I have spoken to the USAFA Fitness Center and arranged access to the pool for the Troop to complete BSA Swim Tests. The Academy said they can accommodate 15 on Tuesday May 30th from 6:30 to 7:30/8:00pm. They are allowing us use free of charge.
Northern Tier participants are a priority as this is a requirement to attend that adventure. I would like to open up the remaining slots to anyone who needs a swim test for a water related merit badge at summer camp or rank advancement. Available slots will be first come, first served. Any additional slots can be for anyone who wants to come out for a little swim.
Please use the signup below. Make sure you put in the notes why you need a swim test so we can make sure we prioritize those who need them. There are 20 slots, but we can only accommodate the 15 most necessary justifications.
This next meeting we have elections for leadership positions! Come prepared with a two-minute speech for your fellow scouts so we can vote. Also, do some research on your position so you know what you are getting into for the next six months.
Camp Alexander offers a whitewater rafting excursion to Brown’s Canyon on Friday of summer Camp. This is on the down day, when there are no MB classes going on. It’s run by a commercial guide service and costs $90 per person. I would like to do this. Rafting is really fun, and I like how easy this is for the Troop to do. From what I’ve seen, the cost is less than a regular commercial trip. Slots are filling up so we need to act fast.
Alex, Axel, Miles, John and Liam have already been added to the sign up from conversations with Mike…
Being the first meeting of the month we have a Uniform Inspection. Make sure you show up in your finest Class A Uniform.
We will also do more rank advancement for the next court of honor.
In preparation for Northern Tier we will be doing a gear shakedown, so bring your gear so we can take a look and identify opportunities to get everyone ready.
It is time to make that decision if you have been on the fence about summer camp. Final registration needs to be in to Camp A for our Troop by Friday and I plan to submit the roster tomorrow evening.
We currently have 15 boys registered, but space for more. If you have not yet registered and would like to go, please signup on the Signup Genius and email me and let me know you plan to attend along with your Merit Badge selections NO LATER THAN NOON TOMORROW 4/27/2023.
We are meeting for a short time tonight during the regular Troop meeting. We will break away and link up in the main room of the church. If you have medical forms, please bring those. If not, get those things scheduled!
We will also go over the packing list, so if you have it (the packing list) bring it! I will do a gear dump this week as an example, and homework for next week is to do a dry run of your gear.
Our upcoming meeting is going to focus heavily on rank advancement, as we are preparing for an upcoming court of honor.
If you are registered to attend Summer Camp at Camp A please bring your merit badge selections so we can work on compiling those to hopefully get premium choice. (see Mr. Petree’s previous posts)
If you are planning to attend Northern Tier, please make sure to attend this meeting, as we will be conducting an in-person gear shakedown.
Mr. Petree will take a moment during the meeting to speak about required paperwork and forms for both adventures taking place this summer.
Camp Alexander is one of the best Summer Camps in the area, and a great time to be able to accomplish a lot of merit badges. Not to mention you get to hang out with all your friends and escape your parents for a week.
The camp will cost $440 per scout and $330 per scoutmaster/adult and this cost includes all lodging, facility use, and food for the entire week.
If you are going to Camp Alexander for Summer Camp it is time to start thinking about Merit Badge Selections. Registration starts 4/28/2023 which is right around the corner. The popular ones fill up fast and it is first come first served. Please come prepared NEXT TUESDAY APRIL 25th 2023 with your selections written down to turn in.
There are 4 Merit Badge sessions daily Monday thru Thursday while at camp. Some Merit Badges require two sessions and some Merit Badges are only two days long. Please see the following Schedule and Merit Badge Matrix and start developing your ideal schedule. Please also pick a couple of backup Merit badges in case the camp cannot accommodate your first choice.
For more detailed information when selecting your Merit Badges see the link below and read pages 17-32 of the Leaders Guide.
Please see the below information on medical forms necessary for Camp Alexander. According to them and in BOLD in the Leaders Guide is the following.
THE NUMBER ONE BIGGEST HEADACHE FOR UNITS COMING TO CAMP IS NOT HAVING THE MEDICAL AND MEDICATION FORMS COMPLETED CORRECTLY!
Forms are required to be reviewed for accuracy, scanned, and uploaded to the camp electronically ahead of time. We will do this as a unit. PLEASE DO NOT UPLOAD FORMS YOURSELF. No more showing up at camp with a stack of forms so we need to have this done early. Let’s make sure this is not an issue for our Troop and I ask that everyone have them completed and turned into the Troop no later than Tuesday, June 13th 2023!
Direction and details from Camp Alexander is below.
HEALTH & MEDICAL RECORDS
The State of Colorado and Department of Social Services have strict rules that Camp Alexander must follow. Please read the following section carefully. Each person attending Camp Alexander must have an Annual BSA Health and Medical Record within 12 months arrival at Camp Alexander.
Required Medical Documents:
BSA Medical Form (Parts A, B1, B2, & C – both youth and adults)
Copy of Health Insurance Card (both youth and adults)
Colorado Addendum – Additional Information/Sunscreen Permission Form (youth only)
Consent to test for COVID-19 (youth only)
Permission for Medication Administration/Medication Log (only if taking prescription meds.) – must have permission form completed with signatures. Must be completed for each medication your scout will take at camp. Fill out the days and times on the log, our staff will complete the log as medications are administered. (youth only & only if needed) o Required for any medications (including over-the-counter and supplements) o Medications Must be in original container
Colorado Addendum – Contract to Carry emergency Medication (youth only – & only if needed) The BSA Form must be completed and signed by a medical doctor, M.D., D.O., R.N.P. or P.A./C. These are the only signatures which the Colorado Department of Social Services will allow to sign the Health Form. Chiropractic doctor, D.P.M. signatures are unacceptable under Colorado Department of Social Services requirements. On B2 (page 3) of the BSA medical form there is a section where prescription medications are to be listed. Below the list there are two signature lines: one for a parent and a doctor. A parent signature is required even if NO medications are listed and the parents must check either yes or no for over-the counter medications (ex. Tylenol, ibuprofen).
NO OTHER FORMS CAN BE ACCEPTED! It is the Scout’s parents responsibility to supply a BSA Health and Medical record before camp admittance. All Scouts and adult leaders are required to participate in a medical check with the Camp Alexander Medical Staff upon check-in. Scouts without a completed BSA Health and Medical record, including signatures, by 4:00 PM Monday must be picked up that evening by a parent, or taken home by unit leadership. Failure to provide a completed BSA Health and Medical record is not an exception to our refund policy.
This week’s meeting will be a game night since we just had our Penetente family campout. We will be playing Ultimate Cabbage at Wilson Ranch Park which we can walk to from the church. Arrive and leave at the barn like usual and we will walk there and back.
Departure: We will aim to DEPART the church at 5:00, so please try to arrive a little early so we can assign riders and drivers. [Several people are making custom arrangements to drive down Saturday morning or early on Friday].
Food: The scouts have arranged a meal plan for themselves. Adults are on their own to provide meals.
Campsite: This is car camping, and we have two sites reserved (site 1 and 2) that are fairly large. Most of us will be in tents. It will be in the 20s at night, so bring your layers.
Return: We plan to return to the church by noon on Sunday.
We need to get our numbers up on our flag program! They have fallen in the past years and if we are going to give our time we might as well have a few more flags to place. On April 8th at 8am the Scouts will be walking certain neighborhoods and placing flyers on doors. We need all available Scouts (and Parents)to participate so they can be in pairs and we can be done in under 2 hours. Mr. Petree will pick Scouts up a designated location. We are starting early because everyone is so busy this time of year so please think about giving some of your time. There will also be a cash prize raffle for those that participate!
April 14 – 16, 2023. Car camping. Families are welcome. There will be rock climbing on Saturday with an opportunity to earn the Climbing Merit Badge.
Previous climbing experience or gear is NOT required but if you have it, bring it. NOTE: you can rent climbing shoes ($10 for the weekend) at REI which we highly recommend. Get a size that fits tightly with no wiggle room.
Plenty of hiking is available for those not interested in climbing. It’s about a 3 hour drive.
Hope everyone had a fantastic and safe Spring Break. Its time to get back to Scouting!
This week’s meeting will be a uniform inspection, so come in class-A uniforms. We will be working on some rank advancement, so bring your books to the meeting. Nate will be teaching a lesson from Nate on drugs and use prevention.
We will also be calling out those elected into the Order of the Arrow, so if you are an OA member please bring your sashes.
After polling some of the families in the troop it appears that many have a lot of exciting plans this week, and will be on adventures with their families. Due to what is expected to be a low attendance this week, we are going to pass on our Tuesday Troop meeting.
Whether out and about or enjoying a staycation, remember to Live the Scout Oath, Scout Law, Be Prepared , and Do a good turn daily while you are off.
It appears that we were not able to get enough folks signed up to meet the minimum group rate and therefor will save this game night location for another time in the future when we can plan a little further in advance.
We will change out game night to Skyzone this evening since we don’t need a reservation or advance notice. Skyzone is located at 1750 E Woodmen Rd, Colorado Springs, CO 80920. The park is only open until 8pm so we can start 6:30pm instead of 7pm so you can get a full 90 minute jump. Tickets are $23.99 per person and they require a waiver and Skyzone socks to jump. Bring the ones you have (because you have all been there) to avoid having to purchase the.
Sorry for the late notice and hope to see you all tonight.
Welcome to the website of Boy Scout Troop 287 at Wilson United Methodist Church, located on the northwest side of Colorado Springs, CO, in school districts 11 and 20. We are in the BSA Pikes Peak Council, Frontier District.
To the left, you can view our news and events. Below you can browse information about our troop, subscribe to our blog by email, download documents, and access useful links.
Mar Camp Out (TBD) March 14, 2025 – March 16, 2025
Golf Merit Badge (Council) 2nd Session March 17, 2025 at 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
First Tee — Southern Colorado, 525 N Academy Blvd, Colorado Springs, CO 80909, USA
Troop Meeting March 18, 2025 at 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm
Troop Meetings
Every Tuesday, 7-8:30 p.m.
Wilson Ranch Community Church
Scoutmaster: Anthony Turner
