Scouts and Scouters

seen a lot of "when i was a scout" on this board and figured ild post this here (thinkin we need like a general discussion/chit chat board). anyways who all here are/were scouts?? its always nice to see and meet people who have been involved in scouting in some way or another. i started out in the cub scouts and worked my way up from there, finally got my eagle a bit over two years ago now. I'm also currently in a venture crew that is attached to the summer camp I've worked at the past 5-6 years as a wilderness survival instructor, trek program director and shooting sports instructor. also was very involved with the order of the arrow and became a vigil honor member. quite a lot of the notable experiences I've had in my life have come from scouting and definitely learned a ton! i really got into shooting when i first went to summer camp. the range master/shooting sports director at the time was a marine corp gunny who fought in WWII. he also trained the US olympic team a few times too. learned quite a bit from that old guy and even worked with him for a few years before he had to leave the camp.

Anyways, if you don't mind just tell me a boot about your scouting experiences or just say hey!

I started out in cub scouts eventually working my way to Eagle. I enjoyed the high cope and low cope, the summer camps, backpacking, and the numerous adventures and friends that I've made over the years. It is one of the few things I wish I could relive from childhood. Now I help teach fire safety every year for the cub scouts and the boy scouts.

I started in Cubs at 7, got all the way to Life before my age caught up to me on the way to Eagle. Running track in high school took a lot of my other time when Scouting wasn't lol.

Had a VERY active troop. At least 2-3 trips a month on weekends, when school was out for breaks, I was gone somewhere with the Scouts. From basic camping, to backpacking 60+ miles in a week, to whitewater rafting and canoeing, to rock climbing/repelling. We did a lot! The scout master had invested his own money in most of the equipment, so that was a huge factor!

My only regret is not making a trip to Philmont for the Jamboree...

low cope was always fun! we never got the high cope course at the camp even though we kept bugging the district about it. we did have a 57 foot climbing tower though!
Mazda trust me i know all about how sports can take up your time! i played football and was a thrower throughout high school. don't ask me how i did it but i did manage time for my eagle in there. my older brother having his and my grandpa who was a scoutmaster way back when wouldn't have let me live it down if i didn't get there. i had always wished my troop was more active with outings. we did TONS of community service but could never manage more than 1 or 2 outdoor type activities every couple months.
i had always wanted to go to philmont. i had a few buddies from the camp staff that had gone and one even worked there.

Started out as a cub and made it to First Class with 15 merit badges, then got more into sports and girls ?

I started out as a Cub, moved into the Scouts, worked my way up to Eagle, with 23 Merit Badges, was awarded the Order of The Arrow, then went into the Explorer program, and helped out in that program until time, age, and a career with IBM caught up with me. Did several years as an advisor, going on the camping trips that other parents could never seem to make. Some of the best experiences of my life picked up along the way!

I was a Cub in Texas very young, ended up an Explorer in California where we started a Motorcycle/Motocross troop. What an absoloute blast. Going out to the desert where I spent most of my time anyway with all the newbies was a lot of fun trying to teach them how to ride in soft sand and mud hills. Then I graduated to the USMC and life goes on. Never forget it.

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Originally Posted by Balljoint

Started out as a cub and made it to First Class with 15 merit badges, then got more into sports and girls ?

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The District advancement chair always said there were 4 things that kept guys from getting their eagle Cars, Girls, School and Sports!

COplains, i always liked teaching the young guys too. something about the wonderment you see in them when you teach them even basic skills. i bet watching them try to handle a bike was a blast! I tried to start a shooting sports crew but, being in california at the time, all the red tape kept it from ever actually happening.

Laffin....I look back on some of the things we put those kids through, we'd a been strung up today! Never seen, before or since, so many 'en masse' crashes in my life. They always finished with an earsplitting grin tho, scraped, bruised, sand blasted and just generally beat up. Hadn't thought of all that in a long time, thanks for bringing back the memories. I'm still cracking up :)

I'm a proud Eagle Scout. Started as young as I could and hung out till 18 then did 2 years as a junior leader before going my own way away from the troop as it wasn't what it used to be.

Was a Scout from 11-18, now an adult leader.

I'm a former Eagle. I probably haven't been better at anything as I was at being a Scout. Even to this day I remember almost all the skills I picked up. It was the one activity I participated in as a youth where I remember myself as both a kid and adult. It'd be great to get back into the program and to give back to future generations, but it's just not possible.

DrThunder, you are never a former Eagle you are always an Eagle. Give back by being an example to the youth of your community and talk with parents about the benefit of an organization that teaches the great values of that the BSA teaches, if someone knocks on your door for your local Friends of Scouting drive give a few bucks. There are lots of ways to give back. BTW I didn't earn my Eagle however I have 2 boys that have and 2 that have that as one of their goals in life. That being said I try to give time back to the organization that has made a difference in my boys lives.

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Originally Posted by outdoordans

DrThunder, you are never a former Eagle you are always an Eagle. Give back by being an example to the youth of your community and talk with parents about the benefit of an organization that teaches the great values of that the BSA teaches, if someone knocks on your door for your local Friends of Scouting drive give a few bucks. There are lots of ways to give back. BTW I didn't earn my Eagle however I have 2 boys that have and 2 that have that as one of their goals in life. That being said I try to give time back to the organization that has made a difference in my boys lives.

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I'm an atheist nowadays. As long as I'm an untermensch by BSA standards, I really can't be an Eagle anymore. I'm also not allowed to be a Scouter, which would make accepting my donation a bit hypocritical of them.