Table of contents for March - April 2020 in Scouting

The story of Roger C. Mosby’s introduction to Scouting is one to which many of us can relate: When his oldest son first signed up for Cub Scouts, he walked into a parent orientation meeting not knowing exactly what to expect. One hour later, he walked out as the Cubmaster. Mosby’s Scouting role went to a whole new level when he was named the BSA’s President and CEO last December. Unlike his predecessors, Mosby’s title is not Chief Scout Executive. That title is reserved for commissioned BSA professionals — that is, full-time employees of the BSA who have undergone the required amount of training. Instead, Mosby’s title is President and CEO. His experience comes from more than 30 years as a volunteer. Mosby has served as Cubmaster, assistant Scoutmaster, Scoutmaster…

The years weren’t getting shorter, but Ginger Fearey’s children seemed to be growing up faster and faster. Thankfully, the adult volunteer from Grapevine, Texas, found one place where time seemed to slow down. Whenever she went hiking with her son and Troop 7 — in postcard-perfect places like Colorado, Arizona, Wyoming and beyond — she noticed that their relationship deepened and lasting memories formed. Screens went dark as real conversations shined through. “We discussed geology, astronomy and the environment, along with Marvel comics, memes and political discourse,” she says. “We went to bed with the disappearing sun; we studied stars; and we lived in a world without television, the internet or mirrors. Time passed as if in a vacuum.” Her son, Kieran, is in college now. And Ginger is forming…

IT WAS THE SORT of phone call every Cub Scout leader dreads. Mark Beard, the principal of Stone Lake Elementary School, was on the line, calling to notify Robert Rhymes, Pack 255’s committee chair, that someone at the pack’s last meeting had evidently broken a music stand in the choir room. “We didn’t know about it until the principal was, like, ‘Hey, we want to give you an FYI: Something happened last night where one of the stands was broken. What can we do to take care of this situation?’ ” the Elk Grove, Calif., Scouter recalls. Fortunately, a pack parent who worked at a music store was able to donate a replacement stand — and 10 more, to boot. But even more fortunately, Rhymes and other pack leaders had…

HOW HARD CAN it be to pick a daypack? Spend a few minutes in an outdoor gear shop; with the wide variety of sizes, shapes, designs, weights and prices available, it might seem more complicated than you thought. We’ll help you decide what type of daypack you need and then recommend some top-performing models. Whatever your adventures, rest assured there’s at least one great pack out there for you. Buying tips Consider these questions: ▸ What kind of hikes and other activities will you use a daypack for?▸ How much stuff will you carry, in terms of volume and weight? To get a sense of that, throw your gear into an old daypack, or if you’re shopping for your first daypack, pile up the stuff you’ll carry and look at…

ON DEC. 13, 2010, 360 motorists were stranded inside their vehicles for more than 24 hours along Highway 402 in Ontario, Canada, because of a massive blizzard. From the armchair, it might be easy to shake your head and wonder, “How is that even possible? Why didn’t they just get out and walk home?” I am familiar with that stretch of highway, and it would be intimidating to stand on the side of it, even on a nice summer day. It’s big; it’s wide; it’s windy; and truckers usually drive at breakneck speeds to deliver their loads many miles away. So even within walking distance of a town on that day, hundreds of motorists, including truck drivers, didn’t feel safe to open their doors and walk away. Whether stuck inside…

Scouts are often among the first to respond when a disaster strikes. They swoop in to serve, helping complete strangers without expecting even a simple thanks. Last fall, though, it wasn’t just strangers who needed help; it was a fellow Scout. Tornadoes ripped through Dallas, Texas, leaving one troop without a place to meet — and one of that troop’s Scouts without a place to call home. Slaton Strey, a 13-year-old Life Scout in Troop 577 of the BSA’s Circle Ten Council, lost his house in the powerful storm. “Their house was just in the wrong place at the wrong time,” says Oliver Burke, a 13-year-old First Class Scout in Troop 577. “Roofs were ripped off of houses; trees were uprooted. It looked like a war zone.” Just 12 hours…

GROWING UP IN rural Arkansas, T.W. Cook spent only a year in Cub Scouting. But adult involvement was pretty much inevitable once he joined a Scouting family — his father-in-law, Verl Underwood, was a 70-year veteran — and had two sons. Cook served as Scoutmaster for five years, producing 21 Eagle Scouts during that time, and spent a year as a crew Advisor. When his older son, Cory, decided he wanted to try Sea Scouts, Cook helped launch Ship 911, which is still going strong. He also served as commodore (chairman) of the Capitol Area Council’s Sea Scouts Committee and then spent three years as Southern Region commodore. In June 2019, he began a two-year term as national commodore. WHAT KIND OF BOATING BACKGROUND DID YOU BRING TO SEA SCOUTS?…

FOR MANY YOUNG people, collecting labels is simply a part of life. Some have ADD or ADHD. Some have autism or are called aspies. Some are gifted or have learning differences. Some deal with anxiety or sensory issues. And some, like writer Deborah Reber’s son, Asher, are “twice exceptional,” or 2e, meaning they are gifted while also having one or more diagnoses. In Asher’s case, that means ADHD, Asperger’s and what Reber calls “a ridiculously high IQ.” Words Matter Rather than reject labels outright, Reber decided to create a new one: “differently wired.” In her book Differently Wired: Raising an Exceptional Child in a Conventional World (Workman Publishing, 2018), she argues that this new term is more accurate and free of the stigma associated with words like “disorder” and “syndrome.”…

EIGHTY PERCENT OF Americans don’t get the recommended 150 minutes of weekly strength and cardiovascular physical activity. What’s our No. 1 excuse? It’s likely an answer you’ve probably given at some point: no time. No time, no equipment, no gym membership, no place to work out — they’re all common excuses, and they can put the kibosh on your hopes of shaping up or losing weight. What if you could eliminate those negatives? By performing body-weight exercises, you’ll never be without equipment or a place to exercise. You’ll never have to drive to the gym or use bad weather as an excuse to skip a workout. You’ll never need a spotter and never drop a dumbbell on your toes. You can work out at 2 a.m. in your jammies if…

Compared to the Scout Oath and Scout Law, and even the Scout motto (“Be Prepared”), the Scout slogan might be the least-known official BSA “saying” outside the BSA. But those five words — “Do a Good Turn Daily” — are a fundamental part of Scouting’s DNA. Scouts might participate in service projects every month or recite the Scout Law every week, but those Good Turns are meant to happen every single day. That’s a Good Turn every 24 hours — 365 of them each year (and 366 in a leap year). How big of an impact is that? Consider this: If all 2.2 million youth members of the BSA did their Good Turn every day, our movement would complete 803 million Good Turns every year! That’s about 2.5 Good Turns…

Nathan Flowers and David Taylor began their Scouting careers together more than a quarter-century ago. They were in the same Cub Scout pack and then moved together into Troop 475 of Florence, S.C. Flowers earned Eagle in 1997, and David was there at his court of honor. So it’s only fitting that Flowers, who currently serves as an assistant Scoutmaster in Troop 475, was in attendance at David’s Eagle Scout court of honor. David, 39, was given extended time to complete his Eagle Scout journey because of developmental disabilities. An abnormality in David’s 12th chromosome has slowed his growth. “He is currently — and always has been — much smaller than others, so the boys in the troop would look out for him and make certain he was fully involved…

The votes are in, and the decision is final. The winner of the most creative Webelos recruiting event is Troop 316 of Valencia, Calif., part of the Western Los Angeles Area Council. Scouts and leaders from Troop 316 devised a clever Survivor-themed competition that tested Scout skills while showing the Webelos what kind of high-energy fun awaits in Scouts BSA. In the morning, the visiting Webelos were assigned to different patrols, where Scouts BSA members trained them on basic Scout rank skills. In the afternoon, the Webelos split into groups and competed against one another — with coaching from the Scouts — in Survivorstyle challenges that tested their newly acquired know-how. Many troops offer hands-on experiences for visiting Webelos. Some add a special theme that can transform a great day…

YOUTH PROTECTION POLICIES are central to the BSA’s commitment to keep our members safe. Every adult volunteer must complete Youth Protection Training when they register and must retake the training every two years. Youth and adult handbooks also provide information on Youth Protection, as does the BSA website. Still, questions sometimes arise about the rules. Here are answers to some common questions. THE BARRIERS TO ABUSE SAY THAT THERE MUST BE TWO REGISTERED ADULTS PRESENT FOR ALL SCOUTING ACTIVITIES AND MEETINGS. DOES THAT INCLUDE MERIT BADGE COUNSELING? FUNDRAISING EVENTS? Yes. However, the parent or legal guardian of the Scout may serve as the second adult. This parent or legal guardian does not have to be a registered leader. DO LION AND TIGER DEN MEETINGS REQUIRE TWO-DEEP LEADERSHIP SINCE ADULT PARTNERS…

The Dilemma At 5 feet, 10 inches tall and 170 pounds, junior Jaquan Webb knows he’s never going to be a star on his high school basketball team, much less attract the attention of top college coaches like teammate Augie Breedlove does. Nonetheless, he loves the game and dreams of the chance to play at the mid-major level in a few years. When both players take the ACT in October, not long before the season starts, Jaquan is shocked to see Augie cheating off another student. Jaquan confronts his friend at the first break, but Augie isn’t concerned. “Dude, it’s not like I’m going to college for a degree or anything,” he says. “I’ve just got to do my time.” Jaquan doesn’t know how to react. According to the school’s…

Dallas Wells was ready to give up. After backpacking, canoeing and cycling 67 miles over the past week, the 13-year-old Scout, along with the other members of Troop 141 from Christiansburg, Va., had to get up at 4 a.m. to pedal another 38 miles into Washington, D.C. That was 8 more miles than they’d planned (due to a monsoon-shortened ride the day before) and 7 more miles than Dallas thought he could handle. Riding at his side, Scoutmaster Mike Abbott reminded him of how far he’d come and challenged him to win the mental game. “For 7 miles, I could hear him under his breath going, ‘This is a mental game. This is a mental game,’ ” Abbott recalls. “He passed people in the last 7 miles to finish this…

OWASIPPE OFFERS TWO camps for Scouts BSA members: Camp Blackhawk has a traditional dining hall, while Camp Wolverine offers hot meals delivered to your campsite — along with the option of dining in a central pavilion. If family camping is your thing, Camp Reneker offers a relaxing week of family-centered programs and activities for all ages. Owasippe has an ATV trail system, 23 miles of mountain-biking trails and a horse ranch with horseback riding. Scouts can use the camp’s shuttle-bus system to access a variety of activities in and out of their own camp, including lake tubing, crate stacking, zip lining, fishing, river canoeing, paddleboarding, waterskiing, swimming and climbing. And don’t forget to try out the 25 miles of hiking trails that take Scouts all around Owasippe’s 4,800 acres of…