Holy Cross Troop 9, Scouts BSA

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Troop 9 is skiing at Devil's Head Resort in Merrimac, WI on Saturday, February 18 - Monday, February 20. The trip is open to skiers of all levels and their families. Scouts will have the ability to earn their Snow Sports merit badge.



The cost of the trip will be $175 per skier. This includes a 2 night hotel stay, ski rental, lift ticket, and lesson. It also includes breakfast, lunch, and dinner on Sunday and breakfast on Monday. We will stop on Saturday night for dinner and lunch on Monday. Bring $20 to pay for those meals. The cost is $65 per non-skier. If you do not stay one of the nights, the fee will be $20 less.

The trip will be a 4 hour drive from Champaign to DeForest, WI. We will stay at the Comfort Inn in DeForest, WI. We will prearrange a set of hotel rooms for all participants ahead of the trip. Typically, we will appropriately assign four people per room.

The troop will ski at Devil's Head Resort. This is about a 30 minute drive from the Comfort Inn.

Contact Info:

Comfort Inn Address: 5025 County Hwy. V, De Forest, WI 53532
Comfort Inn Phone: (608) 653-2247
Devil's Head Resort Address: S 6330 Bluff Road, Merrimac, WI 53561
Devil's Head Resort Phone: 800-472-6670

Schedule:

Saturday 3:00 PM - Depart from Holy Cross. Some drivers may depart later.
Dinner - Each vehicle will stop on their own for dinner on the way up. 7:00 PM - Arrive at DeForest, WI Sunday
Breakfast - Hotel will provide breakfast. 8:00 AM - Depart for Devil's Head Resort
9:00 AM - Lifts open
Lunch - Troop will provide lunch in the lodge. 5:00 PM - Return gear
5:30 PM - Travel back to the hotel
Dinner - Troop will provide dinner at the hotel.

Monday Breakfast - Hotel will provide breakfast. 9:00 AM - Depart DeForest, WI Lunch - Each vehicle will stop on their own for lunch on the way back.
1:00 PM - Arrive in Champaign, IL

Menu:

Saturday dinner: Eat on the road. Participants should bring money to buy their dinner.
Sunday breakfast: Breakfast at the hotel.
Sunday lunch: Sandwiches, chips, fruit, and drinks will be provided by the Troop at the resort.
Sunday dinner: Pizza at hotel.
Monday breakfast: Breakfast at the hotel.
Monday lunch: Eat on the road. Participants should bring money to buy their meal.

How to dress for skiing:

short-sleeve t-shirt
long-sleeve shirt
sweater
outer jacket / shell (something wind & water repellant)
wind / water proof pant
long underwear
full length socks
gloves

That will provide you with enough cover for any weather conditions. You may start out cold, but as the day progresses, you will end up in just your t-shirt under your outer shell. Be prepared to adjust several times during the day. You probably won't need the sweater at all during the day, but best to be prepared and you might wear it at the end of the day if everything else is soaked through with water. Also, remove layers as needed to avoid sweating. Anything getting you overly wet will make you cold and miserable.

Pants should be some sort of wind / water proof pant. Long underwear can be worn underneath if you're cold. Be sure to strip layers if you're too warm to avoid sweating. On a warm day, you may end up wearing just the wind/water proof pant.

Socks should be a single pair of full length (not ankle length) sport sock. Don't double up, it only restricts circulation. When you put on your boots, make sure there are no wrinkles in the sock. Wrinkles also restrict circulation and can also cause muscle cramps.

Forecast is predicting very warm temperatures, so expect that whatever you ski in will be soaked at the end of the day. Bring a full change of soft, comfy clothes to the resort to change into after skiing. Also, bring a spare set of gloves so you can swap if one pair gets soaking wet.

In general, wet clothes lead to cold bodies, and that's no fun at all.  Staying dry is essential to enjoying this outing.  Feel free to ask any questions.  The only dumb question is one never asked.

Tips for first-time skiers

What to bring:

  • Change of clothes
  • Warm socks (2 pair)
  • Weatherproof jacket
  • Gloves
  • Warm hat
  • Long underwear
  • Winter boots
  • Ski/snow pants
  • Swimsuit
  • Sunglasses/goggles (Watch for sales at Dick's!)
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MERIT BADGE SEMINAR 

2/17/2023 updates:
Registration ends tomorrow.  Hurry to get any late submissions entered!

1/22/23 updates: 
We still have quite a few openings, especially in the Citizenship classes. We are currently 75% full, so don't hesitate to get your scouts signed up! 

Champaign Venturing Crew 1 is hosting Wilderness First Aid and CPR/AED training April 21-23 at Camp Drake. 


1/17/2023 updates: 
Reminder, registration will go live tomorrow at 5:30PM CST. The registration link can be found here, Holy Cross Troop 9 MBS Registration. It is suggested that you create an account prior to signing up. This can be done here, SignUpGenius Register Account. We will have a couple of people checking our MBS registration email tomorrow evening when everything goes live. If there are issues or questions, please contact us.

Truck Transportation has been cancelled.

A note from one of our partners: Champaign Police are seeking candidates for their 2023 Youth Police Explorers Program. This program offers an excellent opportunity for students aged 14 to 20 years old who may have an interest in a career in law enforcement to gain firsthand knowledge of the profession. Interested applicants can apply online.


1/16/2023 update:
Dentistry has been replaced with Fish and Wildlife Management.


We are very pleased to announce the Troop 9 Merit Badge Seminar at Holy Cross School, Champaign, IL on March 4, 2023. Registration will open on Wednesday, January 18 at 5:30 PM CST and closes on February 18. The registration link and instructions will be posted here by January 17.

Here are a few notes for this year:
  • The class schedule is now available. We are happy to share that registration remains $35, despite transportation and supply cost increases in recent years. Information on making payments will be emailed following registration.
  • We will use SignUpGenius for registration. On registration day, simply sign up for the desired quantity of each class section - no need to tell us which seats are for which scouts at this point. This should greatly speed up the registration day process. We will follow up in the days after registration to collect the rest of the information and payment. 
  • Initial Max Seat Limit: To provide the greatest opportunities for scouts from all troops to attend popular classes, troops may sign up for no more than 5 seats in any one class on the first day of registration. After the first day, this limit will be removed and all remaining seats will be available.
  • New this year: Adult CPR, Bird Study, Citizenship in Society, Dentistry, Fish and Wildlife Management, Mammal Study, Robotics, Truck Transportation
  • Additional sections: Citizenship in the Community, Citizenship in the Nation, Citizenship in the World
  • Not offered: Cooking, Personal Fitness, Railroading, Salesmanship
  • Note: We are still finalizing counselors for Architecture and Dentistry, so the class schedule is subject to change.
  • Homework: We are still finalizing the list of requirements to be completed during the classes. A preliminary list including homework is available, but is subject to change. We will post the final list here by February 20.
  • Onsite Adults: Each troop should have at least two adults who can attend a class to help supervise.
  • Bring your own lunch to eat in classroom
  • No Friday overnight accommodations
If you were not on our mailing list last year and wish to join it to receive the latest updates, please contact us.

We are very excited to see you,

Troop 9
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Troop Shoot 2022 

We have an action-packed weekend coming up quickly on Saturday, October 29 with the annual Troop Shoot. This is a great opportunity for our Scouts to learn and practice safe use and handling of Rifle and Shotgun. It's also a great time for older Scouts on the Shotgun Range. We usually end up having some pretty fierce competition between the Scouts and even some adults!

Required Safety Presentation

Mr. Oliveira will cover firearm safety at the next two Troop meetings on Monday, October 17 and 24 from 7:00-8:30pm at the Holy Cross Parish Center. All who will be at the Range for Troop Shoot must attend one of the safety presentations.

Camping

Sleep in a tent under the stars at the Tulip Point campsite, or rent a rustic cabin for your family with a wood burning stove just steps from the Salt Fork for $40 for the weekend. Let us know if you would like a cabin.

Come for all or some of the fun, but be sure to RSVP o
r email Scoutmaster West by Monday, October 24.

Details

Date: Saturday, October 29
Time: 9am-4:30pm
Location: Camp Drake
Cost: $25 per shooter (checks payable to Troop 9)
Cost: Free! (Meals and Camping)
Health Form (if not already on file)
Deadline: October 24 for RSVP, Health Form, and Payment

Troop alumni, friends, siblings, and other family are welcome to join us for camping, and at the Range (ages 11+) if they attend one of the required safety trainings.




Tentative Schedule

Friday, Oct 28
6:00pm    Depart from Holy Cross
7:00pm    Set up camp
8:00pm    Dinner
10:00pm  Lights out

Saturday, Oct 29
8:00am    Breakfast
9:00am    Ranges open
12:00pm  Lunch
1:30pm    Ranges open
4:30pm    Ranges close / clean up
6:00pm    Dinner
10:00pm  Lights out

Sunday, Oct 30
8:00am    Breakfast
9:00am    Break camp
10:30am  Arrive back at Holy Cross

Weather/Dress

The weather should be cool, so dress in light layers with a wind breaker for a fun comfortable day. Overnight campers: refer to the Troop Packing List for other gear you should bring.
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 On the last Friday in April, Scouts from Troop 9 participated in an Arbor Day tree planting celebration with the Champaign city forester (Andrew L.).  He presented to the scouts about the benefits of trees and the importance of planting trees. An open spot was selected to plant a Kentucky coffee tree across the street from the entrance of Holy Cross Church. Scouts had to first dig a hole, then line up the tree in that hole, they next had to backfill with soil and water for the tree’s roots, and lastly a 2-3 inch layer of woodchip mulch. All of the scouts who attended the planting earned conservation service hours.





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 This past March, Troop 9 went on a Go-Karting trip at Accelerate Indoor Speedway in Mokena, Illinois. The day started with Scouts racing in electric Italian-style pro-karts. These karts were inspired by F1 racecars and could reach a top speed of 50 mph! H. said, “The karts were faster than any other place I had been.” After the racing, scouts played in an arcade offering the newest games. H. also stated, “My favorite game was the Jurassic Park Shooting Game.” It was fun for all.





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  In February, scouts from Troop 9 attended the annual Scout Sunday Mass. We missed 2021 because of COVID.

 Four scouts were recognized for the Ad Altare Dei (To the altar of God) Emblem. The emblem’s purpose is to foster the total personal and spiritual growth of each young person by encouraging him to actively live out his Catholic Christian faith. (BSA.org) The program itself consists of eight sections. These parallel the seven Sacraments. The Scout is encouraged to work with other Scouts on this program, under the guidance of a certified Religious Emblems Counselor. 


“I thought that the AAD program was fun and productive, we had group discussions, activities, and projects which challenged us to gain a deeper understanding of the Catholic religion. Much thanks to Mrs. Haggin for leading this program!”-Wil K.





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 On January 29, scouts from Troop 9 and 2019 attended the yearly Klondike Derby event. The theme for the event this year was “Chasing the Signs of the Yeti!” For Klondike, troops are put in groups to learn and complete scout-skilled activities. Most activities involve teamwork and bonding between the scouts. For almost every event, there is an award given to the troop that completes the activity the fastest. Some activities could be building a fire, tying different knots, completing an obstacle course and many more. Klondike is a great event for new scouts to learn their essential scout skills. 

After all the troops have completed their activities, they head over to Hickory Haven field for the Klondike Derby Race. For the race, troops must build a sled out of wood to slide across the snow. If there is no snow, troops can add wheels to their sleds. This year, no wheels were needed, because indeed there was snow.  All had a great time.









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Troop 9 is based out of Champaign, Illinois and chartered by Holy Cross Church.


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