EAGLE TIMES

*** TROOP 80 BSA ***** MARCH 2000 ***

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

BIRTHDAYS

Here are the birthdays for the month of March:

Ron Howard 1, Eddie Money 2, Jonathan Musser 4, Denton Ball 6, Shane Huseman 7, Thaddeaus Vandagriff 12, Kyle Watson 12, Billy Crystal 14, Daniel Wetzel 21, William Shatner 22, Jim Thompson 25, Elton John 25, Jared Slaughter 27, Tyler Adams 29

Ryan Carillo setting up at Sneed Ranch

DATES TO REMEMBER

Pop Corn sale starts March 21

Camp Haynes March 24-26

Lake Meredith Clean-up April 15

Pop Corn orders must be in April 18

Pop Corn Arrives May 5

ALL Popcorn money in May 16

Camp Don Summer Camp June 18 - 24

OA Ordeal August 18 - 20

LEADERS RECOGNIZED

The Boy Scouts of America awards the “Silver Beaver” award to men and women for distinguished service to scouting. The award is made for noteworthy service of exceptional character to boyhood which includes service in the BSA and standing in the community covering business, professional, civic, religious, educational, fraternal, veterans, and other fields exclusive of scouting. It is presented by the National Scouting Office and given at the Councils.  The Golden Spread Council held their annual volunteer appreciation dinner at the MK Brown Auditorium on February fifth in Pampa. Troop 80 ASM Terry Slade was one of five leaders presented the award this year. His name will be added to the list of past Troop 80 Silver Beavers on a plaque that hangs in the Jack Bryant Scouting Center. We would like to take this opportunity to congratulate him for this honor.

Waking Up in Caprock Canyons State Park

SUMMER CAMP STAFF

You’ve been in Scouts for a few years and a lot of people have spent many hours making sure you had great scouting opportunities. Now it’s your turn to help others. How, you ask? By becoming a member of the Golden Spread Council’s summer camp staff. You must be 16 years old. Send your completed application to the Scout office and pass an interview. Your salary is based on the position of responsibility with consideration given to the individuals scouting experiences. Call 358-6500.

PATROL POINTS

Standings as of 01/12/2K

Skill Patrol

C1 Comanche 34

D3 Maya 24

D2 Erie 20

B1 Apache 10

C3 Arapaho 10

C2 Mohawk 7

B2 Mohican 5

A3 Cree 0

Outstanding Patrol

C3 Arapaho 1335

D3 Maya 1260

C1 Comanche 1065

B1 Apache 965

D2 Erie 910

A3 Cree 225

B2 Mohican 225

Outstanding Crew

E2 Wichita 400

E1 Ute 270

F1 Navaho 240

If you have a story item about an 80 Scouter that you think needs to be in the next newsletter, send your ideas to Terry Slade 5122 W. 16th Amarillo, TX 79106-4419 or e-mail them to tmslade@actx.edu

ADVANCEMENT CAMP

Members of Troop 80 will have the chance for advancement and to earn merit badges when they attend the Golden Spread Council’s Summer Camp during the week of June 18 - 24 at Camp Don Harrington. The cost is $110 dollars. We will also need a few adults willing to spend the week as an acting Scoutmaster at camp. Start planning now for a great week of scouting skills and fun.

WILDERNESS CAMP

The Troop is headed to Durango Colorado during the week of July 22-29 for the Troop’s Wilderness camp. We will visit Mesa Verde National Monument and have some free time in Durango. The hike will be over Hunchback Pass in the Weimenuche wilderness. Then we ride the narrow gauge train. The cost is estimated at $100 dollars, but you can earn all the money by selling popcorn in March. Please don’t forget that there are attendance and advancement rules in effect before you are allowed to attend this camp.

RECHARTER TIME

Time is running out and in fact, by the time you read this newsletter, the time will be over. It’s time to pay that tiny little amount we call your annual dues. Just $25 dollars and you get a full year of the best Troop 80 program, the chance to earn merit badges, and wear that really neat uniform.. We’ll even throw in a full year subscription of Boy’s Life magazine. You can’t play if you don’t pay.

ORDER OF THE ARROW

Elections to the BSA’s “Honor Camping Fraternity” will be held at a troop meeting in March. To become a member, you must be a first class rank, have camped 15 days, and be selected by your Scoutmaster. Your name is put on a ballot and the members of the troop elect those they feel are the best campers and deserving to be in the Order of the Arrow.  In other OA news, NOAC will be held at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville during the end of July. NOAC is the National OA Conference. The cost is $285 for the 5 days of training and meetings.

LET’S DO SCUBA

Seven scouts and two adults signed up for scuba open water and advanced open water certification. The class will begin on the first Tuesday in March and finish with an open water dive at the “Blue Hole” in Santa Rosa NM. The ertificate is good for life and will be used in future dive trips scheduled for the Venture crews.

VENTURE NEWS

Thanks to Randy Smiley and Rick Thamer for agreeing to help with Venture advancement and merit badges. Thanks to Marty Jones, who has agreed to lead a biking group into Caprock Canyon and Camp Haynes on the March camp out. These guys were born to be wild.

NEWEST EAGLE

Troop 80 is proud to present the newest member to the BSA’s highest honor. At the Court of Honor held on February 7th, Daniel Wetzel became an Eagle Scout. His project included cooking meals for a week and delivering them to needy individuals in his church.

OKC ROCKS CLIMB

Ten scouts and six adults braved the traffic to Oklahoma City to try out the new OKC Rocks Climbing gym. The gym was built in an old 8 silo grain elevator and had some routes almost 100 feet tall. Mr. Flip showed the young guys how it’s done in an awesome climb of an insid corner. Their new nickname is the Werewolves of London! It was a great trip and they even got 13 points for a chilly Friday night. Their next trip is to Albuquerque in April. All ASPL’s and adults are welcome to attend any Venture function.

NJLIC CLASS OF 2000

Two of our 80 Greenbar members were selected to attend the National Junior Leader Instructors conference at Philmont this summer. The troop’s committee selected Aaron Amos and Michael Gray. To be eligible, you must be an ASPL and willing to support the troop’s greenbar which is the troop youth management. Congratulations to these fine scouters.

POP CORN TIME

The troop will be conducting their annual pop corn sale during March. What makes this sale different from other sales is that 100% of the profits go to the scout to help pay for his summer camps. The scouts did an outstanding job last year and we look forward to breaking the sales record this year.

SCOUTMASTER’S MINUTE

     I just don’t have the time. I didn’t know about it. I have to do so and so. I didn't know whom to ask. We hear them all, the reasons a parent gives for not being at a baseball game, a PTA meeting, or a scouting event with their son. You may not be the coach or the scoutmaster type, but you can still be there to assist, give support, and help where needed. To be the proud and gloating parent.

     At a recent Court of Honor, more than half of the boys present to receive an award were there without a parent. We see the same “active” parents at all the same events while we have never met some of the boy’s parents. Some day, your son will move away from home (you hope so anyways) and you’ll wonder where the time went. I’m reminded of the song where the boy wants to be just like his dad and the dad just doesn’t seem to have the time. After the boy grows into a man with a family of his own, he doesn’t have the time for the dad anymore. The time has run out. The song ends, the boy was just like me, he’d grown up just like me.

     I remember when I was greeting the families of the Cubs that were arriving for the Blue and Gold banquet. One car drove up and the proud Webelo stepped out in his full uniform as he was there to receive his “Arrow of Light”. He was going to cross over to become a Boy Scout. The culmination of 4 years of hard work all came down to this one night. The Cub started into the building as the parent drove away. I stopped and asked him where his mom was going and he replied, “She has to go buy my sister a pair of shoes”.

     Some of the adult leaders in 80 have not had a son in the unit for many years, yet they still go on campouts. They come to every meeting because there are not enough willing parents to fill the positions needed. Also, some just like teaching and working with the boys.

     Ask yourself, What did I do Tuesday night? Did you sit at home in front of the television or did you come and see your son receive his First Class rank badge? What we teach, by our actions or lack of action, is a lesson the boy will take with him for the rest of his life.