Scouts Unite!

[Adam Crocker]

We had something similar called the Klondike Derby. Patrol Competitions in the ice and snow. I remember having to remove my gloves in order to make lashings/knots and freezing.

So making children remove their gloves in sub zero weather and freeze their hands is a widespread scouting tradition?

One of my fond memories from scouts was having my design selected as the patch for the Klondike Derby. Pretty cool.

Speaking as an amateur artist that's very cool.

It's amazing how much I look like my Dad now that I'm in my 40's

Meanwhile my relatives remark on how much I look like my dad even though I'm twenty-four.

[Bouncing Boy]

I made it all the way through Cub Scouts and became a Boy Scout, and I didn't do very well as a Boy Scout, I think I got a couple merrit badges maybe, but I didn't get very far, then I quit, after about a year.

[Guapo Méndez]

Scouts seemed fun, but my dad has a chronical distrust of any organization. Me being in catholic school was as far as he'd allow.

My brother in law, however, was a hard-core scout before joining medical school. Jamborees, camping, walks...pretty impressive.

[MacQuarrie]

I was never a Boy Scout. I was a Cub scout for about a year and a half (made it to Bear), and that was it.

I am, however, an Assistant Scoutmaster and Merit Badge Counselor (Archery and Graphic Arts, what else?)

[Dan Apodaca]

While I am disgusted by some of the behavior I've seen at the upper level of the BSA, I do think it's an important program and a really cool one.

Sometimes I wish I had been a scout, but there was no way I was gonna wear a neckerchief.

[Callie]

The troop was just too into domestic things like cooking and sewing so I joined Campfire.

Ick. I've heard of troops like that. The leaders have a lot to do with it generally, and so does your location. I grew up in a town with four Girl Scout camps (and a Boy Scout camp), so our troop was allowed to use one of the camps for our meetings, and we always did waaaay more outdoorsy stuff than domestic crap.

[Tom]

I think I posted this before, but here's the Webelos Dragon Den:

I'm the geek at the podium, and my son is second Webelos from the left (with the red patch vest)

I'm such a dork. Here I am thinking "Hunh. Two guys wearing Eagles shirts. What are the chances?" completely forgetting that you're a hometown boy. And your son looks exactly like you. Was there a mother involved or do your people reproduce asexually?

I was a Scout. Never made it to Eagle. My parents moved us when I was 13 from the suburbs to the city and there were no troops in the area we moved to.

...

I'm trying to come up with an assessment of my scouting years and I'm oddly blank. I have no bad memories of scouting - not a one. Yet, I can't seem to recall much else. I won the Pinewood derby and the camping trips were a lot of fun (and in retrospect, weirdly sexual, now that I think about it). Other than that, I got nothing.

Oh, and I burned all 5 fingers on my right hand earning my cooking merit badge.

[Chiasm]

I was in scouts as a kid but being one of the few non mormons in the mormon run Scout troop was tough and I was soon driven out because I wasn't willing to convert. It was a small town and there were no other scout troops.

I live in a bigger town nowadays but the local council where I live supports child molestation. They have hired several known child molestors and allowed one counselor to molest 24 kids. Complaints by numerous kids that the latter counselor was molesting kids were utterly ignored. When the police finally did get called (not by the choice of the scout leaders) the molestor confessed to 24 molestations, several of which had been reported to the local scout director in charge of this area of the state. Then the scouts tried to bury the story and hired laywers to try and keep it from the press. Here is a link telling all about it. The guy who has hired molestors in the past and ignored all the molestations going on under his watch is now the guy in charge of all scouting in this part of the state. My kids will not join Scouts as long as this guy is anywhere in the picture.

http://www.postregister.com/scouts_honor/index.php

[mattbib]

Oh, and I burned all 5 fingers on my right hand earning my cooking merit badge.

Ahhh...like cutting one's hand a Boy Scout rite of passage.

[DarkBlade]

My troop disbanded because middle school girls can suck, the leader never gave me over 15 badges that I'd earned, and I never got to do scouting again cause my stepmom didn't look beyond the school I was in for another troop and said I couldn't do the independent scout thing.

Oh yeah, and there was no camping/outdoor things.

[Kid Omega]

My kids will not join Scouts as long as this guy is anywhere in the picture.

http://www.postregister.com/scouts_honor/index.php

The BSA has the highest rate of catching and and reporting sex abusers of any youth organization in the country. To work with a troop or be on staff at a camp, you have to go through multiple screenings, and your police record (if you have one) is scrutinized. To be on camp staff, you have to be fingerprinted and put on file with the police. There is ZERO TOLERANCE.

Having read those articles, I have to say that your council has a major LDS problem. It's LDS folks covering up the crimes of other LDS folks. That seems pretty clear.

I've seen it happen before. At the camp I worked at, there was a string of arson incidents one week. We had to call out the Sherrif's dept, and it was a very scary problem. It turns out it was an LDS kid (LDS troops were notorious for behavioural problems), and when we confronted the troop leaders we were met with denials first, and then "WE'LL TAKE CARE OF IT". As in, "forget it ever happened".

I don't know what the resolution was, but I don't think the kid ended up in juvie.

It's a shame.

I've said it before- the LDS have pretty well kept me out of Scouting. And the above instances (and their political motives) are an example why.

[Winslow]

I was never a Boy Scout. I was a Cub scout for about a year and a half (made it to Bear), and that was it.

I am, however, an Assistant Scoutmaster and Merit Badge Counselor (Archery and Graphic Arts, what else?)

How did your involvement come about ? (just curious) Your church?

Our local summer camps have an archery range. My son loves it. I was amazed how much better he did when a counselor that was good with kids helped him with his stance and "form." Like most sports - proper technique is probably half the battle.

[Winslow]

My kids will not join Scouts as long as this guy is anywhere in the picture.

Can't blame ya there. That's very sickening.

[Winslow]

I'm such a dork. Here I am thinking "Hunh. Two guys wearing Eagles shirts.

I'm a dork too. When you said Eagles shirts, I thought, "But I'm the only Egale scout in the picture."

What are the chances?" completely forgetting that you're a hometown boy. And your son looks exactly like you. Was there a mother involved or do your people reproduce asexually?

Your be the judge:

Me:



My Dad:

I'm trying to come up with an assessment of my scouting years and I'm oddly blank. I have no bad memories of scouting - not a one. Yet, I can't seem to recall much else. I won the Pinewood derby . . . .

Pinewood Derby is the best event in Cub Scouts. My son won last February, something he'll probably remember for the rest of his life.

[Tom]

Your be the judge:

Me:



My Dad:

OHMIGOD. That is eerie. I look a lot like my father, but that's just...wow. Is your father still around? At least you know what you'll look like as an old man.

Pinewood Derby is the best event in Cub Scouts. My son won last February, something he'll probably remember for the rest of his life.

Yeah. I haven't thought of it in years and last night I had a the urge to dig through my boxes to find my car. I really hope I still have it.