Category Archives: Eagle Scout

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20 Questions to ask at your next Eagle Board of Review

14 September 2012

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Forget that sit-down with the hiring supervisor at Subway. When it comes to life-changing interviews for a teenager, you can’t top the Eagle Scout Board of Review.

For some Scouts, the thought of answering a barrage of questions from adults is worse than a trip to the dentist.

Turns out, though, that the boy often isn’t the only nervous person in the room.

Here’s what Kathy, a Scouter from the Northeast, told me:

I’ve just been asked to sit on the Board of Review for one of my students, since I’ve known him since he was in the second grade. If I’m to ask questions, can you give me some insight as to what’s appropriate? I don’t want to look stupid.

Kathy’s certainly not the only one at a loss for words at a Board of Review. So I asked our Facebook friends for their go-to questions.

Here are 20 to try the next time you’re involved in this important final step on a boy’s journey to Eagle:  Continue reading »

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Why are so many boys taking so much longer to reach Eagle Scout?

14 August 2012

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You can’t blame this one on inflation.

More than 60 years ago, the average age of a boy earning Eagle was 14.6. Today it’s 17.1.

As we celebrate the 100th Anniversary of the Eagle Scout Award this month, it’s a good time to ask: Why the increase?

Are boys simply taking time to enjoy the journey toward Scouting’s top honor? Are they busier with school or extracurricular activities? Or is some other factor at work here?

I do know this: More boys earn Eagle today than ever before, a sign that the program is working. But at the same time, more boys wait until they’re 17 years and 11 months old to finish the journey — raising their parents’ blood pressures in the process.

What do you think?

Why are today’s new Eagle Scouts so much older than Eagle Scouts from a generation ago? Join the discussion below.

Graphic adapted from this official BSA infographic.

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Join the Eagle celebration live from your couch

10 August 2012

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Can’t be in Texas for tomorrow’s big Eagle Scout party?

I’ve got the next best thing: Watch the Eagle Scout Heritage Celebration streaming live to your computer.

At 11 a.m. (Central) on Saturday, Aug. 11, watch a live webcast of the Eagle Scout Heritage Celebration’s Kickoff Event from the National Scouting Museum in Irving, Tex.

Eagle Scouts who attend in person receive a commemorative patch and free museum admission. But everyone watching at home can join in on the fun that includes a keynote speech from Boy Scouts of America National Commissioner and Distinguished Eagle Scout Tico Perez.

Also on view to the public for the very first time: Joseph Csatari’s 100 Years of Eagle Scouts painting. Csatari was commissioned by the National Eagle Scout Association to create a new painting honoring the 100th anniversary of the Eagle Scout Award. The model for the artwork, Eagle Scout Matthew Dobromilsky, will host the signing of a limited number of prints that will be sold following the program.

Related posts

10 ways to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Eagle Scouts

Eagle Scout Olympian reveals how he balanced swimming and Scouting

You tell me: How would you define the term ‘Eagle Scout’?

Video: Eagle Scout Mike Rowe shares his Scouting story

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Eagle Scout Olympian reveals how he balanced swimming and Scouting

2 August 2012

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Eric Shanteau, a cancer survivor, supports the Lance Armstrong Foundation.

By the time Eric Shanteau first put on a Cub Scout uniform, he had already been swimming for five years.

As he got older, Shanteau, who learned to swim at age 3, found a way to keep both of these parallel lives afloat.

He balanced a successful Scouting career that culminated in the Eagle Scout award (in 1999) with an elite swimming career that has led him to spots on the 2008 and 2012 U.S. Olympic Swimming team.

On top of all that, Shanteau is a cancer survivor. A week before the 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials, he was diagnosed with testicular cancer. Thankfully, he’s now in remission and works with the Lance Armstrong Foundation to promote cancer awareness.

Before Shanteau left for London to compete in the 100-meter breaststroke and 4×100-meter medley relay (details below), I chatted with him by phone.

In our conversation, Shanteau reveals how he balanced Scouting and swimming; shares tips for Scouts getting over a fear of swimming, especially in lakes; explains how to encourage Scouts to get across the finish line and earn Eagle; and more.  Continue reading »

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10 ways to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Eagle Scouts

1 August 2012

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There’s only one award from my childhood that I still list on my résumé.

It isn’t “Honorable Mention, fourth-grade Science Fair,” and it’s definitely not “Participant, junior-senior talent show.”

It’s the Eagle Scout award, that instantly recognizable achievement I share with more than 2.1 million men out there.

Turning the calendar to August this morning got me thinking about Scouting’s highest honor. It was 100 years ago this month that Arthur Eldred became the first young man to earn Eagle.

In other words, the monthlong party begins today! Here are 10 ways to celebrate:  Continue reading »

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How Scouting helped this Team USA water polo goalie in his quest for gold

1 August 2012

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Merrill Moses equates the silver medal he won at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing to earning the rank of Life in Boy Scouts.

Both are great achievements, but each is still a step away from the top.

Moses earned Eagle in the mid-90′s, and now, the 34-year-old Team USA water polo goalkeeper has his gaze squarely fixed on another top prize: Olympic gold.

At the London Olympics, Moses and Team USA are 2-0 in opening-round games after Tuesday’s 10-8 win against Romania. The Americans have three more first-round games (viewing info below) before beginning the single-elimination matches that will determine medalists.

But before Moses left for London, I talked with him by phone about his time in Scouting and how it helped prepare him for a successful water polo career.

Here are some highlights from our conversation: Continue reading »

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Twins Grant and Ross James are Eagle Scouts and Olympians

31 July 2012

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UPDATE (8:10 a.m., Aug. 1): Grant and Ross raced for Team USA this morning. See the results (spoiler!) or watch the video (start at 2:57:18).

You’d expect twins to have a lot in common. But you’d be hard-pressed to find a pair who share a resume as impressive as Grant and Ross James.

The twins are Eagle Scouts, national champions in high-power rifle shooting, and world-class rowers.

On Wednesday (Aug. 1) the pair will look to add one more line to their list of successes: Olympic gold medalists. They’re two members of Team USA’s eight-man rowing crew, which will be gold-medal favorites in Wednesday’s final. (See below for viewing info).

But before they left for London, Grant and Ross — who earned Eagle in 2003 in Dekalb, Ill. — talked with me by phone. Here are some highlights from our conversation:  Continue reading »

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Video: Eagle Scout Mike Rowe shares his Scouting story

15 June 2012

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Here’s a new job for Mike Rowe, he of Dirty Jobs fame: Keynote speaker at a gathering of BSA professionals and volunteers.

Rowe traded his usual duds — well, he kept the jeans — for a nicely pressed shirt at this month’s National Annual Meeting in Orlando.

The Eagle Scout and Discovery Channel star who bulldozed his way onto the Scouting scene at the 2010 jamboree earned the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award at the event. Then he gave a 20-minute, off-the-cuff speech that you won’t want to miss.

Check it out:  Continue reading »

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Video: Pip from ‘The Voice’ sings the National Anthem

14 June 2012

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Earlier this month, I mentioned that Pip wowed the crowd at the BSA’s National Annual Meeting with his rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

Now you can see what all the fuss was about.

Pip Arnold, the Eagle Scout who snagged the spotlight on The Voice, received rave reviews from the gathering of volunteers and professionals in Orlando.

Here’s the video, courtesy of Tim Lawler and his team: Continue reading »