Round table or "Huddle"

 Well.... I went to my first round table as the new Team Coach of Team 7465. Our meetings are actually called Huddles to keep with the team theme of the program. These places are excellent to know what is going on in the district and council and helps give additional training to help you in your positions. When I was called to be a coach the first time, I went to Huddle and the Huddle commissioner and one of his committee members helped mentor me. I learned a lot from those two men and they helped me a lot. I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for them and they helped keep the Varsity fire alive in me.

But this Huddle was different. This is where I begin to struggle. I grew up in the Great Salt Lake Council. This is one of the biggest councils (youth wise) in the BSA. There is a certain perception about this council that has both good and bad qualities. I would be glad to discuss them later but lets just say that the council has a "Good Ole Boys" perception.

My wife and I bought our first home in the Trapper Trails Council. I grew to love that council and was heavily involved and various committee's. I was able to serve on two Wood Badge Staffs. I was on the council Varsity Committee. I was my districts Varsity LST trainer. My father was a district chairman and he and I would have conversations regarding the things he learned during his meetings in the GSLC. This is where I noticed a difference between TTC & GSLC. When my wife and I decided to move, I was scared because that would mean I would be back in the GSLC, the same ward & district I grew up in. I talked to my close friend Jeremy who works for the TTC and we discussed how this will be a good thing that I could help change this perception.

To make a long story short, the Huddle was interesting. There were only four of us in the room. The commissioner was talking about awards both the adult and youth can earn. He did bring up that there have been some changes regarding the varsity letter. Normally I am one of the first to know about these changes because of my research and fact finding, but this person was bringing things up that I had no clue existed. I finally found out where he was referencing and became a little uneasy. There are web sites like www.meritbadge.org or www.usscouts.org that can be very helpful. When it comes to requirements to like the Varsity Letter or the Denali Award, I trust the official sources of the BSA.

Here's an example: In order to earn the Denali Award, you must have as Board of Review with a representative from the District. This requirement changed in 2012 and the official announcement came from the Scouting Magazine published by the BSA. Whether you are a commissioner or a unit leader, please be careful where you receive your information from. Unless it comes from the BSA officially, always refer to the Varsity Scout Guide Book. There are even some errors in there, but always obtain your info from offical documents, not on third party/opinion sites.