Without any fear, Troop 97 arrived in camp on July 3rd with 21 scouts ready to bust the ghosts at CampBusters at Nobe! Led by acting SPL Christopher Gonzalez, the Troop participated in every event that NoBeBoSco had to offer! The Troop had five new scouts (Sean Doyle, Evan Demasi, Brayden Greenhut, Lucas Kirsteins, and Felipe Rivera) who experienced their first summer at NoBeBoSco and all earned merit badges while having a great time at camp! They completed many advancement requirements while in First Class Adventure and are moving forward on their advancement path towards higher ranks. In one week at camp, Troop 97 earned a total of 65 merit badges. But that was not all! This year’s Troop informal theme was about having fun and enjoying all that NoBe has to offer. Troop 97 continued its proud tradition of earning the Honor Troop Award while at camp. The scouts easily completed each required item on the list to earn the award. All five patrols and the Staff patrol earned the Honor Patrol Award for the teamwork they used with the patrol method during the week in camp. There were many individual awards earned by Troop 97’s scouts. Prem Doshi, Connor Finkelstein, Christopher Gonzalez, Gio Grosso, Dallas Grosso, Will Humbach, and Lorenzo Montesino earned the BSA Mile Swim Award this year, continuing Troop 97’s unbroken streak. Troop 97 had the largest number of scouts in camp complete the mile swim this year. Seven of our scouts (Alexander Frank, Christopher Gonzalez, Dallas Grosso, Logan Hurler, Lorenzo Montesino, Evan Roth, and Ross Thomas) together with two of our ASMs (Kenneth Grosso and Justin Kirsteins) completed the challenging Sunrise Hike. Starting at 4:00 AM, Up the cable cut and back all before breakfast to watch the sunrise atop the Kittatinny Ridge. Alexander Frank and Elkin Frank earned the Marksmanship Excellence Award at the archery range. Alexander Frank also earned the Rifle ShootingAward. Not an easy task for young scouts! Troop 97 had two scouts complete the OcSoBeBon this year. DallasGrosso and Christopher Gonzalez earned the rare OcSoBeBon neckerchief. The OcSoBeBon award requires a scout to complete challenges in each area of camp to reach 100 points, all of which take most of the week to complete. Troop 97 had one of the largest percentages of scouts in camp attend the Polar Bear Swims. Not all the scouts had their eyes open, but they still managed to jump into the frigid waters early in the morning. Also, there were three ASMs who jumped into the lake to not be outdone by the scouts. Troop 97 also participated in the Camp Wide Games, winning many events at the field and waterfront. Both first-year scouts coupled with returning scouts worked together quickly to win many events. The Troop 97 scouts had a blowout on the parade field by crossing the finish line before some other troops even started running! The week ended with an amazing Closing Campfire where all troops participated with their skits and songs. Troop 97 scouts worked together to create an AMAZING skit that drew laughs, cheers, and ending with a huge round of applause from the audience. I would like to thank the Assistant Scoutmasters Ken Grosso, Justin Kirsteins, and Lloyd Poholsky for attending Camp NoBeBoSco this summer. These dedicated men used vacation days and spent time away from their own families so they could work with our scouts for the week at camp. They gave to the Troop scouting program and we are very lucky to have them. Thank you!