May-June 2002

Edited by Scott Daniels Enter Scouting Magazine's 'Wise and Witty' Cartoon Caption Contest Numbers Program Resources by the Day, Week and Month

Scout Fleet in New York Harbor to celebrate Sea Scouting's 90th year

Motorboats, sailboats, cruisers, and oceangoing training vessels will join a Scout Fleet 2002 parade across New York Harbor on July 27 to mark the 90th birthday of the BSA's Sea Scouting program.

"They'll be coming from all points of the compass and from as far away as Florida, Wisconsin, and even England," says Jan Rose, communications coordinator for the event, sponsored by the BSA's Northeast Region Sea Scouting Committee. "Preparing their boats and raising money for the voyage to New York meant a lot of work for these crews, but they all say it's worth the effort."

Sea Scouting began in England in 1907 under the direction of Sir Robert S. S. Baden-Powell, founder of the worldwide Scouting movement. In 1912, the BSA inaugurated its own Sea Scouting program. In 1949, the name of the program was changed to Sea Exploring, then back to Sea Scouting in 1998.

"Sea Scouting has always been a relatively small part of the overall BSA program, but it's had a tremendous impact on the lives of its members," Rose says. "That's what Scout Fleet 2002 is celebrating."

The Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum, on the historic aircraft carrier U.S.S. Intrepid at the foot of West 46th Street in Manhattan, is the site of Scout Fleet 2002. A barge adjacent to the museum will provide docking for Sea Scout vessels and exhibit space for a Sea Scout Exposition, which is open to the public.

For more information, contact Rose at (631) 351-8350, Northeast Region Coordinator David Mosher at (718) 601-4155, or send an e-mail to: ScoutFleet2002@aol.com.

—Bill Sloan

How to attend the World Jamboree

The 20th World Jamboree in Thailand will open Dec. 28, 2002, and conclude Jan. 8, 2003. The site, about 100 miles southeast of Bangkok, fills 3,000 acres along the edge of a white sandy beach on the Gulf of Thailand.

The BSA has selected the required leadership to send Boy Scouts and Venturers to this worldwide event. However, another 200 volunteers are needed to serve as international service staff members.

A BSA youth applicant must

• be a registered Boy Scout between ages 13 1/2 and 17 and have attained First Class rank by Dec. 28, 2002, or be a registered Venturer not over age 19.
• participate in the prejamboree training experience.
• file a personal health and medical form, WSJ-34412-02, before the prejamboree training.
• be active in a troop, crew, or ship for at least six months prior to December 2002.
• be approved by one's Scoutmaster or Advisor and the local council.

Applications go to the regional office for final selection. Details and applications are available at Scout council service centers. There is also a related Web site, www.worldscoutjamboree20.org.

New-style uniform caps now available

New style and design changes in the uniform caps for Wolf, Bear, and Webelos Cub Scouts were introduced in January. The new caps feature a "low-profile" crown, precurved visor, and cotton/polyester twill fabric.

The Wolf cap has a Wolf badge centered on yellow front panels; the Bear cap features a Bear badge on light blue front panels. The new Webelos Scout cap matches the olive of Boy Scout uniform pants, with plaid front panels and new oval Webelos Scout badge.

The hats are designed to match their corresponding program neckerchief—yellow for Wolf, light blue for Bear, plaid for Webelos Scout—allowing Cub Scouts to better reflect their identity and be discernable in a crowd.

Boy Scouts also have a new "low-profile"-style cap, although the design remains the same as previous caps. (The low-profile-style cap was first introduced in August 2001, with the new Tiger Cub hat.)

BSA Supply Division item numbers for the new style caps are: Tiger Cub — BSA No. 83892 S/M, No. 83893 M/L; Wolf — No. 85392 S/M, No. 85393 M/L; Bear — No. 85292 S/M, No. 85293 M/L; Webelos — No. 85192 S/M, No. 85193 M/L; Boy Scout — No. 54392 S/M, No. 54393 M/L, No. 54394 XL.

Changes in uniform style and design remain mindful of the BSA tradition of "once an official uniform, always an official uniform"—meaning that any uniform that is wearable in its complete state is acceptable as official uniform wear.

The new caps can be viewed on the Supply Division Web site, www.scoutstuff.org or in the 2002 Boy Scouts of America Official Retail Catalog (No. 70-051). Additional copies of the catalog are available by writing to BSA National Distribution Center, 2109 Westinghouse Blvd., P.O. Box 7143, Charlotte, NC 28241-7143, or calling (800) 323-0732. Purchases can be made through the catalog, by phone (credit card only) from the NDC, or at any of hundreds of Scout shops and licensed retailers.

REPORT TO THE NATION

In February, BSA youth members and adult leaders visited the White House to deliver Scouting's annual Report to the Nation to President George W. Bush. Left to right, front: Harold and Monica Jackson (parents of Jordan Wade); Honor Medal recipient Joshua Cudd, Spring, Tex.; Medal of Merit recipient Jordan Wade, Pittsburgh, Pa.; Star Scout Ryan Iwata, San Francisco, Calif.; National Order of the Arrow Chief Clay Clapp, Nashville, Tenn.; BSA Chief Scout Executive Roy L. Williams; BSA National President Milton H. Ward. Left to right, rear: Host couple Hab and Barbara Butler, Parkesburg, Pa.; Honor Medal With Crossed Palms recipient David Ritchey, Seattle, Wash.; National Venturing President Marissa Morgan, Winston-Salem, N.C.; Honor Medal With Crossed Palms recipient Joe Honious, Kettering, Ohio.
Photograph Michael Roytek

Changes in Swimming merit badge requirements now in effect

As of Jan. 1, 2002, significant changes in the Swimming merit badge requirements became effective. Scouts have the option of using the new requirements or doing the requirements as listed in the Boy Scout Requirements 2001 book. The major changes are as follows:

• What had been First Class requirement 9(c) (to demonstrate survival skills after leaping into the water fully clothed) is now requirement 4 of the Swimming merit badge.

• Merit badge requirements 7 and 9 have been combined into requirement 8, which now reads:

  8. Do ONE of the following:

  a. Snorkeling and scuba diving:

  (1) Demonstrate selection and fit of mask, snorkel, and fins; discuss safety in both pool and open-water snorkeling.

  (2) Demonstrate proper use of mask, snorkel, and fins for underwater search and rescue.

  (3) Describe the sport of scuba diving or snorkeling, and demonstrate your knowledge of BSA policies and procedures relating to that sport.

  OR

  b. Demonstrate the following competitive swimming skills:

  (1) Racing dive from a pool edge or dock edge (no elevated dives from racing platforms or starting blocks).

  (2) Racing form for 25 yards on one competitive stroke (front crawl, back crawl, breaststroke, or butterfly).

  (3) Racing turns for the stroke that you chose in 8b(2), OR, if the camp facilities cannot accommodate the racing turn, repeat 8b(2) with an additional stroke.

  (4) Describe the sport of competitive swimming.

• Requirement 11 ("Assist with instruction in basic swimming skills...") has been deleted.

BSA National Scouting Museum to reopen in fall

The National Scouting Museum's new location in Irving, Tex., will provide more than twice the space than that at the previous site in Murray, Ky.

The latest edition of the National Scouting Museum will open in the fall at a location next to the BSA national office in Irving, Tex.

State-of-the-art exhibits will cover 25,000 square feet, more than twice the space that was available at the museum's previous location in Murray, Ky. Top attractions will include a gallery displaying the works of Norman Rockwell, Joseph Csatari, and other famous BSA artists. Hands-on activities will feature a pinewood derby racetrack, a knot-tying wall, and three simulated campsites for practicing various outdoor skills. Electronic exhibits will allow visitors to participate in virtual reality outdoor high adventure experiences, such as rappelling and whitewater rafting.

Four pneumatic robots will tell visitors about Scouting's impact on American culture. The museum's Scout shop will offer everything from Scout uniforms and BSA-printed materials to museum mementos and Rockwell collectibles.

The BSA national museum was first established in New Brunswick, N.J., as the Johnston Memorabilia Museum and operated in conjunction with the national office. In 1979 the national office moved to Irving, Tex. The museum was renamed the National Scouting Museum and relocated to Murray State University in western Kentucky in 1986. In May 1999, the museum's board of trustees decided to move the museum to once more make it adjacent to the BSA national office.

Following its fall debut, the new museum is scheduled to be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday; from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Thursday and Saturday; from 1 to 5 p.m. on Sunday; and closed on Monday. For more information, call (800) 303-3047.

New editions, book are great resources for Cub Scout leaders

New editions of two basic leader manuals and a brand-new handbook for Tiger Cubs provide Cub Scout leaders and parents with the latest tools for creating quality den and pack meetings and programs.

The new Cub Scout Leader Book (No. 33221B) covers basic leadership skills, program planning, unit management, and BSA policies and guidelines. Also included are details on recent additions to Cub Scouting, such as the new Tiger Cub program, the "positive place" emphasis, the "Character Connections" character-development program, the "seven parts of a pack meeting" planning procedure, new information on using pocketknives, and new chapters on Outdoor Activities and Cub Scout Camping.

The updated Cub Scout Leader How-To Book (No. 33832A) is a resource treasure chest. Chapters cover crafts, games, hiking and camping, adding "razzle dazzle" to meetings, organizing special pack events and activities, and helping Cub Scouts with special needs to succeed.

The new Tiger Cub Handbook (No. 34713) is a resource tool for Tiger Cubs and adult partners to use in completing achievements and electives in the new Tiger Cub advancement program and in planning den activities.

Magazine seeks merit badge memories

Scouting magazine is looking for accounts of memorable merit badge experiences from readers for possible publication.

Perhaps earning a merit badge helped influence your choice of a lifetime career. Or introduced you to a merit badge counselor who became a valued mentor. Or opened up new ways of looking at a different part of the world.

Send your story in 300 words or less to the following address: Merit Badge Memories, Scouting Magazine, S304, P.O. Box 152079, Irving, TX 75015-2079. Or, submit the text by e-mail through the Scouting magazine Web site, www.scoutingmagazine.org, by clicking on "Write to Scouting magazine" and using the online form for the "Letters to the Editor."

Program Resources by the Day, Week and Month MAY: Pedal to work or school. About five million people will celebrate National Bike Month with various activities. For information on area events, see the League of American Bicyclists' Web site at www.bikeleague.org, click on 'bike links" and then 'state and local advocacy organizations." Phone (202) 822-1333 for an event organizer's kit ($22). MAY 5-11: Did you hug your pet today? Contact local animal shelters for ways to celebrate Be Kind to Animals Week, or get ideas from the American Humane Association at www.americanhumane.org. Young project organizers may become eligible to win a college scholarship in next year's Be Kind to Animals Kid Contest. JULY: Hot diggity dog. During National Hot Dog Month, join the millions of Americans who down more than 20 billion hot dogs annually. The National Hot Dog & Sausage Council has new topping ideas, recipes, and trivia at www.hot-dog.org. —Melanie Radzicki McManus

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Copyright © 2001 by the Boy Scouts of America. All rights thereunder reserved; anything appearing in Scouting magazine or on its Web site may not be reprinted either wholly or in part without written permission. Because of freedom given authors, opinions may not reflect official concurrence.

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