From: CoopWright@aol.com
Date: Wed Jan 22 2003 - 11:45:45 CST
I have included a section of the Philmont Advisor's Guide that was written as part of the latest update that covers the removal of a crewmember (adult or youth). It is a tough job putting together a crew. Taking an adult or youth member who is not emotionally or physically ready will in most cases diminish the experience of rest of the crew. Early shakedowns, with increasing difficulty will give you an idea of the physical training of your crew. Emotional maturity is harder to judge. Ten days on the trail is a long time. Base Camp has way too many campers who have come off the trail because they did not know the demands of Philmont ahead of time and were not prepared for them.
"Removal of a Crewmember
Removing an adult or youth crewmember is, by far, the most difficult issue that a lead advisor may face. There are so many factors involved with the removal of a crewmember that it can become an extremely difficult and emotional issue for all involved to resolve. Unfortunately, what most often happens is that the lead advisor chooses to ignore the situation in the hope that things will improve prior to going to Philmont or while on the trail. Most experienced advisors have seen instances where the behavior of a single crewmember ruined the entire Philmont experience for the rest of the crew. The most common reason for removing a crewmember is that they are not in shape. The second most common reason is that they lack the emotional maturity to take care of themselves and to work cooperatively as a crewmember. It is certainly interesting to note that both of these issues should have been uncovered during the crew’s scheduled shakedowns. However, as it usually turns out, the problem crewmember is usually the one who, for whatever reason, keeps missing crew training sessions and shakedowns. As a result, he or she becomes an unknown quantity when it comes to physical conditioning and emotional maturity.
The situation is further compounded by the fact that by the time the problem is uncovered, the crewmember will have already spent over $1000 to participate and getting refunds from Philmont and the local council is almost impossible. The best method we have found is to communicate your expectations for all crewmembers and their parents very early in the planning process. Some experienced advisors, like Dr. Bob Klein, even use a written contract outlines his trek expectations that must be signed by each crewmember. Included in your expectations should be the following:
1. No crewmember can be a hypothermia risk to the other crewmembers. When it rains at Philmont, the temperature can drop into the 40s and 50s and the wind picks up, all hypothermia conditions. On the trail, crewmembers must be physically able to sustain a reasonable pace to keep generating heat.
2. Crewmembers must participate in a pre-set minimum number of shakedown hikes and training sessions. If a crewmember misses a shakedown or training session, he or she should work with the advisor to get the needed training or take an additional hike.
3. Crewmembers must be willing to perform their assigned in-camp tasks, without advisor intervention. Less emotionally mature crewmembers, when they are tired, have a tendency to shirk their tasks. This means that other crewmembers have to pick up their load, creating tension within the crew.
4. Crewmember must have the maturity to take care themselves by staying hydrated, eating the Philmont-supplied food, keeping clean and taking their personal medications while in the backcountry. On weekend shakedowns, not drinking or eating enough or missing personal medications may not cause an immediate problem. At Philmont, with a longer its longer duration on the trail, failure of a crewmember to take care of himself can have a cumulative effect, thereby impacting the entire crew.
As an advisor, you may be faced with a similar situation involving a crewmember early in your crew development process. Always remember that your first responsibility is to the crew and not to an individual crewmember. You must step in early and talk to the problem crewmember along with his parents. We recognize that parents love their children and they may be the ones who are putting their son or daughter in a situation that they are physically and emotionally unable to handle. Making the tough decision to remove a crewmember may cause hard feelings between the advisor and the crewmember and his family. However, in the end, the crew will realize that the right decision was made and will become an even stronger group on the trail."
To obtain your copy of the Guide, please e-mail me. Thanks to Wally Feurtado and Joe Flaig for their input on this section.
Cooper Wright
Associate Advisor, Crew 1519
Co-author of the Philmont Advisor's Guide
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