Last fall I indicated that there would soon be an update to my Blog about my Wood Badge 2010 experience. I keep checking back to see if it has been documented yet…still nothing.
I guess I will just have to do it myself.
Kendall Warburton asked me in 2009 if I would be on a Wood Badge course he was directing in August 2010 at Scofield Aquatics Camp and serve as a Troop Guide. I was secretly hoping to have this opportunity ever since I attended a Wood Badge course in 2008, so I agreed. The first thing I learned is that being on staff for Wood Badge is a lot of work!! It is also a very rewarding experience because it is such a worthwhile program and the people in our Stake who dedicate themselves to being on staff and providing a great experience for other scouters are absolutely amazing! I wanted to be a part of that. It was a bit tricky to juggle my schedule to attend the course development meetings but I managed to get to all but one of them.
Scofield, Utah in August is very hot and there aren't many shade trees there…okay there are no shade trees there. It was a long drive to get there. A discussion was held about whether to move the location to Mutual Dell up American Fork Canyon or leave it at Scofield. It was decided that we were supposed to go to Scofield so go we did.
There were five women who signed up to attend and I was assigned to be their Troop Guide. We were the Bob White Patrol, which is what I was as a participant also. I knew most of them because a large number of the people in attendance were from American Fork 9th Ward, the Ward for which Kendall Warburton is Bishop. He was actually called to be Bishop after he had committed to be Scoutmaster for the course, but he went ahead and fit it into his busy schedule. I was excited to have this opportunity. I admit now that I was not nearly as prepared as I could have been but I felt comfortable with my preparation and felt that I would be able to relate to the ladies and have a good experience. And I did.
Tents were pitched for the rest of the staff in the stockade area of the camp
The tents for the male participants were pitched in an open area between the First Aid Station and the Lodge.
The women slept in the First Aid Station which had a main room, a kitchen and two bedrooms. It was a little awkward to be staying in the same area as the participants but it worked out fine. We discovered that we would also be sharing the building with some mice but they (meaning the mice) didn't seem to mind. The last two nights the participants were all in tents for their "overnight experience" so it was just me and the mice. It tried my courage a little bit as I don't have a fondness for the little creatures, but in the end, everything worked out okay.
The week was filled with training sessions presented by the Senior Patrol Leader and the Assistants to the Scoutmaster. Other sessions were conducted in a patrol setting, taught by Troop Guides. There were a lot of activities that reinforced the principles taught in the discussions…to be brief: a feature movie, followed up by rocket making and launching of said rockets, game shows, campfire programs, skits, competitive games, service projects and worship services as well as the overnighter where the patrols moved to their own campsites and performed as patrols. It was a great week. One of the hardest parts for me was after the first few days of being the leader and example, the Troop Guides had to step back and let their patrol members take charge and we stayed in the background as a "shadow leader." It is a lot like loosening the reins on our own children as we step back and watch them turn into amazing leaders and parents.
I am very glad that I had the opportunity to be a Troop Guide. This past February I had the opportunity to present the Wood Badge beads to all five members of my Bobwhite Patrol.
I can't wait to do it again!! (Actually before I was even through preparing for this course, John Miller asked me to be a Troop Guide for his course which was to be held in May 2011, and I accepted so there is even more to come about Wood Badge.)
