Scoutmaster Shane’s Troop 560

Last night we started the Family Life merit badge.  It is required for Eagle and 5 of the 7 deacons do not have it yet.  We started out discussing what a family is and the importance of families to individuals and to society.  Then each scout listed several reasons why they are important to their family.  Here’s a sample of our favorite responses - some more thought provoking than others:

• "I give love to everyone" -Zach Young
• "I help them with their struggles" -Randy Dayes
• "I’m the weird one" -Nathan Fish
• "My fuzzy hair" -Daniel Peterson
• "I lift Aaron up" -Brandon Steenhoek
• "I’m cute" - Connor McCook
• "Without me, it wouldn’t be the same" -J.T. Barrett

Each scout identified 5 separate chores that they do on a regular basis.  Now they have to keep a 90-day record of each time they do these chores.  Please ask your scout about his "Chore Chart" and help him keep track for the next couple months.  If all goes well, we should all have the Family Life merit badge by December!  We ended the night with a game of "lights-out hackysack football" and went home with red knees and bonked heads.

Congratulations to all of our deacons.  After last night every one of them earned their swimming merit badge.  For the last requirement, each scout created and presented their very own swimming exercise program using the 5 key steps for a successful aerobic excercise.  They also had to make up a name for their program and draw helpful diagrams.  Here’s a sample:

Click thumbnails to enlarge 

Yesterday we left extra early at 5:00am to go to Roosevelt Lake.  After bulking up with donuts, danishes & milk in the lake parking lot, we put on our life jackets and hit the water.  Zach, Daniel and JT needed requirements for their motorboating merit badge so they each took the helm and drove the boat and practiced docking against a buoy.  The rest of us held on for dear life!  Connor showed us the finer points of wakeboarding and even caught some sweet air.  Nathan tried barefoot skiing but it looked more like faceplant skiing.  The scouts took turns riding the wakeboard and the kneeboard until we noticed a nasty storm approaching from the northwest.  We considered packing up and returning home but instead drove to the other side of the lake and hung out by the dam.  While we ate lunch (and tried not to make a mess of Bro. McCook’s boat) we watched and tracked the storm hoping it would simply pass us by.  The boys jumped in the water and practiced the survival huddle we learned at Scouts last week!  Bro. McCook and Bro. Layton tried to convince the boys that the big orange barrier buoys by the dam were electrified - but they didn’t fall for it . . . at least not right away.

By the time we were done eating and swimming we looked up and realized that the menacing storm had indeed passed us by.  Unfortunately, it left a lake full of choppy waters in it’s wake.  Bro. McCook took us on a tour of the lake catching air over the waves and hitting speeds of 100 mph.  When we could not find any clear waters we stopped and all jumped out to swim again.  We had fun playing tag and swimming in the open water.  The waves started dying down so we made our way back to the boat.  Of course, trying to be the first to climb back on the boat turned into a rousing game of "Don’t let the other guy get on the boat!"

The water was still too choppy for any real riding so each boy got one last 3 minute run.  They could ride the kneeboard any way they wanted but at the end of 3 minutes Bro. McCook would punch it and see who could stay on the longest.  Nathan and JT won that competition.  Everyone got a chance to drive the boat as we headed back to the dock.  Waking up before 5:00am finally took it’s toll as most of the boys zonked out for the drive home.  And even though it wasn’t the traditional campout we had originally planned, we had a great time with no casualties - other than a sunburn.

Click on photos to enlarge

Tonight we finished all of the in-water requirements for the Swimming merit badge.  Our own swimming coach, Brother Tait helped the Scouts complete their front crawl, back crawl, sidestroke, breathstroke and backstroke lap swimming as well as the headfirst and long shallow dives. 

Learning even more of what to do in a water emergency, everyone floated face up for one minute and then practiced survival floating for another 5 minutes!  The Scouts learned the huddle position to keep warm and stave off hypothermia.  To simulate rough waters the others jumped in the pool around them and Brother McCook made waves with a boogie board - and they stayed together through all of that!  When we meet in 2 weeks (next week is combined Water Olympics) we will finish our last requirement of creating an aerobic exercise swimming program and all of the deacons will have the Swimming merit badge.

Click on photos to enlarge