Camporee & Camp Inspections

This was our first Camporee. My youngest son went along with his troop to the Tall Timbers District First Camporee. (Our district recently split into two smaller districts, which made the event a lot more manageable!)

My son's troop won the Honor Troop Award for the SECOND year in a row. Before we left for the weekend, the Scoutmaster told us we probably wouldn't win because rarely does a troop win two years in a row. How surprised and thrilled we were when we did!

My son and his friend had so much fun. They were talking non-stop about it on Sunday. I can't tell you how proud I am of them and excited that they love scouting as much as my husband and I do! The friend that he was talking with was planning on dropping out of scouts when they finished Cub Scouts, but his parents and the other boys talked him into trying Boy Scouts to see how he liked it. He's hooked and LOVES it! All of the boys from my husband's den crossed over to Boy Scouts. (Go Cubmaster Dave!)

While my son and his troop were competing in the activities, I got the opportunity to do camp inspections along with District Reps and a few other volunteers. Each troop was judged on these inspections. There were about forty things we looked for in a campsite. The most common thing lacking in the camps was a portable CPR face shield. (See picture below.)

Every troop should have their first aid kit immediately visible when entering their campsite. Every troop should have, among other basic first aid tools, a CPR face shield and gloves that offers protection to both the rescuer and the victim and helps eliminate hesitation when performing CPR.

One thing I also noticed consistently while doing inspections was the ground cover visible under the bottom of the tents. If your ground cover is exposed and it rains, the water will hit the cover and run right under your tent and get you WET! Tuck that ground cover under!


Overall, the camps looked incredible! I couldn't believe how neat my own son's tent was inside. (Why can't he keep his room that neat?) Yes, if the inspectors can see inside your tent, they judge you on it cleanliness and orderliness. They can't enter the tents, but if they can see in, they can judge it! Also, the adults effect the youth's score. In BSA, we are to teach by example. The adult campsite should be neater and more organized than the youth. If there site isn't clean and orderly, how can we expect the boys to be?

This was a great learning experience for me. As a relatively new Asst. Unit Commissioner and District volunteer, this taught me a lot of what is expected in Boy Scouts. I've had years of experience in Cub Scouts, but Boy Scouts is a whole new game! I honestly had as much fun as the boys seemed to have!

Go Troop 895 in winning the Honor Troop!