Re: [Philmont]: An advisor's quandry

Thank you, William. My comment was intended to be tongue-in-cheek. I
sometimes forget that that doesn't work with email. We would not
consider a day hike to be a shakedown hike and do not allow anyone but
the Philmont crews on any of our Philmont prehikes.The prehikes are
valuable as much for team bonding and preparation for efficient work in
camp as for fitness training. Outsiders would interfere with this
aspect of preparation. We do begin discussion of applying for Philmont
with a crew backpacking trip on which all are invited. Many parents
with no plans to attend Philmont come on these trips and see first-hand
what their kids are capable of doing. Some of these parents even come
to Philmont.

Susan

-----Original Message-----
From: Jim Welton <jimwelton@gmail.com>
To: Multiple recipients of list philmont <philmont@troop47.com>
Sent: Wed, 1 Mar 2006 16:36:56 -0600
Subject: Re: [Philmont]: An advisor's quandry

  BTW, over 800,000 Scouts have passed through. Mr. Sam Ayala, a Star
Scout from Troop 74, Edinburg Texas was so honored this past summer.

YiS,
Jim Welton
McAllen, Texas

On 3/1/06, bill55@comcast.net <bill55@comcast.net> wrote:
>
> Susan's suggestion that moms should be invited on a difficult
shakedown hike
> and then "left in the dust" to prove their sons' fitness for a trek
was
> probably offered tongue in cheek and would probably be thought better
of
> long before the invitation was issued.
>
> At Philmont and in all hiking trips, no one should be "left in the
dust" as
> the group must hike together. A mom would not think highly of a tour
leader
> who planned an outing that was clearly too difficult for an
identifiable
> group of the participants to attempt. If this is the case, in the
troop
> overnight situation, a "two-tier" hike would be planned (assuming
adequate
> adult leadership) with two different hikes adapted to the two skill
levels.
>
> I would not be in favor of inviting "spectators" to any Philmont
shakedown
> outing. Consideration of the "spectators'" comfort could very well
get in
> the way of the necessary conditioning and bonding of the crew itself.
> Nothing wrong with inviting an extra adult who is a Philmont veteran
or
> otherwise qualified to provide more than "two-deep" leadership. I
have often
> served as a "shakedown advisor" myself. Regular moms and dads are
better
> invited to a troop overnight, in my view, unless "two-deep" would be
> compromised .
>
> I think the best way to convince moms (and dads) that their son is
ready and
> perfectly capable of a Philmont trek is statistical. Well over
600,000 boys
> and advisors have participated in the program over the last 65 years,
with
> an exemplary safety record. If those boys could do it, your son can,
too.
>
> Of course, each advisor and lead advisor must "Be Prepared" to look
and act
> the part at those all important meetings where parents are in
attendance.
> You only have one chance to make a first impression and "Be Prepared"
(as
> well as the precepts of the Scout Oath and Law) works every time.
>
> All for now.
>
> William A. Sheehan, ASM
> Troop 55, Pitman, NJ
> Philmont '70,'72, Autumn Adventure '01,'03,'05 and hopefully '06

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As you gather around this virtual campfire with fellow
Scouts and Scouters, do your best to be trustworthy,
loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient,
cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean and reverent.
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Received on Thu Mar 2 09:10:01 2006