Wood Badge

In September 2015 I embarked in a journey which has given me tools and training both inside and outside of Scouting.  Wood Badge is a world-wide training course for adult scouters which teaches the participant about all aspects of the Scouting Program.  Participants will learn about the stages of building a team, group dynamics, programming and so much more.  This course does not take place just in a classroom, but is a 2 weekend intensive course involving classroom and practical applications. After the course the participants are given 18 months to complete "tickets" which they select to help them achieve a goal of theirs specific to scouting.

This has been a wonderful and changing experience.  I encourage each and everyone who is involved with scouting, go through this course and work those tickets.  On October 10, 2016 I was finally presented with my beads to complete my first Wood Badge Course.  I am sure I will be back to help staff a course in the future.

Support Group

For those who have been following me on Facebook know I have recently accepted a challenge to bring an awareness regarding Combat Veterans.  The challenge is known as the 22 for 22 challenge.  Here is a little background . . .  Roughly 22 Combat Veterans commit suicide a day.  The challenge is to commit to doing 22 push ups for 22 days in recognition of these fallen soldiers.  Now let's add to this that September is National Suicide Prevention Month and Sunday was 9-11.  I requested to talk to our boys briefly at our meeting and shared another story with them.

On Sunday, September 11, 2016, I had the privilege of working on a client who was at the towers when they fell 15 years ago.  I have seen this client for 2 years and we rarely discussed this event in his life.  He shared how New York provided counselors, how he sought help, but it had little to no effect.  He discovered acupuncture and bodywork and that it had a profound impact on his ability to cope and deal with the PTSD he struggled with.

In recognition of our former military in our Troop, for those soldiers, friends, and people we do not know, I asked the my Troop to join me, for the day, in doing the 22 for 22 challenge with me.  While only a couple hands went up in the air, what happened next was more than amazing.  25 Scouts and Adult Leaders showed their support, not just for me, but for all the fallen warriors, soldiers, friends, family, and those who are suffering with thoughts of suicide. 

Thank you Troop 606. All I can can is thank you!

 

Repurposing Firewood

Out here is California, we tend to be limited in our campfire options.  It is common to have left over firewood. One nice thing by us is the place we get our firewood carries redwood.  We had left over firewood from our last campout, so, naturally, it got stored in my garage.  I was getting ready for our next campout and thought I should split some of the wood to make some kindling.  I saw this one piece and thought, "This could be something . . ."  After several weeks of chiseling, carving and sanding.  Then add some stain and gloss this is what came out of the former piece of firewood.

Now there was a reason to do this.  I recently saw something in our local scout shop which I thought would be a good idea.  I didn't want to purchase one thinking I would make one instead.  I will say I do like the way it turned out.  I may need to create another one as I increase my coin collection.

 

And to think that we almost cut this down for its original purpose, a campfire.  There is beauty in everything, sometime it just needs a little work to shine through.

Knot Tying Station Mark 2

Question:  What do you do when you have extra wood from a knot tying station????

Answer:  You make another one!

Well, the wood left over was not long enough to make a full three and a half foot station so I made a 3 foot version and added an eighth knot.  Here is the list of knots:

1. Square Knot
2. Clove Hitch
3. 2 Half Hitch
4. Taut Line
5. Timber Hitch
6. Bowline
7. Sheet Bend
8. Figure 8

Red Rope Challenge

Have you heard about the red rope challenge?  I hadn’t heard about it until recently myself.  After little research and talking with the person who introduced me to this, it is simply a knot challenge with the prize at the end being a red rope and bragging rights that you beat the clock.  What is the challenge?  It is tying 14 knots with one rope in less than 1 minute.  The Boy Scouts learn and challenge themselves to do 7 knots with 7 ropes in less than a minute.  Having mastered that (see earlier post), I needed new challenge. So, let’s look at this challenge . . .

The knots (in no particular order):

The 7 Basic Knots

1. Square Knot
2. Clove Hitch
3. Half Hitch
4. Taut Line
5. Timber Hitch
6. Bowline
7. Sheet Bend

Additional 7 knots

1. Sheep Shank
2. Half Hitch
3. Overhand Knot
4. Double Overhand Knot
5. Surgeons Knot
6. Slip Knot
7. Figure 8 Knot

Here is a video which shows the tying of the knots incase you need a little assistance:

Now there is a secret to this challenge.  It is helpful to group the knots together into their families (Hitches, Loops, Bends, etc.).  Another consideration is that there are some knots transition which easily translate into each other.  Organizing the order of the knots will save many seconds, which is, in effect, the point of this challenge.  For example, half hitch, 2 half hitch and taut lines are all part of the hitch family, and they transition into one another quickly and easily.

Knowing the “short cuts” between the knots is also beneficial.  What is the difference between a clove hitch and the Sheep Shank?  When tying these quickly, it is simply an additional loop. There are transitions between the slip knot and the bowline and between the square knot and the sheet bend.  Knowing these short cuts will save you time.

Here is my order and what is currently working for me.  I believe my time for this video was 56 seconds, but my son said that I did a round in 46 seconds.

7 Basic Knots

7 Basic Knots

There are 7 basic knots that the Boy Scouts are often challenged on.  These knots are:

1. Square Knots
2. Clove Hitch
3.  2 Half Hitch
4. Taut Line
5. Timber Hitch
6. Bowline
7. Sheet Bend

At many Camporees, the scouts are challenge to do these in less than a minute.  Knot tying boards are often used to test this knowledge and for the consistency of the challenge.  I searched the web looking for good plans to build these stations and found a good one, but it was too long for storage.  some others did not have the knots I was looking for so I ended up creating a new design for my needs. This new design is easy to build, only 3 1/2 feet long and meets the needs of the seven knots listed above.  As you can see below, I also labeled the knots and used whiteboard paper on the back to record the best times.

I know many people are looking for knot tying stations like these, so I have placed the directions to build your own HERE.

I will post a video on the knots and challenge here shortly

Happy Anniversary O-A

The Order of the Arrow is celebrating its 100th year anniversary throughout 2015.  The Order of the Arrow is often referred to as the Boy Scouts Honor Society.  The Order of the Arrow (OA) recognized Scouts and Scouters who exemplify the Scout Oath and Law in their everyday life and support others to do the same.  They are dedicated to maintaining the camping traditions, scout spirit and dedication to cheerful service

Founded in 1915 by Dr. E. Urner Goodman and Carroll A. Edson, it was piloted by the National BSA and became an official part of the BSA in 1934.  The Order of the Arrow started with recognizing the scouts who showed the scout spirit and lived by the Scout Oath and Law, and later honored those dedicated camping and camping traditions. It was in 1998 when the OA was officially recognized as the Boy Scouts of America National Honor Society.  

Happy Centennial Arrowmen!