Home.3 October 2001
Greetings to All. It's been a tough week, but as the folks in charge say, life goes on....
Did you know that Troop 111 hasn't always met at St. Agnes? It's true! From late 1948 through early 1950, the Troop temporarily parted ways with the Church due to an ongoing Catholic Scouts/Protestant Scouts controversy in Arlington (not of our making) that had the Pastor of the time (Fr. Hannon) quite upset (obviously!) You will be happy to hear that Francis Harrington, the Scoutmaster at the time, took the high moral ground in the controversy. During this time, the Troop co-met a little with Troop 149 at Cherrydale Methodist and a lot with Troop 101 at the Cherrydale Volunteer Fire Department; in fact, Troop 101's Scoutmaster of the time (Ralph McPhail) basically acted as the Scoutmaster for Troop 111 for a year and a half - and he is remembered for his service on our Scoutmaster's Plaque. Of course, being a displaced and semi-nomadic Troop doesn't work too well, and the Troop was fading away when a new Assistant Pastor (Monsignor Speight) joined St. Agnes and help mend the rift.
We stayed at St. Agnes from 1950 til 1988 (my first year), when Hannon Hall and the surrounding land was sold off to a local developer (who built all those townhouses on the N. Randolph/Old Lee Highway intersect). The Troop had been meeting for many years in the basement of Hannon Hall, so this was an absolute disaster for us. We got 24 hours notice to vacate (lucky thing I was in town!) Bill Hoehn and I moved all the Troop equipment (such as it was) to my garage and basement, and the Troop met over at the Madison Community Center for the next 2 1/2 years while the new Parish Center was being built. We moved back to St. Agnes in early 1991. It's been 10 years now, and so far we haven't worn out our welcome!
Kyle F., a St. Agnes 5th Grader, joined up this past Monday night. We were also visited by John K., a potential transfer Scout from Troop 838, Dallas, Texas. He is First Class rank. Although there are rumors of a number of other potential New Scouts, no sightings yet. On the downside, however, I regret to announce the withdrawal of Kevin M., one of this past Spring's recruits. Kevin leaves at Scout rank, having earned 2 Merit Badges and Totin Chip at Summer Camp. Good Luck! In addition, we have bowed to the obvious and terminated Nicholas M. Nicholas has not been seen in over a year, and repeated efforts to contact his family have been ignored. He leaves having completed all of his First Class requirements except the First Class Practical Exam.
Our "Year of the Eagle" continued on Friday, August 17th, as Brad Jones finished his run. In an interesting series of coincidences, Brad was our 7th Eagle of 2001 (setting a new Troop 111 record for Eagles in a single year), and was also the 77th Eagle in Troop History. His Honor Roll:
OUT OF SCOUTING ACTIVITIES
Athletics
Work Experience
Civic Activities
Religious Activities
Brad's Eagle Project was doubling the size of the Hawk Cage at Riverbend Park in Great Falls, taking just over 120 man-hours to complete.
Brad departed for the University of Colorado at Boulder on August 22nd. ...and lest we forget, "Happy 18th Birthday, Brad!"
Thanks to the Board of Review members Tim Arthurs, Hank Dettmar, Dick Meyers, Rita Rooney, and Stu Shelton.
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Also completing his marathon on Friday, August 17th, was Neal Kennedy: Eagle Scout #78. Neal is a Second Generation Eagle, following in father John's footsteps (Troop 125, Bailey's Crossroads, 1963), and also following older brother Nathan (Eagle Scout #63, 1999) - the 14th set of brother Eagles in Troop History. His Honor Roll:
Never in Cub Scouts - A rare Bird indeed!
OUT OF SCOUTING ACTIVITIES
Athletics
Civic Activities
Neal's Eagle Project was removal of invasive species in Zachary Taylor Park, taking just over 110 man-hours to complete. A difficult, unpleasant, and very badly needed project.
Neal recently departed for his Junior Year at the Blue Ridge School. ...and lest we forget, "Happy 18th Birthday, Neal!"
Thanks (again) to the Board of Review members Tim Arthurs, Hank Dettmar, Dick Meyers, Rita Rooney, and Stu Shelton, who went above and beyond the call of duty in handling two Eagles on a Friday night.
Congratulations to both Scouts!
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Down on the farm, a pretty fair number of summertime Merit Badges
were completed. Chris B. earned Camping
and Citizenship in
the World. Luke B. was the first to complete the Wyoming Trek
badges, earning Backpacking,
Camping, and
Hiking.
William L. earned Citizenship
in the World. Patrick O. earned Woodcarving.
Paolo R. earned 6 Merit Badges while attending Camp Bonner (Blount's
Creek, NC) with his old Troop: Camping,
Forestry,
Geology,
Orienteering,
Rifle
Shooting, and Rowing.
Michael R., Charlie S., and Carl "Mountain" S. earned Family
Life. And finally, several Scouts earned all or part of
Railroading
Merit Badge at the Jamboree; it'll take me til the next "Minute" to
figure out who did what on that one.
Missed in the Combined April/May Scoutmaster's Minute: Neil S.'s 50 Hour Community Service Award (Sorry About That!)
And last but certainly not least, Michael D. earned his "God and Church" Award, the United Methodist Church's Religious Award for 6th-8th Grade Scouts.
Congratulations to all the above Scouts!
Tomorrow (Friday), about 35 members of the Troop will be heading down to Sandbridge (VA Beach) for a weekend of biking (Option A), Fishing (B), and (shark-free) swimming. And on Sunday, September 23rd, we'll be enjoying a day-dailing event with the Georgetown Sailing Team. Down the road, the annual Guns 'n Arrows Campout is October 12th - 14th, and the District Fall Camporee is October 19th - 21st; the latter event is primarily intended for those Scouts unable to make the GnA campout, and will depend on signups. The theme for the Camporee, BTW, is "Survivor!" games, which sounds pretty cool.
This will be a "catch-up" month, as we catch activities all the way back to last May; enjoy!
On May 12 Troop 111 did a bike hike in Arlington, with mothers specially invited to work up an appetite for the Mother's Day brunch or dinner. Warm and clear weather greeted the 21 bikers meeting at St. Agnes at 8:30 (including three mothers-Lourdes M., Mary Ellen K., and Laura Lee D.). Laura Lee and Mike D. arrived at St. Agnes already sweating, having ridden over from Barcroft Park. The first order of the day was the "A-B-C-Quick Check" learned as part of the Cycling Merit Badge-which led to some tire pumping and brake adjusting, not to mention checking and adjusting seat heights, tightening loose headsets, and (in Matt G.'s case) changing a tire. About 9am everyone was good to go.
The route was the Arlington Triangle, an excellent 18 mile circuit from the Custis Trail through Rosslyn, along the Potomac to National Airport, up the Four Mile Run and W&OD Trails to Bluemont Park, and back to St. Agnes on the Custis Trail. Numerous "stop and meet-up" points were included in the cue sheets given to each rider, and the first several stops featured more adjusting of seat heights (obviously some of the Scouts grew over the winter!)
Amazingly, despite the crowds along the trails and different riding speeds of the participants, we were able to keep the group together through the ride. Mary Ellen K. strategically parked a "bailout" vehicle at Roosevelt Island-it wasn't needed, but Mary Ellen decided to ride back from the south end of National Airport (almost the halfway point) to pick up the car-and enjoy the beauty of Washington across the river a second time.
The ride along the river was truly picturesque (remember, lots of tourists spend lots of money to come and see what we have in our backyard), and we all got to enjoy the teeth-rattling vibration of planes passing over Gravelly Point as they take aim at the National Airport runway. After riding past the Arlington water treatment plant (with its self-guided "tour") and Four Mile Run, we took a break at the West Glebe Road Pizza Hut, with most riders picking up a cold drink from the 7-11 next door. Everyone successfully navigated the tricky route across Shirley Highway and through Shirlington. The D.s dropped off the trail at Barcroft Park, having completed the circuit there; the rest of the riders passed on the offer of an ultimate Frisbee game at Bluemont Park in favor of an earlier return to St. Agnes.
We split the group at the junction of the W&OD and Custis Trails in Bluemont-most returning to St. Agnes, but Frank and Patrick P., Adam S., and Ted G. rode to Falls Church and back to extend the ride to 25 miles. Patrick developed a gear-grinding problem with his crank, but toughed it out (thus making sure that the bike was really ready for the repair shop). Meanwhile, mega-riders Stefan N. and Matt G., who had patiently held down their speed to stay with the group, took off in an effort to make 100 miles for the day-but the late start forced them to settle for "only" 86 miles!
A great outing all around, with the 21 riders covering a total of 547 miles! Participants were: Tom C., Matt C., Drew DeL., Laura Lee D., Mike D., Ted G., Matt G., Hovey K., Mary Ellen K., Will K., Anthony M., Lourdes M., Mark M., Bill N., Stefan N., Frank P., Patrick P., Nathan P., Carl S., Fred S., and ASM Adam S.
On Monday evening, July 16th, 2001, as part of the Summer of Fun, Troop 111 and our brother Troop, 149, met for some friendly games at Oak Grove Field, near Washington & Lee High School. The first contest of the evening was a 30 minute game of Ultimate Frisbee. The 10 person team from Troop 149 put up a valiant fight against the taller 8 member Troop 111 team, both Scouts and Assistant Scoutmasters participated. There were some excellent plays from both sides, demonstrating great skill by the players. As is the case with Scouts, no one was left out. Each member of both teams made numerous difficult catches and talented throws. While Troop 111 ended up with 2 more goals (4-2 was the score) both teams had a great time.
A 10 minute water break was soon followed by an almost unanimous vote among the Scouts to play a 30 minute game of soccer. As Troop 149's Stu S. put it, "All of our guys had a good time and I'm sure that they would like to play again, especially if soccer, in which height and arm span are not factors, is the game of choice. There is a real camaraderie between the Troops."
The soccer game was dominated by defense, especially by Troop 111's Zack B. Offensively, the both teams need work, though, each team did manage to score a goal. Much of the action ended up around mid-field. The 30 minute game ended in a 1-1 tie. It was followed by a mandatory water break, shortly followed by our good-byes. A great evening was had by all (in spite of the mosquitoes).
Participants included: Troop 111 Scouts - Will B., Zack B., Marshall K., Nathan P., Alan R., Steven S. (soccer only), and Adults - ASM Glenn M., ASM Rich S., and ASM Atom S.
Troop 149 Scouts - Senior Patrol Leader Josh S. (and his sister), Zach C., Kenny H., Robert M., Patrick O'C., Alex S., and Buster Z., and Adults - ASM Debbie C., ASM Glen S., and ASM Stuart S.
On Wednesday, August 15, 2001, Scouts and leaders from Troop 111 met at the Parish Center for the 5th Summer of Fun activity, a trip to see the professional soccer game, DC United vs. the NY/NJ MetroStars. We departed for RFK Stadium shortly after 5pm via the maroon van. Scouts Zack B., Matthew C., Alan R., Brian R., Neil S., and Patrick W. attended the game along with ASM's Glenn M., Rich S. and Atom S., and parents Victor B. and Cynthia H.
Upon arrival to RFK stadium, we checked in at the volunteer station and progressed on to the playing field. We had a half hour wait until the opening ceremonies and spent most of that time inside the old dugout of the Washington Senators. Glenn had ample time to explain the operations of the match, the history of the team and the stadium for all to hear. The scouts had fun taking pictures by the side of the field where both teams warmed up for the game.
As a part of the opening ceremonies, the Scouts lined the entrance to the field, along with two area soccer teams, to high five the mascot, game officials and both team's players as they entered the field. A television camera crew from New York was there to broadcast the game live to the New York audience. Some of our guys were videoed by the camera crew. Not only are they TV stars in New York, but they were also featured on RFK jumbotron. They sure looked sharp in their uniforms.
The troop quickly settled in front row seat with plenty of snacks for the game. With all of that sugar in the system, the Scouts decided to help spur on the team. Several joined with the fan club "La Norte" (so-named because they occupy the seats behind the north goal) to throw confetti, sing the DC United fight songs, and bang on chairs. After the DC United goal, the Scouts helped launch toilet paper into the air in celebration. Of note, Patrick W. is well on his way to super fandom.
Despite a 2-1 loss for DC United the scouts had a great time and returned to St. Agnes around 10:30pm.
Our Summer of Fun series ended on Monday, August 27th, with our now traditional run down to Potomac Mills for a night of shoot-em-up mayhem at Laser Quest. It was one of those really hot and humid days we had in late August, but the trip down was a breeze on the HOV lanes, and we arrived right on time. ASM Rich S. quickly divided the Scouts into the Red and Green teams (even/odd based on height), and we headed right in to do battle. The aim of the game is to attack the opposite team's warriors and base. Shooting a warrior is worth 10 points, and the base 25 - but you lose points each time you're tagged.
Well, the Greens took on the chin, folks. Despite what we thought was an excellent tactical plan, Game I was a rout, 7478 to 4930. Two Red Team players (Rich S. and Neil S.) racked up over a thousand points each! In Game II, therefore, we put two "spies" on Neil while I spied on Rich. I tooled on Rich 57 to 27 (766 points to 164 points), which he took in good humor; Neil, however, was less than thrilled with the personal attention! End result?: Will (Better Red than Dead) Beckman racked up over a thousand points, and it was Reds again, 7586 to 6176. Ouch! So for Game III (after a pizza break), we abandoned the spies and tried a more vigorous base defense. That didn't work either, and the Reds got the broom out, 8070 to 6106. This is the way they treated them at Custer's Last Stand, folks. We barely dodged the thunderstorms on the way home, arriving St. Agnes at 9:30 pm. Another great conclusion to a great summer!
Participants included: Will B., Jack B., Zack B., Tom C., Matt C., Peter C., Patrick D., Drew D., Michael D., Todd G., Matt G., Dan H., Ryan K., Anthony M., James N., Nathan P., John P., Alan R., Brian R., Thomas S., Jimmy S., Charlie S., Neil S., Steven S., JJ T., and Patrick W., plus adults ASM Atom S., ASM Rich S., and yours truly. Thanks also to Pat H. and Brian P. for assisting with driving (and for Brian, for organizing).
Over the Labor Day Weekend, Ted G. ,Todd G. and Matt G. joined 23 other local Scouts and 8 other Leaders from northern Virginia and Montgomery County for the Potomac District's Venturing C&O Canal "Blitz" Bike Hike - Cumberland to Georgetown in 3 swift days. (The Potomac District provided the logistical support needed for the event.) The weather was spectacular, and Ted reports that Todd and Matt distinguished themselves among all the other Venturers (Good Job Guys!) However, Troop 111 had to make alternate plans when they got the news of Ann G.'s hit-and-run crash, and departed early Sunday for a speed run back to Arlington (BTW, Ann is fine). The final stats from the Coordinator:
Earlier tonight (Thursday, September 13th), we fulfilled our triannual duty to the District Roundtable and handled the opening Flag Ceremony, Historical Self-Introduction, and Closing Scoutmaster's Minute. ASM Rich S. advised Luke B., Max D., SPL Stefan N., and John P. in running the show. Thanks also to Rob B., who drove. As you can imagine, the recent events at the World Trade Center and the Pentagon lent a special air to the ceremony.
- Dr. Bob, Scoutmaster
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