When I was 14, my 12-year-old brother, Zack, joined the Boy Scouts. For the first few weeks he tried to convince me to sign up, but I invariably used the excuse that I wasn’t “Boy Scout material”.

 

By Tom Unkenholz

 

When I was 14, my 12-year-old brother, Zack, joined the Boy Scouts. For the first few weeks he tried to convince me to sign up, but I invariably used the excuse that I wasn’t “Boy Scout material”.

I had multiple excuses for not joining. I thought, “I’m too old, I’m not cut out for Scouts, and I won’t know anyone there”. Despite my initial hesitation, Boy Scouts has turned out to be a great experience.

 

One day, however, I went with my mother to pick Zack up from Scouts, and was surprised to see how many older guys were there. Throughout the next year, I always tagged along to pick up my brother, so I could hang out with those guys. Finally, a senior Scout approached me with some sound reasons to join. I couldn’t think of a good argument not to after he pointed out that I was already at the meetings more than many of the younger members!

 

Even though most Scouts join in elementary school, that fact didn’t stop me from signing up in my junior year. I finally realized my excuse – that I wasn’t “Scout-like” – wasn’t true at all.

 

The late transition wasn’t difficult. My father is the pastor of the Harrison Presbyterian Church, so I was already doing a lot of community service there. Nevertheless, I was amazed at how much volunteering the Scouts did in the Rye community.

 

I’m one of those guys who researches the best travel coolers, watches shows like “Survivorman” and thinks, “I can do that”. The hikes and campouts were the first things that made me wonder whether Scouts was really what I had stereotyped it to be. I thought, “How nerdy can a boy be when he’s camping in a tent in 30-degree weather?”. The campouts aren’t always in freezing conditions, but they usually present challenges that each boy has to be prepared to handle. They vary in type and difficulty, so we have a chance to try everything from constructing shelters to sleep in, to camping in heated cabins.

 

The ones we have at the Rye Nature Center are great for younger Scouts to get used to camping without the stress of being far from home. They are also good for older Scouts, like myself, so we can take on leadership positions during more difficult treks.

 

One of the things I enjoy most about Scouts is the camaraderie. Working together to get a job done allows us to bond. When we helped clean up after “Mistletoe Magic”, we had Scouts of all ages packing up tables and chairs and picking up garbage. Within 15 minutes Purchase Street was like new.

 

Although we do quite a bit of community service, we also hang out and have fun. One day at camp, my friend and I went to an open field near the tent sites to play frisbee. After a little while a few guys asked if they could join in. Pretty soon we had an enormous game of ultimate frisbee going. And it’s great that Scouts gives us the chance to get together with Scouts from nearby troops and have fun just being guys.

 

The leadership skills we learn are not simply taught, but reinforced as we continue to move up in rank. Every Tuesday we have troop meetings, which are organized and led by Scouts who have been elected to their positions. As we advance in rank, we acquire skills in first aid, knot tying, and personal safety, which we teach to the newer Scouts.

 

Today, shows like “Man vs. Wild” and “Survivorman” have become popular because they demonstrate survival techniques to the average suburban guy who dreams of adventure experiences. My question to you is, “Why watch it, when you can live it?”