Feel free to look around and get to know us. If you have any questions or would like more information, just click on "Contact Us" or "Scoutmaster" or "New Scout Info" from the menu on the left.
We have some Seabase openings available! (must be 13 by mid-June) There are several spots on the boat leaving 6/30 from St. Thomas and one spot on the boat leaving 7/12 from Florida. Contact Mr. Skaggs if interested.
We are still deep into stage 5 with the pandemic, which according to our troop policy, very much limits what we can organize. (link to our troop page about that is here)
I need to pass on some news that is a little scary. Scoutmaster Emeritus and long-time troop leader David Stroud has been diagnosed with renal cell carcinoma (aka kidney cancer). He is having surgery to remove his right kidney on Thursday, January 21.
On a hopeful note, various scans seem to indicate that this was caught in a pretty early stage. The cancer has not metastasized or spread to other parts of his body. There is some chance that radiation and chemotherapy will not be required.
Mr. Stroud says that he and his wife Lee (our Chaplain) are doing well and don't need for anything right now. Their two kids and families live in the Austin area.
David Stroud was the Scoutmaster of Troop 3 from 2003 to 2015. In that time he presided over the Troop growing from a small number (6 or 8 scouts) when he started, to about 60 scouts in 2015. He graduated 28 Eagle Scouts. David served as committee chair from 2016 to 2019. He now serves as the Assistant Scoutmaster for Order of the Arrow. David and Lee's son David Jr. is a Troop 3 Eagle Scout.
You can learn about sports, crafts, science, trades, business, and future careers as you earn merit badges. There are more than 135 merit badges that a Scout can earn. Note that some of these merit badges are required to obtain the Eagle Rank. You can see the various merit badges and their requirements here: http://scoutmasterbucky.com/merit-badges/
Eagle Required Merit Badges
A total of 21 merit badges (10 more than required for the Life rank) must be earned for the Eagle Scout rank, including these 13 merit badges: (a) First Aid, (b) Citizenship in the Community, (c) Citizenship in the Nation, (d) Citizenship in the World, (e) Communication, (f) Cooking, (g) Personal Fitness, (h) Emergency Preparedness OR Lifesaving, (i) Environmental Science OR Sustainability, (j) Personal Management, (k) Swimming OR Hiking OR Cycling, (l) Camping, and (m) Family Life.
How to get Started
After selecting a topic / merit badge of interest, read the requirements and contact the Scoutmaster and request permission to begin work on a merit badge. This is to make sure the merit badge is appropriate for the Scout and to keep the Scout from having too many outstanding partial merit badges.Once approved, the Scout can contact a Merit Badge Counselor (MBC). To see list of MBCs, log into Troop Master Web and go to Reports > Merit Badge Counselors > Group by Badge
Working through the Requirements Be sure to read the requirements and the merit badge pamphlet - that is where all the info you need to know resides. You are expected to meet the requirements as they are stated—no more and no less. You must do exactly what is stated in the requirements. If it says “show or demonstrate,” that is what you must do. Just telling about or emailing it isn’t enough. The same thing holds true for such words as “make,” “list,” “in the field,” and “collect,” “identify,” and “label." Unless otherwise specified, work on a requirement can be started at any time BUT PAY ATTENTION: There are many merit badges that require you to get an approval from your couselor before you start with some or all items. For example, with Citizenship in the Community, you must have your counselor approve a charity before you can start logging service hours for it. Ask your counselor to help you learn the things you need to know or do.
When you are ready, contact the MBC to make an appointment to go over your completed requirements and discuss/demonstrate as needed. Please "Be Prepared" for this meeting. If needed, the MBC can tell you to go back for more info or to study up before attempting a requirement again.
Recording the Badge
If you are using a Troop 3 MBC, the MBC will mark requirements as complete as needed. You can view the current status for your merit badge and other ranks in TroopMaster. If you're using an external MBC, such as a merit badge class, you will need to submit proof of completion to advancement@troop3austin.org. This could come in the form of a filled out merit badge "Blue Card" or report from the MBC / merit badge class or, if the external MBC uploaded completed requirements to the BSA Scoutbook, then you can export it from there and send to advancement@troop3austin.org. (details on that below). If you have a report or blue card with partial completion, send that to whatever Merit Badge Counselor you are working with to complete the Merit Badge, so they know where to pick up.
How to Export Partial Merit Badges From Scoutbook
This is needed ONLY if you used an external MBC who marked completions in Scoutbook vs a separate report.
As of November 19, Austin has moved back to Stage 4. This means no Indoor Meetings or group campouts at all. Day activities are still allowed, but be careful to keep total numbers under 10 by using signup limits and staggered shifts on activities. See chart below.
The grid below reflects how we as a troop are applying the guidance of Austin Public Health to the activities we do regularly. This guidance reflects the numbers from the Austin Public Health guidance, as well as the increased infection risk associated with indoor activities and longer-term activities. To learn more about the APH Covid Stages, see https://www.austintexas.gov/page/covid-19-risk-based-guidelines
Troop Meetings, In-Person Courts of Honor etc. (note 2)
Patrol Indoor Meetings
Patrol Campouts
Patrol Outdoor Daytime Activities
Signup-limited Indoor Meetings
Signup-limited Campouts
Signup-limited Day activities
Simultaneous Family Camping ("Virtual Campouts") with actual travel (Note 3)
