This Page Last Updated on 01/14/08
Troop 113 has been in Culver City for 54 years. During the school year the Troop is very active. There are weekly Troop or Patrol meetings, Courts of Honor, campouts, including our yearly Snow Camp at Camp Conrad Chinook below Big Bear and the Crescent Bay District Camp-o-ree, fund raising activities, and service projects. The Troop for the most part does not meet during the summer, winter break, or spring break because many families go out of town when school is not in session. There are some activities during the summer. They include Camp Emerald Bay and High Adventure trips by our Senior Scouts, as well as an occasional activity. The Troop is supported by several Adult leaders who either work directly with the Scouts or work behind the scenes as part of the Troop Committee.
The requirements to join a Scout Troop are to be 10 1/2 years old and have completed the fifth grade or be between the ages of 11 and 18. You may also join if you are a Webelos Scout after you have completed the Webelos program and earned the Arrow of Light Award. If your son is a Webelos Scout and joins our Troop contact the Scoutmaster and representatives from the Troop will attend your son's graduation and conduct a Bridging Ceremony.
The Committee Chairperson is in charge of the Troop Committee which is primarily responsible for the logistics of the Troop. He or she is assisted by the Troop Treasurer, Advancement Chairperson, Troop Secretary, and various other committee members. The Troop Committee through The Committee Chairperson and other Committee Members are responsible for Troop finances, equipment, fundraising, advancement, and transportation. The Committee Chairperson acts as a liaison with the parents of the Scouts and also holds parents meetings to discuss upcoming events and concerns that parents of Scouts in the Troop have.
The Scoutmaster, who reports to the Committee Chairperson, his or her Assistants, and Patrol Advisors are responsible for the Troop's Program and supervising the Scouts at Troop activities. This Troop is very fortunate to have many adult leaders who were once Scouts in the Troop, including the current Scoutmaster, the Senior Assistant Scoutmaster and several of the Assistant Scoutmasters The Adult Leadership supervises the boy leaders of the Troop who are members of the Patrol Leaders Council (PLC). The PLC is headed by the Senior Patrol Leader and his Assistants who are responsible under adult guidance for running the Troop's activities. The Scouts are divided into Patrols of between 6 to 14 Scouts headed by a Patrol Leader and guided by one or more adult Patrol Advisors and Troop Guides.
Each Scout is assigned to a Junior Patrol when they join the Troop. Scouts usually are assigned to a Junior Patrol for three years. While in the Junior Patrols Scouts learn the basic camping, hiking, and scouting skills necessary to function in the Troop. Scouts also work on their Tenderfoot, Second Class, and First Class Ranks while in the Junior Patrol.
After a Scout reaches Star Scout and is at least 14 years old, he is eligible to be assigned to the Senior Patrol. The Senior Patrol is given the opportunity to choose their own activities without the rest of the Troop. In the past the Senior Patrols have done cycling, wilderness survival, river rafting, surfing, climbing and skiing. The Scouts in the Senior Patrol also have leadership positions in the Troop and assist the younger Scouts. The Senior Patrol also plans their own meetings which are separate from the rest of the Troop on Wednesday nights.
The Troop holds three or four weekly Troop meetings a month depending on the number of weeks in each month. The meetings are held on Tuesday nights from 7:30p.m. to 9:00p.m., however some meetings may start at earlier times depending on the activity planned for that evening. During Troop meetings the Scouts learn Scout skills, play games, have guest speakers, and go on field trips.
One week per month is saved for Patrol meetings. During the Patrol meeting, Scouts meet with their Patrol to plan menus for Campouts, work on advancement, and do other Patrol activities.
The Troop has four Courts of Honor a year. Sometimes, the Court of Honor is an Eagle Court where we honor one or more of our Scouts who has obtained the rank of Eagle Scout, Scouting's highest Rank. At the Courts of Honors Scout's Families attend and watch as their Scout is presented with his awards which he has earned since the last Court of Honor. The Patrols will sometimes do skits and there are also occasionally slide shows of past Troop activities.
Once a month during the school year, except December when the Troop goes on a one day Bike Ride to the Redondo Beach Pier, the Troop goes on an overnight Campout. Some of the campouts are Backpacking trips where the Scouts hike and carry all their belongings and food in a backpack. Other campouts have Day hikes where the Scouts hike with a day pack and the rest of their gear and food is driven in by car. Other campouts are Car camps where there is no hike involved. Occasionally the Troop will go on a Bike-Hike where the Scouts will bike to a location and camp. The Troop usually leaves for campouts at 6:00 or 7:00 a.m. on Saturdays and returns on Sundays in the afternoon. Sometimes the Troop leaves on Friday nights.
In February, the Troop has it's annual Snow Camp at Camp Conrad Chinook. Camp Conrad Chinook is located off of State Highway 38 below Big Bear in the Barton Flats area. The camp usually has snow to play and sled in. The Troop also plans activities related to snow for the Scouts to participate in. The camp has a heated cabin for the Scouts, a Lodge where the Adults sleep and where the Troop holds it's evening activities, a game room, and a kitchen where the Camp Staff prepare meals for the Troop. Camp Conrad Chinook is a great place for families to attend.
The Crescent Bay District of the Western L.A. County Council of the Boys Scouts of America holds it's annual Camp-O-Ree the last weekend in April. The Camp-O-Ree gives all the Troops in the district the opportunity to compete against each other in Scout Skills. Our Troop traditionally places very high in this yearly competition.
The Troop needs money to operate. Most of the money for Troop operations comes from donations from businesses and service organizations and our annual Spaghetti Dinner which is held each spring. The Scouts in the Troop go door to door on three separate Saturdays and sell tickets. The Scouts also have an opportunity to sell tickets individually on their own. One dollar from each ticket goes to the Troop's General Fund. Each Scout in the Troop has an Individual Account with the Troop administered by the Troop Treasurer. The remaining money from each ticket goes into an Individual Account of the Scout who sold the ticket. The money can be used for trips and equipment related to the Troop.
The Troop does a variety of service projects in the area. For many Ranks in Scouting, service hours are required. The Troop organizes some service projects and informs Scouts of other opportunities to serve various schools, religious institutions, and community projects which Scouts can do on their own. Usually, once or twice a year one of the Troop's Eagle Scout candidates will ask the Scouts for assistance on their Eagle Scout Project. The Troop also does Caroling at the Culver Rotary Plaza each December, does flag placement at the Los Angeles National Cemetery for Memorial Day, and participates in Relay For Life cancer walk each year in June.
Due to numerous family vacations, the Troop rarely meets during the summer months. The Troop does, however, usually plan a few activities during the summer.
Each summer the Troop schedules a week at Camp Emerald Bay on Catalina Island. At camp the Scouts earn merit badges, snorkel, hike, go rowing, canoeing, as well as participate in a wide variety of other activities at camp.
The Troop also conducts many High Adventure trips. Scouts save money from their Individual Accounts for these trips. The Troop has gone on the following Super Trips:
2000 - PHILMONT SCOUT RANCH IN NEW MEXICO
2005 - PHILMONT SCOUT RANCH IN NEW MEXICO
2006- SHASTA LAKE HOUSEBOAT TRIP
2007 - PHILMONT SCOUT RANCH IN NEW MEXICO
The Troop requires that the Scouts be committed to participate in most Troop activities including Troop and Patrol meetings, fundraising activities, and campouts. Each Scout is allowed to miss no more than two campouts with a valid excuse. The Troop Leadership also appreciates advance notice of activities that a Scout will miss as well as dates of school, family, and religious activities so that the Troop can plan it's activities around those dates.
Parents are also required to support the Troop in some capacity including, but not limited to, driving on two to three campouts a year, helping with the spaghetti dinner, and serving in some way on the Troop Committee.
The Troop charges a one-time Joining Fee of $30.00. This money is used for registration, Boy's Life subscription, awards, tents, cooking equipment, and other Troop operations. Each year thereafter, each Scout pays a $55.00 Sustaining Membership Fee in September.
There are other financial commitments. For each campout, each Scout pays a $5.00 Transportation Fee, food money (usually between $5.00 to $12.00 depending on the Patrol), occasionally a Camp Fee between $1.00 to $30.00, and $5.00 for lunch on the way home. Other fees include but are not limited to, Camp Emerald Bay, special trips and activities, and High Adventure Trips.
If parents have any concerns over the financial commitments to the Troop, the Committee Chairperson should be contacted.
If your son is interested in joining Troop 113, you should contact the Scoutmaster, Committee Chairperson, or Senior Assistant Scoutmaster at a Tuesday night meeting at the Scout Hut or E-Mail Erik Mayer, the Scoutmaster, below to obtain more information. You will also need a check payable to BSA Troop 113 for $30.00, a completed and signed BSA Membership Application, and a signed Consent to Treat Form in order to join the Troop and participate fully in the Troop's activities. AT TIMES, OUR PATROLS ARE FULL AND WE HAVE A WAITING LIST.
COMMITTEE CHAIRPERSON: Patti Bravo
SCOUTMASTER: Erik Mayer