More Dreadful Navel Gazing:

This was posted on my Facebook page on August 28th, 2019.  Saved here for posterity.  More of my usual dreadful navel gazing.  

Scout musings: One month into Scoutmaster at Troop 1238 and so far, so good. I'm still working on finding my groove, but I've already made adjustments to what I thought my approach would be. We've got a great bunch of Scouts and adult leaders, and I feel pretty lucky for this opportunity.
My 4 year run as Cubmaster did prepare me for this role. The positions share some things in common, but other things are wildly different. Last year at this time, I was preparing to start my final year as Cubmaster at Pack 919. While we were glad to hand the baton to new leadership and move on, I'll admit, I do miss it. We had a fun run at Pack 919. 

Scout Musing: Facebook Post - Feburary 15, 2019

This post was posted on my Facebook wall on Feburary 15th, 2019.  My four year run as Cubmaster for my son's Pack was coming to an end and I was unpacking my thoughts on the next steps and I was pondering the "what if"  scenarios.  Saved here for posterity.  

Scout Musings: Most may know that my youngest son, a Webelos scout, will be joining his brother at Troop 1238 next month and later this year I will taking the Scoutmaster position. Last year, there was a possibility that my youngest would have ended up with Troop 919 and their Scoutmaster position was floated my way. Troop 919 was my troop as a Scout and their would have been a certain poetry to me returning, with my son, to my old Troop. The possibility of me helping guide Troop 919 was intriguing to me. And I would have certainly loved to stay in the 919 ecosystem and help form a much stronger partnership with Pack 919. In the end, we left the choice to my youngest, as it should be, and he wanted to be with his brother at Troop 1238.
 
But why didn't my oldest end up with Troop 919 four years ago? For a time, we expected my oldest would end up with Troop 919, as that was the partner Troop with our Pack. It seemed obvious. When my oldest was ready to move into the Boy Scouts, Troop 919 was not in a good place and their Scoutmaster was not one I wanted my son to be with. At that time, the Scoutmaster's son was approaching Eagle and he wasn't likely to be Scoutmaster for more then a year. Their committee floated the Scoutmaster position to me, after the current Scoutmaster moved on. Still, I didn't want my son with him, even for a short time. Troop 438 was our next go to option for him, until we meet Dennis Kim from Troop 1238 and he made his pitch. It was obvious that Troop 1238 had it together, they meet on a night good for our family schedule and they meet close to our home. My oldest went to Troop 1238 without regret, my youngest continued with Pack 919 and less then a year later I was the Cubmaster of Pack 919. Ironically, about the same time I became Cubmaster, the Scoutmaster of Troop 919 was removed from his position by the charter organization. Troop 919 had a rough few years after that and they almost closed down.

For me, I can't help but think of the what ifs. Had my oldest ended up with Troop 919, I would have ended up as their Scoutmaster and not Cubmaster for Pack 919. How would have the last four years have been different for the Pack? My son's going to my Troop as a youth and me being their Scoutmaster would have been and interesting story, but it was not to be.

But one can not predict the surprise turns that will happen in life. Troop 1238 was a breath of fresh air for us when we meet them. They were a new Troop and their Scoutmaster at the time, Kraig Loomis remains one of the finest Scoutmaster's I have meet. The Scouts at 1238 are an eager bunch and their are so many great families there. My oldest recently was elected the Senior Patrol Leader and in a few short weeks my youngest will joining him, along with many of his friends from Pack 919. I am eager and nervous to be taking on the Scoutmaster role a bit later. It will be quite an adventure I think. And to top it all off, after nine years, Donna and I will get our Friday nights backs.

Senior Patrol Leaders and Scoutmasters

 I have returned to this blog. 

With Timothy now the Senior Patrol Leader for his Troop, it has caused me to reflect on my own experience with the position.

As a Scout, I attended my first Camp-o-ree with Troop 919. I had only been with the Troop for a short time, as I had just bridged over from Webelos. I was the only Scout to come to Troop 919, so I didn't have any friends from the Pack with me. When we arrived at the Camp-o-ree and began to set up camp the Scouts began to pair up into tent groups. At the time, it was practice in the Troop to pair off with a Scout partner for the weekend, who would be your tent partner and partner for the weekend, when you weren't doing patrol activities. Being new to the Troop, I found myself without a partner and wasn't sure what to do. For a new Scout, this is an awkward and nervous moment. At that time, a Scout named Bill Dalke was the Senior Patrol Leader. Clearly the SPL was tuned into my situation as from across the camp, he shouted and pointed to me, "Louis! You're with me, come help me set up this tent". Bill must have been 16 or 17 years old, but to me, he was a much bigger, older, and a more confident Scout. I felt lucky that he picked me to partner with him for the weekend. From time to time, I'd get to sit in while he gathered with the other Patrol Leaders and planned and organized the weekend for the Troop. I was new, but I felt a bit like a leadership insider. The weekend turned out great and I always appreciated that Bill picked me to partner with him at the Camp-o-ree.

But little did Bill know was that when we were organizing partners at the camp set up, I overheard the Scoutmaster, Jack Dalke who was Bill's older brother, speak to Bill. He said, "Do you have a partner yet?" Bill said, "No". "Louis doesn't have a partner yet", said Jack and he gave Bill a knowing look. About a minute later was when Bill called me to partner with him.

Such a small moment that has stayed with me and it illustrates how a Senior Patrol Leader can make a difference to the Scouts, and how a Scoutmaster can guide but not tell the Scouts what to do. As Timothy begins his new position and as I will be taking the Scoutmaster position later this year, this story feels relevant to me, as if this moment could happen again with a new set of Scouts.

Why the Adventures in Scouting blog?

Why the Adventures in Scouting blog?  

Myself and my family are at a place where I call peak Scouting.  My youngest is entering his Webleos second year, working towards the Arrow of Light, and Boy Scouts is getting closer.  My oldest is at the beginning stages of working on his Eagle Scout rank.  My wife, the Webelos den leader of our Pack, is preparing to lead 17 Webelos into their final year of Cub Scouting.  In addition, she will be leading our Pack’s first girl den.  I will be entering my final year as Cubmaster of Pack 919, beginning to think about my next stage as a Scouting leader, and working to complete the Woodbadge program.  One year from now, my family’s Scouting life will look much different than it does today. 

 

This blog is meant to chronicle the upcoming Scouting year we will have, along with my insights and contemplations. 

This blog will cover the extraordinary life of Scouting in our community.  You’ll read about Pack 919 in La Mirada as we embark on another Scout year, replete with my perspectives as a Cubmaster.  You’ll read about Troop 1238, our visit to Camp Cherry Valley on Catalina Island this summer, and my son’s final leg on his journey toward Eagle Scout.  You’ll read about my wife leading our Pack’s first girl den.  And, you’ll read about my journey through the Woodbadge program.  All this and so much more. 

It is my hope that you’ll find this blog to be informative, interesting, somewhat entertaining, and dare I say, fun?  It’s my intent to have at least three entries per month.   This blog is only intended to go on for one year, so check it out from time to time over the next year. 

Most of all, the blog will show you why Scouting is a worthwhile endeavor and why Scouting is more than ever relevant to the youth of our community.

 

It’ll be a fun adventure and as Robert Baden-Powell, the founder of Scouting, said, “Life without adventure, would be deadly dull”.  Thank you for being here.  

A Vision Statement of sorts

As the first official entry into the Adventures in Scouting blog, I submit an op-ed I penned last September of 2017, at the beginning of the new Scout year.  Think of it as a vision statement of sorts for my involvement as a Scouting leader.  If you've read it already, thanks.  If not, here it is.  

La Mirada 2017: Why Scouting? Why Now?

An Op-Ed - September 5th 2017

By Louis Garcia, Cubmaster Pack 919 - La Mirada

Very recently I’ve learned that this coming Scout year is the 25th anniversary of Cub Scout Pack 919 in La Mirada. In addition, this summer Scouting made national news that caused much discussion, and also, some internal changes within Pack 919 have given cause to reflect on Scouting and my role as Cubmaster. As we begin our new Scout year, I’ve asked myself, why Scouting? Why Now?
 

If one of the Cub Scouts were to ask me that, I’d tell him, because it’s fun, you’ll have adventures, and you’ll make friends. All the images we have in our mind about Cub Scouts are true. They do go camping and explore the natural places of our world. They do explore museums and have races with boats and cars that they make. They do make friends, tell jokes, and sing songs. Cub Scouts do good deeds in our community and wave our American flag proudly. But beneath all the fun and adventure a Cub Scout is having, a foundation is being laid. That is a foundation of good character. The virtues of Scouting are the foundation that all this fun and adventure is built upon.

If a parent were to ask me why Scouting? Why now? I’d tell them the same thing I told the Cub Scout. But I’d also tell them that Scouting is more important now, than ever before. Our sons grow up in a world not like the world we grew up in. This is a social media world, where most are always logged in and most friendships & relationships are conducted online. This is a world of instant entertainment, where many of our kids have a tablet or smart phone in hand and with a swipe of the finger, they will be locked into the attention that device commands. This a world where we read the head lines, we worry and wonder, does virtue still have a place in our world? Scouting is none of these concerns. Scouting is a place where the Cubs will get paint on their hands, mud on their shoes, and a loyal friend to run beside him all the way to the top of the hill. Scouting is real experience, be it sometimes messy, sometimes hectic, but always fun and always with a sense of purpose.

As a Cubmaster, when I’ve asked myself why Scouting? Why now? My mind goes back to my own Cub Scouting experiences. I was part of Cub Scout Pack 329 that met at then Hutchenson Elementary School in La Mirada. I remember it all with such great clarity. John Banks was my Cubmaster and that man is a giant in my mind. He was a man of such stature, caring with a sense of fun and silliness. I can only hope to be half the Cubmaster he was. I remember my Den Mom (that’s what we called Den Leaders back then), Sandy Banks, the Cubmaster’s wife, such the quintessential mom. She was the one that really kept the Pack on track. Most of all, I remember my friends, long moved on and lost track of, but never forgotten, Greg Medlin, Jeffrey Banks, and Cory Hoover. We had such fun, such adventure. Half way through my own Cubmaster tenure, I realized that I was recreating things from my own childhood Pack. Our campfire Pack Meeting, the tell a joke Pack Meeting, the specific songs we sing at our Pack Meetings, they are all things Pack 329 did when I was a Cub Scout. For me, the memories I have and the adventures I remember, I’d like to pass on that same experience to the Cub Scouts of Pack 919. It is my hope that those boys, when they become parents, will pass their experience on to another generation of Cub Scouts.

As we embark on the 25th anniversary year of Cub Scout Pack 919 in La Mirada, I am excited to be working with an excellent group of parent Leaders, Den Leaders, and all the many wonderful parents that support and encourage their sons. We have good times ahead for our Pack. Why Scouting? Why Now? Because fun, adventure, virtue, and memories that last a lifetime will always be important, be it 107 years ago, 25 years ago or now.