Greetings to All. Welcome to the Dog Days. Bow Wow.

Did you know that there is a very high correlation between the winners of the annual "Scoutmaster Awards" and Eagle Scout? It's true! Almost all of the past winners of these awards (who have since graduated out of the Troop) graduated as Eagles. The awards are given to the most active campers through the Scouting year, approximately June 1st through May 31st. The following lists all the winners since the award's inception - as you will soon see, the number of awards has grown with the Troop!

The many Eagles are outlined with asterisks:

1988 - 1989
1st - *Jeff Hoehn*
2nd - *John Bustamante*

1989 - 1990
1st - Jari Hudac (Life)
2nd - *John Brady*

1990 - 1991
1st - *John Brady*
2nd - *Geoff Evans*

1991 - 1992
1st - *Geoff Evans*
2nd - *Greg Landrigan*

1992 - 1993
1st - *Charles "Lance" Johnson* (made Eagle in Texas)
2nd - *Geoff Evans*

1993 - 1994
1st - *Greg Brady*
2nd - *Geoff Evans*
3rd - *Tim Hupalo*

1994 - 1995
1st - *Ryan Shanahan* (made Eagle in Germany)
2nd - *Nathan Kennedy*
3rd - *Michael Strasburg*

1995 - 1996
1st - *Tim Hupalo*
2nd - Dan H.
3rd - *Greg Brady*, *Daniel Holland* and *Kevin Kempter*

1996 - 1997
1st - *Daniel Holland*
2nd - *Nathan Kennedy*
3rd - Neal K.

1997 - 1998
1st - Dan H., Neal K., and *Chris Wolff*
2nd - Matt C. (Life), *Daniel Holland*, and *Nathan Kennedy*
3rd - *Jay Pennington*

1998 - 1999
1st - Matt G.
2nd - Neil S. and Eric W.
3rd - Todd G., Dan H., Will K., and Thomas S.
4th - Luke B., Neal K., and *Chris Wolff*

1999 - 2000
1st - Matt G.
2nd - Neil S.
3rd - Todd G.
4th - Luke B., Will K., Thomas S., and Eric W.
5th - Charles B., Stefan N., and Dale R.

2000 - 2001
1st - Luke B., Todd G., and Neil S.
2nd - Matt G. and Will K.
3rd - Dan H., Jack O., and Thomas S.
4th - Michael C., Dale R., Charlie S., and Carl S.

...and of course we'll very soon be adding some more asterisks for Dan H. and Neal K. - and many more for most of the others on the list, I'm sure.

Well, it happens every fall. This month, we bid au revoir and "Work Hard!" to three departing Seniors:

John Creedon - Randolph-Macon University

Brad Jones - University of Colorado at Boulder

Chris Wolff - University of Vermont

Good Luck to All!

September usually brings a few new Scouts, and (sadly) a few departures for "other opportunities." I will report all in the next "Minute."

Brad J. completed all his Eagle requirements, handing in his completed notebook just before heading off for the Canadian National Jamboree. Neal K. also completed his notebook last week. Both Brad and Neal will be going before their Eagle Boards tomorrow (Friday) night, God willing and the creek don't rise....

Congratulations to both Scouts!

More on Advancement in the next "Minute."

The Troop is quickly heading for the conclusion of our Annual Summer of Fun Activities:

Monday, August 27th - Laser Tag! - Our Troop's most popular Summer of Fun activity, the Troop will venture on down to Laser Quest in Woodbridge. ASM Brian P. will coordinate the activities. Pizza, soda and at least two game will keep us entertained. This event is limited to the first 27 Scouts that RSVP, so make your reservations early. Brian Preloh is handling the reservations for this perennially popular event.

Permission Slips for this activity is available on the Troop website, at: http://www.troop111.org/82701perm.html

The Tenth Scouts Canada Jamboree (Cabot Beach Provincial Park, Prince Edward Island, Canada)

The Canadians have it right! I had the privilege of attending the week-long, 10th Annual Scouts Canada Jamboree this summer with Venturing Crew 1519 (Alexandria, VA). Our Crew was one of about 15 Units from across the US that traveled to Cabot Beach on Prince Edward Island to attend their National Jamboree. We had a great time!

Cabot Beach Provincial Park was transformed from a windswept group of fields on the Canadian coast into a city of over 14,000 Scouts from all over Canada and the World. We camped alongside other "Venture Companies," as they're called in Canada, even sharing a side of our campsite with a Crew from the Czech Republic! By far, the best times we had during the event were in meeting and talking with Scouts from all over, and learning about the almost unlimited number of ways people use the Scouting program in their own communities. Just as many of the Canadian crews and Troops wanted to learn more about the US Scouting program, we were constantly being introduced to so many new and unique ideas.

We spent the week enjoying various program activities including sea kayaking and some high-ropes COPE course work. Two other Scouts from our crew and I even tagged along with one of our "neighbor crews" to go deep-sea fishing; our group ate well that night!

Personally, I couldn't have chosen a better way to have ended my youth Scouting career than sharing some fellowship with such an excellent group of Scouts. I traded a lot of Projectoree patches (yes, everyone loved them - and the idea of the Projectoree!) and shared stories from my wonderful experiences in Scouting "Stateside." Our whole neighborhood of Crews even turned out for a surprise party for my 18th birthday, complete with a cake and ice-cream (gourmet food by Jamboree standards!)

We sometimes forget here in the US that we are in fact a part of a worldwide brotherhood of Scouts, male and female, over 25-million strong. It's such a good feeling to meet other Scouts who fundamentally share the same values in their Oath and Law as we do here. If you ever get the chance to attend an International Scouting event, DO IT!

See our crew at the Jambo: http://www.charm.net/~bradj/postpix/canada-crew.jpg

This summer I am working as an intern in the U.S. Senate, and because of that I was invited to attend a lunch where the National Capital Area Council presented the Patriot Good Scout Award to Senator Chuck Hagel of Nebraska. Although he was forced to arrive late, the lunch still went rather well, with the head of the Council speaking, as well as Senator Hagel himself. There was also a 13 year old Star or Life Scout (whoa), I can't remember which, who had won a contest which one of our Assistant Scoutmasters had spoken of a few months back; it was a contest in which Scouts were to write a speech about who their unsung heroes were. The speaker had chosen his father and his Scoutmaster as his two heroes, and he delivered an excellent speech, though I'm confident that some of the Scouts from our Troop could have done better! :) It was a very nice ceremony, and I would encourage all Scouts to participate in the contest next year, because not only do you get to go to the Senate buildings, deliver a speech, and talk with a Senator, but you get a FREE lunch! But anyways, it was a very nice award ceremony, and I wish good luck to anyone who decides to try out for it next year.

[Note from Bob - David Stainback gave the speech at a similar lunch honoring Senator Trent Lott, about 5 years ago, which still ranks as the best speech I have ever heard from any Scout - and one of the best speeches I have ever heard, period.]

If it's Friday, it must be Montana, right?

On July 18th, 16 members of the Troop took off from BWI for our 18 day "Western Adventure" in Utah, Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho, featuring an 8-day, 55-mile backpacking trek in the Wind River Wilderness in Wyoming. Upon arrival at Salt Lake City, we enjoyed a wade and float in the Great Salt Lake (surprisingly cold!), and toured the Temple Square in the city. The next day, we toured Timpanogos Cave (BETTER than Luray, and nowhere near as gaudy), and enjoyed mountain biking on the ski slopes at nearby Park City. The survivors (we had several injuries, notably Charles B.) susbsequently did a half-mile Alpine Slide at another (neighboring) ski slope, then enjoyed heart-stopping thrills at a large WaterPark back at Salt Lake (where I was completely terrified!) Day III saw us depart Utah for Wyoming, ending up at the "Scab Creek Trailhead" to the Bridger Wilderness area of the Wind River Range. Fortunately, we didn't spot a single Scab!

For the next week we tackled a surprisingly tough and surprisingly beautiful trek in the Range, crossing the Continental Divide into the Shoshone Wilderness, climbing 12,600 feet Mitchell Peak, and re-crossing the Divide back into the Bridger Wilderness. We enjoyed spectacular weather almost the entire trek, and views that can only be termed as "breathtaking." [I hope the photos do justice!] The Divide itself is an eerie place - barren, desolate, windswept, and enchanting all at the same time. Can you imagine crossing a pass at nearly 12,000 feet, and looking *up* at immense graystone spires towering another thousand feet and more over your heads? Sensory overload, even for me. Dare I say it? - Better than Philmont.

Back in the World again, we travelled to Rock Springs, Wyoming and - after a lengthy shower for one and all - headed down for the Red Desert Rodeo. "Different." TV don't come close to the real thing, folks, and let me tell you - some of those guys are NUTS! The next day, we hit Mass, then did a quick tour of the Fossil Butte National Monument (neat place!), then visited the Oregon Trail Museum in Montpelier (where we had a "participatory" tour with re-enactors done up in period dress, very well done. The next day, we headed for the "Teton High Adventure Base," a Boy Scout camp near Jackson Hole, Wyoming, run by the Great Salt Lake Council. Soon after arrival, most of us enjoyed a half-day whitewater rafting trip on the Snake River. Day II at the camp included a morning COPE High-Ropes course, where yours truly was terrified once again, then an afternoon Low Ropes course. Lot of Fun. Day III had mountain biking, whitewater canoeing, and pistol shooting, enjoyed by one and all.

That night, we departed the camp (they only run a 3-day program), and did a quick visit to Jackson Hole, where most of the Scouts toured the Ripley's Believe It or Not Museum. The next morning, we headed off for a full day of climbing at the base of the Grand Tetons with the Exum Guides (the premier mountain climbing guides in the U.S.) Both fun and highly educational, with spectacular views just to spice up the experience. We camped in Yellowstone that night, and did a slow tour of the park the next day - enjoying views of buffalo and elk herds, plus the usual volcanic springs and the Snake River (Grand) Canyon (1000 feet plus down). Then it was a long drive to Lava Hot Springs, where we soaked all the aches and pains out in the 110 degree water (take two Percocet and call me in the morning). Off to Salt Lake the next morning.

Arriving at the airport, we were surprised to see three large groups of Scouts through the late morning and early afternoon - National Jamboree Council Contingents from the Great Salt Lake, Grand Teton, and one other Council (missed it); all three groups reported a "great time" at the Jambo. I hadn't realized we were returning to Washington on Jambo departure day - interesting that we were "trading places."

After an hour and a half wait, we finally took off, arriving at BWI around 10pm. Many late flights co-arrived, so the airport was quite a zoo. Those Scouts whose parents had made a special trip to BWI headed straight home, while everyone got one last van ride back to St. Agnes, where we split up. Cleanup and reorganization (thankfully!) waited til Sunday afternoon. A GREAT TRIP!

Participants included: Luke B., Charles B., Sam F., Todd G., Matt G., Thomas S., Carl "Mountain" S. (first 2 1/2 days), Neil S., and (capping a great Scouting career) Chris W., plus Adults Mike F., ASM Ted G., ASM Al M., ASM Hugh S., Mark S., ASM "Danger" Rick W., and yours truly. Much Thanks to Ted G. for all his efforts in planning our 2001 High Adventure.

A diary with many more details will (eventually) be published.

Five Scouts and parents Puddy B. and Andy R. set out for the 2001 National Boy Scout Jamboree at 6am on July 26, 2001. Alan R., Jack B., Michael D., Peter C., and Dan H. saw and experienced much at the 15th National Jamboree held at Fort A.P. Hill. The Scouts began their day with donuts and drinks at the visitors center. We then toured the Merit Badge Midway. There must have been about one hundred different Merit Badges represented. The Scouts decided to look more closely at the Railroad Merit Badge. After about one hour of learning and seeing about railroads we all decided a break from this was needed and that those who wanted to continue with the three to four hour course could do so at the end of the day. Five of the Scouts did decide to go back and finish the Railroad Merit Badge stations. They all seemed very excited by this and I must say that Jack has been to the hobby shop since than to decide if he likes the N-scale or the HO?!

During the break we all walked the Boys' Life and National Exhibits. Here, amongst other things, the boys participated in a crushed can throwing contest, saw plans for the new Boy Scout Museum, talked about the positive activities that keep them away from drugs and even saw Pedro, the Boys' Life Burro, walk by.

On the way to lunch we walked through the Action Center "C". Here the Scouts could see Jamboree participants learning about the principals of physics through swings, rip cords, climbing aparatice and others. A couple of our boys got to participate on the climbing tower. We had lunch of pizza and hamburgers.

While five of the boys went back to continue with the Railroad Merit Badge, Dan and I decided to head out on a 30 mile hike; OK, it was less that 3 miles but seemed like 30, to see the Environmental and Conservation Trail. Once there we had a wonderful visit with Rich S. who was working at the Jamboree for the US Geological Survey. This area had exhibits that included hiking trails, water conservation, animals, plants, geology, and mapping to name a few. Rich gave each of the Scouts a wonderful USGS topographic map of the Jamboree sight. The USGS also provided each Scout with a goose band that has an individual number and National Jamboree 2001 written on it. The band can be used for a neckercheif slid. Both Dan and I thought that this area is a must for all the Scouts when the Jamboree returns to this area. We both found it very interesting and would have liked to have spent more time there.

After an hour long bus ride back to meet up with the other Scouts we all then enjoyed the cold water and Sprite that was waiting on ice in the cooler and headed for home. We ate dinner at a McDonalds on the way home. After having spent the day together and getting to know each other the ride home was a little noisier than the ride to the Jamboree. We all returned, safe and sound, at 4pm. A successful day!

On Saturday, August 4th, we met at St. Agnes at 6am. Our three-vehicle caravan departed around 6:15am after all the permission slips were collected and the Scouts decided what car they wanted to ride in. Our route took us up the Beltway to I-270 north to Frederick, Maryland and then we continued north on Rt. 15 towards Gettysburg. Once through Gettysburg, we followed Rt. 15 to Rt. 94 in York Springs, PA. Then we followed Rt. 94 north to Mt. Holly Springs. Rt. 94 merged into Rt. 34 north. Rt. 34 took us into the town of Carlisle, PA, home of Dickinson College, the 2001 Washington Redskins training campsite.

We arrived around 8:30am, and made our way to bleachers lining Biddle Field on the schools campus, where the team holds twice-daily practices. The morning practice began at 8:30, so we were right on time. The team started practice with warm up stretching, and then broke into position categories to perform some drills. The whole team then got together to practice Special Teams.

After the Special Teams drills, Coach Marty Schottenheimer had the team practice specific offensive and defensive plays to help showcase the talents and strengths of the players vying for a starting job or just a place on the team roster. The practice concluded with cool down stretching. The players quickly exited the field around 10:30am. The media talked to Marty, while the players headed back to the dorms. Team owner Dan Snyder watched the practice from a golf cart.

We had some time to kill before the afternoon festivities, so the Scouts took to playing street football behind the bleachers till 11am. Then we headed out to town for lunch. We decided to walk, since the Scouts might be able to catch a player or two in the street to get an autograph. There were a few players outside one of the college buildings (we thought it was the dining hall) chatting with fans and signing autographs. One particular player was on a bicycle. A few of the Scouts asked him to stop to sign autographs, but he kept riding. That wasn't good enough for Ryan K. He jumped in front of the bike, forcing the Redskin player to stop (lucky for Ryan!) The player didn't seem too irritated, and decided to accommodate the fans.

We had lunch at George's Pizza & Subs. It was a local restaurant that gave discounts to patrons who provided a picture of themselves or families. They had pictures of celebrities, regulars, tourists, and locals gracing every bit of wall space.

After lunch we headed back to Biddle Field for the Redskins Fan Appreciation Day. This included prizes, autograph sessions and a speech from Coach Schottenheimer. Fans began lining up at the gates at about noon in an effort to get the best seats when the gates opened at 1pm. By most estimates, over 5,000 people came out to watch their favorite players during Fan Appreciation Day.

The festivities began at about 1:30pm when the first raffle prizes were announced. Fans received Redskins seat cushions upon entering Biddle Field. Selected Redskins players had signed the back of a specific number of seat cushions before the event started, and the cushions with signatures on the back denoted the winners of the various raffles. James N. had Delbert Cowsette's autograph on his cushion, and won a Redskins "Bobble Head" Doll. Peter C. won a subscription to Redskins Official Weekly, by having a cushion with kicker Brett Conway's autograph.

The Washington Redskins Band was on hand, playing many of the songs that made the band famous, including "Hail to the Redskins." The Washington Redskins Cheerleaders were also in attendance, keeping the crowd involved in the festivities and signing autographs. The cheerleaders were a big hit with the Scouts. They all seemed to get the cheerleaders' autographs.

At about 2:30pm, Redskins players and coaches arrived at Biddle Field. Every Redskins player sat at one of twenty tables set up around the football field. Fans were permitted to approach the tables and solicit autographs from all of their favorite Redskins players. It was like someone had opened the floodgates and let the fans out. The Scouts had strategic positions to get the players fast. Fans had about a half-hour to walk around and gather autographs.

Coach Schottenheimer stepped to the microphone at about 3:20pm, signaling the end of the autograph session. As players made their way onto the practice field, Schottenheimer spoke to the fans for a few minutes. He presented Dickinson College with a commemorative football for his help in bringing the Redskins' training camp back to Dickinson College and Carlisle, Pennsylvania.

After his speech, Coach Schottenheimer began directing his players to begin practice. Unfortunately, the fans did not get to see much of the practice session because heavy rains, thunder and lightning came at about 3:45pm, causing the cancellation of the afternoon workout. The silver lining on the Saturday afternoon crowds, however, was the fact that fans had the chance to win raffle prizes and greet their favorite players up close. We all got caught in the rain, but made it back to the cars quickly. We made it back to St. Agnes around 6pm.

Scouts, parents and leaders that attended: Peter C., Patrick D., Brad G., David G., Keith G., Mark T., Ryan K., James N., Terry N., Jameson M., Mickey M., Mike M., Carl S., JJ T., Brian R. and ASM Atom S.

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Other Summer of Fun activities will be published in the next "Minute." Stay tuned!

- Dr. Bob, Scoutmaster

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30 September 2001