By Sam Clippinger
If you're a Boy Scout leader who wants to arrange a caving trip for your Troop and wants KCAG's help, you've come
to the right web page.
Read this entire document; do not skim it. If you expect KCAG to help your group, you need to know
everything this document says.
This document was written by Sam Clippinger, a KCAG
member and BSA Troop 50 Assistant Scoutmaster (and all-around fantastic guy :). In other words, this is coming from
someone who was once exactly where you are now -- completely new to caving and wanting to arrange a caving trip for
his Troop. That process paid off and Troop 50 went caving with KCAG's help. A few lessons were learned along the way
and this document is an attempt to pass on that knowledge.
KCAG is contacted by a Boy Scout Troop, on average, once per week with a request for help arranging a caving trip.
The truth is that the vast majority of those requested trips never take place. Why?
The answer is simple: Most cavers don't like Boy Scouts very much, for some very good reasons. If you want a group
of cavers to help you, you're going to have to learn those reasons so you don't accidentally add to them. Here are the
biggest reasons:
- Boy Scout groups typically require novice trips, which most cavers don't enjoy leading. As with any
sport, caving skills improve with experience. Experienced cavers generally avoid novice
trips because they find them boring -- there's no challenge for them. If you expect an experienced caver to lead a
novice trip, you're going to have to make it interesting. (This isn't that hard to do; keep reading.)
- Young Boy Scouts are typically loud, rowdy and undisciplined. No caver is interested in babysitting your
Troop underground. If your Scouts can't behave themselves in a cave, they're a danger to the entire group. No caver
is going to risk his own life to drag an uncontrollable kid underground.
- Boy Scout groups are typically only interested in going underground, not in learning anything about cave
conservation or preservation. Cave conservation and preservation are topics that cavers care a lot about.
If you want them to help you, you must care too.
Finally, the biggest reason of all:
- Most Boy Scout groups who contact KCAG introduce themselves by insisting that KCAG must take their
group underground. None of the cavers in KCAG make any money from caving -- quite the opposite, actually. Caving
is their hobby, not their job. No law states that they must help anyone arrange a trip and any
attempt to insist that they help will immediately turn away potential volunteers.
This last point is very important.
A pushy, aggressive introduction will make a caver think you're just as pushy and aggressive
in person.
Caves are fragile, non-renewable resources that must be protected and conserved.
If your group cannot demonstrate an interest in protecting caves, no caver will risk damaging or destroying a cave
by taking you underground.
Think of it this way: Imagine your Scoutmaster gets an email from a college student wanting to arrange a camping trip
for his frat house. Your Troop knows a lot about camping and could help a group of beginners organize a trip.
Would you do it? Maybe.
Suppose your contact with the students was sporadic -- you only met one of them face-to-face once and your messages
(email and phone) were never returned.
Suppose the students ask you questions like "How much beer should we bring?" and "Are bonfires OK?"
Suppose the students wanted to borrow most of their equipment (tents, stoves, etc) from your Troop.
Would you help them? NO WAY! You'd tell them to get lost! You'd never expose your Troop to a group like that!
But on the other hand...
Suppose the students seemed responsible, friendly and organized.
Suppose the students were interested in learning about camping and the outdoors.
Suppose the students followed your instructions and prepared themselves with the right equipment.
Would you help them? Probably. If the trip went well, you might ask them to help your Troop with trips
in their area. You might even invite them to join the Troop as adult leaders so they could participate in high
adventure trips.
What will KCAG think of your request for help? It's up to you -- how are you going to ask?
So far, the picture looks pretty bleak, doesn't it? The cards are definately stacked against you. You might be asking
yourself, "Is there any way KCAG will help my group with a caving trip?" The answer is YES. You're going to have to
be patient, though.
- Before you contact KCAG:
- Talk with your Troop about caving. Make sure they understand that BSA considers
caving to be a high-adventure activity -- only Scouts 14 years old or older can participate. Make sure they understand that
caving is dangerous -- serious injuries, hypothermia and claustrophobia are some of the biggest risks.
Begin thinking about a group of Scouts and adult leaders who will actually go underground. Try to keep the group
small -- no more than 7 people total (including at least two adult leaders). Remember: The caves aren't going anywhere.
Pick a small group of well-behaved scouts and leaders for this trip. If it goes well, KCAG will probably help you
with more trips in the future. If the group is too large and there are discipline problems, your trip may get canceled
before it even starts.
Be sure to include at least 2 adult leaders in the caving group (you must meet BSA's two-deep policy). Make sure they
understand that the KCAG members are
only going to participate as caving experts. The adult leaders are responsible for maintaining discipline among the
boys. If the KCAG trip leaders feel that one Scout's behavior will endanger the entire group, the trip will get
canceled.
- When you contact KCAG:
- Write an email to info (at) kcgrotto (dot) org and introduce yourself.
Explain who you are, what Troop you represent and mention that you'd like to arrange a caving trip for some of your
boys. In your email:
- DO NOT assume that KCAG will grant your request and help with a trip.
- DO NOT give a pre-arranged date or location you've decided to go.
- DO NOT insist on KCAG's assistance.
Most likely, the response to your email will be a form letter with KCAG's guidelines for dealing with Boy Scout groups.
Don't be put off by this -- read everything you're sent and make sure you fit within the guidelines. The response will
probably mention that you should attend a KCAG meeting.
- Attend a KCAG meeting and speak up.
- KCAG's meetings are open to the public; the details are on this website. Bring two or three people to the KCAG
meeting: Yourself, one of the adult leaders who will probably go caving and the senior Scout who will probably go caving.
If you're one of the adult leaders who might go caving, consider bringing the other adult too.
It's important that KCAG have a consistant point of contact with your group from start to finish. If you're not actually
going caving yourself but you want to be the point of contact, be sure to always include at least one of the adults
who will be going underground. It's equally important to make a good impression early on -- bringing a well-spoken,
well-behaved senior Scout to the KCAG meeting will allow the cavers to see what kind of group you represent.
Introduce yourselves to someone as soon as you walk in the door.
If you just walk in and sit quietly, everyone will probably assume you know what you're doing
and leave you alone. Your presence may not get announced if you don't speak up.
Find out who the KCAG President is and introduce
yourselves to him. He'll probably invite you to introduce yourselves to the entire group during the meeting. That
is the time to basically restate your email: Summarize who you are and your interest in caving. Mention the number of
Scouts you've identified to go caving and any other work you've done ahead of time. Again, don't talk about dates or
locations. Don't assume anyone will volunteer and don't insist that KCAG help you.
- Invite any volunteers to speak to your Troop.
- This is one of the simplest ways to get an experienced caver interested in a novice trip: The opportunity to
teach others about cave formation, biology and conservation. Most cavers want to educate others about caves and a
slideshow presentation is an easy, appealing way to do it.
Be flexible about presentations: Let the KCAG member pick the topics and materials that get presented. Be ready to
reschedule your planned Troop meetings to accomodate the presenter's schedule.
- Keep attending KCAG meetings until someone volunteers to help you.
- You should sit through a few meetings so you can get a feel for how KCAG works and who's who.
This is the part where patience comes in -- keep coming to KCAG meetings and keep introducing
yourselves. Communicate your interest in caving but don't get impatient or pushy.
It may take several months before someone volunteers to help you arrange a trip.
- Consider joining KCAG.
- This is KCAG's biggest hope -- that Boy Scout leaders will initially come to KCAG for help with a trip, become
cavers, join KCAG and lead their own trips. In that way, they've gained more members and good resources. Give this
some serious thought.
- If someone volunteers to help you with a trip:
- Do everything you can to lessen their workload. Talk with them about locations they're considering and arrange
nearby camping, call for pricing on any necessary permits, print out maps/directions, etc. Basically, the KCAG
member's responsibility begins and ends with the cave itself. You should do everything else unless you're told not to.
Arrange meetings for the entire caving group so the caver can meet your Scouts and vice-versa. Go over equipment to
make sure everything's ship-shape before the caver does so you're aware of any problems the caver might spot.
You must be the Bad Guy: Take it on yourself to eject anyone from the group (even, possibly, yourself) if they're not
ready or causing problems. Don't make the caver do this for you.
- On the cave trip:
- Feed the caver. Feed them well. Caving is hungry work and cavers love to eat when they're done.
Since only your older Scouts will be able to go caving, consider sending the rest of the Troop to a commercial cave
during the day. That way, everyone will get the opportunity to go underground.
- After the cave trip:
- Thank the caver! Go to the KCAG meeting and announce how happy you were with their help. Write up a trip report for the
KCAG newsletter. Have your Troop committee send a thank-you letter to everyone who helped you. Find out if there is
anything your Troop can do to repay the favor -- getting access to climbing towers or other facilities, doing
conservation projects, helping with KCAG fundraisers, etc.
This is a lot of information to absorb and there's even more that's not here. Fortunately, most of it is pretty
common-sense stuff. Be patient and be nice. In the words of one KCAG member, "Being nice is nice."
Here are some other resources that you may find helpful: