Scout meetings are every Wednesday night (all year round, including summer) from 7pm until around 8:45pm. We meet at Trinity Lutheran Church, 1323 Central (corner of Central and Morton.)
Expectations
What your Scout can expect from Troop 73
- A high adventure troop that does a lot of fun outdoor activities (backpacking, canoeing, rappelling, snow shoeing, and more!)
- Trained leadership that encourages each Scout to do his personal best
- A chance to earn Scouting’s highest honor, Eagle Scout
- Opportunities to serve the community and earn community service hours
- An opportunity to join Venture Crew 512
What Troop 73 expects from your Scout
- Active participation in a boy-led troop
- Enthusiasm for high adventure activities
- Willingness to do his share (cooking and cleaning up after meals on an outing, shopping for food prior to the outing, etc.)
- Sense of responsibility for troop gear and personal gear
- Respect for Scouting
What Troop 73 expects from the parents/guardians
- Allow Scouts to take responsibility for their own actions
- Chaperoning shopping trips prior to outings as scheduled, usually once or twice a year
- Acting as Trip Champion (confirm location of trip, time to meet, print maps if necessary, etc.), usually once or twice a year
- Attend council roundtable, usually once a year
- Sitting on Scout Board of Review as scheduled, usually once or twice a year
- Driving and chaperoning outings if necessary or as desired
New to Boy Scouting?
The best thing your new Scout can do to get up to speed is to read the Boy Scout Handbook. The handbook has all the information a Scout needs to know about participating and earning ranks. New Scouts can get everything else they need to know during meetings and outings, so it’s important to attend meetings regularly. Scouts should also go on as many outings as they can. The outings aren’t just fun, they are a chance for the Scouts to have hands-on experience applying the skills that they learn during meetings. Parents and guardians can also learn a lot by reading the handbook.
Troop 73 welcomes volunteers who all help the troop run smoothly. All parents, guardians and other interested adults are welcome to volunteer for activities and to participate in the troop committee. The troop committee authorizes expenditures, approves outings, tracks advancements, and does all the other things that go on behind the scenes! Troop 73 prides itself on receiving the Quality Unit award from the Alameda Council each year. One of the qualifications for Quality Unit is that at least 50% of the registered adults complete training, much of which can be done online at your convenience. Training includes Fast Start, Youth Protection and Committee Training. Please contact the Alameda Council to find out more about training.
A medical form was included with the application to join Troop 73. This form must be supplemented by a Class II medical form before your Scout will be allowed to attend summer camp. Please note that this form must be updated annually. In addition, any adult volunteering as adult leadership at summer camp must have a medical form on file; there are additional requirements based on length of time the adult will be in camp and the age of the adult. Troop 73 must have a medical form on file for anyone who participates in any outing.
Where to Buy Scout Gear
Troop 73 is part of the Alameda Council. The Council office is located at:
1714 Everett St
Alameda, CA 94501
(510) 522-2772
http://www.bsa-alameda.org/
The Council office is the place to buy Scout stuff like patches and merit badge booklets. You can also purchase a selection of official Boy Scout uniform wear at the Council office; a portion of the proceeds benefits the Alameda Council.
Another resource for uniforms, clothing, craft supplies, etc is:
East Bay Scout Shop
1001 Davis Street, San Leandro, CA 94577-5602
(510) 633-2005 (Voice) (510) 633-1795 (Fax)
Hours: 9 - 5 Mon, Wed, Thurs, Fri 9 - 6:30 Tues, 8:30 - 4:30 Saturday
Troop 73 supplies red neckerchiefs, slides, shoulder loops, numerals (7 and 3) and handbooks to new Scouts. Your Scout needs to supply only his own personal gear for outings: sleeping bag and pad, clothing, mess kit, toiletries. Troop 73 supplies tents, cooking equipment, outdoor equipment (rappelling ropes, snowshoes, canoes, etc.) and food.
The troop has its own hats and T-shirts.
Replacement Troop 73/Venture Crew 512 hats are $10.
Troop 73/Venture Crew 512 T-shirts (green microfiber, also known as "class B's") are $18.
Outings (Day Trips, Overnights)
Troop 73 typically schedules one day trip and one overnight trip each month. For example, a day trip might be a Rim Rover hike up and down Mount Diablo, or collecting donated food as part of Scouting for Food just before Thanksgiving. Typical overnight trips are backpacking into a campground at Point Reyes or snow shoeing (and snow camping!) in the Sierras. By scheduling lots of outings, Troop 73 tries to ensure that Scouts get many chances to participate in outdoor activities. Outings are listed on the calendar on the website. Most trips are organized via email; if email doesn’t work for you, please let us know so we can work out alternate arrangements.
Your Scout will need a permission slip for every outing and he should have a current medical form on file with the troop. Most outings require some payment (usually $15 for a day trip and $30 for overnights for Scouts and $10/day trip and $15/overnight for adults); this pays for food for the trip and camp fees. Any excess goes into troop funds to pay for equipment, etc.
Outings are considered “rain or shine” -- meaning, we will go on a planned trip regardless of the weather. Occasionally the scheduled activity may have to change; for example, if rain made rappelling a safety issue, we would do a day hike or other activity instead.
Terms you will hear used by Troop 73
SOP: Standard Operating Procedure
Green Box: Refers to our usual meeting place and storage facility. The corner of Central and Third near Encinal High School; the green box (electrical transformer) is across the street from the storage locker
Class A’s: Official Scout uniform. Tan uniform shirt with appropriate insignia. (see SOP – Uniforms for more details)
Class B’s: Unofficial Scout uniform. Troop 73 T-shirt or other Scout T-shirt from summer camp. (see SOP – Uniforms for more details) Blue Card: Merit Badge Application. Your Scout needs to discuss the badge and get the blue card signed off by a leader before beginning work on a merit badge.
Nalgene: Brand name of a heavy duty polypropylene water bottle with a wide mouth and attached lid. Holds up better, holds more liquid, can be filled with boiling water and used as a hot water bottle, etc. Doesn’t have to be Nalgene brand, we use the name like you’d say Kleenex instead of facial tissue.
Dutch oven: Big cast iron pot with a cast iron lid, used on car camping or canoeing trips. Requires special care and cleaning; see documents.
MRE: Meals Ready to Eat. Emergency rations for earthquake preparedness, etc. A troop fundraiser. The troop purchases cases of MRE’s and resells them at a profit.
OA: Order of the Arrow. Camping organization of the Boy Scouts of America. Individual troops elect some of its qualified members to apply to OA.
CIT: Counselor in Training. Scouts between the ages of 14 and 16 who can volunteer to work at Cub Scout camp for training and for community service hours (unpaid positions).
SPL and ASPL: Senior Patrol Leader and Assistant Senior Patrol Leader. Highest Scout troop positions; not part of any patrol. Responsible for rest of troop.
FOS: Friends of Scouting. Donation to help support local Scouting.
PFD: Personal Flotation Device (aka life jacket or life vest)
FAQ
Q) What kind of commitment do you expect of us
parents?
A) First, we understand that parents ARE committed to
their boys. Second, while high adventure outings may not be "your
thing", every parent needs to do SOMETHING that contributes to the troop
functioning well. Examples of how parents help are: Making
reservations for our trips, taking the boys on food shopping trips,
helping with our fundraising efforts, teaching the boys new skills,
helping with paperwork, etc.
Q) Do you get paid to be an adult leader?
A) No. In fact, we
pay to be volunteers. We pay the same registration fees that you do,
and we ask all adults to pay for their share of food on our outings
too. Our purpose for doing this is to make sure that the money in your
account benefits the youths.
Q) If you don't get paid, why do you volunteer for this?
A)
Near the end of our lives, we will probably be sitting around the senior
citizens center with our friends. I expect that most of them will be
reminiscing about what they accomplished back in the "old days". Most
people may say things like "I was a Corporate Vice President", "I owned
three houses, and a yacht", or "I earned $150,000.00 per year".
We
want to be able to say "I helped 200 kids become better citizens", "Joe
Smith was in my unit, and he is now a U.S. Senator", "Bob Jones was one
of my scouts, he became a heart surgeon", and "Kelly Johnson earned the
Congressional Medal of Honor". This is why we adults volunteer, and we
will do whatever we can to help you succeed in life.
Q) Can girls really join the Boy Scouts?
A) Yes, as
Venturers. Most Venture Crews are Co-Ed units, and we have found that
girls are every bit as high-adventure oriented as the boys. Also, from
its inception, Scouting has always accepted youths regardless of race,
creed, color, origin, ethnicity, or religion.
Q) How do I know I will be safe?
A) Our Volunteer Adult
Leaders are among the most well trained people in the community. We
have the only Scoutmaster trained at BSA National Camp School Walker
Creek California, and BSA National Camp School Geronimo Arizona. Two of
our Leaders have completed Wood Badge - BSA's most advanced training
for Scoutmasters. Our leaders are Youth Protection Certified, with
other certifications in Safety Afloat, Safe Swim Defense, Climb On
Safely and Climbing/Rappelling Instructor Certified, as well as First
Aid, CPR, and C.E.R.T. Certifications.
You are more safe on one
of our outings than crossing the street in front of your own house.
Q) If I don't go on an outing that month, do I still have to pay
dues?
A) Actually, we don't charge monthly dues. Instead, we
charge participants a little extra for each trip than actual costs (It
is the participants that are getting the benefit of using the unit's
equipment). The resulting planned surplus is deposited into the troop
account, and is used to purchase or repair equipment for the unit, etc.
Q) If you don't charge regular dues, how do your finances work?
A)
Better than most units. Our simple financial plan goes like this: For
most overnight trips we charge the youths $30.00 each. $15.00 of this
is budgeted toward food, and the remaining $15.00 is budgeted toward
camp fees (adults only pay $15.00 for food, no camp fees).
The
youths must use the approved recipes on our website, which helps keep
food costs within budget. Of the $15.00 per person, the amount
available for food is $12.00 for 4 meals. The remaining $3.00 goes
toward consumables such as stove fuel, charcoal, aluminum foil, etc.
Camp
fees can range widely, from as little as $10.00 per site, up to $65.00
per site, or more. Whatever moneys are left over from the outing is
deposited into the account, and the treasurer provides a written
financial statement to close out the trip.
Anyone associated with
us may view the bookkeeping and financials at any time of the year.
Q) Do you think it is fair that the adults don't pay camp fees?
A)
They volunteer their time to take you where you want to go and often
donate the cost of gasoline to go on the trip, which offsets the camp
fees.
Q) In my old troop, I saw adult leaders eating gourmet stuffed
Cornish game hens while us kids ate burnt Bisquick paste. Do the adult
leaders in your troop eat better than the kids?
A) No. In fact,
the adult leaders don't cook anything, and we eat what you eat. Since
the adults have a "vested interest" in the quality of food the kids
serve us, we take the time to teach the kids HOW to cook. So, in our
unit, the kids do the cooking and invite the adults to dinner.
Q) Can we plan our own recipes?
A) Yes. They just need to be
tested and approved long before any outing they may be used on. The
recipes on our website have already been tested and approved, and they
taste great! It will save you a lot of time to use them.
Q) Can I bring my own food?
A) No. First off there is the
safety factor. Personal food is most often forgotten in the backpack,
and its scent draws wild animals into the campsite (yes, animals can
smell food through the packaging). Second, there is the issue of
teamwork (planning a menu that all can agree on). While all of our kids
are special, no one is more special than the others, and we all eat the
same (special diets due to medical or religious reasons are the
exceptions).
Q) Do we really need a framed backpack?
A) Yes. You may be
able to get along with a schoolbook backpack, or even a duffel bag for a
while, but these are very difficult to carry for any real distance. We
do have a few older model loaners, but everyone should get their own
framed pack with a hip belt as soon as they are able.
Q) I have my own tent. May I sleep in that?
A) No. The unit
provides certain equipment that is to be used by all. Tents, cook pots,
cooking utensils, and stoves are all provided, and will be used. This
promotes unit integrity, and teamwork. Everyone has the same unit gear,
and everyone works together with it. You are all special, but no one
person is more special than anyone else.
Q) Do I need to bring all of that required personal gear on the
Camping Checklist?
A) Yes. It looks like a lot of stuff, but we
are experts, and have a lot of experience in high adventure outings.
The required stuff is worth its weight in gold should something not go
as planned.
Q) Do I really need to bring rain gear on all outings, even in the
summer time?
A) Yes. Besides the fact that rain really can
happen in the summer, especially in the Sierra's, your rain gear may be
useful in several other ways if there is an emergency situation.
Always, always bring your rain gear on every outing.
Q) If we pull into a gas station, can I get a snack?
A) No.
First, we really don't want anyone eating in a chaperone's car. No
matter how careful, there is always some mess. Second, your health is
important, and what you put into your body is especially important when
we are on a high-adventure outing. Third, any snacks should be planned
into the menu. This helps to promote the wisdom of foresight in
planning. Again, team spirit, one kid should not be left without a
snack just because another kid has the money.
Q) Can I bring electronic items (Cell phones, CD players, radios,
video games, etc)?
A) Yes. You bring these items at your own
risk, and use them only on the drive to and from the outing if the
driver allows it. Otherwise, they are to be left in the vehicle, or
left at home.
Q) What kind of sleeping bag should I bring?
A) We recommend
purchasing a high quality brand, synthetic fill bag, with a nylon or
polyester shell, and a temperature rating of 15 - 20 degrees. It should
have a hood, draft collar, and zipper baffle. Bags of this quality
usually run $50.00 to $170.00 or more. It is one of the few pieces of
personal gear we recommend spending what it takes to get the best you
can. It could save your life.
Q) I can sleep just about anywhere. Do I really need that sleeping
pad?
A) Yes. While young bodies are very flexible, and seem to
form to the irregularities of the ground, another main purpose of the
pad is to insulate you from the cold. This is especially important for
young people who tend to have less body fat, and retain less heat |
