Varsity Update August 2014

We hope you all had a great summer with your Teams. And we hope that you were able to attend the Big Event. So our next big Adventure is going to be the Ultimate Varsity Challenge. If you haven't heard what this or when it is, you need to come to Huddle Night. Just MARK on your calendars for Oct. 11th.
Keep up the Good Work

Your Varsity Huddle Staff

Boy Scouts Update August 2014

August is a great month to focus on advancement.  Many boys earned multiple merit badges at summer camp and may now qualify for rank advancements.  Schedule Scoutmaster conferences and boards of review, followed by a Court of Honor.  Help your boys keep the fire burning by rewarding their hard work.

August is also a fantastic time to begin planning for next year.  The steps you take to prepare and plan now will result in a successful program next year.  Come to Roundtable to learn how to conduct the annual program planning conference and how to prepare an annual calendar.  If you can't make it, check the Boy Scout section of the Western Skies District 18 web site for information on this and many other topics.

Commissioner Corner: ATTITUDE

A scout gives his best no matter what the situation. Sometime it’s not hardtop do our best, but other times it seems as if everything is working against us. Some of us have personal difficulties or challenges, yet the goal is to still the same, to always do our best. The story of Michael J. Dowling illustrates that people can present their best even when the challenges seem overwhelming.

     Michael J. Dowling was a young man of 14 when he fell off of the back of a wagon during a blizzard. By the time his parent found him, he was severely frostbitten. His right leg was amputated almost to the hip; his left leg above the knee; his right arm was amputated as was his left hand. It seems like Michael Dowling wouldn’t have much of a future, but he was determined to get an education and be successful. He went to the board of county commissioners and told them that if they would educate him, he would pay back every penny. They agreed, and he received his education, then repaid the debt. He worked hard in his career and eventually became president of one of the largest banks in the city. Michael Dowling also married and had five children.

      During World War I, Michael Dowling traveled to Europe to visit wounded American Soldiers. On one occasion, he stayed in a large London hotel and gave a speech to some injured servicemen. As he stood on a balcony overlooking several hundred soldiers sitting in their wheelchairs, he started to tell them how fortunate they were. The fact that one had lost an eye, and another had lost an arm were no grounds for complaints. He continued talking this way, and within a few minutes the soldiers became angry and started to boo him. He then walked over to the stairway and started down the stairs toward the lobby. Michael Dowling continued telling them how fortunate they were, and they continued to boo him. Partway down the stairs, he sat down and removed his artificial right leg. At this point the soldiers calmed down a little but they still resented his remarks. Michael Dowling then took off his artificial left leg, and the hall quieted immediately. Next, he took off his right arm, and finally removed his left hand. The soldiers then understood how fortunate they were.

     

We have little control over the gifts life gives us. We have even less control over the challenges we each must face. However, we have complete control over our ATTITUDE and how we decide to handle the hardships we must endure.

      Remember the promise in St. Matthew the Lord gave us in Chapter 11:29-30 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. When we do all that we can and turn to the Lord for help, he will lighten our load. Reminder Scouting will help our young men become the leaders for tomorrow.

The OA and Your Golden Fleece

Jason, the hero of Ancient Greece, sought a very valuable prize - the Golden Fleece.  In order to obtain the prize he had to overcome many challenging obstacles including a dragon that didn't sleep.  There are many valuable prizes that are awarded in the scouting organization that come only after overcoming challenging obstacles such as the Eagle Scout award and becoming a member of the Order of the Arrow.  To be a member of the OA, a scout must be chosen by his troop then he must attend an Ordeal.  The Ordeal, a challenging 24 hours spent in service and quiet contemplation.  Many boys did Ordeals at scout camp over the summer and they received the valuable prize of a white sash with a red arrow.  If you know a scout who earned this please take a moment to congratulate him.  Many other boys were elected by their troops to join the OA but haven't attended an Ordeal.  There will be two opportunities to attend Ordeals this fall, one in September and one in October.  If you have a boy who needs to attend an Ordeal have him go to the lodge website at www.elkutalodge.com for more information.  

So your scout has earned the prize of a nice shining sash now what?   The OA monthly activity is on the same night as roundtable and at the same location.  Invite the members of your unit who are arrowmen to come with you to roundtable so they can attend their chapter activity.  Also, make one of the arrowmen in your troop a Troop OA Representative.  This is a leadership position in scouting that counts towards rank advancement.  This person's responsibilities include attending the monthly chapter activities and keeping his fellow arrowmen informed of upcoming OA activities and to encourage attendance at these activities.

If you'd like the boys of your troop to have the opportunity to be elected to the OA please contact me to set up an appointment.

The OA sash is a valuable prize.  But hopefully by being a member of the Order of the Arrow they will earn the bigger prize of learning the life changing habit of being cheerful in service.  

Yours in brotherhood,
Mark Kirkham
OA Chapter Advisor

M-skirkham@msn.com
801-604-5811

Boy Scout Update May 2014

Spring is here and hopefully you are all getting outdoors with your troops.  Preparations should be well underway for summer camp as well.

The BSA National Outdoor Challenge (required to earn the Scoutmaster's Key Award), involves outdoor activities on an annual basis, including conducting 10 outdoor trips or activities (think campouts and hikes), attending long-term resident camp (think Bear Lake Aquatics Base, Steiner, or Hinckley Scout Ranch), conducting an outing with a Webelos den, earning at least one outdoors merit badge per Scout, and conducting a Leave No Trace Program.  Please consider tackling the National Outdoor Challenge this year.  It's never too late to get outdoors more!

This month at Roundtable we'll cover Mechanics (and how to build mousetrap catapults), Hiking, and requirements for the Scoutmaster's Key Award and BSA National Outdoor Challenge.  Hope to see you there!

Annual Health & Medical Form: New or Old for 2014

There have been a lot of questions that have surfaced lately from scout leaders in our district regarding the new Annual Health Medical Record Form. The main questions that continue to come up include, "When is the new form required?" "Can I use the old form this year for our Summer Camp?" 

The BSA has provided information regarding this topic on scouting.org. An excerpt from Scouting.org "Frequently Asked Questions Concerning the Annual Health Medical Record" states the following:

Q. Can I use last year's Annual Health and Medical Record with a physical conducted in August 2013 for a summer camp in June 2014?A. Yes, because 2014 will be a transition year. An Annual Health and Medical Record that contains a valid physical exam can be used to meet your council's resident camp standards in 2014. It is suggested that those individuals who do not have a current pre-participation exam use the latest version now. The old versions will be obsolete as of April 2015. 

For additional questions and answers regarding this form please visit the link below.

http://www.scouting.org/scoutsource/HealthandSafety/Resources/MedicalFormFAQs.aspx 

Venture - April 2014

The April 4, 2014 Venture Challenge is cycling. To go along with that theme, here is a true story about an active scout who belonged to a strong scouting program in our district.  He and his fellow Boy Scouts were swept along in an efficient program that accomplished the noteworthy task of vaulting them to the rank of Eagle Scout by the time they were 14.  This particular scout had, in the course of his trail to Eagle, earned his Cycling Merit Badge.  Several years later that same young man joined in as a Venture Scout on a cycling trip around Bear Lake just months before he was to leave on his mission.  Part way around the lake the young man experienced a flat tire.  The SAG wagon pulled up with the tools and parts necessary to correct the problem, but the young man just stood there, waiting.  The leader exited the wagon and said to the young man, “Here are the tools. Get to work before you get too far behind”.  After some fumbling and mumbling the Venture scout admitted what the leader had already observed: he did not know how to fix a flat bicycle tire.  The leader replied, “You earned the Cycling Merit Badge, didn’t you?”  “Yes…” the boy said, “…I think I did.  I remember going on a couple of bike rides.”  With that the leader sat down with the young man and taught him how to correctly fix a flat bicycle tire.

Too often the quest for merit badges and rank advancements becomes such a focus that boys are run through the program as if on an assembly line.  What comes out at the end is a chest plastered with patches but with insufficient skills to put into real-life practice what should have really been learned.  The Venture Program is the last scouting “launch pad” before boys take off into the world. It is the place where critical skills should be learned and tested, and it is our responsibility as Venture leaders to make sure our young men have those skills they need to be successful in life.  One effective way to accomplish this is through the Venture Program Capability Inventory, a simple and organized way to leverage the experience and expertise of parents, adults and leaders of your neighborhood, church, and auxiliary organizations to help teach the Venture Scouts in areas of the boys’ interest. By effectively utilizing all of our available resources we can make sure our young men enter the world armed with skills and experiences to help them succeed.