Category: Bobwhite’s Blog

Bobwhite’s Blog – my personal thoughts on Scouting

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By the numbers

unitnumbersConsider:

  • <2% – The percentage of the 500,000 high school baseball players that will go on to play NCAA Division 1 baseball.
  • 80% – The percentage of college baseball players that play for colleges other than Division 1 schools (i.e. D2, D3, junior colleges or NAIA).
  • 9 – The average number of scholarships awarded each year by a D2 college.
  • 7 – The middle-school grade when college coaches start evaluating recruits.
  • 0.006% – The odds of a high school athlete going pro

Now consider: Continue reading “By the numbers”

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The uniform every kid’s gonna want

ethan_200That’s the subject line on an e-mail advertisement I received this week from a popular athletic gear company. (I won’t say which one.) They’re known for making high-quality apparel that keeps athletes comfortable in hot and cold weather, and their lines have broadened to include casual clothing as well. The e-mail pictured a young man, ready for school, wearing a polo shirt and khakis from this brand’s new fall line. This is your uniform, the ad states in bold type.

But you know what I thought when I read the subject – Continue reading “The uniform every kid’s gonna want”

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#DareToDo

doagoodturndaily_200What’s that hash tag doing in the title of this article?

It’s the latest initiative to spring forth from this year’s historic centennial National Order of the Arrow Conference at Michigan State University.

Conceived by a handful of Arrowmen and their adult advisors and unveiled by national chief Alex Call during the arena show Wednesday night, DareToDo is simply an expression of what we are as Scouts and Scouters. It builds on the first word of our slogan - Do a Good Turn Daily – and challenges us,  Scouts and Scouters everywhere whether Arrowmen or not, to not only do a daily Good Turn but to chronicle it in social media for the coming one hundred days – symbolic of the one hundred years of cheerful service that members of the OA have given. Continue reading “#DareToDo”

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One down, two to go?

rainbow_flag_with_bsa_logo_250By now, you have heard that the Boy Scouts of America has lifted its ban on employment and volunteer registration of openly gay individuals. The executive board followed the lead of BSA president Dr. Robert Gates, who in May told the national meeting that it was time for the BSA to deal with “the world as it is, not as we might wish it to be.” His remarks and the board’s action have met with surprisingly widespread approval from those inside the movement as well as the general population. As our society comes around to a mode of inclusion, the welcoming attitude towards the idea is really no surprise. Continue reading “One down, two to go?”

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Troop Leader Guidebook now available

TLG1_200The first of two volumes of the long-awaited Troop Leader Guidebook is finally available through the BSA Supply Division’s ScoutStuff.org website and at many Scout Shops in local councils.

The Guidebook, priced at $12.99, replaces the Scoutmaster Handbook and is a wide-ranging manual that explains Boy Scouting to an audience that includes not only the Scoutmaster but committee members and parents as well. It is written without jargon and assumes that the reader has little or no familiarity with the Boy Scout program. Continue reading “Troop Leader Guidebook now available”