Eagle Court of Honor for 19 Eagles
 

We're having quite the event in our ward next Sunday. We have 19 Eagles being awarded at the same time. I'd like to claim I was part of it but I've only been here 4 months. Went to a few Eagle projects is all.

Anyway the court is a big deal. All 4 local news stations will be there and there are 4 BYTU players and a coach speaking at it. The governor is not coming but sent a DVD message. And there *may* be GA representation.

I'm trying to get the Scout Committee Chair (a cougar fan) to say "we tried to get U of U players too but we couldn't find any that got past Tenderfoot" when he introduces them.

Quite a feat to get 19 at the same time like that.

19? That's incredible.

I guess even Eagle Court of Honors are bigger in Texas...

That is pretty impressive.

Think of all the merit badge work those moms had to do for their boys.

It may be that way in California, but here in Utah, we force our kids to do the work.

In California, we hire illegal alien teenagers to do the work for the American scouters. You can find them in the parking lots of the Boy Scout Council offices. They will run up to your car and offer to do service projects, merit badges, skill awards, hikes, etc...all very cheap.

If you go to the chapel of the ward I grew up in, there is a plaque with all Eagle Scouts on it. I'm sure many of you have ones like it. My name is on it, with a date of over 20 years ago. I am almost certain there are less than 19 names from then to now. I think there are actually about a dozen.

I never got my Eagle. I got my Star and then quit scouting to the end that I didn't work on any merit badges though I still participated in it as a mutual activity when my schedule permitted.

No we don't. Plenty of the work for my Eagle Scout was done by other people.

Just look at all the 14 year old kids getting their Eagle Scout in Utah. Enough said.

I earned my Eagle Scout award as a fourteen year old. I'm sure my mom helped some, but we had a scout master who was pretty aggressive. Everybody in our troop earned their Eagle, most before they became priests.

To me it depends on what is being categorized as the "work". If we're saying that leaders, parents, etc. helping organize, prod, make sure the kids are doing what they need to, sure.

But I know of no situation where actual merit badge work, etc. was done by someone other than the schout.

DDD your killing me with that one.

We call troops like that Eagle Factories, and it's not intended as a compliment.

That's amusing, but a coup[le kids in my ward actually went TO Utah to do their eagle review because the board here is so tough (full of non-LDS scouters; hardcore guys that wear the red trimmed socks).

I thought they got rid of the red socks?

quick straw poll.....red-topped socks: fold over the tops or no?

As a young scout my red tops were folded over. As I got older, I started to rebel and not fold them over. Also, I would wear socks that were different shades of faded green. I just didn't care at that point.

I was a life scout at 16, with only an eagle project left, never did get my eagle. I just became to burned out and really didnt care. In fact I still dont have any regrets, my resume does but not me.

Spoken like a real scouter.

No kid earns his Eagle at 14 without his mom doing some of the work for him. And by some, I mean thinking up, coordinating, and basically completing almost all aspects of the eagle project.

Nonsense.

This is me, too. I was involved in too many activities and took stock and decided, hey, this is so not worth it to me. I switched over to explorer scouts with the BSA, where we did much cooler stuff and didn't have to wear those hokey blue and green outfits.

I've regretted that decision pretty much never.

ok, fair. but by and large.

LDS troops pass off badges en masse at ward campouts, mutuals, etc. It isnt very rigorous.

I was 14 when I received my Eagle Scout rank.

Of course, my dad was scoutmaster so I got it as quickly as I could in order to get out of scouting and doing other things.

Projection doesn't work on this site, friend.

Oh, jeez. No need to start channeling McCain!

Channeling McCain?

No, I just call it like I see it.

Eagle is an interesting award. It can mean very much when a kid shows initiative and completes it the way it was meant to be completed. It can mean very little if it's completed factory style. I can't tell you how many boards of review I've sat in on where the kids can't even answer a simple question about the work they've done.

It's an interesting aspect of LDS culture in that to a large degree, there is a flywheel effect with the Eagle (at least in some wards) that is incomprehensible to scouters outside of the Church.

To LDS, scouting = Eagle. It's a rite of passage no different than getting baptized, receiving the priesthood, graduation seminary/HS, going on a mission, etc. t's "expected"

Are some kids drug through it? Sure. But the same is true of all of the above.

I can comprehend it. I've seen it for the past 2 years now that I am in YMs.

All the scouts get together at weekly mutuals/YM activities and get things passed off whether they really did anything or not. As long as they were there, they get it passed off.

Our ward YM recently did almost all of the 3 citizenship badges in one Saturday morning. They all showed up at the chapel, the adults spoke to the kids, asked questions to the kids (thereby loosely fulfilling the requirements) and everyone passed. There was no real effort on the part of the boys. they just sat there and listened for the most part.

I don't mind, however, since I hate scouts. I am just pointing out my observation.

Maybe I'm off-base but I don't think this is the norm. It's certainly not here ...

Your leaders are way out of line.

Yes, that crap pisses me off.

Earlier this year, my 16 year-old's Eagle Project consisted of clearing out large amounts of undergrowth in an "environmentally senstive area" and installing a long staircase from a pathway down to a small lagoon. He got together a work crew of about 15 kids and adults, but progress was slower than expected. Given that a couple of other professionals and I bill out at a combined rate of around $1,000 an hour, I gave serious thought to driving to Home Depot and bringing back a truckload of Ensenada's finest to complete the task. And where would be the harm?

Mrs. PAC (who, by the way, never saw the business end of a pick, shovel or rake) put her foot down and muttered something about teaching responsiblity. I wanted to teach something about efficiency and the value of a college education. As usual, she won, but I still think the illegals idea has a lot of merit.

Seriously, if an Eagle candidate said that he had his own work crew, but by raising funds from multiple donors (lazy professionals who would rather die than perform manual labor) was able to hire additional workers and keep several families fed, would that be condemned or honored by a board of review?

My son's egale project consisted of putting in landscaping of a bunch of river rocks and a sidewalk to a shed out side a children's center at a school. It turned out hte two saturday he picked to complete the project a few yearsago were the hottest two days of the year.

ON the second saturday, when the 12 yards of rock had been delivered and I am watching the boys toil moving this stuffa shovel full at a time in 112 degree heat, I went to the local tool rental place, rented a bobcat came back and had it all spread out in abotu 30 minutes, plus had a blast driving the bobcat.

I do not feel guilty. To tell you the truth, however, I think my son neglected to mention this change from the plan in his final review.

Is scouting "Sunday appropriate"? I thought they did these things on Thursdays.

Courts of Honor are okay. It went off great btw. David Nixon and Bryan Kariyah came up and spoke. As did some no-name yewt. Lil' brother had to represent I guess once they found out the Cougars were.

One thing though. An Eagle Court for 19 boys is LONG. About an hour and 45 minutes.

From what I recall from a couple of weeks ago and the 'bag' term you called me...........this qualifies. YOu take a very positive, inspirational event and turn it into Yewt smack?

Touche!

BTW.........how do you find time to post on CB, CG and the new website?