Tips for a Young Scout

Hey,
I hear you want to become an Eagle Scout. I’m a three-palm Eagle so I have some advice I can give you.
Advance early and fast. I was a life scout before I finished 7th grade. You can go through the first few ranks very quickly. Looking at the tenderfoot requirements, you can wipe all but a few of those out on one camping trip.
And I don’t remember any rule saying you couldn’t be working on requirements for further ranks at the same time. That same camping trip and a swim in a pool and you’ve just about got second class. First class doesn’t have to take long either.
If you need a pool, I’ve heard Shelby High School has open swim hours. You could get together a bunch of boys to go down there and get checked out together some time. There’s also the Shelby City Park pool when it opens.
I remember taking a notebook to scout meetings. It’s good to be organized. I’d have a list of the requirements I knew I could check off that night. I’d find an adult leader, rattle off some info and advance very quickly. I saw you doing that sort of thing at your meeting. Read you handbook, know your stuff, take advantage of the opportunities to get things checked off on camping trips and try to make it to camp.
Going to camp is a great way to rack up merit badges, and those are a trick to the star and life ranks. Finding a position of responsibility won’t be hard - there’s always an opening for a scribe, guide, instructor….
Also, you probably already have enough hobbies for six merit badges right now. Doing well in school? Get your scholarship merit badge. Like to read? There’s one for books, too. You’re in the drama club -- there’s a badge for theater.
My family spends a lot of time around the water. Using our skills and equipment, or those of family friends, I was able to rack up motor boating, rowing, sailing and water skiing outside of camp for things I already knew how to do anyway. At camp I earned canoeing, lifesaving, swimming and the mile swim award without any trouble. Take advantage of your opportunities.
Once you’ve got star and life, the big trick to getting Eagle is the service project. It’s best to have a year or so for this, so don’t save it to the last minute. Again, it’s good to get through the first ranks very quickly.
The older scouts will have plenty of ideas on good projects. I did my project making and putting up signs everywhere a 20-mile local trail around a lake crossed a road. I got the idea, and a lot of support, from a local state park.
If you look at a map, there are three state parks (South Mtns., Crowder’s Mtn. and South Carolina’s King’s Mtn.) and a national battlefield (King’s Mountain) all within easy reach. If you give any of them a call I’m sure they will have plenty of projects on their wish lists.
As far as leading and conducting the project, I didn’t have to buy anything for my project. Everything was donated or done for free. I’m sure if you call around you can arrange similar deals.
The tricky think I found about my Eagle project was transportation. I was always having to get rides to and from sites because I wasn’t old enough to drive yet. But once you start driving and are in high school with lots of extracurricular activities and other great things that compete for your time.
You may get picked on some at first by other boys. I had the same things happen to me. Don’t worry too much - a lot of those kids will drop out pretty quickly. The faster you earn rank and get away from those kids the less you’ll have to deal with them.
When you get a position of responsibility, don’t overdo it at first. I’ve seen kids get some authority and get out of control. Watch the older boys in the unit - how they do things. Don’t be like Cartman on South Park.
Speaking of older boys, you’ll be one of them before you know it. When I entered my troop I remember looking up to the more advanced scouts. Then one day I looked around and I was one of the older guys.
Remember when you get to that point that you can do a lot of good for the younger guys in your troop.
You have the opportunity and obligation to pass on and repay the goodwill shown to you by those who came before.