From: Scoutmaster John D. McCarthy
Subject: May Cycling Outing Planning Meeting
Dear Scouts and Scouters,
I wish to report on the results of the May Cycling Outing Planning Meeting which I attended on Saturday evening (March 24, 2001).
Best regards,
Scouter John
It was decided that each troop will be responsible for its own meals.
On Saturday evening, however, there will be a buffet, where all the troops will share their meals with each other.
Dave Brigham of Troop 33 will serve as the Camping Merit Badge Counselor for this outing.
The group discussed the need for communications on this outing.
Dave Holderread of Troop 316 indicated that the Holderreads could bring some Walkie-Talkies to this outing.
It was remarked that cell phones were preferable to Walkie-Talkies as providing longer range communications.
Jim Kleiver of Troop 33 indicated that he could bring a cell phone to this outing.
Dave Holderread indicated that he could bring a cell phone to this outing.
Mrs. Brenner of Troop 585 indicated that she could bring three cell phones to this outing.
It was decided that each cyling group should be accompanied by one adult cycling with the group.
It was also decided that each cyling group should be followed by a vehicle which could pick up bikes if necessary.
Dave Holderread said that his vehicle will be equipped with a rack for this purpose.
John McCarthy of Troop 316 promised to find out what are the regulations for cooking at the Optimist Youth Camp.
There was some discussion about the terrain on which we will be cycling. It was decided that most of the bicycling needs to be kept to paved roads.
It was decided that every cyclist must wear a helmet on this outing. The helmet does not necessarily need to be a cycling helmet, but it must be impact resistant and equipped with proper straps.
It was decided that flag ceremonies should be conducted on this outing.
Dave Brigham agreed to conduct a bicycling seminar on Friday evening.
Joe Robb agreed to run a bicycle maintenance shop on this outing.
Joe Robb agreed to look into the possibility of cycling on an old abandoned railroad which runs westward from a point near the Optimist Youth Camp into Vermontville for a stretch of about 15 miles.
It was remarked that we need to have a backup plan for the outing in case the weather prohibits cycling. It was agreed that we could work on other aspects of the Cycling Merit Badge.
It was agreed that the troops should be mixed together in cycling groups to foster interaction between the troops. It was decided that this will be accomplished by having the troops line up to count off into cycling groups.
It was decided that the first 25 mile loop should leave right after breakfast on Saturday morning.
It was remarked that Scouts need to be equipped while cycling with plenty of water to prevent dehydration.
The following tentative schedule was agreed upon:
- Friday, May 18, 2001
- 6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. Set up camp.
- 7:30 p.m. Cycling Seminar (Mr. Dave Brigham)
- 9:00 p.m. Campwide Pot Luck Cracker Barrel
- Saturday, May 18, 2001
- 6:30 a.m. Reveille (Joe Robb?).
- 7:00 a.m. Flags (in uniform)
- 9:00 a.m. Bikeshop open
- 9:00 a.m. Begin first 25 mile loop
- 10:00 a.m. Begin shorter trip(s)
- 12:00 noon Lunch
- 1:30 p.m. Begin second 25 mile loop
- 6:00 p.m. Campwide Pot Luck Buffet
Dave Brigham stressed that the Cycling Merit Badge requires bicycles to be in good repair.
Dave Brigham said that he will accept other work done on the Cycling Merit Badge. He also said that he would send out announcements about prerequisites for the Cycling Merit Badge which should be worked on before this outing.
Dave Brigham said that multi-speed bicycles were advisable on this outing.
Dave Brigham said that mountain bikes would also be preferable.
John McCarthy said that he would send out an email to the troops asking for information about the types of bikes which their Scouts would be using on this outing.
It was agreed that there will be a Campwide Campfire on Saturday evening.
It was agreed that each troop should provide a skit for this campfire.
It was decided that a Flag Retirement Ceremony will be conducted at the Campwide Campfire on Saturday evening.
Troop 586 agreed to supply the flag for this ceremony.
It was decided that there should be intertroop flag ceremonies on this outing.
It was agreed that each troop needs to provide tarps to keep their bicycles covered for the weekend in case of rain.
Last Revised 5/15/2001