Canoed the Brazos River..No Tents on that Overnighter.

Time Frame was 1978-1986 as a Youth for Me..not pre-1950's. Went to Philmont twice by the Way.

 

We did ride our Bikes one time 30 miles to the Local Camp...Would have been only 18 Miles if we could have avoided the Country Route and taken the Main Highway and Interstate.

 

While a Scout in California..I did Camp Joshua Tree Monument Park, Lake Havashu Arizona (London Bridge), Rim to Rim Grand Canyon (South to North), but you know what sticks out most about those Trips..All the Hours crammed into a Hot Van Driving being tired and sore..and a Small Amount of time spent having fun. Fun in California Scouting was the trips to the LA Zoo, The San Diego Zoo, Griffin Park Observatory, Knots Berry Farm, Disney Land..Not Camping

[Basementdweller]

Again being in a Small troop is what spoiled me...Adults helping teach us...Certainly...but did they Run Stuff No.. Scouts ran the Meetings.. We Decided where to go Camping and When. Even when we had a Council Event we still did a Monthly Campout. Did they Dictate Us No..

We Won First Aid Meets every year we were competing..We took First Place in Camporees we attended. almost every time Best Camp site. We won Ribbons at Scout-O-Ramas. No 300 feet for Us. We had a Camp Trailer.. We Used big Bulky Chuck Boxes, cooked in Cast Iron...We Competed against the Adults all the Time..

They Wore Uniforms, We did to..

We Camped using old Canvas Baker Tents.. No High Adventure type Camping for Us...Because there was none available to us...We did not want to waste time walking in Circles around our Local Camps just so we could brag about doing a 15 miler or Wasting over half the time to Drive anywhere to "Back Pack" our way into a Camp. rarely would we drive More than 55 miles to Camp. We Lashed together Tent Frames..We Learned to set up a Camp..We learned First Aid..We learned Learned Scout Skills..We Camped on many Private Owned Ranches and Farms. We Went 55 miles away to Oklahoma Wichita Wildlife Refuge near Lawton Oklahoma to Camp. Look it up, Yall Mountain Folk will die laughing at What is Called Mountains around Here. We participated every year in the EASTER PAGENT there also at the Holy City..( Only Local troop to Do So). We Canoed the Brazos River..No Tents on that Overnighter.

Time Frame was 1978-1986 as a Youth for Me..not pre-1950's. Went to Philmont twice by the Way.

 

We did ride our Bikes one time 30 miles to the Local Camp...Would have been only 18 Miles if we could have avoided the Country Route and taken the Main Highway and Interstate.

 

While a Scout in California..I did Camp Joshua Tree Monument Park, Lake Havashu Arizona (London Bridge), Rim to Rim Grand Canyon (South to North), but you know what sticks out most about those Trips..All the Hours crammed into a Hot Van Driving being tired and sore..and a Small Amount of time spent having fun. Fun in California Scouting was the trips to the LA Zoo, The San Diego Zoo, Griffin Park Observatory, Knots Berry Farm, Disney Land..Not Camping

So that makes you mid 40's and no mention of your son. Do you have a scout?

[Basementdweller]

I would take the up on the camporee offer and see how the unit camps.

 

They sound pretty good despite all of the woodbadge trained adults.

 

The fact they are in teh best school district in the state means it is a wealthy area with parents who are engaged with their lads. Money means full uniforms, and a much more interesting program. I bet their gear is top notch too.

 

 

Make your other visits....I am going to bet this is where you land.

[Bando]

I would take the up on the camporee offer and see how the unit camps.

 

They sound pretty good despite all of the woodbadge trained adults.

 

The fact they are in teh best school district in the state means it is a wealthy area with parents who are engaged with their lads. Money means full uniforms, and a much more interesting program. I bet their gear is top notch too.

 

 

Make your other visits....I am going to bet this is where you land.

What's wrong with Wood Badge-trained adults?

[Basementdweller]

I would take the up on the camporee offer and see how the unit camps.

 

They sound pretty good despite all of the woodbadge trained adults.

 

The fact they are in teh best school district in the state means it is a wealthy area with parents who are engaged with their lads. Money means full uniforms, and a much more interesting program. I bet their gear is top notch too.

 

 

Make your other visits....I am going to bet this is where you land.

Lets see Mr. hatin the Basement.

 

Blake mentioned WB being Bad

So did Kudu

So did Koolaid man

So did KDD

 

 

So keep up your Lovin Fan boy

[qwazse]

I am not a "switcher" in most areas of life, and probably would not be in this one.

 

Instead of WB, I'd look for Powderhorn, but that's just me. And, maybe it's because I took WB but not PH ... yet.

 

But, any boy with an opportunity to camp with another troop is in a win-win situation. He gets to learn how other patrols do things and maybe that will inform on what he expects from his patrol (whichever one that winds up being).

 

FWIW, our IH's boy goes to a different troop and is doing well there.

[Basementdweller]

Thanks for your opinion, keep them coming. Actually I bet those committee meetings run like clockwork. Any training event here I have been to have timers in the back with countdown flip charts and hand signals to keep things moving on schedule. I am curious what kinds of problems a Dads Of CO would have over one run by clergy ? My current on is a PTO and all they do is sign applications. I know, I am now PTO President. In theory I quite like the idea of the dads having an interest in a troop and hot having interference from professional clergy or a PTO that doesn't give a damn. While I am intrigued by the idea of a 300' troop from my inquiries, that animal appears to be extinct in my neck of the woods. But you never know. The generals ? One was a dad I talked two, the others were to old to plausibly be parents. I talked to the dad and he was evaluating the meeting to give feedback at a brief PLC after the meeting. This troop has several old scouters as ASMs. Why do dads whose sons have aged out of scouts stick around and help out troops ? Ask the board, we have a lot of them here. Is it a boy run troop, from the surface it appears more boy run than mine. The Scouters claim it is. What tests should I apply to make that determination ? That is a critical fact to get right, I doubt you will find any Scouter boast about his adult led troop. The dark shoes and socks thing is new to me but sure seems to be the culture among district level Scouters around here. I mention my troops uniform problem and the ASM said their "problem" was with shoes and socks. I took it to mean very minor. I just remembered I stated one thing incorrectly. The SM did speak in the middle of the meeting when the SPL asked him a question.

My entire troop committee is Life long scouters who are in their 70's they truly are about scouting. If they were physically able I am sure I would not be SM. They need a guy who is program, which is me.

 

I intend on sticking around after my son and current crop of boys move on.

 

Called a thing called giving back. Whether my roll is ASM or Committee member I will continue.

[King Ding Dong]

I would take the up on the camporee offer and see how the unit camps.

 

They sound pretty good despite all of the woodbadge trained adults.

 

The fact they are in teh best school district in the state means it is a wealthy area with parents who are engaged with their lads. Money means full uniforms, and a much more interesting program. I bet their gear is top notch too.

 

 

Make your other visits....I am going to bet this is where you land.

My issue with WB is the beaders capturing you and then droning on and on about the Zulus and Boer War and they all give the same damn speech.

 

Does WB do damage to people ? I do not know, but it sure seems to instill a air of arrogance about them. If all our Eagles acted like Wood Badgers they and constantly puffed themselves up about how great they are because they camped for two weekends, there would be no scouts left.

[Bando]

I would take the up on the camporee offer and see how the unit camps.

 

They sound pretty good despite all of the woodbadge trained adults.

 

The fact they are in teh best school district in the state means it is a wealthy area with parents who are engaged with their lads. Money means full uniforms, and a much more interesting program. I bet their gear is top notch too.

 

 

Make your other visits....I am going to bet this is where you land.

Honestly, I don't see the big deal. Sure, just like anything else in Scouting, there are Wood Badgers who love talking about Wood Badge. But it seems to me that's a lot more about individual personality conflicts than issues with the Wood Badge program itself. Nearly all of the leaders I know who have done it are better for it, and the difference you see in them before and after is pretty dramatic.

 

But, hey, what do I know? I guess it's a lot easier to see the worst in people.

[jpstodwftexas]

 

Basementdweller commented

#10.1

Today, 06:19 AM

So that makes you mid 40's and no mention of your son. Do you have a scout?

 

 

No I never Married.. Never Had Kids...Having Prostate removed next month. so unless I can get a woman pregnant between now and the 6th of November I never will have kids..unless a Miracle happens. I admit I was one of those silly stupid boys who was raised to respect women. My Mom Was a single Mom because my Dad died when we were young, not because he ran off. Kept Saying there was time for a Family later...I supported my Mother till she Died, never had a great job..so never could find a Girlfriend who wanted to get Married and have kids and be poor. My last Girlfriend did have a 7 Year old and that is what got me back into scouting..Raising another Person's child was an Issue between us..Seems I was to old Fashioned and to poor for her.

[MattR]

Pros: The calendar sounds like fun. Very active. Must be a lot better than what you had. Having a lot of adults volunteering can be a good thing. Having older scouts teach the skills is good. The comment about the SM restricting the adults.

 

Cons: SM picking patrols (I used to do that, now the scouts handle it). Not allowing 300' because of safety concerns (i.e., do the adults trust the scouts? Train, trust, lead?) Suspecting the generals surround the monthly plc and coach (are the scouts deciding anything at the PLC?) The meeting of bringing in 3 patrol boxes for 40 scouts sounds boring (no hands on). No wonder only 40 out of 90 showed up. So what are the other meetings like?

 

Maybes: With 90 scouts there is sure to be a few that are exceptional in front of a crowd. I'd watch the patrol leaders. What are the patrol activities and what do they do at the one meeting a month that's a patrol meeting? If it's only advancement: con, if it's a mix chosen by the PL: pro. If the uniforms are the biggest issue and the PLs don't lead, that's a con to me. With 90 scouts how many go on high adventure trips? Many trips have limits of a dozen people, they would need 3 per year. Do they have high adventure trips every year? How do the patrols function on the campouts? How was your son treated when he visited? Ignored:con, welcomed: pro.

 

The real question - are the patrol leaders leading or are they glorified secretaries? If they are leading, it sounds like a great troop. If not, it's still doing a lot.

[Basementdweller]

I would take the up on the camporee offer and see how the unit camps.

 

They sound pretty good despite all of the woodbadge trained adults.

 

The fact they are in teh best school district in the state means it is a wealthy area with parents who are engaged with their lads. Money means full uniforms, and a much more interesting program. I bet their gear is top notch too.

 

 

Make your other visits....I am going to bet this is where you land.

Bottom line is 1 in 10 woodbadger is an idiot.....Who are you going to remember the 9 great guys who probably never even mention they are woodbadgers or the one idiot who throws it in your face ever chance he gets.

 

The problem is they congregate in groups at places like roundtable where they have an audience.

 

I am a woodbadger, completed my ticket. Will never wear the beads, I don't need two pieces of wood to know who I am or show off for other people.