The VARSITY VISION

The Varsity Scout reaffirms his adherence to the traditional Scout Oath, Law, motto, and slogan.

The “Black Hole” of White Canyon

* * * * * Sandboarding the Dunes

The

VARSITY VISION NewsletterNewsletterNewsletterNewsletter

FOR VARSITY SCOUT LEADERS UTAH NATIONAL PARKS COUNCIL™ BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA®

www.utahscouts.org/varsity scouting/varsity vision news letters

August 2014 “The difference between who you are and who you want to be is what you do” Vol. 17 No 8

Table of contents Subject Page

Scout Oath or Promise and Scout Law . . . . . . . . 1

Report of WAHOO 2014 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

My report on Operation ON TARGET 2014 . . . . 3

Common Courtesy on the Hiking Trail . . . . . . . 4

The ”Black Hole” in White Canyon . . . . . . . . . . 5

Varsity Vision Leader Specific Training . . . . . . . 6

Sandboarding at Little Sahara Sand Dunes . . . 7

Is Your Dutch-Oven Holding You Back? . . . . . . 8

Make a “Paracord” Watchband or Bracelet . . . . 9

Coach’s Conference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

“Take a Shot” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

A Lesson on “Attitude” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

BSA “The Training Times” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Disclaimer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

David Archuleta “ON TARGET” letter . . . . . . . . 12

E-List Signup

To get this Varsity Vision newsletter sent to you automatically every month, go to the Utah National Parks Council™ website at http://www.utahscouts.org and enter the e-list sign-up icon at the top right of the home page. Follow the instructions given there to register.

All 27 Program Features can be seen at the following

internet site

http://www.scouting.org/scoutsource/boyscouts/resources/varistyprogram.aspx

Scout Oath or Promise:

On my honor I will do my best

To do my duty to God and my country and to obey the Scout Law;

To keep myself physically strong, mentally awake and morally straight.

Scout Law: A Scout is...

Trustworthy Loyal Helpful Friendly Courteous Kind Obedient Cheerful Thrifty Brave Clean Reverent

August 2014 VARSITY VISION NEWSLETTER

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On June 5 -7 an excited group of Varsity Scouts and their leaders converged on Beaver High Adventure Base ready for participation in the 4th annual WAHOO Encampment.

Thursday, June 5, started out with a Service Project of helping sand and stain wooden toys for Tiny Tim's Toy Factory. 100 + cars were sanded and stained in a little over 1 hour. These cars will be assembled and sent to children in Africa where they may only get 1 toy in their entire life. In the evening there was Leave No Trace activities organized to help all remember the responsibilities we have when we are in the out-of-doors. After the sun went down we all met for songs and skits. Each unit participated in a song or skit. The program was fun and relaxing for all. The campfire program was topped off with a U. S. Flag retirement. Friday, June 6, was filled with activities and events. A patriotic Flag Ceremony started the day, with C.O.P.E., Team Building, Climbing & Repelling, .22 Rifle, Muzzle Loaders, Frisbee Golf, Bike Riding, Kubb, G.P.S. Course, and On Target filled the day.

Friday afternoon was jam packed with a Mountain Man Rendezvous. Participants tried their hands at Muzzle Loaders, Atlatl (Spear Throwing), Hawks & Knives, Flint &

Steel, 2 Man Saws, an “A-frame” building & walking. As the last event of the rendezvous there was a WAHOO Relay (John Coulter Relay) to test the skills learned during the rotations. All teams received a reward for their efforts. Friday Nights Campfire Program included a visit from Al Thacker, of the Tiny Tim's Toy Factory, sharing stories of making toys for children and the miracles that come around because of serving the children. Also visiting was Gary Dollar, representing the BSA Western Region Varsity Committee; he spoke on the topic of being prepared for what is going to come before us. The BHAB Staff shared their songs and skits. And a pirate story as well. Lamarr Jones shared his story telling talents with us for a laugh or two. To cap off the evening, we had a Commitment Trail experience. The Scout Law was presented with a scripture added to the principle of the Scout Law. At the last station there was a wood token given to help remember the commitments and goals we had made for ourselves. This wood token was a piece of wood from the construction of the Payson, Utah LDS Temple. Saturday morning was again filled with a flag ceremony and activities. Flint Knapping (arrowhead making) was available on

Saturday. As lunch time arrived all were filled with food. Then we loaded up for home knowing that we had all been fed and challenged physically, mentally, and spiritually. Thanks to all that made the WAHOO experience possible for us to enjoy.

Varsity WAHOO 2014

Written by Kevin Golding

Atlatl spearing

Two man sawing

“A” frame walking


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WOW, I have just experienced a totally unreal Operation ON TARGET experience this past month on July 19th 2014 in and around Utah County. There were Varsity Scout teams on just about every major mountain peak surrounding the valley. I and my team were on the southern end of Lake Mountain away from the microwave towers so we could get excellent HAM and cell phone reception. The mirror signaling was to begin at 11:00am but we were getting cell phone calls before then. We were late getting to the top because of several wrong turns this 80 year old Varsity Scout leader took. There are several dead-end roads going up the south side of Lake

Mountain. I had never ridden an ATV to the top from the south side. One wrong turn cost us an hour and the other wrong turn was about the same. I should have been looking and paying closer attention to my GPS. We actually got settled in on top at about

11:30am. I tried several times to check in on the assigned HAM frequency but was unsuccessful. It seems like the HAM crowd wanted it all to themselves. Every time I attempted to check-in someone would talk over me. That was okay however because I had a dozen or so wanting to talk to me on my cell phone. Also, the boys with me had their parents that would like a mirror contact signal from them as well.

I had a list of Scout leaders that called me beforehand because I am the Varsity Vision Newsletter Editor and they wanted to make sure I coordinated a signal to them. Our UNPC “On Target” website was not working properly so it was useless for coordinating

activity between peaks. Most Varsity Teams were on lower hills that could be driven to or easily hiked to. Many signals came from the valley floor to us. The longer signals we attempted were not successful because of all the smoke in the air. It was just great to see the excitement of my guys as they became more proficient with their signal mirrors. I think it even got to a point where they were signaling back to house windows and auto windshields on the valley floor. The boys really got into the activity. We would make a cell phone contact and then all of us would point our mirrors at that contact. The young men had a blast all working together.

All the boys and the adult leaders had their own cell phones so that made a huge difference. I gave up on the HAM radio. It seemed like the Salt Lake people wanted it all to themselves. I could hear them talking about personal experience of past years and it went on and on. I think in the future we would be wise to spend our efforts on cell phone communication rather than the limited access to HAM radio and using HAM operators.

We ended our stay on the top of Lake Mountain about 1:30pm and headed back to a little grove of Quaking Aspen trees with lush green grass to have our lunch. My assistant read the letter form President Erying to the rest of us. The boys were impressed with the many hard peaks President Erying and his father

hiked to in his youth. I read the letter from David Archuleta he sent to the Varsity Scouts for this Operation ON TARGET activity. This is an especially good letter I think because David is not much older than our Varsity Scouts who will be going on their own Mission in just a few years. He told the

2014 Operation “ON TARGET”

Written by: Ken Cluff

I told the guys we were on the wrong trail and needed to turn around.

My favorite signal mirror for 33 years and counting.

My Assistant Coach VanLeuven zeroing in on Mount Nebo to the south.

Father and son enjoying the ride

30 plus years of Operation ON TARGET

Henry B. Eyring

David Archuleta


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Varsity Scouts in his letter that he loves the mountains and there isn’t a greater place to receive inspiration and feel close to God in His creations. David went on to say: “I have felt times in my life where I thought I couldn’t make it. I’ve been discouraged that I wasn’t as strong as other people, but I know that God is mindful of us and He sends others in our path to cheer us on so that we know we can keep going. We need each other, and as we take this journey back to our home with our Father in Heaven we remember that we can’t do it alone— There is a team member, even our big brother, Jesus Christ— that we need to rely on so that we can get back there together.” You are encouraged to read his full letter on Page 12. As we were eating our lunch we shared some personal feelings with each other. What did you learn from this activity? How can a mirror be used as a signal? Can a mirror be a signal on its own or does it need a source of light? What if there was light but the mirror was covered with mud? Would it provide a clear signal? How does this relate to being worthy to use priesthood power? The young men talked about some meaningful things they experienced that morning. All-in-all we had a totally unreal experience and were able to make about 23 mirror contacts, not including the auto or boat windshields flashing to us.

President Erying said: “You and I can help travelers who are stumbling along pathways in their journey, I promise each of you, as you follow inspired direction in this, the true Church of Jesus Christ, that you and those you assist—can be delivered safely to our heavenly home.”

It is important to recognize that others' idea of recreation may be different than our own in Varsity Scouting, and to show both courtesy and patience. Cyclists should ride in control on shared trails while hikers should be prepared to step to the side of the trail to give cyclists as much room as possible. Horse riders get the right of way in virtually every circumstance, but need to also understand that riding on public lands means sharing and that means being in a less controlled environment than a private arena. Motorized users should slow when passing hikers and cyclists and take extra measures to avoid spooking horses. Non-motorized users have to remember that motorized users have as much claim on public land as those trying to "get back to nature". Pets should be well behaved and kept under control, while those without pets need to realize that a back country trail is not a city sidewalk so they should expect dogs to have a little more free rein. Most differences in recreation are merely a matter of personal choice; they are not moral or ethical questions. An ATV does not, inherently, tear up the land any worse than a horse, a bicycle, or even hiking. Hikers and cyclists are not inferior to ATVers. A little common courtesy and patience for those whose idea of recreation differs from our own can go a long way in preventing problems.

One of many returning signals for the day

Common Courtesy on the Trail Written by Ken Cluff


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Written by: Ken Cluff Our older Varsity Scouts consider high adventure the highlight of their outdoor Scouting experiences. We need to plan and safely carry out high-adventure treks. Encourage your Varsity Scout youth to seek out these programs; it's what keeps them high on Scouting and in the Church. High adventure challenges and inspires our young men, and broadens their leadership skills. This is why we Varsity Scout Coaches make high-adventure opportunities, such as this Black Hole in the White Canyon (example), a priority, promoting participation by team members who are qualified for these elite outdoor activities. This “White Canyon” is a slot canyon hike I always wanted to do when I was younger. So many Scouters have told me about their fantastic experiences in the Black Hole. I took several groups of boys through the Zion Narrows and will never forget the unique nature of that 18 mile hike. I remember how the boys did everything they could to keep from getting their shoes wet. They would walk on one side of the Virgin River or the other and then pole vaulting with their hike staff to keep dry. However, they soon learned the water got waist deep from canyon wall to wall.

When I think of a “Black Hole”, I think of a place that gravity goes to die and no light escapes. Anyplace called the “Black Hole” has to be amazing. They tell me the subterranean nature and long, dark, cold swims, through a maze of sculpted sandstone narrows is pure pleasure. I guess at 80 years old, I better think about throwing this hike out of my “bucket list”, dang! The Black Hole of White Canyon is a two-mile slot canyon, which curves through beautiful red-rock sandstone. National Geographic named this trail one of the “World’s Best Hikes.” This isn’t just an ordinary slot canyon — you have to swim through it. Flash Floods are a serious consideration when hiking the Black Hole. If any water is flowing in White Canyon turn around immediately. White canyon drains a massive area and thunderstorms 40 miles away may cause a flash flood. Do not take this warning lightly! Located near Hite Marina in southern Utah, the hike begins on the side of Highway 95 at mile marker 56.7. From the trailhead parking lot (N37° 47' 58", W110° 18' 18") follow the well defined trail north approximately 250 yards. Locate a side canyon, which leads east to the floor of White Canyon. There is usually a BLM sign warning of sure death somewhere in the vicinity of the side canyon. Scramble down the side canyon to the floor of White Canyon. There are no major obstacles in the side canyon. Once in the canyon, the sandy riverbed quickly turns into narrow slots filled with dark, cold water.

Follow White Canyon downstream, don't bother trying to keep your shoes dry since they will be wet in a short distance despite your best effort. With careful route finding most obstacles’ can be easily overcome with some

That looks like Kip Buckner

The subterranean nature and long, dark, cold swims, through

a maze of sculpted sandstone narrows is pure pleasure

The “Black Hole” in

White Canyon


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ingenuity. The better your boys solve these minor problems the easier the route becomes. The first major drop can be bypassed by down climbing an easy to locate chimney on the left side or by climbing over the rocks on the right side. Both methods require a small amount of climbing skill. The second major drop is best defeated by staying in the watercourse, but it can also be bypassed on the south (left) side. The third major drop leads into the actual Black Hole and is usually overcome by using a rope as a hand line and scrambling down a large crack to the canyon floor. After this you have reached the main attraction and the part of the route that is actually considered the Black Hole. The canyon is narrow, twisting and hauntingly beautiful through this section. Stroll down canyon 100 feet to a small down climb and the beginning of the swim. It’s almost unbelievable to swim through the maze of sandstone formations as sheer cliffs rise above you on both sides. The pools are all unique with some shallow enough to wade through and some so deep, you can slide or jump from the ledge above into the water. Each pool is so different from the last, you don’t know what to expect around the next bend. It’s the thrill of the unknown that makes this particular hike so fascinating. The water is cold year round so a wetsuit is highly recommended, even in the middle of the hottest summer. I would also recommend bringing a flotation device such as a dry bag or small swimming noodle to hold on to for when you get tired. This hike gets its name from the deepest and longest swim. This pool is known as the “Black Hole” — a dark corridor of sandstone that ends in a 90 degree turn, making it appear that there is no way out. The darkness and chilly water are somewhat scary, and another obstacle complicates the swim even more: Floating driftwood. In 2003, flash floods brought a thick layer of driftwood to the pool. In order to get through the Black Hole, you must push your way through a heavy layer of wood. It can be technical at times and requires one to swim and wade for long distances in cold water.

About 1.5 miles from the Black Hole, you will exit the canyon to the south (left). Cairns are set up to guide you back to

the highway. You’ll emerge from the canyon at mile marker 54.7. Either leave a shuttle vehicle there, or hike the two miles back to the trailhead.

Due to flash flooding concerns, as well as often risky, wet scrambles, all slot canyon hikes carry a potential for danger. Always check the weather before heading out, and don’t consider hiking unless there is no chance of rain. And always, without fail, notify others about your trip.

The best high-adventure treks are planned, led, and carried out by youth. The purpose of Scouting is to help youth grow and mature, and learn how to be prepared. Another purpose of these high-adventure activities is to provide positive experiences to help your young men to mature and to prepare them to become responsible and caring adults.

BSA National has officially approved the Varsity Vision Leader-Specific training course as fulfilling the requirements for Varsity leader-specific training. Leaders still have to attend Outdoor Skills training and Youth Protection to qualify for the "Trained" patch. There are a growing number of Varsity Vision training courses. Our goal is for them to be held regularly in every district and at the Stake or multi-Stake level.

New Varsity Scout coaches and youth leaders are invited to go to this overnight experience, one that fulfills Varsity leader-specific training requirements for the adult leaders, but allows for you and your Varsity Scout team leadership to learn together. Plus you get to learn from actual Varsity leaders and youth team leaders.

Sample of Varsity Scouting program topics covered...

• How to be a Varsity Scout Team Captain and/or Varsity Scout Coach

• How to plan for and manage a High Adventure and/or Sports program

• How to make your own activity pin requirements

The canyon is twisting & hauntingly beautiful

Varsity Vision

Leader-Specific Training


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• How to achieve the requirements of the Denali award

• How to be successful and win as a Varsity Scout team

• How to plan your ultimate adventure to earn your Varsity Letter

• How to create a vision of what your team can look like

There are three courses scheduled this third quasrter: Porter Rockwell District on August 15 & 16th

Maple Dell on September 12 & 13th Lazy River on October 17 & 18th

You are encouraged to attend any one of these courses, everyone is welcome to attend. The cost is $10 and includes food and course materials.

You should bring your Scout uniform, tent, sleeping bag, weather-appropriate clothes, flashlight, and personal hygiene items. Anything you would need on a typical overnight campout.

At 60,000 acres, there’s a lot to see the in Little Sahara sand dunes area. But some Varsity Scout teams make the drive there for one reason: sandboarding the dunes. You get all the thrill of SNOWBOARDING at a fraction of the cost. That’s sandboarding. But there are trade-offs when swapping white powder for tan sand.

On the upside, friction makes sandboarders go slower,

making it the perfect beginner’s sport. On the downside, sandboarders can’t use a chairlift. They have to walk back

up, and returning to the top for another run — It’s like a Stair Master with sand! What would really be nice is to have a UTV to carry the boys back to the top. They would need to use a seat belt and helmet while riding in the UTV as a passenger.

Sand Mountain is a wall of sand climbing nearly 700 feet, is the primary focal point in the area. The sand dunes, on the southern side of Sand Mountain have plentiful 100 foot high sandboarding bowls. Varsity Scouts always want to go up for a second run. What goes down must huff and puff back up. The climb takes it out of you.

The adults find a sandy seat and silently supervise, meaning Varsity Scouts can do pretty much anything that won’t get them hurt. And they do: tossing discs to team mates 500 feet away

and 100 feet below, They will try every possible way to get down the dunes by boarding, sledding, running, cart-wheeling, front-flipping, and even sand swimming.

Two hours later, everyone is wiped. Sand dunes that were screensaver-perfect on arrival are peppered with hundreds of footprints—traces of all the effort expended getting back to the top. But before you call this a Leave No Trace violation, remember that by morning, winds will erase all evidence of your teams’ presence, leaving a fresh canvas behind.

Sandboarding at Little

Sahara Sand Dunes

Written by: Ken Cluff

Start your run from the top of a Sand Mountain

Little Sahara sand dunes near Delta, Utah

UTV side-by-side


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I like Dutch oven dinners. One of my favorites is boneless pork ribs in a bbq sauce. I like cobbler too -- apple, cherry, peach -- whatever! Sometimes when I think of camping, that’s the sort of thing I have in mind, good food, a camp-chair, and a cot to sleep in. My wife and I like to take our family camping that way. Enjoying the family in the beauty of the outdoors is a choice experience.

When I was a Scoutmaster, some of our unit camping trips were the same sort of thing. We’d roll up to our campsite in a fully packed SUV and unload boys, sleeping bags, three-burner stoves, cots, large canvas tents, and all the other away-from-home luxuries we had brought along. The boys would have a great time playing and exploring in the outdoors, often scattering over the canyon or meadow in which we were camped. Rounding them up to erect tents sometimes took a while, but that was okay because dinner usually took an hour or more to prepare. Our evenings would be spent playing capture-the-flag and poking sticks into the campfire. The adults would try to interject some spirituality into the camp by sharing a spiritual thought or story, and sometimes we’d coax the boys into singing a few songs. In the morning, the Dutch ovens would produce a cheesy hash brown/sausage combo (referred to as ‘Mountain Man’ by our Troop), and since the cooking and clean up took so long, we’d generally load everything back up and head home. Other camps were different. We’d park at a trailhead and unload boys with backpacks. There would be a nervous, expectant feeling in the air, especially on the part of the newer Scouts. With the buddy system firmly in place, we’d embark on a trail, a pair of the older Scouts leading us with a map and compass as their guide. I can recall times where the hike we had planned was too long, where packs were too heavy and night falling too fast.

Occasionally, we’d revise our plan and camp at a different spot so that there’d be enough light to set up our camp. Usually though we’d reach our destination and drop our backpacks with some relief and stiffness. The ensuing noise was about the same as when we car camped, but the activity looked quite different. Boys would be busy setting up their lightweight tents, and unrolling their foam pads. Later they’d be busy cooking over small stoves as buddy pairs, and making trips to a nearby stream to filter pump clean water and take back to camp to wash dishes. The evenings tended to be quieter on those backpacking camps, sleeping bags seemed to beckon more quickly, and only brief conversations between buddies delayed the snoring. The next morning I would notice buddy pairs working together quietly to prepare a simple breakfast and repack their gear. The route back to the car often took a circuitous path, perhaps via a lake, peak, or other notable landmark. The buddy pairs would take turns navigating, guiding us along a pre-planned route, with the Senior Patrol Leader coaching and helping as needed. The adults would typically hike at the back of the group, making sure that no-one was left behind.

As the car came into view, boys would sometimes hoot and cheer at the thought of taking off their packs and boots, but there was a real sense of accomplishment felt throughout the group. Depending on the length of the drive, the chatter on the way home would be short-lived, with most of the boys falling asleep. On reflection, the hiking camps were significantly better experiences for the boys and the adults. The extra pressure of carrying our gear, navigating to our destination, and cooking in buddy pairs added an air of adventure to the event. The patrol method was more obviously in effect, and Scouting skills were more needed and used. I’m convinced that patrols, individuals, and the troop overall, grow stronger through hiking in a way that is hard to achieve with car camping. So, next time you think about packing your Dutch-ovens maybe you could leave them at home and experience a different kind of camp-out.

Is your Dutch-Oven

Holding You Back? Written by: Mat Greenfield


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Make a “Paracord”

Watchband or Bracelet

A paracord watchband makes a great gift or can be used as a survival tool. Unraveled, it provides about 10 feet of handy paracord for fixing tent lines or tying together broken gear. You can even use the line inside the cord for fishing line.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

• About 10′ of 550 paracord (If you’re working on a smaller watch, you can use a smaller buckle and 325 paracord.)

• 5/8″ side-release buckle

1. Melt both ends of the paracord with the lighter. While they are still hot, carefully flatten both ends with the bottom of the lighter. This will make it easier to pass the cord through the watch or bracelet. The best size watch has about 5/8″ between the lugs (where the pins go).

2. Wrap the paracord around a wrist comfortably and mark it. This will be the length of the watchband.

3. Loop the cord through the female end of the buckle and draw tight. You should have 20″ of cord on the

short end. The long end is your working end.

4. Pass both cords though the pins and under the watch. Loop both ends twice around the male end of the buckle. Make any adjustments in the length of the band to match the wrist measurement. The band will stretch about another inch after completion because of the tightening and pulling on the wrapped cord, making for a comfortable fit.

5. Pass the long and short cords back through the pins and under

the watch.

6. Begin to wrap the long end of the cord as shown. Push and tighten the wraps as you go along.

7. When you reach the watch and your wraps are tight, pass the cord through the pins and under the watch. Continue

wrapping and tightening the paracord until you reach the male end of the buckle.

8. Using the hemostat, reach under three loops of cord, grab the end of the remaining cord and pull the cord underneath the three loops. The cord that you just pulled through should then be cut close and melted flat. Leave enough cord to hide it under the fourth loop. Do this for both the male and female ends.

9. Your paracord watchband is now complete.


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One of our major areas of responsibility as a Varsity Scout Coach is to have meaningful "Coach’s conferences" with each

of our young men at least every 3 months. We “listen” to him and guide the conference to help him set his own goals and to solve his own problems. We can't isolate our boy’s problems or direct his goal-setting process if we don't

“listen” to him. Here are several barriers to “listening” that can be problematic during conferences. � Many of us think that counseling is a job of persuasion and that persuasion means talking all the time. Just remember, you can't help the boy set his own meaningful goals or solving his own problems if you do all the talking. � Many of us over prepare for what we are going to say. Then we use our listening time as a waiting period until it's our turn to talk again, listening then becomes passive and unproductive for both of us. � Many of us have listening "filters". We don’t hear what we need to hear. We may even be so busy with our own thoughts that we fail to hear valuable signals that the boy is sending. � We can listen faster than we can speak. When we are in a listening mode, don't "tune out" and "day dream", figuring we know what the boy is going to say. Then we lose concentration, we miss valuable clues and signals about the boys needs and objectives.

Today I went to my bank’s drive-up window. As I sat and waited I noticed a sign on their wall, which showed an archery target with 2 arrows in it, with the captions "You miss 100% of the shots you never take."

As I thought about this I thought how often we as scout leaders are afraid to take the "shots" necessary to make the program work. How often do we take ourselves out of our comfort zone to do a particular activity which would affect boys’ lives? It reminds me of an "On Target" horseback trek that the coach in my ward asked me to go on a few years ago so he would have the 2nd leader. You would need to know that horses and I have never been or ever will be friends; I don't even like cowboy hats! But for the good of the boys, I went. We ended up with 3 or 4 boys that were inactive as well as others who had never ridden horses. The coach had a great campfire story that really climaxed the evening. Everybody had a great time - except me. (I only fell off of the horse once), BUT we impacted boys’ lives. I am grateful that I made myself go, because we certainly hit our mark with this trip.

My Varsity Scout team was on the "Survival of the Fittest" relay race near Delta, Utah. The relay race was a 22 mile trek

involving running, biking, swimming, canoeing, rappelling and many other events. It was a grueling race that challenged the young men’s mental and physical abilities. At one point in the event the racer was given one match to get a fire started that his fellow Varsity Scout team members had prepared. In the meantime another team had used our fire lay and as a result our team had to hurriedly prepare another fire lay to continue on in the race. We lost some valuable time in the process.

Coach’s Conference Written by Ken Cluff

“Take a Shot” By: Paul Burges

A Lesson on Attitude Written by Ken Cluff, 1988

Set a trap with out loosing a finger!


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I told the boys we could challenge that other team and get them penalized 5 minutes for lighting our fire lay. One young man spoke up and said: "NO! They didn’t do it on purpose, it was an accident.” I was dumbfounded and upset, "What do you mean, let's get even." The young man said: "Brother Cluff, let’s don’t cause any hard feeling, we’re having so much fun.” Later I related this story to some other Varsity Coaches and closed by saying, what a terrific lesson on attitude I learned from this Varsity Scout young man. “Thanks Bryon for the lesson you taught me that day.”

Spring 2014

The Training Times

Training Leaders, not just running training courses

New Unit Leader Courses

If you have been reading The Training Times for the past couple of years you know the volunteer training committee has been working on updating the instructor guides for all of the training courses for unit leaders, as well as creating some new courses to fill existing gaps. Several of these new or updated guides have been released or will be this spring and early summer.

“The Varsity Vision Training”

This new course is designed for Varsity Scout adults and youth in areas where there are large numbers of Varsity Scouts. A version for areas where there are fewer Varsity Scouts, or ones lacking the resources to put on the full Vision course, is under development. Both courses will use

V21 and will, along with Youth Protection Training and Introduction to Outdoor Leader Skills, qualify a coach as “trained.”

This is great news as reported last month in this Varsity Vision newsletter by Andy Gibbons he said: BSA National has officially approved the Varsity Vision Training course as fulfilling the requirements for Varsity Leader-Specific Training. Leaders still have to attend Outdoor Skills training and Youth Protection to qualify for the "Trained" patch. There are a growing number of Varsity Vision training courses. Our goal is

for them to be held regularly in every district and at the Stake or multi-Stake level. The response to the course has been very favorable. The key will be quality control.

Andy Gibbons

What we are all about...

The Varsity Vision Newsletter provides Scouting leadership motivation and inspiration as well as a dialogue on needs, direction and policies in the Utah National Parks Council™. The newsletter Staff assembles and distributes useful new ideas, practical tips, enthusiasm and the VISION of Stand-Alone Varsity Scouting. Opinions and ideas expressed herein are those of the editors and contributors and do not necessarily reflect official BSA policy. The Varsity Vision Newsletter is non-profit service publication to promote Scouting leadership excellence throughout the Utah National Parks Council™ and is distributed 12 times a year through

this web site:

www.utahscouts.org/Varsity Scouts/Varsity Vision

Comments and suggestions can be e-mailed to me at

[email protected].

I would like to hear from you.


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The VARSITY VISION

Documents

Transcript of The VARSITY VISION