Coming Home Today!

It was a busy day yesterday. So busy, that it was not possible to get to the Admin Building and send a blog. The boys were all very busy trying to get their last requirements completed before the end of the week. I took part of the morning to visit as many program areas as possible to take pictures and video which we'll use for our summer camp video production. At about 9:15, Lucas and Andrew arrived at camp to visit. Andrew was even invited to participate in the Aquaman program in the afternoon, so he was able to have a bit of the Henson Experience for himself. We enjoyed having Lucas in camp with us, and there was lots of good-natured teasing about his new status as an adult Eagle Scout.
As the Admin Building was closed in the afternoon, and I was not able to get internet access, I joined AJ in the C.O.P.E. course to watch him climb a high course and ride the zip line to the ground. AJ is 17, so this is his last summer camp experience. As fate would have it, his very last activity at summer camp was down a very long zip line. It was a cool thing to see, and I'm sure it was even better being up there. It seemed a fitting way to end his summer camp career.
Now for awards! At evening retreat yesterday, Troop 1 was awarded the clean campsite award and best gateway award. The camp commissioner made the announcement about the clean campsite award but prefaced it with a statement that some adult leaders in camp had complained to him, saying that commissioners are too strict in their inspection standards. Apparently they gave him a good deal of grief about it during the week. So after he said that, he noted that the winning troop had kept an extremely clean campsite all week, making sure that tents were in order, no clothing was hanging around the site, trash was picked up, the latrine was spotless, and all done with never a complaint. You should be very proud of your sons! I'm sure they aren't as diligent about keeping their rooms clean at home as they are about having a clean campsite. They wanted perfect 100's on their inspection sheet each morning. Each day they worked together, reminding each other to get their personal geared stowed neatly below their bunks, picked up trash and took turns cleaning the latrine, and generally keeping the campsite clean and organized. Our boys started the week scoring 97 on Monday, and were completely disappointed about losing three points! Each day they inspected each other before leaving for program areas, knowing that the camp commissioner would be inspecting while they were away. When they returned before lunch, the boys went straight to the board to find the inspection sheet, and we could hear them asking each other, "What did we get? Did we get 100?" Amazing, isn't it? On Tuesday, there was improvement, and they scored 98, on Wednesday 99, and on Thursday and Friday they received perfect scores of 100.
When the clean campsite award was announced, our SPL was in the dining hall attending to his waiter duties, while the rest of the troop was lined up just outside the door. But, when the award was called out, "Troop 1!" AJ was set to walk forward in place of Paul, since he was not in line with the rest of the troop. Paul, however, bounded out of the dining hall door saying, "Wait AJ! I'm getting that one!" It was a great moment that drew a laugh from the crowd, but it also showed the pride the boys have in themselves, and the pride Paul has in his troop.
Our gateway award was also a big deal to the troop. Everyone worked all week on the gateway, and it served two purposes. It certainly stood as the portal to Troop 1 country. And as it was lashed together from fallen wood, it served as practice for all the boys who needed to complete lashing requirements toward First Class. It was a monument to scout skills. The commissioners loved it.
The final award of the night was for the cooking contest on Thursday evening. That announcement was made near the end of dinner. Troop 1 was fortunate to be sitting right up front for that announcement. Mitchell, from campstaff, presented the award, and there was a huge cheer from our group when Troop 1 was announced the winner of the Iron Chef Henson competition. I can't tell you how much pride they have regarding this particular cooking competition. Henson has had cooking competitions for four years. For each of the three years that Troop 1 has been at Henson, they have carried the day in this particular competition. They feel a real sense of ownership about their cooking abilities, and I have to say that I consider their performance during that competition to be a highlight of the week. Everything that they are taught in scouting, especially leadership and teamwork, showed through that night.
Our final competition of the night was the Scoutmaster Splash. Mr. Frank represented the troop, and it was a wonderful thing to see! Four scoutmasters from around the camp showed up. This can be a brutal competition to your body and your pride. Scoutmasters are scored on originality, size of splash, and pain factor. And man! The judges are a really tough crowd! They throw all sorts of stinging comments at the scoutmasters. I think that perhaps some of the comments sting more than the belly flops and face plants into the pool. It was all in good fun, though. Our boys were excited about this competition, and marched Mr. Frank to the aqua arena. They proceeded in two-by-two column ahead of him, shouting "Huzzah for Mr. Frank", as they walked through camp. In the end, another scoutmaster won the competition, but we were all proud of Mr. Frank for representing the boys and literally taking a few hits for them.
Today it all comes to a close. The big announcement of Troop of the Week will be made at the closing ceremonies. The boys are excited to hear if they will be THE troop. Unfortunately, I won't be there to witness the announcement. I left camp last night after the scoutmaster's splash so that I could be home to work today. I will see everyone at the bus pickup later today at Abington Presbyterian. I will call to check on the progress of the bus as it travels north and will post updated information on ETA at the church. Check back around noon for the latest information.