There’s something fishy about Hunter’s Pinewood Derby car.
The paint job is a little too professional, the edges a little too perfect. While other cars wobble down the track, this thing’s a rocket every time.
And for some reason, when Hunter picks up his first-place trophy, Mom and Dad seem more excited to hold it than he does.
My verdict? It looks like a classic case of “Mom and Dad did all the work.”
In case you missed it on Facebook, here’s our contribution to the “What I Really Do” meme that’s been popular this week.
What do you think, Scouters?
For another Scouting-related example, click here.
To turn a run-of-the-mill Eagle Scout Court of Honor into something unforgettable, toss out the carbon-copy script your troop has used for years.
Instead, pick up a copy of The Eagle Court of Honor Book ($14.99 at ScoutStuff.org).
Pip didn’t just sing last night.
He “absolutely blew the roof off the place,” said host Carson Daly.
Phillip Arnold, known on the show as Pip, gave a powerful rendition of The Animals’ “House of the Rising Sun” during last night’s episode. Continue reading
How are the 2011 Report to the Nation delegates adjusting to the fast-paced environment of Washington, D.C.?
Just fine. But what would you expect with a group of Scouts?
The group’s whirlwind visit to our nation’s capital started Saturday with an exclusive tour of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. John Rehm, the Order of the Arrow national chief, says he was “amazed at this opportunity.”
“We had a chance to learn about how space shuttles are made and the dedication that goes into making them,” he said in an e-mail to me. “I feel so honored to be with the best of the best that Scouting has to offer.” Continue reading
What have Scouts been up to for the past year?
Tons. But instead of merely telling you, why don’t I show you?
The Boy Scouts of America released its 2011 Report to the Nation today, showing the outside world what Scouts accomplished last year.
A delegation of nine young people from across the country will visit Washington, D.C., beginning tomorrow to embark on a whirlwind tour. They’ll take part in visits with top government officials, a service project benefitting the National Cathedral, and exclusive tours of the Pentagon, White House, CIA building, and Supreme Court.
Darkness. Close spaces. Underground tunnels. Most people do what they can to avoid these environments. Bill Steele seeks them out in caves around the globe. Instead of claustrophobia, “I have claustromania,” laughs Steele, director of BSA’s alumni relations and the National Eagle Scout Association.
Steele’s love for caving began in Southern Indiana and Kentucky as a young Scout. Since then, he’s spent countless days underground in caves across the globe with world-renowned explorers. Scouting magazine even covered some of Steele’s travels in a 1986 feature story. (Click to see the feature at this link.)
In this feature story, Steele mentions his long-term dream of exploring a hard-to-reach Chinese cave system. “At the time, you couldn’t travel to non-tourist areas of Red China,” he explains. “Now it’s accessible to cave explorers on certain expeditions.”
Steele’s hunger for adventure came full circle in December 2011 when he set off to visit the caves he’d dreamed of exploring in 1986. These caves, what he calls the “Carlsbad Caverns of China,” or Er Wang Dong and San Wang Dong, are both located in the Wulong Province of China. Continue reading
Who was that slacklining at the Super Bowl?
It’s Andy Lewis, who got worldwide attention (and a kiss from Madonna) during halftime with his show-stealing performance on a two-inch tightrope. (See the jaw-dropping video below.)
“This was not just a show,” he says. “This was the most-viewed single airing of a show in history.”
But Lewis, the curly haired acrobat who is credited with bringing slacklining into the mainstream, reached greatness long before that famed moment.
Before slacklining in front of millions, before becoming a six-time world champion in the extreme sport, before amassing three Guinness World Records, and before having a line of shoes named after him, Lewis did what some might consider his biggest accomplishment: He earned the Eagle Scout Award. As a member of California Troop 59, Lewis didn’t stop there. He finished with an impressive 51 merit badges — good enough for two Silver Palms. Continue reading
For 102 years old, the Boy Scouts of America sure looks good.
The nation’s top youth-serving organization was born on Feb. 8, 1910 — five score and two years ago today. But despite its age, the BSA remains a vibrant, relevant movement of youth and adults who have a positive impact on the world.
Each Feb. 8 offers a timely opportunity to look back on the year in Scouting. (Just like I did on Feb. 8, 2011 and 2010.)
And what a good one last year was, both for the organization and for me personally.
Has Scouting affected anyone in your life?
I’ll bet it goes beyond just you and your family.
It might be your coworker who remembers catching his first fish at Boy Scout summer camp. Or your neighbor who has seen Scouts improve her community. Or your high school friend, who hasn’t put on a Scout uniform since his Eagle Scout ceremony.
In honor of the National Week of Giving, which started yesterday, now’s the time to encourage those people in your life who served as Scouts or whose lives are affected by Scouts — in other words, just about everyone — to donate to the Boy Scouts of America.
