Monday Memo 

Joseph Daniszewski Scout Executive

Good day and welcome to our June 14th, 2010 Monday Memo

BSA-100 .... the latest and greatest from the BSA-100 committee

The Birthday Cake is in the oven and starting to rise before you know it the frosting will be on and the candles will be lit. We will need a bunch of Scouts to help us blow out those candles, all 100 of them so we can get to the fun part. The BSA-100 Birthday Party is going to be a blast.

On top of all the other things going on, there are some big things coming around too for this September, the event of the year. Here are the new additions: the Army National Guard will have a complete display with some real cool military toys, we'll have another climbing wall, some pedal cars, and more. Opening ceremonies is looking like it will be way worth anything you will pay for registration along with the evening campfire / show. Scouts Own Sunday morning with special guests will be followed by both Cub and Boy Scout troop and pack mystery events. At the closing awards ceremonies Sunday morning the council will stuff the time capsule with district goodies not to be opened till the 200^th anniversary of Scouting in 2110.

The BSA-100 Web Page on the CIEC Council website is the only place to get correct and updated information about this once in a lifetime / historical event so check it weekly there are additions every week and sometimes daily.

Why A Tour Permit?

The single highest number of injuries and fatalities in the United States and Scouting are caused by motor vehicle accidents. A tour permit that has been filed with and approved by the local Scout Council prior to the activity registers the activity as an official Scouting activity. BSA's insurance coverage only applies to official Scouting activities. Reinforces driver requirements and insurance requirements and encourages routine maintenance checks on vehicles prior to the trip.

WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF TOUR PERMITS?
Provide the Scout executive with information regarding unit outings and trips - i.e. - a tour permit helps you know "what is going on". Reinforces leader requirements, especially in regards to Youth Protection, transportation, and aquatic activities. Make sure current forms are used. Can provide information necessary to locate a troop or post if an emergency arises and lets the council know point of contact when an emergency situation develops.

In summary tour permits re-enforce planning, safety, and two-deep leadership.

WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO FILE THE TOUR PERMIT TWO WEEKS IN ADVANCE?
The two-week (in advance) filing requirement helps ensure that trips are well planned. Because of the large number of tour permits filed, late/rush filings cause delays for those who file promptly. If there are concerns with a tour permit, the two-week filing requirement allows time for correction avoiding cancellation of the trip.

WHAT ACTIVITIES REQUIRE A NATIONAL TOUR PERMIT APPLICATION?
For tours or trips 500 miles or over one way, a National tour permit application is required.

WHAT ACTIVITIES REQUIRE A LOCAL COUNCIL TOUR PERMIT APPLICATION?
Most short, in-town den trips of a few hours do not require a tour permit; however, it is recommended that dens obtain permission slips from parents.

Tour Permit Applications
Adult unit leaders can apply for tour permits electronically with an automated approval process that provides for prompt electronic delivery of approved permits. The applicant will need to provide detailed information about tour destination; dates; itinerary; participation and leadership; transportation plans (including vehicle information, driver's license numbers, and insurance coverage); and the training certifications for Youth Protection and any other certifications needed for the tour.

The Submission Process
All registered unit leaders have access to Tour Permits from MyScouting at http://www.scouting.org/. The MyScouting account verifies that the owner is a BSA leader associated with a unit. Within Tour Permits, the leader has access only to his or her unit. This authentication replaces the physical signatures on tour permit applications.

Unit leaders enter all the necessary information for the tour, and rules specific to tour permits are applied. Helpful messages advise the leader about any missing information. Online features allow easy entry of driver information for transportation and required training supervision. The volunteer can submit local and national applications for either traditional units or Learning for Life posts. The online Help document explains how to complete and submit permit applications to the council.

Remember, local tour permit applications should be submitted two weeks before the tour, and national applications at least one month before the tour start date.

Print out page 5 as this will serve as the bottom portion of the paper tour permit. Take page 5 along with you on your outing. Contact Gail in the Scout Service Center at extension 129 if you have any questions on need to make any changes on your Local Council Tour Permit.

The Approval Process
Once the permit application has been submitted, the council evaluates and approves it: or, if further work is needed, the council may return an application to each permit creator. Once approved, each tour permit has a unique tour ID number.

Unit Leaders are notified via e-mail when an application is submitted and approved. At all appropriate steps in the process, automatic notifications go to the permit creator, the tour leader, and the assistant tour leader. The unit committee chair and unit leader also receive e-mail notifications if they have MyScouting accounts. The tour permit creator receives a PDF version of the approved permit via e-mail.

Local Tour Permit (No. 34426D)   National Tour Permit (No. 4419C

A Thrill at Indy

What a wild ride we had at Indy on Memorial Day weekend!

Seeing the BSA’s No. 19 IndyCar compete in the legendary Indy 500 was a dream come true for our entire membership and a great way to share the Scouting program with race fans.

The excitement and buzz around the pits and the BSA IndyCar prior to the race was just incredible. I couldn’t keep count of the many admirers who stopped by to say how cool the car was. And many of those were involved, or had sons involved, in Scouting.

We also experienced the thrill of watching the special-edition BSA entry climb from a distant 26th position to finish in the top 5. Wow! Boy Scouts Examiner writer Chuck Douros described it this way: 

“Dale Coyne Racing and driver Alex Lloyd took the gold trimmed special edition BSA #19 IndyCar to an impressive 4th place finish…The #19 BSA car never led the pack in any single lap on Sunday, but did manage to beat 35:1 odds to place in the top 5 overall.”

Driver Alex Lloyd and the Dale Coyne Racing team did everything right to maneuver through the field for this exciting finish. It was that last, great, perfectly-timed pit stop that made the difference.

At the checkered flag, the BSA car came in third, according to the immediate results. But after a review of the race data, officials determined that Alex had passed Marco Andretti’s No. 26 car in third position as Marco was running out of fuel. Since officials ruled that Marco had maintained an average speed to secure the third spot, the BSA No. 19 car slipped to fourth in the official standings. And there’s no shame in being nudged out of third by a driver with the last name Andretti.

On top of this historic racing day for Scouting, let’s not forget the new alliance announced in January between the BSA and Dale Coyne Racing that focuses on advanced youth leadership and education.  I cannot thank Dale and Gail Coyne enough for their commitment to Scouting.

If you haven’t seen it, above is a photo of our commemorative gold and white IndyCar, which will be fielded by the Dale Coyne Racing team through the entire IZOD IndyCar Series season. Let’s follow our driver and our car. I would encourage councils to check the Coyne schedule to see whether the BSA car will be racing soon at a track near you. Take advantage of all that our car, driver Alex Lloyd, and the Dale Coyne Racing team have to offer in building excitement for the Boy Scouts of America and our 100th Anniversary Celebration in your town.

What a great day for Scouting! Bob

Connecting Children and Nature Conference at Philmont

The problems of childhood obesity, increased rates of depression and attention disorders, and declines in educational achievement are problems that concern us all.  Especially those of us who have dedicated our lives to youth development.  Recent books, and numerous, world-wide research studies have indicated that a large part of the solution are some things that we have been really good at for the past 100 years. Included among these are creative play and a connection with nature.

States are getting the message and are encouraging environmental education.  The U.S. House passed the “Leave No Child Inside” act that provides funding and training for teachers and environmental education.  Other organizations and after-school programs (including the Boys’ and Girls’ Club and the YMCA) are including the concepts of creative play and exposure to nature in their programs.  Many parents are reading about this research on parenting web sites as well and are looking for ways to meet these developmental needs of their children.

One of the pillars of the BSA’s Strategic Plan – Youth Advocacy – has an objective that this movement (and this conference) will help address: “The BSA is recognized as an advocate for health and fitness for all youth and adults.”

Many of us believe that this is an opportunity for the BSA to build awareness and increase our leadership role in effective youth development.   We cannot let others take that away from us.

To do that, we have to have to spread the word, make plans, and educate professionals, volunteers, our communities, and the parents of current and potential Scouts.  There is much already being done within the BSA, but as part of that effort the National Council has planned a conference in September at the Philmont Training Center.

On behalf of your council, we would like to invite you to participate in this conference.

Our plan is to review the research behind the importance of outdoor activities in human development; to discuss things that we can do, and how to enhance what we already do, in unit and outdoor programs; share how we can increase awareness of what we are doing among our members, potential members, and our communities; and plan what we need to do – locally and nationally - to be the leader in improving the lives of current and future generations.  

We have invited “outside” experts to join us, but we also need broad local council input to make it successful and beneficial.

The conference will be part of the Philmont Training Center’s September 19-25 session.  We have scheduled it then and there because we believe that there is no better place to hold a conference such as this than Philmont - where so many of the concepts come to life.  And while any time at Philmont is special, the fall provides unique opportunities and weather that make it even more so.  There will be a spouse and children program offered during the week.

More information may be found on the Philmont Training Center links on Scouting.org and in MyScouting.org.  Space is limited, so please register on MyScouting soon.

http://www.philmonttrainingcenter.org/

Boy Scout Troop Rides 2885 Miles to Earn CYCLING MERIT BADGE

Over the past several months the Boy Scouts of Troop 444 of 3 Peaks District  in Menifee, CA have been working to earn their Cycling Merit Badge.  Cycling Merit Badge is amongst one of the 21 merit badges a scout may earn to achieve the rank of Eagle Scout.   While cycling sounds like a fun and easy task, the scouts of Troop 444 found that it is not such an easy task.  Amongst the requirements to earn cycling merit badge a scout must learn about cycling safety, the laws of the road, the different types of cycling and how to maintain and repair a bicycle.   While these requirements required some book work, hands on time, and several discussions, it was little comparison to the riding portion.  A scout must take part in seven different cycling trips, which he must help plan.  The trips are broken up into progressively longer rides, which help the scouts condition themselves for future rides and give them opportunities to learn about their bicycles and fine tune their bicycles for future rides.   The trips are broken into two 10 mile ride, two 15 mile rides, two 25 mile rides and a final 50 mile ride which has to be completed in less than 8 hours.

Thirty Scouts and six Scout Leaders started out on the path to finish the merit badge.  While adults can not earn a merit badge, logistical support and the maintaining of two deep leadership is of great importance.  The 10 miles rides around Menifee proved to be simple rides, which introduced the joy of cycling to the scouts and leaders.  It also brought lessons of the importance of physical conditioning and the need to maintain a well functioning bicycle.  As expected the second 10 miles was even better and the number of scouts remained the same.  As the scouts began their 15 mile rides, they were again reminded of the physical demands of cycling.   It was at this point that the scout began to break up into differing ability groups maintaining differing cycling speeds.  The scouts also began to see the need for and the proper use of gears on their bicycles.  As the Troop moved onto the second 15 mile ride the number of scouts riding decreased to 17 and the number of leaders riding dropped to 3 with the remaining leader’s taking on the role of logistical support.

 Upon the start of the 25 mile ride the need for the Scouts to be more prepared became evident as they needed more drinking water, quick snakes and a location to ride that was free from heavy motor vehicle traffic.  This proved to be a harder task then one would imagine, as Southern California provides so many beautiful place to ride, but are usually intertwined with heavy traffic and safety concerns. This brought the scouts to the Green River area just outside of Corona and a favorite starting spot for many cyclists.  The Santa Anna River Trail, starts at the base of the San Bernodino Mounts and runs to Huntington Beach.  This proved to be a great ride for the scouts.  The ride was their first long ride and again renforced new lessons about cycling, of which were the need for proper inflation in your tires and the need to inspect your bicycle between rides.  The group divided again in to differing ability groups as the ride went on, with each scout caring the supplies they may need on a cycling trip to include water, snakes, extra tube, pump and a personal first aid kit.  The ride turned out to be a great success and a fun time for all.

The next 25 miles shrunk the group to 15 scouts and 4 leaders riding.  While this ride did not have the natural beauty of the Southern California rivers and beach, it did bring a great opportunity.  The Troop was allowed to ride along the perimeter fencing of March Air Force Reserve Base. The trip allowed the scouts to see aircraft coming and going and some of the historical base up close. 

As the final 50 mile trip approached the requirement to ride with the Troop was thrust on to the scouts.  Each scout had to complete all of the written and practical parts of the merit badge and had of completed all of the precursor rides independently or with the Troop in order to attend the final ride.  On that final day 12 scouts and 2 leaders started off on the ride.  This ride once again would bring use to the Green River area of Corona and the Santa Ann River Trail, but unlike or previous trip we would head north up to Bolsa Chica State Beach.  Add in a few more twist and turns and 50 miles later you have completed your ride.  Sounds easy enough.  In order to maintain the adult leadership the troop end up getting off to a late start, this meant a steady headwind from the Corona area to Huntington Beach.  This wind proved to be a test of every scout’s physical conditioning, but did not detour any of the scouts.  The challenge was even greater to two scouts who decided to and had been riding there BMX style bicycles during every ride.   As the groups arrived at Huntington Beach the winds died down and the natural beauty of the ocean and beaches proved to bring a reenergizing felling to the riders.  Just over 4 hours after starting their ride, the first group of Scouts arrived at their final destination, with one of the scouts riding a BMX style bike leading the way.  The second group arrived just slightly over 5 hours after starting.  Besides the great feeling of accomplishment felt by all, that first group of scouts got a little extra taste of victory when confronted by friends from their high school.  With the disbelief of their peers, that they had just ridden 50 miles to the beach from the Corona.  As the scouts and other youth exchanged stories you could once again see the since of accomplishment as their fellow peers realized and congratulated them on their accomplishment.