https://kiakimamuseum.org/files/original/922377ca9a5f5f3b8257b3fe3ae50444.pdf a955b8c2b0beea7e5f659429f0211e60 PDF Text Text EVERY RID'S A WINNER AT THE MEMPHIS SCOUT OLYMPICS recruitment drive in the world." offers John Ingram. almost modestly. John is a Scouting professional for the council and adviser to the Olympics Boys poured off buses at Memphis State University's Sports Complex early on an overcasl Saturday morning in May. Some travelled from 65 or 70 miles away- from towns like Sardis. Walls. and Senatobia in Mio;;sissippi. from Edmondson. Turrell. and other places in Arkansas. They came from greater Memphis and all over Shelby County. some of them not knowing quite what to expect They'd been visited in their schools by Scouting repreo;;entativcs who'd told them about a dayoffun and a chance to become Boy Scouts. but they stilt wondered. Some already knew they wanted 10 be Scouts. "It's fun.'' said one. "Most of my friends are in it." revealed another. Fiflh·grader Marlon Jones said he wanted to be a Scout .. to help people." They'd come that day to "have fun. try to win. run. all kinds of thing\ ... But another participant. Michael Torrance. wasn't sure what the day would hold ''I've gotta see.'' he said Michael. assigned to a patrol of eight boys from I t's a hopping. jumping. racing, tugging mass of fifth·graders down there on the ~r;ctt~~:;i:I~~~~:~eb::~~ksi~,~~s~:i. i~;~~,~~ trol. as 1.480 boys encounter Scouting. "It's like a beehive. but the most construe· tive, beautiful thing you've ever seen," says Al Guenther, volunteer events chairman for the 1982 Scout Olympics in Chickasaw Council. Memphis, Tenn. "It's probabl;• the largest one·day Boy Scout 28 November· December 1982 Sco111i11g �Of the 1,500 non-Scouts who show up for the Chickasaw Council Olympics, about 1,200 sign up for Scouting. (Left) Scout Eric Ke1111et~1· co11grawla1es recrui1 SuuyBesrafter wg of war. ( Be/011') Ser· 1·ice111a11. righr.judgesas pmro/memherscales eigh1Joot1rnll his own school as they stepped off their bus. wou ld soon see. For him. it wou ld be a day of Scout in g ski lls and fun. plus the story of what it is to be a Boy Scout. For Chickasaw Council's Scout troops. the day would be a prime chance to bring mo re boys into Scouting. with Scoutmaste rs ready to fo ll ow up by contacting boys and parents listed o n registration records. " I think it"s been proved that we have to ma rket the Scouting program today more than we eve r have," expla ins Chickasaw Scout Executive J oe Sco111i11g November December 1982 Long. " I believe somet hing has to be done in the sp ringt im e to gel th at fifth-grader into Scouting." The sprin g eve nt provides a balance with fall sc hool ni ght recruitments. but it recruits Boy Scouts only. and it gives boys a chance to join a troop m tim e to go to summ e r ca mp "Quite frankly. in th e last lhree years Scouting membership has grow n tremendous ly in Chickasaw Co uncil." says Dr. W. W . He renton, s uperintendent of Me mphis City Schools and council membership c hairman . It is more than coin- 29 �(Abo1'e) Patrol ream ex· 11/rsin wgofwarw'cto1y ( Bef011') O~rn1pics chair· ma11 Rear Admiral T. L Malone Jr., and Mem· phis Srare Coach Dana Kirk survey O~}'mpics fiddco111e\'H 30 cidence that 1982 was the third yea r for the Olympics. "It's been extremely successful in our council. and it has applicability for other coun· cils.·· John Ingram estimates 80 percent of Olympics participants actually join a troop and begin attending meetings. From 1979 (before the first Olympics) to the end of 1981. che council's Boy Scout membership leaped from 4,053 to 5.029. Ingram attributes the increase "almost entirely to the Scout Olympics.'' If that sounds like magic. a day at the Scout Olympics clears up the mystery. leaving only the question .. ;How could any boy here resist signing up?" The patrols, each led by an older Boy Scout or an adult leade r. soon headed for their first of 10 events. all scaled-down. typical camporee activi· ties. "We chose events that almost anybody can do." said Al Guenther. "'There's lilll e if any athletic compe11tion. All of them are fun·type games to introduce them 10 Scouting." Chickasaw·~ first Olympics did use athle1ic events. but John Ingram redesigned the plans the following year. wanting "to use those six hours to the fullest advantage for Scouting." It wasn't long before the boys began to understand what a patrol was. They suddenly had a patrol name. and found themselves yelling it out as they moved down the field. ''What's your patrol name?" "Bobcats!" "I can't hear you!" "BOBCATS!" "One more time!" "BOBCATS'" Almost before they knew it. the Bobcats had been organized by their patrol leader. Jerry Guess, a Scout from Troop 89, Ascension Lutheran Church. Memphis. And just in time to try the quietest event of all, Kim's Game. They concentrated, counting on fingers, memorizing the items st rewn on a tarp ... Work as a team." Jerry counseled. "Concentrate on four or five." Then ii was on to the Scout Rescue. where teamwork would really count. Jerry taught the November · December 1982 Scowing �Action events, medals, and local personalities draw recruits to a get-acquainted-with-Scouting day. square knot. so the boys could tie short pieces of rope into a long one. and then the race against the clock was on. ··1f the person next to you has trouble. help him out." Jerry coached. After some trial and error. the knots held. the tied-together rope was flung to a boy who tied it to a weight. and the triumphant patrol pulled it across the finish line "You're rooting for them. to keep them going." Jerry told his patrol as they prepared for the Chariot Race ... That's spirit. That's another thing you learn in Scouting: you root for your teammates:· "Go. go. go!'" the boys yelled, as two of them pulled a third on a wooden sled. Thereweremultiplesitesforeacheven1.s1affed by volunteer judges. Scout, and non-Scout. "Fi rst time I've seen this many kids in one spot!" laughed Airman Apprentice Mark Reynolds, stationed at the U.S. a val Air station near Memphis. Sailors. Marines. and Explorers filled out the roster of 300 volunteers necessary to staff the Olympics. Order of the Arrow Lodge 406 took over bus and car parking and soft drink stands, as well as providing some patrol leaders. Even the Tennessee National Guard had been called out-to supply water containers for the thirsty boys. For the 175 patrols. there was a chance to practice before most events. to see how that log felt before heaving it into the air, to sec how that tire would roll. A patrol of Eagles cheered on a teammate. "Go. Gerard, go!" as Gerard discovered a free-running technique that kept the tire rolling almost by itself. Sharon Blackford, president of the council's Explorer post association. was supervising one of the day's few competitive events. Teaching two patrols the rules. she stepped back to let the boys plunge into the chalked circle, scrambling for the purple and white nags tucked into their belts. (The "purples" tried to get the "whites" and vice versa.) Over at the Tug of War, the soft ea rth was churned up by the efforts of strugglin g teams. Boys were ready to tug long before the signal sounded. but once the whistle blew, they put their bodies into it, grimaces on their faces. "Y'all are slippin' on a banana peel," Major Boyce called as the opposing patrol inched over the line. ("Major" is his name; he was one of the team participants.) By now. boys were waiting breathlessly after each event to learn their time, knowing medals would be given later. "Twenty-nine seconds! Is that the best?" "That was hard! I thought I was going to fall down," said Allan Hunter as he finished his backward run in the Motion Relay. Contestants continued to leapfrog. wheelbarrow. and hop Scouting November/ December 1982 across the finish line. "All right. you guys. that was great!" The patrol leader's congratulations were part of the spirit that echoed up and down the field. For those who had played the game before, the Soccer Relay presented a place to show off their ski lls: for others it was a lesson. "Getting around the corner.. was the hardest part for Jason Woolkill. Too much enthusiasm could send the ball beyond the peg that was the crucial turn-around point. The greatest challenge of the day was the scaling of an eight-foot wall. Fortunately a practice wall was avai lable, and much strategy was formulated around it. Two boys cou ld boost the rest up, but with three or four boosting, maybe three boys could top the wall at once. As the Bobcat Patrol waited their turn at the wall. Patrol Leader Jerry Guess answered questions about Scouting. '"Where do you buy the uniform. Jerry?" was one (continued on page 48) (Top) Grandstand is filled wirlr Chicasa\\· Cou11ci/Olympicsco111e11dersa1 a\\·ardsceremonies. (Above) Chariot race strained both kids' muscles and their 1•ocal chords. 31 � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Chickasaw Council Publications and Papers Description An account of the resource Contains miscellaneous publications and papers by and about the Chickasaw Council. Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Text Any textual data included in the document EVERY RID'S A WINNER AT THE MEMPHIS SCOUT OLYMPICS recruitment drive in the world." offers John Ingram. almost modestly. John is a Scouting professional for the council and adviser to the Olympics Boys poured off buses at Memphis State University's Sports Complex early on an overcasl Saturday morning in May. Some travelled from 65 or 70 miles away- from towns like Sardis. Walls. and Senatobia in Mio;;sissippi. from Edmondson. Turrell. and other places in Arkansas. They came from greater Memphis and all over Shelby County. some of them not knowing quite what to expect They'd been visited in their schools by Scouting repreo;;entativcs who'd told them about a dayoffun and a chance to become Boy Scouts. but they stilt wondered. Some already knew they wanted 10 be Scouts. "It's fun.'' said one. "Most of my friends are in it." revealed another. Fiflh·grader Marlon Jones said he wanted to be a Scout .. to help people." They'd come that day to "have fun. try to win. run. all kinds of thing\ ... But another participant. Michael Torrance. wasn't sure what the day would hold ''I've gotta see.'' he said Michael. assigned to a patrol of eight boys from I t's a hopping. jumping. racing, tugging mass of fifth·graders down there on the ~r;ctt~~:;i:I~~~~:~eb::~~ksi~,~~s~:i. i~;~~,~~ trol. as 1.480 boys encounter Scouting. "It's like a beehive. but the most construe· tive, beautiful thing you've ever seen," says Al Guenther, volunteer events chairman for the 1982 Scout Olympics in Chickasaw Council. Memphis, Tenn. "It's probabl;• the largest one·day Boy Scout 28 November· December 1982 Sco111i11g Of the 1,500 non-Scouts who show up for the Chickasaw Council Olympics, about 1,200 sign up for Scouting. (Left) Scout Eric Ke1111et~1· co11grawla1es recrui1 SuuyBesrafter wg of war. ( Be/011') Ser· 1·ice111a11. righr.judgesas pmro/memherscales eigh1Joot1rnll his own school as they stepped off their bus. wou ld soon see. For him. it wou ld be a day of Scout in g ski lls and fun. plus the story of what it is to be a Boy Scout. For Chickasaw Council's Scout troops. the day would be a prime chance to bring mo re boys into Scouting. with Scoutmaste rs ready to fo ll ow up by contacting boys and parents listed o n registration records. " I think it"s been proved that we have to ma rket the Scouting program today more than we eve r have," expla ins Chickasaw Scout Executive J oe Sco111i11g November December 1982 Long. " I believe somet hing has to be done in the sp ringt im e to gel th at fifth-grader into Scouting." The sprin g eve nt provides a balance with fall sc hool ni ght recruitments. but it recruits Boy Scouts only. and it gives boys a chance to join a troop m tim e to go to summ e r ca mp "Quite frankly. in th e last lhree years Scouting membership has grow n tremendous ly in Chickasaw Co uncil." says Dr. W. W . He renton, s uperintendent of Me mphis City Schools and council membership c hairman . It is more than coin- 29 (Abo1'e) Patrol ream ex· 11/rsin wgofwarw'cto1y ( Bef011') O~rn1pics chair· ma11 Rear Admiral T. L Malone Jr., and Mem· phis Srare Coach Dana Kirk survey O~}'mpics fiddco111e\'H 30 cidence that 1982 was the third yea r for the Olympics. "It's been extremely successful in our council. and it has applicability for other coun· cils.·· John Ingram estimates 80 percent of Olympics participants actually join a troop and begin attending meetings. From 1979 (before the first Olympics) to the end of 1981. che council's Boy Scout membership leaped from 4,053 to 5.029. Ingram attributes the increase "almost entirely to the Scout Olympics.'' If that sounds like magic. a day at the Scout Olympics clears up the mystery. leaving only the question .. ;How could any boy here resist signing up?" The patrols, each led by an older Boy Scout or an adult leade r. soon headed for their first of 10 events. all scaled-down. typical camporee activi· ties. "We chose events that almost anybody can do." said Al Guenther. "'There's lilll e if any athletic compe11tion. All of them are fun·type games to introduce them 10 Scouting." Chickasaw·~ first Olympics did use athle1ic events. but John Ingram redesigned the plans the following year. wanting "to use those six hours to the fullest advantage for Scouting." It wasn't long before the boys began to understand what a patrol was. They suddenly had a patrol name. and found themselves yelling it out as they moved down the field. ''What's your patrol name?" "Bobcats!" "I can't hear you!" "BOBCATS!" "One more time!" "BOBCATS'" Almost before they knew it. the Bobcats had been organized by their patrol leader. Jerry Guess, a Scout from Troop 89, Ascension Lutheran Church. Memphis. And just in time to try the quietest event of all, Kim's Game. They concentrated, counting on fingers, memorizing the items st rewn on a tarp ... Work as a team." Jerry counseled. "Concentrate on four or five." Then ii was on to the Scout Rescue. where teamwork would really count. Jerry taught the November · December 1982 Scowing Action events, medals, and local personalities draw recruits to a get-acquainted-with-Scouting day. square knot. so the boys could tie short pieces of rope into a long one. and then the race against the clock was on. ··1f the person next to you has trouble. help him out." Jerry coached. After some trial and error. the knots held. the tied-together rope was flung to a boy who tied it to a weight. and the triumphant patrol pulled it across the finish line "You're rooting for them. to keep them going." Jerry told his patrol as they prepared for the Chariot Race ... That's spirit. That's another thing you learn in Scouting: you root for your teammates:· "Go. go. go!'" the boys yelled, as two of them pulled a third on a wooden sled. Thereweremultiplesitesforeacheven1.s1affed by volunteer judges. Scout, and non-Scout. "Fi rst time I've seen this many kids in one spot!" laughed Airman Apprentice Mark Reynolds, stationed at the U.S. a val Air station near Memphis. Sailors. Marines. and Explorers filled out the roster of 300 volunteers necessary to staff the Olympics. Order of the Arrow Lodge 406 took over bus and car parking and soft drink stands, as well as providing some patrol leaders. Even the Tennessee National Guard had been called out-to supply water containers for the thirsty boys. For the 175 patrols. there was a chance to practice before most events. to see how that log felt before heaving it into the air, to sec how that tire would roll. A patrol of Eagles cheered on a teammate. "Go. Gerard, go!" as Gerard discovered a free-running technique that kept the tire rolling almost by itself. Sharon Blackford, president of the council's Explorer post association. was supervising one of the day's few competitive events. Teaching two patrols the rules. she stepped back to let the boys plunge into the chalked circle, scrambling for the purple and white nags tucked into their belts. (The "purples" tried to get the "whites" and vice versa.) Over at the Tug of War, the soft ea rth was churned up by the efforts of strugglin g teams. Boys were ready to tug long before the signal sounded. but once the whistle blew, they put their bodies into it, grimaces on their faces. "Y'all are slippin' on a banana peel," Major Boyce called as the opposing patrol inched over the line. ("Major" is his name; he was one of the team participants.) By now. boys were waiting breathlessly after each event to learn their time, knowing medals would be given later. "Twenty-nine seconds! Is that the best?" "That was hard! I thought I was going to fall down," said Allan Hunter as he finished his backward run in the Motion Relay. Contestants continued to leapfrog. wheelbarrow. and hop Scouting November/ December 1982 across the finish line. "All right. you guys. that was great!" The patrol leader's congratulations were part of the spirit that echoed up and down the field. For those who had played the game before, the Soccer Relay presented a place to show off their ski lls: for others it was a lesson. "Getting around the corner.. was the hardest part for Jason Woolkill. Too much enthusiasm could send the ball beyond the peg that was the crucial turn-around point. The greatest challenge of the day was the scaling of an eight-foot wall. Fortunately a practice wall was avai lable, and much strategy was formulated around it. Two boys cou ld boost the rest up, but with three or four boosting, maybe three boys could top the wall at once. As the Bobcat Patrol waited their turn at the wall. Patrol Leader Jerry Guess answered questions about Scouting. '"Where do you buy the uniform. Jerry?" was one (continued on page 48) (Top) Grandstand is filled wirlr Chicasa\\· Cou11ci/Olympicsco111e11dersa1 a\\·ardsceremonies. (Above) Chariot race strained both kids' muscles and their 1•ocal chords. 31  Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 12/1/1982 Title A name given to the resource 1982 (12/01/1982) Scouting Magazine: Every Kid's a Winner at the Memphis Scout Olympics Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available University of North Texas Libraries Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Boy Scouts of America National Scouting Museum Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Boy Scouts of America. Scouting, Volume 70, Number 6, November-December 1982, periodical, November 1982; Irving, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth353692/m1/28/: accessed March 18, 2019), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Boy Scouts of America National Scouting Museum. Periodical