🚀 go-pugleaf

In article 4014@wkuvx1.bitnet, waltoml@wkuvx1.bitnet writes:
|>
|>COPE Courses are a lot of fun for the kids involved..a pain in the
|>butt end for the Councils and the professional staffs.  They are very
|>dangerous courses and extreme stupidity resulting in several major
|>injuries in several courses have made the BSA to rethink the COPE
|>course' worth in the past five years.

COPE may be a pain fro the liability and administrative 
persepctives, but I think the councils that do it right get a good 
return.  It provides a strong attraction for getting older
boys to keep coming back to summer camp.

At our camp (Lost Lake Scout Reservation) there is a separate
area called Cdera Bay High Adventure Camp,  which includes the
COPE course, a 5 day backpacking program, a rapelling tower, 
a camp for overnight canoe trips, a Tipi village, and a western
camp with horse riding (some years) and blacksmithing. Individual
scouts, patrols and troops can take part in these activities as a 
supplement to the normal summer camp fare.

This is very popular with scouts who don't need additional merit badges
for advancement. I know several older boys who went back at least
twice just because of the Cedar Bay programs.

LLSR often runs COPE sessions for adults. I have done this twice
and found it to be quite an experience. For those familiar
with the program,  I had the most trouble with the Trust Fall.
It was difficult for me to let go of control.

Council also runs COPE as a weekend program for troops through
the fall. We the Philmont crew from our troop there as a
team building exercise and found it to be quite effective.


|>               Yet, the number of Councils
|>that have a course keeps going up because of the "Smith and Jones"
|>factor (council Smith has one, so we in Council Jones must have one
|>and a high ropes course at that...).  
|>

I believe that there is much more to it. A well-run COPE program
offers substantial payoffs. But it does require an investment in
equipment and training, and scrupulous attention to safety.


		Bob Haar
		Chartered Organization Representative,  Troop and Pack 188
		    BSA, Clinton Valley Council, Pontiac, Michigan, USA. 
		Ordeal member, Chippewa Lodge #29, WWW