Home.30 January 2002
Greetings to All.
This is the third major Projectoree 2002 mass emailing (note that last week's Newsletter (January 24th), originally untitled, has been re-numbered as Newsletter #2, and the original Solicitation Newsletter of December 9th has been re-numbered as Newsletter #1). All previous Newsletters may be accessed through the Troop 111 website (click on "Projectoree").
This Webpage contains a fair amount of critical information, along with several action items which will require your close attention. Please read it carefully. A companion email has been sent only to the members of the Projectoree e-net whose Units who have signed up to attend this year's Projectoree, plus several members of the District Committee. As noted in the last mass email, if your Troop has people who should be added to this year's *Projectoree* e-net, please send me their names and email addresses asap. I am particularly interested in getting at least one of your heavily involved Senior Scouts (one who will definitely be attending the Projectoree in a leadership capacity) on the Projectoree e-net.
As I did last year, I will try to keep Projectoree Newsletters to a minimum, and will also try to ensure that no frivolous information is included. However, also as I did last year, I will continue to be completely intolerant of failures to attend the upcoming organizational meetings (on time), or of failures to respond (on time) to inquiries and deadlines. In plain language, this means I will be terminating those Troops who fail to heed their obligations. As you all know, 4 Units were so terminated last year.
If this seems too hard core, recall that I am a Camporee Committee of exactly one, run the event essentially out of my pocket, and will put in at least 250 man-hours into planning and preparation. This in addition to everything else I'm doing, which I won't bore anyone with here. Simply put, I haven't got time to "catch people up" or hold make-up meetings.
Anyway, for these reasons, I strongly urge each participating Troop to form a Projectoree subcommittee, with at least 3 - 4 members, to ensure that nothing is missed due to a critical person being out of town, sick, or buried at work. Right now, only 2 members of most Troops are receiving Projectoree mailings - so things will fall through the cracks more easily this year. Stay on top of things. BTW, your subcommittee should include at least the aforementioned Scout who will definitely be attending the Projectoree in a leadership capacity - this Scout should also be one of your Troop's representatives at the organizational meetings. Don't use your SPL or any other Senior Scout if they're unreliable or are definitely not coming to the Projectoree.
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1) When and Where
There is only one Projectoree this year, to be held the weekend of April 26th - 28th. It will held as usual at Camp Wilson, at the Pohick Bay Regional Park near Lorton, VA - the same site we used for the first eight Projectorees. The entire site has already been reserved and paid for in full.
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2) Costs
The site cost went up again this year (3 years in a row for increases), and I have therefore raised the Basic Registration fee back up to $6 per. Basic Registration and a T-Shirt will be $14 per, and Basic Registration, T-Shirt, and Staff Food will be $22 per.
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3) Unit Signups
Unit signups were detailed in the last Newsletter, which has been posted on-line. There have been no changes to date.
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4) Meetings
As detailed in the last Newsletter, there will be 2 organizational meetings this year, on Sunday, February 10th, and Sunday, March 24th. Both will be held at the St. Agnes Parish Center, 1914 N. Randolph St., Arlington (07). If anyone needs directions, email me well in advance. Don't send someone in your place who has no idea how to get there. The meeting will start at 7:30pm sharp, and will end by no later than 9pm (and more likely by 8:30pm). All participating Troops are expected to have at least one and preferably two knowledgeable persons, including the aforementioned involved Senior Scout, present...
BY NO LATER THAN 7:15 PM
to sign in, discuss mutual issues of concern with their fellow Troop representatives, and do the usual socializing. During the meeting, all participants will actively participate in the selection of this year's games and administrative tasks. Obviously, each Units' representatives must be both authorized and prepared to sign up for the various Projectoree administrative tasks and/or games (delineated below).
I will start the meeting EXACTLY on time. If your Troop's representatives are not present and seated at 7:30, ready to go, your Troop will be terminated on-the-spot from this year's Projectoree. 7:31 will be too late. Show up at 7:15. Again, if you (or your representative) don't know where St. Agnes is, don't assume it's easy to find: email me and I will happily provide more detailed directions.
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5) Games
As we have done each of the past two years, in order to save time during the game selections, certain perennially popular games will be "automatically" voted into this year's Projectoree: Caber Toss, Cave Rescue, Egg Toss, Firebuilding Race, Nuclear Reactor, Obstacle Course, and Radioactive Basketballs. Five additional "short" events are therefore needed, and will be voted on at the meeting. The (unscored) Scoutmaster Chariot Race will also be run again (of course!) The list of potential games are:
Acid Bath
Ball Toss (possibly replacing balls with frisbees?)
Bangalore
Torpedo
Hot Lava Rescue
Relay
Knot Tying Race
Log Raising
Relay
Running Kim's Game
Spider Web
Escape
Synchronized Walk
Walk the
Plank
These events have all gotten high marks from the Scouts at previous Projectorees. For those who have forgotten, detailed descriptions of these games are available on the 2001, 2000, 1999, and 1998 Projectoree webpages (see "Detailed Games Instructions and Scoring Sheets" under each year).
Note that other games may be suggested, as long as they have similar "Patrol Building" themes and can be accomplished start to finish in about 15 minutes. If you have ideas, please forward them to me AHEAD OF TIME so we can discuss.
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6) Signups at the First Organizational Meeting
One of the things I would like to do differently this year is pre-signups for certain games and administrative taskings. (Normally, all signups are done at the meeting.) Some Units have already requested certain games and taskings, as listed below. Please review the remaining pre-selected games and taskings, and sign up asap. The more of this that is completed before the 10th, the faster and more efficiently that meeting will proceed.
Note that *ALL* of the selected games and administrative taskings must be signed up for at the first Organizational Meeting. As noted above, your Troop representatives must come to the meeting authorized and prepared to sign up for these taskings. Each Troop with one Patrol must take at least one tasking from each of the following three categories: Games, Administrative Duties, and Sunday Morning Cleanup Duties. Larger Troops should take additional duties.
Games:Caber Toss (Troop 151)
Cave Rescue (Troop 111)
Egg Toss
Firebuilding Race
Nuclear Reactor (Troop 167)
Obstacle Course (Troop 111)
Radioactive Basketballs
Scoutmaster Chariot Race (unscored "fun" event)
Selected Game # 1
Selected Game # 2
Selected Game # 3
Selected Game # 4
Selected Game # 5Troop 167 has also volunteered to run the Bangalore Torpedo Game if that is selected.
Administrative Duties:
Catholic Mass Coordinator
First Aid/Communications/Timekeepers/Lost and Found/"Rovers"
Flag Ceremonies/Campfire Program Coordinators
Protestant Services Coordinator
Publicity
Registrar/Treasurer
Scoring and Awards Coordinator (Neal Wood of Troop 647)
Service Project Coordinator
Site Coordinator (Curt Dove of Troop 167)
Staff Food Coordinator (Troops 104 and 151)Sunday Morning Cleanup Duties:
Staff Area
Campfire Circle and Trails
Roads and surroundings around the Staff Area and Comfort Station
Sign Removal and Recovery
Firebuilding/Obstacle Course/Dining Hall Areas
Main Competition Field, and road to Gunston Road
Comfort Station - Late Job
Primary Camping Area - Late Job
Secondary Camping Area - Late Job
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7) Miscellany
* Please have rough attendance figures, so that I can order an adequate numbers of patches, etc. Don't forget to include your incoming Webelos in your totals.
* Because Insurance Coverage is included with BSA Registrations, ALL attending Troops MUST ReCharter before the Projectoree, and all incoming Webelos MUST be registered as Scouts before attending.
* Your Troop should also get going on your Tour Permit. Note that your Tour Permit will be due to me at the March 24th Organizational Meeting, meaning you should submit it by March 10th at the latest. Remember to list "Camp Wilson/Pohick Bay Regional Park" as the destination, NOT the "Chain Bridge Projectoree." This is because the Projectoree is not a recognized event by the Council. On numbers on the Tour Permit, just use the estimate expressions "up to XX Scouts," and "up to XX Adults," based on the numbers you provided at the First Organizational Meeting; this is perfectly acceptable. On drivers and vehicles, just staple the list of ALL your Troop drivers and vehicles to the Tour Permit; this is also perfectly acceptable and Council will not have a problem with it. Don't procrastinate because "we won't know who's driving until just before the event" - that is an unacceptable excuse.
* If anyone has a proposed patch and/or T-Shirt design, please bring it by the first Organizational Meeting.
* Late Afternoon Advancement and Games will be discussed at the first Organizational Meeting; please come with your ideas.
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See you Sunday night, February 10th, by no later than 7:30 pm. Three Months to Go!
YiS - Dr. Bob, SM-111
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