We got the weekend off to an early start with several of us arriving at Camp Sayer between three and four. Equipment and gear was conveyed to the site and we started setting up. Several new camp gadgets were added to our previous set including a weather rock, flag pole, grey water trap, and a water heater. John also made some improvements on his beehive!
Our first training session of the weekend was on 'Sharing Leadership'. This
touched on the styles of leadership, which include:
Next we staged a model troop meeting with each of the patrols taking a part. The agenda for the meeting consisted of:
Frank gave a nice presentation on counciling. Counciling boys is designed to help them solve a problem, no do it for them. No two sessions are alike and we need to recognize when professionals are needed. Six steps to good counciling include:
After lunch, we assembled for the challenge hike. While waiting around, we collected samples of nature from the immediate area. The Challenge Hike consisted of a backpacking hike around Camp Sayer during which we were to stop and meet certain challenges. These consisted of Walking a Maze bindfolded, moving gear to high ground and making tea and toast, setting up an Emergency Shelter and sending a message in code, transporting radioactive material, tying a giant clove hitch around a tree, lashing a pole to retrieve a message in a bucket and then decoding it, and others.
The hike ended a shelter that we used for the night. We had lots of food and water, including Smoke Salmon (which all bears love)! After dinner, we built a fire and reflected on the events of the day and read through our scores on the challenge hike. We discussed how we used the leaderships skills that Wood Badge taught us to meet these challenges. We then discussed and elected Mark Norton as the permanant Bear Patrol Leader, and Mike Lodge as his Assistant.
After a great breakfast at the shelter, we returned to our patrol site and changed
for the troop assembly. Several presentations were made, including
Bear Skin Presentations
Bears Named Permanant Program Patrol
Buffaloes Permanant Service Patrol
Delivering on the Promise
Skills of Leadership
Striking Colors
The Feast
Campfire
Closing Ceremony
The final weekend, far exceeded what I was anticipating! I will have to collect my thought's, but I believe you all Know how strongly I felt coming down that hill! It was more than a sense of accomplishment, it was a sense of a new beginning, refreshing ideas, new friendships, a new belief in my self as a leader, and as John, a renewed belief in the scouting program, and human kind in general. I also thought the campfire dance was lots of fun! (now, if it only on film somewhere,,,) Round table tonight. (corky and I let out another 'we are da-bears') I started a separate note book for a ticket journal/log. I spoke to some of the other Packs in town about some of my ticket items. So I am off and running.
I must share with you all that I fully expect to go 18 to 24 months to completion. I have things to do this fall (2000) and next fall (2001) I understand we would have two years from now, or maybe the 90 day meeting at the latest. I say this, because I think we kicked around the idea of a patrol beads ceremony. If this is possible, this is just the time table of one patrol member. I will wear my wood badge award proudly once earned, but I took the course to improve my skills as a dad, as a leader of Cub scouts, and Boy scouts, and as a leader of adults. That is now my focus. I am looking to purchase the 'on leadership' book that was quoted all the time during the presentations. I will let you know when and where I find it.
Three cheers for the Patrol leader and the assistant patrol leader!
I am finding it hard to believe that the course is over. As I said at the group hug, or thereabouts, this was the most intensive training that I had ever been in. By that I meant that we were intentionally deprived of "breathing space" when we weren't in meetings to force us to come together as a group in order to accomplish our objectives. Obviously, we did this extremely well!
Mike M. said at the end that it was well noted by the staff, early on, that Da Bears had come together and were performing as a group and not as a collection of individuals. This, more than anything, set us apart from the rest of the Troop and it is something that we can take pride in. In retrospect, it is clear that we were a collection of talented individuals who, most of the time, were able to submerge our own personalities to the needs of the Patrol (Mea Culpa, Mea Culpa!!). This not only allowed us to succeed, but it took a lot of pressure off of each of us to feel as if we had to do the whole job ourselves.
Applying this concept to the Ticket, I can see that my efforts should be directed towards including others (adults and scouts) to accomplish my objectives which should actually enhance the desired performance of those groups. This is a concept that I have had a hard time adjusting to: trust the other members of your group. Fortunately, you guys have made a believer out of me and I thank you for that. I only wish that you were around six years ago when I first took over Pack 70!
There has never been a better patrol than Da Bears and there never will be. Believe it!
Best of luck on working your tickets, you old and feeble Bears.
I am still unpacking from our last weekend at the woodbadge course. I am very proud to be a part of the Bear Patrol. An opportunity like the woodbadge course does not happen often and I am glad that I was a part of NE-1-202. It would be so nice to be able to develop the cohesiveness that we had in our patrol in my troops patrol. The course helped me see the importance of understanding the characteristics and needs of other people. The counseling part has been very useful in my relationship with my 2 teenager's already.
I went to Round table last night and became the 3rd Bear there. There were also Beaver's, Bobcat's and a Fox in attendance. Paul Cady and Mike Clark were also there and that was great. The council members were displaying there new leadership skills during the meeting.
Jeanne said it would be nice to try and plan a cookout sometime this summer. I am willing to have a weekend retreat at our family camp in Fryeburg if others would like to do that. There is plenty of space for tents if everyone wants to bring there families.
My time frame for completion of my ticket is early 2001. While there is no sense of urgency on my part, I will be applying to Grad schools for admission in Fall 2001, so I am shooting for March 2001. That being said, if we wanted to do a Da-Bear patrol bead ceremony, I would be more than happy to wait for everyone else. I know that Mark's ticket includes the Jamboree so the earliest he would be finished is August 2001.
As far as the weekend went, I had a blast. It was just a matter of time before we had the "dancing" bear patrol. My friend in the Antelope Patrol said that he was a bit frightened by the whole thing. It was pretty cool when the Foxes joined with us, and then one by one, everyone else. Once again, da bears brought the troop together. As John liked to say "Just one more time we can ram the Bears down their throat". It was a fitting end to the campfire and the practical course.
I put in an application to serve as Scoutmaster to one of the Troops that the council is sending to the Jamboree. They announced last night that they were still looking for some volunteers to lead the 4th Troop. So, Mark, I may see you down there.
Mama bear had a great time all 3 weekends. You all showed me knots, and other related items for scouts that I enjoyed a lot. One item on my ticket is to become unit commissioner and work more in the district. I hope we can stay friends for ever and help each other out. I plan to receive my beads in June of 2001 at the District dinner.
Really enjoyed our three weekends as a group. Went camping and fishing with the troop last weekend at Lake Dennison. All had a great time. Thanks to the Love bug they have denied out access to AOL or Hotmail at work. I just got to read everybody messages tonight. sounds like all are really using the skills we learned. I am still practicing my knots. I still haven't come up with my fall line for TommyBear clothing but have some ideas.
