Troop of the Week

As far as I could see, everyone who spent the week at Yawgoog came back smiling - dirty, tired and covered with itchy mosquito bites, but smiling. Why? Because summer camp is fun! Also, because the Troop was awarded Sandy Beach Champs - Troop of the Week. Winning Sandy Beach champs was a goal from the start, but it's not easy to achieve. It takes good leadership, teamwork, discipline and focus. It gets harder as the week goes on - there are more ways to fall behind other Troops. Everyone gets homesick and tired and the heat and humidity and mosquitoes begin to wear everyone down. But the Troop and it's young but competent leaders stayed on track and kept their eye on the prize. The prize in question demands a lot from a bunch of young boys. They must get up at the crack of day and immediately clean up the mess from the night before, get a series of morning jobs done, get to meals on time, behave like civilized people at meals, show lots of spirit all week long, attend ALL camp activities, offer themselves to the staff for a service project and compete in a number of athletic events, all the while behaving the way we all expect Scouts to behave. It's a LOT of work. So to see the smiles on Day 7 because they had fun and achieved special recognition as a unit is a very special thing indeed. My time away from home, work and family and all the hours of paperwork and preparation is paid for by those 36 smiling faces.

Recognition

Most of us call it "advancement". But it is really recognition. Boy Scouts is a program that allows a boy to grow and learn by experiencing, by doing. Our jobs as adult leaders is to provide the opportunities and make sure the boy stays safe. But what we really want is a boy-led Troop and if that is true, we should have boys doing the teaching of new skills. Sometimes we adults need to step in and give some guidance, when the skills level of the boys are lower than they need to be to provide the proper information. But that is temporary. Once the leaders are back on track and there memory of skills they learned and forgot is refreshed, we adults must again back off. It's a little dance. One that takes some time to learn.

But back to the recognition. the awards we give out at our Court of Honor represent recognition of experiences and learn that the boys have passed through. A scout does not become a master of knot-tying by passing a few requirements on the path to First Class. He masters them (assuming he does that) by actually practicing what he has learned. The good news is, the skills they are taught have practical use for camping and hiking and often other life activities. A tautline hitch, for example, is one I use on EVERY single campout, and sometimes at home. This goes for just about very skill the Boy Scout Handbook teaches.

But for a boy, knowing is not enough. It's important for him to stand in front of his peers and his friends and family and have someone say, "this boy did this. And he did it well." It's important. And so we recognize him, knowing that someday he will pass on what he has learned by teaching another Scout. And that's when he will truly KNOW what he has LEARNED.

Klondike vs Polar Bear

Some of us might be wondering why this years' winter District even is being called a Polar Bear and not a Klondike. I thought it was an arbitrary choice at first, but after some research learned the difference. First let me define "District Event".

Boy Scouts of America at it's highest level is called National. Each region of the U.S. has Councils and districts and then individual Units. Long Island is divided into two Councils: Nassau (Theodore Roosevelt Council) and Suffolk County Council. Within Suffolk County Council there are 6 Districts. Ours is called Matinecock. When some of us attend Roundtable meetings once a month, that is at the District level. Our Spring Camporee, Webelos Woods and Klondike (or Polar Bear) are District events.

I know, it can be confusing.

So how is a Klondike different from a Polar Bear? Both are winter events. A Klondike, or Klondike Derby, or Klondike Camporee, is a competative event, held in winter based on the Alaskan Ididerrod. The Scouts use dog sled style sleds to carry all their gear from station to station. Each station is a single activity, usually based on scout skills and/or team work. Points are given for performance and Scout Spirit. A Klondike Derby is a one-day event and can be held for Boy Scouts, Webelos Scouts or both. A Klondike Camporee is the same, but overnight camping is involved and is just for Boy Scouts. For the past few years, our Klondike has been called a Camporee, meaning multiple Troops.

So what is a Polar Bear? Well, that is a winter camping event involving a campout of at least 24 hours of camping.

Winter camping over a period of 96 hours between the months of November and March can earn a Scout the Polar Bear Award.

Why camp in winter? Seems crazy right? If properly outfitted and prepared, it's not a lot different than camping any other time. As Scouts, we learn to be ready for rain and hot weather. Why not cold. As leaders, safety is always first. For that reason we always come prepared with extra blankets and we spend a lot of time preparing Scouts for cold conditions. A parents, you can help by reminding your boys to pack what we have taught them to pack in our winter camping training. They can always call a Patrol Leader or adult Scouter if they have questions. We can provide printed information to support what they have been taught. We properly dressed and outfitted, Scouts find winter camping quite exhilerating.