Simsbury Troop 175

June Court of Honor is a big splash

Simsbury Troop 175 celebrate the beginning of summer with a pool party and Court of Honor at Troop Scoutmaster Mead's house. Highlights included a belly flop contest, greased watermelon competition, volleyball, trying to catch Keegan, lots of hot dogs and hamburgers and lots of family and friends.

At the Court of Honor, scouts received their rank advancements and merit badges (including some that were not BSA approved). Also announced were the newest members of the Immortals and next year's senior patrol leaders.

To see photos from the event, go to the Troop Photo Library.

Troop Announces Next Year's Leadership

At the June Court of Honor, Troop 175's leadership for next year was announced.

Eagle Scout Mike Vallen was named Senior Patrol Leader (SPL) for the troop.  Mike will be responsible for the overall planning and running of the troop working directly with the Scoutmaster, Mr. Mead.

Assisting Mike will be his Assistant Senior Patrol Leaders (ASPL) Rob A, Jake VL and Rob B. Since Rob A will "age out" of his position prior to the end of the year, Keegan R. has also been named a ASPL for the upcoming year.

 

Immortals Accept Four New Members

At the June Court of Honor, four members of Troop 175 were inducted into the Immortals. The Immortals is an elite group of scouts that have demonstrated their advanced skills at scoutcraft and who participate in high adventure trips that test those skills.

The scouts joining the Immortals were Eric B, Issac P and Jake VL. Nicholas C also was inducted however he was not able to be at the ceremony. As a sign of their membership in the Immortals, the scouts received machetes.

Rob Carter was named Immortals Chief for next year.  

July Trip To Algonquin Provincial Park In Canada

For photos of the trip, go to the Troop 175 Photo Library

Troop 175 Scouts Enjoy Summer Camp At Mattituck

43 Scouts from Simsbury Troop 175 spent a week in the woods at BSA Camp Mattituck.

Highlights from the week at camp include swimming, boating, earning merit badges, family night, earning merit badges, firing rifles, archery, and being with friends.

For photos of the week at camp, go to the Troop 175 Photo Library.

For those in the pool to guess how many photos Mr. Rice would take, the final number 808. He was hampered by a broken lens for part of the week.

Camp Mattituch Dive Competition Dominated By Troop 175

Scouts from Simsbury Troop 175 demonstrated their flying ability as they won three of four diving events at Camp Mattituck. 

Mike R led the way with a win in the small splash competition, followed by Matt Z who showed that technique is more important that physical size.

Senior scouts Keegan R and Kevin B did not have any competition willing to take them on in the tandom diving competition. Keegan R also showed his style with a 1 1/2 flip that won the freestyle competition.

Also at the waterfront, Troop 175 first year scouts won the Waterfront Treasure Hunt and Rowing Without Oars events.

For  additional photos, go to the Scout Photo Archives.

Troop 175 Wins Ryan Duff Oar

 
Each year at Camp Mattituck, Troop 175 and Troop 76 compete in a high-spirited water polo game to claim the Ryan Duff Memorial Oar as a trophy for the year.

Troop 76 had retained the Oar for the past two years, but it was not to be this year. An outstanding offensive performance from troop 175's first year scouts and a strong defense from a Philmont-depleted senior scout team allowed Troop 175 to reclaim the prized oar.

The Oar is named for Ryan Duff, an Eagle scout from Troop 175, and brother to current scout Michael Duff, who tragically lost his life in a car accident. Ryan had many friends in both troops and this oar honors his memory.

For additional water polo photos, go to the Troop 175 Photo Library.

Scoutmasters Win Iron Chief Competition

Troop 175 Assistant Scoutmasters Mark Bushey, Tom Nichelson, Gerry Burke and Bill Rice, led by camp cooking legend Bob Gilmore, won first place in the Camp Mattituck Dutch oven Iron Chief competition.

Drawing from the same ingredients as the other troops and required to use tuna in the meal, the group combined their  efforts to create :Scoutmaster Pie" with layers of beef, french toast, mixed veggies, more french toast and a cheesy tuna topping. This was followed by a cinnamon cake with apples and zucchini with a blueberry compote.

  

Troop 175 Scouts Off to Philmont

Good luck to Jake VL, Andrew F, Kevin H, Tommy A, Rob C, Eddie C, Jon E, Steven B and Gabe B. They are off to Philmont Scout Ranch along with Mr. Adamovicz, Mr. Van Loon and Mr. Hancock.

Philmont Scout Ranch is the Boy Scouts of America's oldest national high-adventure base. Its 34 staffed camps and 55 trail camps provide an unforgettable adventure in the high country along hundreds of miles of rugged, rocky trails.

More than 860,000 Scouts, Venturers, and leaders have experienced the adventure of Philmont since the first camping season in 1939. Throughout its existence, conscientious attention to low-impact camping techniques have helped maintain the ranch's wilderness flavor.

Parents Night at Summer Camp is Wednesday July 15th

Parents Night is Wednesday July 15th starting at 5:00 PM ... with a Campfire Program until 9:00 PM.  The Troop is supplying hamburgers & hotdogs for dinner for Scout(s), siblings & parents at our Campsite.

Families with last name starting with A-G please bring appetizer or salad.

Families with last name starting with H-Z please bring dessert.

All families bring a bag of chips!

You should make prior arrangements as to when and where you will meet your son(s) ... the amphitheater at the bottom of the hill from the parking lot is a good spot.

What to Expect at Summer Camp

Sunday Afternoon . . . After being guided to the campsite, scouts get into their swim trunks and get ready for check-in. They walk down to the Dining Hall porch, with Medical Forms signed by a doctor within the last three years (and a parent within the last year) in hand for a medical recheck by the Camp Nurse. At this time all medication must be turned in to the nurse to dispense along with the Troop Medication form  listing all medications for scouts.

After the medical recheck, it's down to the Waterfront for a boating talk, and then a swim check. This check, covering 100 yards consists of ”Jump into the water feet first then swim 100 yards continuously in a strong manner, with 75 yards on your stomach or side and 25 yards on your back in a resting manner.” This check is required for all scouts and leaders who wish to go in or on the water. At 4:30 PM the unit leader and Senior Patrol Leader have a meeting with the Camp Director and Program Director in the Dining Hall. It will last about 30 minutes. 5:50 is flag lowering, followed by dinner at 6:00 with everyone in uniform of course. After dinner is the merit badge sign-up for scouts to talk with their counselors. That evening there is a campfire, which all troops must attend, sponsored by the staff to introduce themselves and to get the scouts acquainted with camp. Just prior to the campfire is an orientation for the Archery and Rifle ranges.

A Typical Day . . . The morning starts out with reveille at 7:00 AM, flag raising is at 7:50, with breakfast at 8:00. During the morning, the troops attend various activities (see program section); Nature hikes, Scoutcraft skill sessions, Archery and Rifle ranges where they learn how to shoot safely. Also during the morning is instructional swimming and boating where every scout can improve their skills or learn new ones. Older scouts might find the mountain bikes or the weeklong PROJECT COPE program more to their liking. Newer scouts can work on the Outdoor skill requirements for Tenderfoot, Second Class and First Class. At this time the Camp Commissioner is inspecting the campsites and rates them on how clean, neat and safe they are. Lunch is at 12:30 PM followed by more activities including merit badges that run all afternoon.

From 4:00 – 5:00 there is open swimming and boating, a time for cooling off and fun. Sailboats are available all morning and afternoon, especially if adult leaders want to try their sailing skills; also available are kayaks and fun-yaks for qualified individuals. Open shoot at the archery and rifle ranges with open climbing at the climbing tower (13 and over) and mountain biking (13 and over) are just some of the activities going on now to help everyone have fun. 5:50 is flag lowering, followed by dinner at 6:00 with everyone in their scout uniform of course. After dinner, troops enjoy free time and can do things like water polo, open boating, volleyball, the climbing tower, softball, Frisbee, troop campfires, etc.

Parent’s Night . . . Wednesday night is Parent's Night. Because camp and unit programming is going on other times during the week, we ask that visitors and parents only come up on Wednesday night. Parents are invited to come up anytime after 5:00 PM. Picnic tables are available in the Picnic Grove on a first come-first serve basis. Scouts can eat with their parents at these tables, but there is only enough room in the dining hall for scouts spending the week. Afterward at 8:00, the scouts and staff put on a campwide campfire for the parents. Come up and join in on the fun, singing, cheers, stunts, and skits. You never know what lunacy the scouts and staff might be up to; plus you're never too old to embarrass yourself.

Hawaiian Shirt Thursday . . . Thursday is Hawaiian Shirt day at camp, make sure you bring yours! During the morning and afternoon, everyone can wear their loud, colorful shirt throughout camp.

Court of Honor . . . Saturday morning, directly after breakfast is the camp Court of Honor. This event is where camp and departmental awards, as well as any unit awards are given out. It’s also a great place to tell your parents to meet you to pick-up their scouts. Pick-up time should be planned for 9:15am.

The Trading Post . . . A Trading Post is available at camp. We sell merit badge books, scouting supplies, patches, candy, soda and ice cream.  Items stocked are on a first come, first serve, while they last basis.

Boys' Life "Happy Birthday, BSA" photograph contest

 

Show off your photography skills in the Boys' Life "Happy Birthday, BSA" photograph contest and your photograph just might appear on the cover of the February 2010 issue of Boys' Life.
What’s so special about February 2010? It’s the 100th birthday of the Boy Scouts of America!

The Boys' Life "Happy Birthday, BSA" photograph contest is open to readers age 6 to 17.
Its theme: The Five Pillars of Scouting. Use your imagination and come up with a photograph
or photographs that illustrate one or more of these important BSA values:

• Character
• Leadership
• Achievement
• Outdoors
• Community Service

For complete rules and additional information check out the Boy’s Life Contest Website.

Hint: Summer camp is a great place to take photos of scouts in action! Remember to bring your camera!