RE: [Philmont]: Philmont Council contingents [another view]

I would mention, according to the Philmont representative that presented to
the Philmont contingents this year for 2006, no rangers will be available
for substituting advisors. They just don't have the manpower to provide
that support any more.

I think simply equalizing with weightings and with prefilling from previous
years' lotteries, Philmont can make progress in allowing troops that want to
go to go. And it shouldn't get so that a troop has to only go every 4-5
years. The lottery is so close to being workable, it really would only take
a couple tweaks for it to be fair for the largest majority of troops.

-----Original Message-----
From: owner-philmont@troop47.com [mailto:owner-philmont@troop47.com] On
Behalf Of Charles Goodwin
Sent: Friday, November 18, 2005 7:51 AM
To: Multiple recipients of list philmont
Subject: Re: [Philmont]: Philmont Council contingents [another view]

I would like once again to raise the question of increasing the time between
troop Philmont treks from every 2 years to every 3 or 4 years.
Some scouts get to attend multiple times with the present system while
others don't get to ever experience Philmont. I have a large troop which
has consistently had over 100 members. We went in 1992 with 5 crews of
11-12 each, in 1996 with 3 crews of 12 each, 2000 with 4 crews for 12 each.
In 2004 we ended up low on the lottery with 36 already having paid in a
deposit. The council had not filled their spots for 3 crews and had not
obtained leadership yet near the time to pay. I lead the council contingent
for 2 of the crews predominantly for my troop.
The third crew was filled by another troop. I eliminated most of the adults
in the two crews for my troop. One crew had 3 adults and 9 scouts -- none
of whom had ever been. My crew had 2 adults and an 18-year-old who had
previously gone in 2000 who could move up to be an adult in case something
happened to the two older adults. We did see several crews who had lost one
or more adults, so that Philmont had to supply rangers so they could
complete their trek. My crew then had 11 scouts who had never attended
Philmont, 2 older adults, and one 18-year-old. We did get permission to
increase my crew to 14 since we were taking all scouts with no previous
Philmont experience. By doing this I took very few adults but did manage to
get in every scout in the council that I became aware of who wanted to go.
By stetching out the time to every 3 or better every 4 years, we tend to get
in boys who have never been rather than having scouts go multiple times
while some never get to go at all. In each of my treks we have encountered
crews with scouts who have attended multiple times.

We supplement the non Philmont years with the National Jamboree, Sea Base,
Tinnerman Canoe Base, and sometimes a trip on the Appalachian Trail,
allowing us to provide a high adventure activity every summer for the older
scouts.

Philmont is the highlight of most scouts scouting experience, and it seems
we need to work really hard to develop a system that includes more scouts
for a first experience before we work in those who have been multiple
times. It seems to me that increasing the time between treks for a troop to
every 3 or 4 years is a very simple step that would certainly promote this.
This also gives scouts the opportunity to experience other high adventure
activities and enrich their total scouting experience.

Charles Goodwin, MD
Scoutmaster Troop 236, Kettering, OH
Philmont 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004
National Jamboree 1989, 1993, 1997, 2001, 2005, World Jamboree 1995, 1999,
2007 Sea Base 1998, 2002, 2006 Tinnerman Canoe Base 1999, 2003 Appalachian
Trail 1989, 1991, 1994

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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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