Eagle Choir and 100 years of BSA in Utah

I am involved in Scouting on many levels…too many sometimes.  So when one more thing came up, I was hesitant to commit that much more time.  I decided, though, that joining the Eagle Scout Choir for the Century of Honor broadcast to celebrate the 100 year partnership between BSA and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints would be a once in a lifetime opportunity.  It wasn’t something I could pass up.

Practices began on Sunday evenings in September.  It was fun to join with so many men in learning new songs.  There has always been a great spirit in this group.  I inherited my tears from my mother and there have been many moments where I have to fight to keep singing.  What an amazing group and experience.

The practice on Saturday the 26^th was an all-day affair.  We gathered with all of the groups involved to run through the entire performance 4 times.  What a spectacle!  This will be an

Venturing Update October 2013

There's an all-too-common misconception among members of the LDS Church, including Bishops and YM Presidents, that the Venturing Program is a BSA contrivance and that it is therefore "optional" at best in terms of dedication and following of the program.  Nothing could be further from the truth:  Seeing a need for a Scouting-style program for older boys, in 1928 the Church created an advanced curriculum called "Vanguard" Scouting.  Five years later the BSA asked for and received permission to use the Church's curriculum for older youth which it renamed "Explorer" and folded it into their "Senior Scouts" program. On Feb 9, 1998 the awards for the "Explorer" program were refined and the name was officially changed to "Venture Scouting", yet the core curriculum first created by the Church remained intact. It's important to note that it was the Church that initiated, created, and most greatly influenced this advanced program for older youth.  At no time since it's foundation has the Church dropped support for the "Venturing" program.  If you are not following the Venturing Program, you are doing it by "some other way" (D&C 50:18).

Varsity Update October 2013

At the Big Event in 2012, there was a Varsity Team that came up from Henderson, Nevada.   They had never been camping in a mountainous area before.  Some of the young men were unprepared for the cold and  inclement weather that frequents the high Uintah Mountain Range, even though their Varsity Coach had warned them and taught them what to plan for.  Even though they were cold and a bit miserable, they were excited to participate in the many activities offered at the Big Event.  One young man, who looked more 12 than 14, had never even held a shot gun or any kind of weapon before.  He was small for his age, very timid,  and was very self conscious of his size, or lack thereof.  When he got to the range he was very nervous at first, but after some individual instruction from the  Range Master, he went out with confidence and shot 5 out of 5 clay pigeons.  There were a bunch of other scouts at the shot gun range at that time who were of much larger stature and looked more mature than this young man from Nevada.  These scouts were bragging about how many clay pigeons they had hit.  Some hit 2, some hit 3 and after a while, the range master, knowing full well what the answer was, asked the younger scout how many clay pigeons he had hit.  He just beamed and exclaimed that he had hit a perfect 5 out of 5.  The other scouts looked at him for a moment and were a bit shocked as what he said registered in their minds.  Then they all cheered and patted (more like pounded) him on the back and congratulated him.  For this young man it was the most thrilling experience of his life.  For once he was the hero, he had been readily and enthusiastically accepted by the group and he had the tremendous satisfaction of accomplishing something very difficult.

This is what scouting is all about, giving these young men and young women experiences that build confidence and help them grow to their amazing potential.  Let us all strive to develop our program to give scouts the opportunity to grow, to recognize their great worth and their potential.

September Varsity Western Skies

To our great Varsity and Assistant Varsity Coaches:

Thanks to all those who participated in the great ideas for our calendaring last month.  We are all excited about the next 12 months and look forward to learning how we can build our Varsity programs. Special thanks to Jay and Mike for providing the cobbler treat!

Here is a look at what’s ahead for the next 12 months.

Month	Topic	Varsity Program
September	Dutch Oven	Personal Development
October	Geocaching / GPS	Advancement
November	Snowshoeing	Special Programs/Events
December	On Target Mirrors	High Adventure
January	Mountain Man Night	Special Programs/Events
February	District Banquet
March	Shooting	High Adventure
April	Primitive Fire	Personal Development
May	Utensil less Cooking	Special Programs/Events
June	Off - No Huddle	Summer Camps
July	Off - No Huddle	Summer Camps
August	Calendaring	Personal Development

 

I also want to take a moment and thank all of our Varsity Coaches and Assistant Varsity coaches for everything you do. We appreciate what you are doing to build the young men in your teams.

Venture Scouts

“Venture”.  Think about that word and focus on the thoughts that it conjures. Perhaps other words come to mind, like “explore” or “explorer” (not coincidentally the name of this Scouting Family prior to “Venture”), or “adventure”. A dictionary search reveals the following definitions: “An undertaking that is dangerous, daring, or of uncertain outcome”. “A risky or daring journey or undertaking”. “Dare to do something or go somewhere that may be dangerous or full of risk”.  These are terms and definitions that are inherently youthful in their nature, being so characterized perhaps from the attraction that the young have to the electric emotion that is always associated with them.  We adults, however, have a tendency to conform more readily to caution and care – venture’s antonyms.  To an adult leader it may cause a quandary then when we attempt to box in our Venture-aged youth with our own proclivity for protective passiveness and thereafter see enthusiasm and participation wane.

Thomas S Monson Award

The Thomas S. Monson award may be earned by youth and adults of all ages.  It will be introduced at the 2013 National Scout Jamboree, and will then be available for others to receive after July 2013.  Pre-orders are accepted immediately, and will begin shipping August 1, 2013. To find out more about this award, log on to the LDS website. The requirements can be downloaded online.

Ripin’ Lips BSA Fishing Tournament - Information and Rules

Announcing the Ripin’ Lips BSA Fishing tournament!  You and your scouts are invited to participate in this year’s Ripin’ Lips BSA Fishing Tournament.  The cost is only $5.00 per person.  For your $5.00 you will receive the official Ripin’ Lips Patch, a measuring device, and a chance to be selected to move on to phase two of the competition(youth members only)!  All those that submit photos of the fish they catch will also receive a tournament pin to go with the patch.  See below for complete rules of the competition.

Register now for the best chance to catch your fish and submit the photos to the judges!

The Ripin’ Lips Fishing Tournament will be held in two phases:

Phase one:  Scouts and adults may register to participate in the tournament.  The