August 2011 Jamboree Committee Meeting Recap

Attendance:

Matt Becker, John Clawson, Roger Denton, Mike Eisenhauer, Larry Grantham, Rob Walling, David Whitmer

The Pony Express Council’s National Jamboree Committee met for the sixth time on Tuesday, August 2nd, 2011 to discuss plans for the upcoming 2013 National Scout Jamboree; scheduled to be held from July 15th-July 24th, 2013 in West Virginia.

This meeting’s agenda was adjusted slightly due to the smaller attendance than normal. Instead of breaking out into subcommittees the group stayed together and discussed the progress that was made over the committee’s couple month break for the summer. With the scouting summer ending soon this meeting proved to be a great opportunity to get everyone back onto the same page and bring the newest committee member, David Whitmer – Assistant Scoutmaster, up to speed.

The first of many items of discussion came from the promotions subcommittee with their recap of what has been accomplished so far, and what they expect to complete in the coming months. Promotional Banners for the National Jamboree and the Summit Bechtel Reserve were posted; with one on the Trading Post wall at Camp Geiger, and another at the council’s service center. The first promotional video for the 2013 Jamboree has been posted online and can be found through the Pony Express Council Website or Youtube. Updates to the council’s jamboree page seemed to be a welcomed addition that proves to be helpful for interested parties.

Coming down the pipe are several new items that will continue to keep the National Jamboree in front of everyone. A second promotional video is currently in the works, with an outline and script draft currently available. It should only be a matter of time to get the video complied and posted on the Internet much like the first video. This video will feature the selected adult leadership for the troop giving an introduction of who they are and their scouting history. It will also include information on how to sign up to attend. New promotional items that were discussed for the first time at this meeting included creating a new jamboree link on the council’s home webpage. The idea to use the Jamboree’s logo was brought up so that those interested don’t have to wait for the banner to scroll by to access the information. One of the other ideas included a mass mailing for everyone in the council, although this could potentially be a high cost it needs to be looked into what it will cost.

With nobody present from the Trip Details and Finance subcommittees we moved onto Recruitment to discuss their progress. Roger Denton discussed his involvement with the tribal council to get representatives from each of the dance districts to help with recruitment and information distribution. The idea to create a information packet was brought up that could be distributed to leaders, units, crews, dance districts, etc.. With 6 youth that have filled out interest forms and turned them into the scout office the question about out of council scouts arose to see if an answer was available on how to handle their registration. Unfortunately the answer was not known so the question would be passed onto the Jamboree department with the National council.

The first shakedown has been scheduled for October 20-21st, 2012 at Camp Geiger. Plans for the weekend are being put together and new information will be released as it becomes available.

Other items of interest that were discussed at the meeting consisted of new information released by National since the last committee meeting.

Online Registration is now LIVE! –

Participants and Staff can now register through the Summit Bechtel Reserve Website.

Welcome Letter for Received Interest Forms –

A draft of the letter was reviewed by those in attendance; corrections and additions will be made before they are sent out in the next couple of weeks.

www.summitblog.org -

The new national web blog for the Summit Bechtel Reserve and 2013 National Jamboree. If you have a moment go check it out at the above web address.

Venturing Patrol –

Leader and Youth Interest forms are available now! You can find them here:

Venturing Adult Interest Form

Youth Interest Form

Adult Interest forms will need to be returned to the Scout Office by September 5th, 2011 in order to be considered for a leadership position within the patrol. The committee is looking to find one male leader and one female leader for the group of 8 youth.

The next meeting has been set for Tuesday, September 6th, 2011 at 7 PM. The group will be meeting again in the Herzog Lodge to discuss progress and any new information. The agenda will be emailed out at a later date and posted on the Jamboree Blog.

June 2011 Jamboree Committee Meeting Recap

Attendance:
Matt Becker, John Campbell, John Clawson, Roger Denton, Seth Euler, Alan Franks, Larry Grantham, Randy Hager, Spencer Rosenak, Steven Rosenak, Dave Thomas, Andy Trout, Rob Walling

The Pony Express Council’s National Jamboree Committee met for the fifth time on Tuesday, June 7th, 2011 to discuss plans for the upcoming 2013 National Scout Jamboree; scheduled to be held from July 15th-July 24th, 2013 in West Virginia.

The promotions committee approved one of the banner designs during the meeting and the banner will be sent to print soon. Those interested need to look for this banner to show up at Camp Geiger this summer. Another item that this committee is working on is to set up a video loop of the promotional video that was released at the last committee meeting, during Wednesday night at Camp Geiger. Both of these items will be displayed for all to see at the Trading Post area of camp.

More progress was made in the planning of the trip details in regards to World Strides (Jamboree Touring Company). World Strides sent the council an updated itinerary to correspond with the suggestions that were made by the committee to alter dates and travel methods used for the trip. With the changes came a new price point of which the committee motioned to move forward to make the final commitment to using World Strides as the exclusive touring company for the trip. The trip will begin on Sunday July 14, 2013 with a flight into Charleston, West Virginia. After a night at a hotel the group will leave the following morning to the National Jamboree where the will spend 10 days in the mountains of West Virginia near the New River Gorge (July 15 – July 24, 2013). On the morning of July 24th the troop will then depart the Jamboree for a spectacular train ride through the Gorge starting in Princeton, WV and ending in Washington D.C. that early evening. At which from that point on, the troops will be staying in hotels and touring the nation’s capitol until the late afternoon of July 26, 2013. The troop will then fly out from one of the area airports back to Kansas City to be reunited with family and friends back home. The places being visited and toured are still being decided upon, but my guess is that it will be similar to the trip taken in 2010. If you’re interested in learning more about where the 2010 group toured head on over their blog at: jamboreetroop1122.blogspot.com


The finance subcommittee is still working on creating a budget for the event to establish a final trip cost for the participants. With the new cost information from WorldStrides it will only be a matter of time before final costs are established. The number being tossed around at the committee meetings is $2500, although with more time we will have a better idea of what to expect once the final cost is released. Fundraising options are still being tossed around as well; these will be designed to help assist the boys in paying their own way. With the goal of giving every interested boy the opportunity to attend, this will become more of a major focus as time progresses.

Recruitment for Jamboree youth members is well underway now that the youth interest forms are out and being circulated. Forms can be found online or at the scout office and can be turned into the office or emailed to Matt Becker, Jamboree Staff Advisor. The recruiting sub-committee will be getting volunteers to help out from each of the Mic-O-Say dance districts. Their job will be to help assist in spreading the word about the National Jamboree and to get boys signed up to attend.

The first shakedown has been scheduled for October 20-21st, 2012 at Camp Geiger. Plans for the weekend are being put together and new information will be released as it becomes available.

Other items of interest that were discussed at the meeting consisted of lots of new information released by National since the last committee meeting.

Online Registration is now LIVE! –
Participants and Staff can now register through the Summit Bechtel Reserve Website.

Online Application Instructions –
Here are instructions on how to register online through the Summit Website

Be Prepared Document –
This document shows what scouts and scouters need to do in order to be prepared and to be considered for attendance at the Jamboree.

BSA National Meeting Update –
New information about the Jamboree experience at the Summit was released to those in attendance at the National Meeting in San Diego. Notes taken from this meeting were shared with the committee.

2013 Jamboree Brand Identity Guide –
If you’re interested follow the link to look of the new brand standards for the National Jamboree in 2013

Summit Promotional Video –
This video was posted here on the blog earlier but here is the link again.

Patrol Z Members Selected –
Here is the link to all news on Patrol Z

Boy Scout Troop Leadership Selection –
Scoutmaster – Rob Walling
Assistant Scoutmaster – David Whitmer
Assistant Scoutmaster – Randy Hager

This selection was approved by the committee and will be heading up the troop as the process moves forward. Alternates have also been selected in the event that someone would need to step down from the position.

Venturing Patrol –
Leader and Youth Interest forms are available now! You can find them here:
Venturing Adult Interest Form
Youth Interest Form

Adult Interest forms will need to be returned to the Scout Office by September 5th, 2011 in order to be considered for a leadership position within the patrol. The committee is looking to find one male leader and one female leader for the group of 8 youth.

The next meeting has been set for Tuesday, August 2nd, 2011 at 7 PM. The group will be meeting again in the Herzog Lodge to discuss progress and any new information. The agenda will be emailed out at a later date and posted on the Jamboree Blog.

2013 National Jamboree Registration Now LIVE!

WELCOME TO THE 2013 NSJ REGISTRATION SITE!

We are very excited about the jamboree and are pleased that you are interested in attending as a participant or staff member. A lot of things about the jamboree at our new home, the Summit Bechtel National Scout Reserve, are different from past jamborees. The Summit is a physically demanding facility, and minimum physical fitness standards will be enforced. While the jamboree is not as strenuous as an extended high-adventure trek, it will be appreciably more demanding than the jamborees held at Fort A.P. Hill.

Some of our geographic features at the Summit include:

• Mean elevation of 2,500 feet above sea level

• Elevation change of 200 feet from the Summit Center to the Staff Village

• Hiking (there will be no transportation vehicles to ride) up to three miles to/from the program bases

We want your 2013 National Scout Jamboree experience to be the best 10 days of your life! Please read carefully the Be Prepared policy, check the acknowledgement and you will be on your way!

BE PREPARED!

PHYSICAL FITNESS

The national jamboree is a physically demanding experience. West Virginia is called “the Mountain State” for a reason and our new home, the Summit, offers a very different environment than Fort A.P. Hill. The 2013 National Scout Jamboree is “on foot,” with all participants and staff walking/hiking everywhere; there will not be bus circuits or personal vehicles on site. While a lot of the site is level, there are regular changes in grade as part of everyone’s daily schedule. The Staff Village, for example, is 200 feet higher than Twelve Points, the flag plaza in the Summit Center; staff will make that hike, or one that is similar, at least once and probably twice every day, and participants will be hiking even more. A number of our activities require more stamina and fitness too—think climbing, rappelling, rafting, mountain biking, and skateboarding. It is essential that all participants and staff are prepared for their Summit jamboree experience.

Obesity and being overweight have been shown to increase the likelihood of certain diseases and other health problems: hypertension, heart attack, dyslipidemia, and stroke. Anyone who is obese and has multiple risk factors for cardiovascular/cardiopulmonary disease would be at much greater risk of an acute cardiovascular/cardiopulmonary event imposed on them by the environmental stresses of the Summit. Our goal is to prevent any serious health-related event from occurring, and ensuring that all of our participants and staff are “physically strong.”

The Centers for Disease Control is the national body that monitors our overall health as a country, and it makes recommendations to help us stay or become healthy. The CDC suggests using a body mass index as a screening tool for obesity; it is easy and only requires knowing your height and weight. The BMI is a governmental calculation based on nationwide statistics that take into account variables that include geography, age, and sex. The simple online calculator to determine your BMI can be found at www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/assessing/bmi/.

The CDC defines the BMI Healthy Weight as follows:

• If your BMI is less than 18.5, it falls within the “underweight” range.

• If your BMI is 18.5 to 24.9, it falls within the “normal” or Healthy Weight range.

• If your BMI is 25.0 to 29.9, it falls within the “overweight” range.

• If your BMI is 30.0 or higher, it falls within the “obese” range.

We know the BMI is just one of the factors to be considered, and we will take those other ”co-morbidities” into account as we make our decisions about an individual’s inclusion in the jamboree. The BSA high-adventure bases have determined they will exclude anyone from participation that has a BMI of 32.0 or higher, regardless of any other circumstances. The national jamboree at the Summit has some high-adventure elements but is not a 24/7 high-adventure experience, so we have modified the criteria for the jamboree.

Accordingly, it is the policy of the 2013 National Scout Jamboree that:

The national jamboree will uphold a decision by an applicant’s personal health care practitioner to deny participation for medical reasons.

The national jamboree will accept for participation applicants that are recommended for participation by their health care practitioner and have a BMI of 31.9 or less.

The national jamboree will consider for participation applicants with a BMI of 32.0 to 39.9 and/or one of the following risks:

-Hypertension

-Diabetes mellitus

-Tobacco use

-Dyslipidemia

-Prior heart attack

-Coronary angioplasty/stent

-Prior stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA)

-Coronary artery surgery

-Family history of premature (before age 55) coronary artery disease

-Sleep apnea requiring CPAP or BiPAP

-COPD

*Applicants may be requested to provide further documentation, including cardiac testing, pulmonary testing, or further information from their physician to ensure the applicant’s ability to participate.

Jamboree Medical Services will provide specific instructions to the practitioner to determine eligibility.

The national jamboree cannot accept for participation any applicant with a BMI of 40.0 or higher.

TOBACCO

The current Guide to Safe Scouting states:

“Adult leaders should support the attitude that they, as well as youths, are better off without tobacco in any form and may not allow the use of tobacco products at any BSA activity involving youth participants. All Scouting functions, meetings, and activities should be conducted on a smoke-free basis, with smoking areas located away from all participants.”

Accordingly, it is the policy of the 2013 National Scout Jamboree that:

Smoking and the use of smokeless tobacco is prohibited in all national jamboree buildings, tents, and vehicles. While in BSA uniform and/or on duty, smoking or the use of smokeless tobacco is not permitted.

The use of tobacco by visitors or off-duty non-uniformed staff or leaders will be restricted to designated areas.

ALCOHOL

The current Guide to Safe Scouting states:

The following statement was approved by the National Executive Board of the Boy Scouts of America:

“It is the policy of the Boy Scouts of America that the use of alcoholic beverages and controlled substances is not permitted at encampments or activities on property owned and/or operated by the Boy Scouts of America, or at any activity involving participation of youth members.”

Accordingly, it is the policy of the 2013 National Scout Jamboree that:

Alcoholic beverages and controlled substances are not permitted at the national jamboree.

Click Here to Register for the 2013 National Scout Jamboree

Source: Summit Bechtel Reserve

Jamboree Participation Terms Spelled Out!

MANDATORY TERMS - YOUTH AND ADULT LEADER

STATEMENT OF UNDERSTANDING:

All participants (youth and leaders) are selected by their local council to represent their local councils based on their qualifications in character, camping skills, physical and personal fitness, and leadership qualities. Therefore, all adult and youth participants and their parents or guardians are asked to read the Code of Conduct and Statement of Understanding as a condition of participation. It is with the further understanding that serious misconduct or infraction of rules and regulations may result in expulsion, at the participant’s own expense, from the Jamboree or during the Jamboree tour. Each participant is responsible for his or her own behavior, and only when necessary will the procedure be invoked to send a participant home from the Jamboree.

I understand as part of my jamboree registration fees, I am entitled to a “Jambo 13 Kit” consisting of a duffel and two activity shirts. I will not arrive with anything that does not fit in the “Jambo 13 Kit” and that is not on the approved equipment list.

CODE OF CONDUCT:

1. The units' adult leaders are responsible for the supervision of its membership in respect to maintaining discipline, security, and the Jamboree Code of Conduct.

2. Leaders will be guided by the Scout Oath and Scout Law and will obey all U.S., local, and state laws.

3. I will set a good example by keeping myself neatly dressed and presentable. (The official BSA uniform and/or Jamboree identifying items are the only acceptable apparel as deemed appropriate for the activity.)

4. I will attend all scheduled programs and participate as required in cooperation with other unit members and leaders.

5. In consideration of other unit participants, I agree to follow the bedtime and sleep schedule of the unit, unless otherwise directed by the Jamboree program.

6. I will be responsible for keeping my tent and personal gear clean and neat and label all personal gear. I will adhere to all Jamboree recycling policies and regulations. I will do my share to prevent littering of the Jamboree grounds.

7. I understand that the purchase, possession, or consumption of alcoholic beverages or illegal drugs is prohibited on BSA/Summit property.

8. Serious and/or repetitive behavior violations including cheating, stealing, dishonesty, swearing, fighting, and cursing, may result in expulsion from the Jamboree or serious disciplinary action and loss of privileges. The Jamboree headquarters must be contacted for the expulsion procedure to be invoked. There are no exceptions.

9. I understand that gambling of any form is prohibited.

10. I understand that possession of lasers of any type, and possession or detonation of fireworks is prohibited unless otherwise specifically authorized by the Boy Scouts of America.

11. I will demonstrate respect for unit and Jamboree property and be personally responsible for any loss, breakage, or vandalism of property as a result of my actions.

12. Neither the unit leaders nor the Boy Scouts of America will be responsible for loss, breakage, or theft of personal items. I will label all my personal items and check items of value at the direction of unit leaders. Theft will be grounds for expulsion.

13. I will obey the safety rules and instructions of all supervisors and staff members.

14. In accordance with U.S., local and state laws, firearms and weapons are prohibited in the possession of all Jamboree participants unless otherwise specifically authorized by the Boy Scouts of America.

15. All leaders must complete Youth Protection training prior to pre-Jamboree training and follow the guidelines therein.

16. Hazing has no place in Scouting; nor do running the gauntlet, belt lines, or similar physical punishment.

17. Patch and souvenir trading should occur only between your peers.

18. Participants’ and staff members’ may only bring items specified on the equipment list provided by the Jamboree Department, National Council.

19. Violation of this Code of Conduct, or any other conduct deemed to be inconsistent with the values of Scouting, may result in expulsion from the Jamboree at the participant’s own expense; and could result in revocation of BSA membership.

20. All participants (with the exception of minor children accompanied by a parent or guardian) will have a current photo id in their possession.

TERMS & CONDITIONS WAIVER:

I (we) approve and agree to all the terms and conditions of this application and certify that the applicant meets the health and physical fitness requirements of the Jamboree.

This application includes my request for personal accident insurance to be purchased on my behalf. This policy is excess to any other available source of medical benefits. The cost of this insurance is included in the Jamboree fee. It is understood that payment of claims by the insurance company is contingent upon prompt reporting of claims, if any, by the participant.

I understand that the Jamboree will be covered by news media and moviemaking and broadcasting companies, and I hereby consent to the use of my voice and/or photograph in the news coverage, moviemaking, or similar projects approved by the Boy Scouts of America without compensation and I further agree to release and hold the Boy Scouts of America harmless for any and all claims and liability with regard to such use.

In consideration of the benefits to be derived from participation in the 2013 National Scout Jamboree, any and all claims against the Boy Scouts of America or its local council, the United States of America, state of West Virginia or any of the officers, employees, agents, or other representatives of any of them, or any other persons working under their direction or engaged in the conduct of their affairs, arising out of any accident, illness, injury, damage or other loss or harm to or incurred or suffered by the applicant named above or to his property, in connection with or incidental to the 2013 National Scout Jamboree, including preliminary training and travel, are hereby expressly waived by the parents and the applicant.

Source: Summit Bechtel Reserve

Wanted: Adult Leaders!

Adults if you are interested in serving as one of the 2013 National Jamboree Troop Leaders, please fill out the following interest form and return it to the Pony Express Council Office. Forms are due back to the council office by May 2nd, 2011.

Adult Interest Form

2013 National Jamboree Registration Information

Registration for the 2013 National Jamboree will begin in late Spring of 2011.

Participant qualifications have been posted at the Summit Bechtel Reserve's Website, check it out to see if you are eligible to attend!

Source: Summit Bechtel Reserve