District Freezere

This year the Soldotna LDS Troop hosted the Tustumena District Great Alaska Council Freezeere. This event was not as could as it could have been when comparing it to cold alaska temperatures but it was cold enough to warrant standard winter camping procedures. During this one night campout we ended up have 2 to 3 inches of wet snow fall during the night. This wet snow is definitely not my favorite type of snow because it caused everything to be not just wet but super wet.

For the competition our patrol was to use cotton balls dipped in vasoline, a flint striking fire starter, wood we could gahter,and a t-shirt to make a cup of water. The other two parts of the challenge for the day was to build a snare and to throw sticks at various targets in a course. Our group did not work together very well for two reasons. The first reason is because the leader in charge of the group does not get the respect he deserves. The Second reason is because everybody in the group is more concerned about their personal interests than working together to chaieve a goal. It is really hard to do well in any competition when the people you depend on for that competition are not willing to be cooperative.

A few of the lessons I stressed to the group after this experience include the following ideas:

1. Never Give: When I say never give up what I truthfully mean is that you never give up until you have exhausted all methods that are possible for completing a task. Once a leader stops believing in task completion the group will join that band wagon of thinking that the task is impossible to complete.
2. Teamwork: Remember the saying together everyone achieves more. There is no I in team. Teamwork is necessary for any task that requires multiple people to get the job done efficient. Yes the majority of tasks a person completes can be done by themselves but are you really getting the task done in a effective and efficient manner. When working as a individual in most cases the answer is no. Teamwork is required to hold together a group.
   
3. Follow directions: The leaders in the Troop are not out there just to pick on a certain scout when giving instructions. These instructions are either to accomplish a task that must be done or to prevent or stop unsafe actions from occuring when possible. Following directions means actively listening to the information given by a person, ensuring you intetrepret the information correctly, acting on that intrepretation, and then evaluating or examing our performance on the activity.

These are just a few of my observations from a recent campout. I could probably write a book with the amount of information I have to process about this campout but I am not here to do that.

Yours in Scouting Service
Mark W
Junior Assistant Scoutmaster
Troop 1616
Great Alaska COuncil
Eagle Scout OA Brotherhood Member
NSJ '05 WSJ '07 Philmont AA '08

Arrowmen in Action

Here is the second installment of Arrowmen in Action.

Arrowmen In Action: Serving the People of a State

This semester, as many Arrowmen are taking their seats in the schoolhouse, Jeff St. Cyr will be taking his seat in the state house. That’s right, at just twenty years old, Jeff—an Eagle Scout, Vigil Honor section chief from Troop 53 in Alton, New Hampshire—is a member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives. In addition, he’s a student at the University of New Hampshire and, on top of that, chairs his local school board in Alton, New Hampshire.

For Jeff, leadership is something that he’s used to. "It’s always been a part of my life," he says. In fact, Jeff credits Scouting with giving him the fundamental skills that it takes to be a leader. He was involved in his troop leadership from an early age, starting first as an assistant patrol leader and then working his way up. Today, Jeff serves as Section Chief for NE-1A and will serve as the Conference Vice Chief for Communications at NOAC this summer.

But when he’s not visiting lodges or planning for the conference, Jeff is also representing New Hampshire’s fifth district in the House of Representatives and chairing his local school board. His service on the school board is Jeff’s way of giving back. "I attended the school system when I was younger," says Jeff. "It’s good to be able to bring a youth perspective to the board."

The New Hampshire House of Representatives is made up of 400 members. Of that body, just three are Jeff’s age. The part-time nature of the legislature attracts either young folks who do not yet have careers or retired citizens who have the time and resources to devote to spending time in the capital. But for Jeff, time management is his key to getting things done. "I do a lot of traveling back and forth," he says. His priorities still lie with getting an education—something Jeff knows is important for his future.

And how does he manage to represent his 3,000 or so constituents in the state house, chair the school board, and run a section? "There’s a balance of working with Scouting and serving constituents," that Jeff seems to have perfected. At the end of the day, Jeff just enjoys being involved in his community and wants others to know they can be involved, too. "Arrowmen in their communities can certainly get involved," he encourages. All it takes is the "Power of One".

Yours in Scouting Service
Mark W
Junior Assistant Scoutmaster
Troop 1616
Great Alaska COuncil
Eagle Scout OA Brotherhood Member
NSJ '05 WSJ '07 Philmont AA '08