Klondike Derby

We don’t have all the final scores at this time but we do know the Patriot Patrol placed third overall.  We had 16 scouts and 3 leaders attend the freeze-out on Friday night.  That was an excellent turnout and all of you should be commended for spending the night when the temperatures dropped to the teens.  On Saturday we had 30 scouts and 12 leaders participate for the Klondike –this was a very good turnout (>90% of the troop scouts).  Each patrol had some strengths and weaknesses and it definitely fostered a learning experience for some.  We will get out a full report once the scores have been posted.

Schedule Change- Troop Parent Committee Meeting

Please not that the committee meeting is rescheduled to Tuesday, February 15^th at 7:15pm.

We have some really fun activities planned over the next few months. 

You can’t find a better program that combines the outdoors, fun and values that are our scouts are getting from Troop 19.

Scout Sunday is on February 13^th.  Please make every effort to attend (family members are welcome too).  Our scouts can volunteer if they want to help with a reading, ushering, handing out programs, assisting with the collection and parading the flags. We will be looking for scout volunteers next Tuesday night. Please either volunteer to help with the service or at the very least plan to attend on Scout Sunday. Pilgrim Church has been very generous to Troop 19 in allowing us to use the church hall and grounds for many years.  They don’t ask for anything in return although we have supported the Church with donations.  Scout Sunday is a time for us to show to the members of the Church what Troop 19 is all about and how scouting is alive and healthy at their church.  Currently we don’t have any Scouts that are members of Pilgrim Church yet it is important for us to attend and worship as a troop.  Attending a different church is a good opportunity to learn about your friend’s faith and beliefs.  Our scouts take part in helping with different elements of the service from being an usher, distributing programs, gospel readings, etc… So, those that want a part can help and those just planning to attend and observe is equally important.

With all this snow there is no better time than right now to go snow-shoeing! We have a snow shoe hike planned for February 19^th and 20^th.  We will be staying in a cabin in Franconia Notch (near the Old Man of the Mountains and the Flume).  The cabin has a wood stove and gas lanterns along with a gas stove for cooking.  It is a short ½ mile hike from the trail head to the cabin.  This trip is for any scout interested and you should be able to carry all your gear in a backpack.  We will be spending the day on Saturday exploring the area on snow shoes—possible hikes include climbing a mountain peak, hiking to Lonesome Lake or the Flume. Cost of the trip is $10 per person for the cabin and $TBD for food.  You will need to have snow shoes (you can rent from EMS or Beaver Brook in Hollis) and good winter clothing (no cotton).  The permission slip and equipment list will be distributed on Tuesday.  Here is a picture of the cabin that Nate McManus took when we visited it last month.

Be sure to sign-up for the USS Salem trip. 

We are almost sold out and you don’t want to miss you opportunity to sleep on a ship in Boston.

The troop will be conducting elections for the Order of the Arrow on February 15^th.  Scouts that are eligible for election will be notified on Tuesday. February 8^th.

We have also distributed permission slips for the troop’s annual ski trip to Mt. Sunapee on March 5^th and 6^th.  If you ski or snow board or want to learn how, this is a good time to try it.  You can come up for one day or stay overnight (free accommodations at a local church) and have two days on the slopes.  Snow Sports Merit Badge is also offered.

SELF-RESPECT

Here is an example of self-respect in professional sports as reported by the New York Times. 

Pitcher Spurns $12 Million to Keep Self-Respect

The guaranteed contract is a fundamental principle of Major League Baseball, as much a part of the game as balls, strikes and outs. No matter how a player per­forms, or how his body holds up, he must be paid in full. Only in rare cases — an injury sustained off the field, gross personal mis­conduct — does a player forfeit his paycheck.

But the case of Gil Meche is rare for an entirely different reason. Meche, a 32-year-old right-handed pitcher, had a contract that called for a $12 million salary in 2011. Yet he will not report to Surprise, Ariz., with the rest of the Kansas City Royals for spring training next month. He will not have surgery to repair his chronically aching right shoulder. He will not pitch in relief, where the workload is lighter.

Meche retired last week, which means he will not be paid at all.

“When I signed my contract, my main goal was to earn it,” Meche said this week by phone from Lafayette, La. “Once I started to realize I wasn’t earning my mon­ey, I felt bad. I was making a crazy amount of money for not even pitching. Honestly, I didn’t feel like I deserved it. I didn’t want to have those feelings again.’’

Meche’s decision plays against type — the modern athlete out for every last dollar.

“This isn’t about being a hero — that’s not even close to what it’s about,” Meche said this week. “It’s just me getting back to a point in my life where I’m comfortable. Making that amount of money from a team that’s already given me over $40 million for my life and for my kids, it just wasn’t the right thing to do.”

The Royals signed Meche to a five-year, $55 million free-agent contract before the 2007 season, when he made the American League All-Star team. He pitched well again the next season, but by mid-2009, his body started to crumble. He made nine starts last season without a victory.

Still, the Royals fully expected Meche to pitch in relief, and to pay him the $12 million — three times more than any other player on the team. If nothing else, they be­lieved, Meche could be a positive influence for a young roster.

But Meche knew the Royals really signed him to start games and log innings. His deteriorat­ing shoulder, surgically repaired twice in 2001, would not allow him to do that. As a divorced father of three, he believed his children — ages 7, 5 and 3 — needed him more than his teammates did.

TYLER KEPNER

Regards,

Greg Anthony