Teamwork Makes the Dream Work

After every camping trip during my Boy Scout journey, all of the scouts would stand in the middle of the campgrounds and scamper around, looking for pieces of stray trash to throw away. One of the most important ideas behind scouting is the passion to leave wildlife better than when you found it. Leaving trash after a camping trip is inevitable, so it was important to make an effort to find every last piece of garbage that could be better disposed by other means.

The first time I can remember picking up trash with the other scouts, the experience did not go as planned. To ensure that we were doing a satisfactory job, our scout master would wait until we claimed our work was done and that no trash was left. At this point, he would strike out across the grounds in search of any trash we missed. Unfortunately, with such a large area to cover, he often found trash that was over looked. The result of this discovery led to an increased time to look for more trash. During my first trash pick-up experience, we had to return to searching more than half a dozen times, as our random scanning was not very effective.

Eventually, the older scouts rounded every body up and devised a plan. Utilizing a straight line, we could walk slowly from one end of the camp to the other, while each individual picked up trash in their line of sight. This ensured that every person did not have to look at so much land, and could focus on finding those hiding pieces of garbage. After running this focused march a few times in multiple directions across the same area, we simply moved on to the next location and repeated the process.

After we began utilizing this technique, our scout master began to struggle to find those left over pieces of trash, and we finished the clean up duties faster than normal. This concept became a staple of ours that we began to use every camping trip. Not only did each individual have a responsibility to the rest of the group to do a good job in his line, but the entire group had to do less overall work.

This experience taught me the value of teamwork and the value of creating a plan of attack. Chaos is often the first response to a challenge, such as when we wandered around the grass searching randomly for stray trash. Once we recognized the problem, however, a logical correction to our approach and the collaboration of each individual led to a successful clean up. In life, instead of jumping into action immediately when faced with difficult challenges, I am reminded to take a second to plan out what I want to do and how the task can be finished more effectively with a group.

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Image Provided by Daniel Novta

Patience is Key

Sometimes running at the right time can win a race, as opposed to simply running fast. Every night after my weekly scout meeting during middle and high school, all of the kids would gather together and play some kind of team game. One of the favorite post-meeting activities was called "the fox and the hound." Every week, we would play this game and then talk about the results for the rest of the week at school, waiting for our next opportunity to play.

The rules of the game were simple, and the darkened sky made the game even more exciting. Two opposing teams were tasked with separate simple tasks. The fox team was instructed to enter into the woods and find a suitable hiding place, while the hound team turned their backs and waited for two minutes. Once the two minutes were up, the hounds were allowed to turn back around and begin searching for the foxes. Near the edge of the property, were the hounds began their two minute counting, was a long wooden fence. Winning the game was relatively simple. The hounds would win by catching and tagging as many foxes as possible. On the other hand, the foxes could wind the game by making a run for it and touching the fence before being tagged.

Two clear methods of winning became obvious as I began to began to develop my strategy as a fox. Firstly, I could simply try to utilize my speed and sprint at the fence immediately as I saw an opening. This tended to be my favorite method at first, as action was imminent and I enjoyed the chase. The older scouts quickly closed off my escape routes, however, and I was often caught close to the fence without touching it.

The second method required a lot more self discipline. Waiting in hiding for as long as possible was a difficult task as a squirmy teenager. However, my friends and I realized that if we were willing to wait longer than the foxes, then they would eventually come after us and leave the fence less guarded. As soon as a fox would walk past our hiding spot, we would wait a few seconds, and then book it out of the trees. The guard behind us had little chance of catching us, and the few guards remaining at the fence could be avoided with ease. Utilizing this technique, we eventually became unstoppable foxes. From this I learned that patience is key, and acting when the moment is right can reap the largest benefits.

Also, as a hound, I learned a very similar lesson. Instead of chasing into the woods searching blindly for the foxes or waiting for them at the fence, we began to use decoys to win the game. This trick required patience as well, as one hound would charge into the woods while the other would hide along the path and wait for the fleeing fox to fall into the trap. Both of these techniques taught me the value of patience, even when it seems like less fun. In life, patience also plays a key role in determining success. "Striking when the iron is hot" is a common phrase used to indicate that acting precisely when a situation requires it and not acting before or after. Patience can lead to better study habits, increased enjoyment, during important events, and even reduced stress. Patience allows us to evaluate the situation around us and move forward in a more logical, thought-out manner.

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Image provided by NCinDC

Giving Up Can Be The Opposite of Weakness

During my third year of summer camp as a Boy Scout, I was faced with a brand new challenge. With plenty of camping trips under my belt, I felt like I could really focus on my merit badge classes and enjoy the warm summer atmosphere whilst making great memories with friends. I wasn't afraid to eat my fair share of the dinning food, and I was obtaining more sleep on a camping trip than I ever had before. My merit badge classes were adventurous and fun (a privilege for attending camp for several years) and I felt on top of the world. I spent the beginning part of the trip helping younger scouts learn the ropes as we took swimming tests and unpacked our bags.

During sometime in the middle of the week, I woke up one morning with a sore throat. Thinking I was simply suffering from a post nasal drip in the dry weather, I pressed on throughout the day enjoying myself and attending classes. However, the feeling in the back of my throat did not dissipate. Instead, my throat began to hurt worse as time progressed. By the evening camp fire performances, my head began to hurt as well. I had definitely caught a bug, and the symptoms were still getting worse.

When I woke up in the morning, my entire body shook with fever chills and my head throbbed. Scared I would be sent home early if I told someone, I attempted to go to my merit badge classes and enjoy my day the best I could. However, by dinner time, the fever was unbearable. I told my dad and other troop leaders how I felt, and I had to discard my stubbornness to trek down to the medical station for an evaluation. The doctor at the small clinic told me I had a bad cold that would most likely progress further if I continued to push myself physically. Dejected, I went to bed that night knowing that I could be sent home the next day.

Upon opening my eyes, I knew instantly that my condition had worsened. I approached my leaders and told them I needed to go home. To my appreciation, everyone was extremely supportive and helpful in packing up my tent. Sometime mid-afternoon, my mom came and picked me up from camp and I headed home. As soon as I took some meds and slept, I began to feel better. I had made the right decision.

This camping experience taught me a serious life lesson. We are taught from a young age that giving up is a sign of weakness. Being a quitter is a negative quality, and it is to be discouraged. After leaving camp sick as a teenager, I realized that sometimes giving up is the hardest option of all. In fact, in certain cases, giving up can showcase maturity as it requires one to reevaluate his or her priorities. Sometimes, giving up can be the exact opposite of showing weakness.

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Sometimes Its Better Not to Look

I have always loved hiking. Hiking, for me, provides the opportunity to be connected with nature in a way that allows me to feel relaxed while still getting exercise. Growing up, several of my friends shared this interest with me, and we often ventured along scenic paths or high adventure trails. This past summer, a group of three friends and I decided to venture along a popular hiking route headed towards a small collection of falls.

Throughout the hike, we followed a winding stream uphill through the woods in search of this acclaimed water falls area. The temperature was in the high 80s, and we began to sweat heavily. The idea of a pool of water became more alluring the longer we hiked. According to a few friends who had visited the site prior, several ledges were also available to jump into the water. Additionally, we heard that the water was icy cold because its source was an underground spring. All of these factors combined in encouraging us to keep hiking up the small mountain.

When we finally reached our destination, my vision was filled with a large wall of water rushing over the edges of rocks into a pool below. Beside the pool of clear liquid, small, jagged rocks climbed even higher than the falls. Several hand holds were visible and we saw how one could definitely climb to the top if they so chose. Soon after our arrival, we had taken off our shoes and waded into the icy water. The rocks beneath the surface were slippery and shallow.

Near the far end of the pool, the clear water transitioned to a completely black color. This color change indicated a deep hole within the rocks that continued down for several feet. The hole was only a about a dozen feet across. Mystery and caution filled our minds as we thought about how far down the hole really went.

Soon enough, a kid our age appeared along the trail and told us that this was his favorite location. He told us stories of how his group of friends would jump from the ledges into the hole in the bottom of the pool floor. He told us that jumping off was one of the most exciting activities to do on the trail. After a few minutes of convincing, I found myself standing at the top of a ledge, looking down into the dark circle of water below.

My friends were too scared to take the leap at first, for fear of touching the bottom of the hole. On the other hand, I refused to look down as I leaped off the ledge and flew through the air. The icy water rushed around me as I flew into the hole in the bottom of the pool. My feet touched the bottom and I kicked off back to the surface. After my leap, all of my friends followed suit.

This story taught me many valuable lessons. First, I learned that sometimes doing things that scares you can be the most rewarding. I also learned that sometimes its better not to look before you leap. Overthinking in situations can get in the way of making a successful "jump," and others will always rely on you to make a decision. In life, I try to not over analyze situations, and to simply jump.

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Image provided by emifaulk

A Little Inclusiveness Can Go a Long Way

One year, at Camp Shenandoah Boy Scout summer camp, it was finally our time to shine. Every year, a decathlon is held between all of the troops to see who will hold up the ultimate bragging rights trophy. Some of the events in the decathlon include a 5k run, a tug-of-war contest, a rowing competition, knot-tying, cooking, and many other activities. The entire week, the older scouts from my troop traveled around to many of the events and kept us in the race for first place. Within the last two days of the competition, we were estimated to be around second place out of nearly twenty troops competing.

The whole week, the leaders and older scouts were looking for ways to include us in the competition. I really wanted to be a part of one of the teams, but my knowledge of scouting skills was limited and my physical stature was less mature than others older than me. Regardless, I was chosen to be a part of the tug-of-war team. As I was the last team member allowed on the 5 man pull-team, I was concerned that I wouldn't be able to "pull my weight." I really wanted to prove that I could do my share and help us win.

As we progressed through the competition, we somehow reached the final competition stage where we got to face off against the strongest team. not only were they the strongest, but they had about 100 pounds more than us on their team. The struggle lasted over two minutes and the ref had to blow the whistle, instructing us to take a break. When we returned to the sandpit, the other team quickly pulled us over the line. We had lost.

Even though we placed second in the competition, I carried the memory of being included with me as I progressed through Scouting. We ended up placing second over all in the decathlon, we were not disappointed. We had grown closer as a troop and everyone had gotten to participate.

When I became a senior scout, it was finally my turn to compete for the troop in a lot of the decathlon events. I remembered that same feeling I experienced when I was included on that tug-of-war team, and so I took it upon myself to include as many younger scouts as possible. In the end, we placed third in the entire event. The entire outcome taught me the valuable life lesson of perspective. Not only was including others important, but having a good time while making friends and memories was something I will remember the rest of my life, not what place we got in the decathlon. I've truly learned that giving other people the same feeling I experienced when I was included on that tug-of-war team is the best way to spread positivity and future similar acts.

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Image provided by Robert Clemons

Wielding the Shovel Comes First

When I first joined Boy Scouts, I was surprised at all the manual labor required during the various service projects throughout the year. In fact, most weekends involved some sort of digging, walking door to door, or teaching activity to give back to the community. The hard work taught me several valuable lessons, but I can still remember wishing I could lead instead of doing the work. At the time, I thought that leadership was an easy concept that anyone could master.

After my first several months in Scouting, I was eventually given my first opportunity to lead. I was given the chance to lead my own patrol of scouts on a camping trip and ensure that all tents, cooking items, and campers were taken care of. More importantly, I was expected to lead my peers when it came to tasks like setting up and cleaning up our campsite. Finally, I thought, I could simply lead and not have to get my hands as dirty as normal.

I could not have been more incorrect. Especially as a young scout, it was difficult to get my peers to listen to me because they only saw me as their friend. In addition, I often had to grab a hammer myself and show the other scouts how I wanted certain stakes to be placed in the ground. Almost every aspect of the camping trip required my assistance in some way where I had to lead by example. Leadership was not as easy as I once thought. In fact, leading a group was much harder than just picking up the shovel and doing the dirty work.

As I eventually reached the initial planning of my Eagle Scout project in 10th grade, the massive amount of communicating, coordinating, and leading really began to make me reminisce. Less than a few years prior, I thought leadership was the easy part; where someone was just getting out of work to bark orders. Now, I finally understood the truth. I had to really wield the shovel firsthand to understand what it means to lead. In addition, I now have a much stronger appreciation for leadership and the incredible amount of energy and focus it takes to successfully encourage others.

In life, I hope to carry this concept forward by being thankful for the opportunities to grab a shovel and really do the dirty work. In the end, I know that hard work pays off because it allows a higher quality of leadership to develop. A greater appreciation for the components of teamwork allows me to truly see that you get out what you put in, and grabbing that shovel is the best thing you can do to overcome future obstacles.

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Image provided by nist6dh
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Just Keep Swimming

I have always loved swimming and water sports, but I was slightly nervous for this day. In order to gain the swimming merit badge and progress to the next scouting rank, I had to dive to the bottom of an artificial lake at Camp Shenandoah and retrieve a small weight from the bottom. Beforehand, I had dived down halfway and saw a large school of fish swimming right under the dock. Additionally, one of my close friends cut his foot on a rock resting on the bottom the day before. To make matters worse, the visibility of the water became worse the deeper I swam.

I waited the entire length of the class to take my turn and dive into the water. Before my instructor asked me to be tested, I took another test dive into the water. Instantly, I oriented my body and started swimming downward. Soon, the water become extremely cold and I couldn’t see anything in front of me through my squinted eyes. Running out of oxygen, I returned to the surface of the water without a speck of dirt in my hand. This failure made me even more nervous for my actual testing.

During the whole swimming merit badge class, I had to deal with a new feeling: uncertainty. Even though I was on a swim team back home and was normally comfortable in bodies of water, this murky-brown lake was something I was not at ease with. I felt like I wasn’t really taking advantage of my skills as a swimmer, and that the other students were progressing faster than myself. Dejected, I dreaded the moment I would be tested.

Finally, it was my turn to be assessed on my ability to retrieve a small brick from the diving section of the lake that varied between ten and fifteen feet deep. After the instructor threw the brick off the dock, I took a deep breath and jumped into the water. Time seemed to slow down as I headed towards the darkness of the lower lake. As soon as the water grew cold, I thought about returning to the surface. I shook this thought off and kept swimming. Then, in the blurry water, I noticed several fish. Again, I panicked and thought of returning to the surface. Right before I had to turn around, I noticed a large red brick just a few feet away. With my goal so close, I kept swimming down. I grabbed the object, kicked off the bottom of the water, and swam back to the surface.

After I came out of the water, I took several deep breaths and reveled in my success. I had accomplished something when it counted by swimming with a goal. I believed that I had accomplished the feat by being able to see my goal at the end. Seeing my goal drove me to keep swimming, and this is something I have used since in life. Whenever I am unsure of myself in a challenge, I try to visualize the end goal and “swim” towards that. Seeing myself obtain my goals can help drive me during the difficult parts of life. To me, I have realized that I can accomplish many things as long as I just keep swimming.

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Image Provided by Rob Purdie