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. 

Nearly 10 years after earning Eagle, Lewis has become an icon in the growing sport of slacklining. He credits his time in Scouting for leading him to a sport with real appeal for anyone who prefers challenging themselves outdoors to sitting inside.

At this point you might be wondering: What is slacklining? Here’s how Gibbon Slacklines, the brand used during Lewis’ Super Bowl show, describes the sport: “Slacklining is the act of balancing along a narrow, flexible piece of webbing which is low to the ground and usually anchored between two trees. It’s not just for epic performances, but rather something anyone can do in their own backyard.”

Love for adventure began in Scouting

Lewis, now 25, talked with me by phone today from Utah. Despite sharing the stage with a global music icon less than a week ago, he’s humble, quick with a laugh, and easy to talk to.

Not only that, he’s more than happy to talk about how his time in the Boy Scouts of America led him to an unimaginable place.

“Scouting definitely was a huge part of my entire life,” Lewis says. “Learning knots, learning how to problem-solve, going on trips.”

And now, slacklining. He says time spent learning the ropes in Scouting, including earning the Climbing merit badge, sharpened his skills for the sport he has helped grow for the past eight years.

“Scouting gave me a whole lot of opportunities I wouldn’t have had outside of Scouting,” he says. “My parents weren’t the richest of parents, so Scouting gave me opportunities I never would have gotten otherwise.”

Partly because of that confidence inspired by Scouting, Lewis now owns the world record for the longest walk across a slackline without a “leash.” He walked 132 feet across a slackline 100 feet off the ground. Yikes!

Even though he has taken the sport to new heights, Lewis says beginners can have a blast much closer to earth.

“We’ve been designing our company to target people who have no experience with slacklining,” says Lewis, referring to Gibbon Slacklines, one of his sponsors.

That’s right: sponsors. As a Scout growing up in Marin Council, did Lewis ever imagine that some day he’d be sponsored by GoPro cameras and have his own shoe, the Five Ten Andy Lewis Line Kings?

“Absolutely not,” he says.

Why slacklining?

Slacklining is a fun, laid-back outdoor activity that fosters a sense of community, Lewis says. So it’s not a stretch to understand why the sport has gained worldwide popularity.

For less than $100, a person can get all the gear needed to string up a slackline between trees. And it’s easy to learn, Lewis says.

“It’s a very simple concept. It’s not very hard to explain,” he says. “It’s like a shovel. Anybody can pick up and use a shovel.”

The BSA’s Health and Safety team tells me that they’re analyzing slacklining right now, but it is NOT an approved activity at the moment, so “don’t try this at home.”

Traditional slacklining involves simply walking across a line like it’s a balance beam and is challenging enough for most. Lewis says slacklines are primarily designed to be used just a couple of feet of the ground and walked across, meaning injury risk is minimal.

“All these sports where there are accidents — biking, skateboarding — that just doesn’t happen with slacklining. When you lose your balance, you just step off the line and you’re back on the ground,” Lewis says.

Also, please leave the highlining — slacklining hundreds of feet of the ground — to experts like Lewis.

A sense of community

Lewis sees a clear parallel between slacklining and Scouting in that both foster a sense of community.

Yes, there are competitions in both. But slackliners and Scouts make having fun and working together — not winning at all costs — the primary goal.

“The most important part of of Scouting to me was being part of a community,” he says. “It’s a family. Same with slacklining — it’s a community-based sport. Everybody accepts one another. I really feel like the community aspect of Scouting and learning how to be a leader and a follower, and be part of a team — those are the skills that are important in both.”

That Scouting family was invaluable to Lewis as he earned Eagle, went on two Philmont treks, and attended the 2001 National Scout Jamboree. He remembers fondly a Scout leader named Willie Coronado and Lewis’ father, Roger Lewis.

“If it wasn’t for my father I never would’ve gotten Eagle,” Lewis says. “He really helped push me.”

As a 15-year-old in Scouting, Lewis says he didn’t fully appreciate the ways in which the BSA was making him a better person.

Ten years later — and after a breathless week of interviews with The New York Times, ABC News, National Geographic, and countless others — Lewis hears that message loud and clear.

“When you’re in Scouts it’s really hard to understand how it’s going to affect you in life,” he says. “When I meet people now who are 25, and they’ve never camped outside at night, I’m like, ‘Wow. I took for granted all that.’”

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Check out Andy Lewis’ epic halftime performance below:

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Photo from Gibbon Slacklines.

(H/T to California Scouter Lisa Schallenberger for sharing this story idea)

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.

Scouting’s 101st year, comprising most of 2011 and the start of 2012, included the launch of two new merit badges: Robotics and Chess (Welding, which debuts Feb. 24, will be part of the 102nd year).

The BSA’s four high-adventure bases prospered last year. Philmont, Northern Tier, and Sea Base had record attendance, and The Summit saw construction continue and its total financial contributions pass $200 million.

Registrations for the 2013 National Scout Jamboree are in full swing, so sign up now to attend or serve on staff.

As for me, I attended the 2011 World Scout Jamboree in Sweden (read my Scouting magazine story here), visited Northern Tier for the first time, and just recently returned from Death Valley National Park for a weekend trip with a troop from Berkeley, Calif. (look for that story in our January-February 2013 issue).

How are packs, troops, teams, and crews celebrating today?

I asked our Facebook fans (be sure to Like us!) to share their birthday celebration plans. Here are a few favorites, starting with the best comment ever:

• “I’ll celebrate with a cup of coffee while reading Scouting magazine.” — Barbara J.
• “Wearing my Eagle Scout tie to work (almost always have a Scouting-related lapel pin).” — Fritz C.
• “Our Tiger and Wolf den is celebrating with a birthday party! Cub Scout cupcakes, a lesson on the history of Scouting and lots of fun games that were popular through the years.” — Scott W.
• “By still being in Scouting since January 1943.” — Carl B.
• “I’ll wear my uniform to school… it’s okay to still be a Scout in college!” — Aimee W.
• “Wear your uniform to work and school day! We are promoting this on our Facebook page and encouraging as many people to do this.” — Monmouth Council
• “I’ll probably wear a Scouting shirt to a training counselor course from the NRA.” — Tom P.

What’s in store for Scouting’s 102nd year?

How can Scouters top last year?

Start by reading these nine ways to be a better Scouter in 2012.

Then make plans to offer Welding, Kayaking, and Search and Rescue merit badges — all due out this year — to your troop.

What else do you have planned?

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.

Held each year during the week of the Feb. 8 anniversary of the BSA’s founding, the idea is to remind those not involved with Scouting how important it is to the community.

Here’s what to do:

• First, send the non-Scouters in your life to the new A Place to Give Web site.
• Once there, these individuals can learn ways to financially support Scouting and what the BSA will do with their gifts.
• Options for donors include:
  • Sending a kid to camp
  • Honoring a family member buy putting their name on a piece of The Summit high-adventure base, such as a stone paver or wooden bench
  • Making a gift directly to the nearest local council (the site is location-aware, meaning it automatically knows a visitor’s location)
  • Donating directly to national Scouting.

You know the BSA gives so much to your community. And you know it’s time to ask the community to give back a little.

To get me to tune in, you could’ve just said this: An Eagle Scout is among the hopefuls.

Now that we have someone to root for, my wife and I plan to watch every episode of the popular singing competition.

The aforementioned Eagle Scout is Phillip Arnold. “Pip,” as he’s known to fans, started singing at local Scout functions and Courts of Honor while a member of Troop 287 in Marietta, Ga. As his voice grew, so did his audience. Soon he was singing at church, formal events, coffee shops, and diners.

Pip’s stage is about to get a whole lot bigger — think 10 to 14 million viewers — as he pursues his dream of becoming a recording artist by competing on the hit show.

If you’re new to The Voice, here’s how it works: Current chart-toppers Christina Aguilera, Cee Lo Green, Adam Levine, and Blake Shelton serve as judges, selecting their favorite singers to join their respective teams. Then, the judges become mentors, helping their team members reach the grand prize: a major recording contract.

Singers are eliminated each week, and eventually the viewing audience will vote to keep their favorites on the show. If Pip gets that far, he’ll need the help of the Scouting community to stay alive.

But first things first: the audition phase.

Pip’s parents tell me there was a quick clip of their son at the beginning of the post-Super Bowl episode, but his full audition hasn’t yet aired. And though contractual obligations prevent Pip’s mom and dad from revealing whether their son will advance to the live shows, I’ve got a good feeling about it.

If that happens, we all can cheer him on from the couch.

Want a sneak peek of Pip’s voice? Watch a video of him performing for Atlanta’s “11Alive” news channel by clicking here. And if you like what you hear, be sure to Like him on Facebook.

The Voice airs at 8 p.m. (7 Central) on Mondays on NBC.

So when I see numbers presented in an easy-to-digest format, I take notice.

Case in point: These cool, new infographics that offer a glimpse into the BSA’s four high-adventure bases.

The graphics — one each for Northern Tier, Philmont, Sea Base, and The Summit — contain interesting facts and fun numbers.

For Northern Tier, you’ll learn the length of the largest fish caught at the base. The Philmont graphic reveals exactly how many peaks over 9,000 feet are on the property. Want to know the number of boats in the Sea Base fleet? Here’s your answer. And The Summit’s graphic gives you a better understanding of the BSA’s newest high-adventure home.

Check out the graphics below. Click each to see it at a larger size.