March 31 - April 2, 2006, Dave attends 1st Brownsea Squire Training in Florida.
Personal Reflections by Dave

I made the decision to attend the first Brownsea training mostly out of concern for my new crew in Connecticut. While I had been a Scout as a youth, it had been nearly 20 years since I served in a uniform. I wanted to stay ahead of the training curve so as to help me in my new leadership role. I also thought it was worth meeting some fellow Rovers to see what we could learn together.

The Florida expereince was a mix of different worlds. I was a New Englander stepping off the plane into tropical paradise, and while the temperatures were no worse than a humid Connecticut summer, it was still March, so my blood hadn't thinned out yet. Climate asside, it was interesting comparing notes with the Florida crew. Their crew is composed of BSA Scouters (and very dedicated ones I might add), whereas ours is composed of newcomers to Rovering and Scouting in general. In spite of all this, it was our collective enthusiasm for Rovering that brought us all together.

It wasn't long before things started to feel familiar again. Thankfully nobody had to explain to me what "Class A's" were, or what "OA" stood for, or "Wood Badge" for that matter. I saluted Old Glory in uniform for the first time in 20 years, AND witnessed a dignified flag retirement - I don't remember the last time I saw one of those. It was a lot of "re-firsts" for me, and it was all like slipping on a pair of very comfotable old jeans.

The highlight of the weekend was my investiture as a Rover Scout. I won't cheapen it with words, but I must say it was an experience that I'll never forget. It was hard to wrap my mind around the idea that I was returning to Connecticut as the ONLY invested Rover Scout in the state. My goal is to change that fact real soon. Meanwhile, at the time I write this, the First Brownsea Squire Training expereince is just about six weeks behind us. I like to think we made some history happen there. We proved that Rovering is NOT dead, rather it's at the very beginnings of being brought back here in the USA. Here's hoping to look back some day and say, "Remember when we were new?"