I recently attempted to figure out what was the best scouting experience I have ever had. It’s easy for me to remember the more recent times as a Den leader, Cubmaster, Wood Badge Trainee, or Commissioner. Thankfully, I was recently reminded of one of the positive driving experiences of my life as a Boy Scout. The summer before my father passed, I spent two weeks at summer camp earning the BSA lifeguard certification. It was hard work for a thirteen year old, and each day when my time at the lake was finished I would walk back to the campsite and collapse completely worn out.
The second week was my chance to put my skills to work and I thought I was simply going to be watching over the other boys while they swam keeping them safe. But I was given a different task that was much harder, but also a greater experience. A young boy from another troop was one of the few scouts that did not know how to swim; I was tasked with teaching him how. When I was first given the task I didn’t have a clue where to start. So I spent my time trying to figure out how to explain how to swim and learning how to motivate him to learn. Thankfully, he wanted to learn, and once I explained to him how proud his mother would be of him I had his full attention. For three days I worked with him figuring out how to explain the things that I had learned to do by second nature, stuff that I took for granted and could do without thinking. After two days working with him on basic skills and asking the staff for advice, I managed to teach him how to do the crawl, float on his back and do the back stroke. His form was bad his muscles were weak but he did it.
Then it came time for the swim test on the third day. I told him to relax do your best, and have fun. Nervous and excited he walked up to the staff lifeguard and told him he was ready to take his test. The test began and I watched from the dock with my fingers crossed, hoping that he would pass, that his fear of the deeper water would not overwhelm him, and that yes, I could have an extra hour free for the remaining couple of days of summer camp.
He passed the test, ran up to me with a really big smile and his swimmer’s tag with a strip of red on it indicating that he was now a beginner swimmer. I gave him a high five, congratulations, and probably had a big smile on my face as well. He ran off to show his scoutmaster and friends. I then walked back to the Campsite, told my scoutmaster about the experience, and probably could not shut up about it for a long time.
The next day at around the time that the young scout’s troop was at free swim, I walked down to the lake, sat on the beach and watched him swimming and playing with his buds in the Beginners Area. I can remember no other Scouting experience as great as that one.
