Dallas Cup 2008 - Day One Update

Novo Brazil is in the Dallas Cup 2008 in the U14 bracket. We arrived in Dallas, TX today, after a two day transit via Jackson and Memphis with family visits. The drive from Knoxville to Jackson, then Memphis was full of rain. The drive from Memphis to Dallas was flat. Dallas Cup is one of the premier tournaments in the country and the team is happy to be here twice in the last three years. We have a tough pool play, with games against Texas Longhorns, FC Milwaukee, and CD Guadalajara. Early evaluation of the Longhorns team are that we can be competitive, but will have to play very well to win.

Day One was interesting. There were two supergroup games and the Opening Ceremonies for the teams playing in the tournament. Supergroup game 1 had San Paulo v Andromeda, TX, with Andromeda winning handily 5-2. Supergroup game 2 pitted Liverpool v Bosnia. Liverpool dominated with a 6-1 win. The opening ceremonies were also very interesting, with all the teams congregating on the Main Pizza Hut Stadium field, for a meet and greet.

More photos at flickr.

Volunteerism - A Call to Leadership

Volunteers are the lifeblood of scouting. First and foremost, the efforts that the parents make to bring their scouts to the meetings and help with advancement through the ranks is awesome. The Den and Pack leaders organize the activities and bring together everyone to achieve the learning and leadership development which is the heart of scouting. The scouts themselves make the efforts to ensure the learning is not in vain (though it may not seem this way, at times). The energy and drive from all is what makes scouting possible. It is very fulfilling to be a part of this in a leadership role.

Cub scouts is truly blessedwith a great group of parents, leaders and, most importantly scouts. Leadership in scouts is fulfilling as an exercise in leadership and as an exercise in teaching our young men. I ask all to truly consider leadership in scouting and in all activities where this dual opportunity exists.

Charlie wins the Pinewood Derby

Today we held the annual Pinewood Derby for Pack 22. After an exciting race, Charlie won for the entire Den and Pack. The Pinewood derby is a delicate balance between the scout and the father (generally). The balance between the child learning and what they are capable of accomplishing needs to be honored. The competitive nature of the event can also bring out a lot of Dad interference (no news here....).

Anyway, we have a great organizer for our Pinewood Derby, in Dr. Sam Maynard, who helps with test track setup, great advice for all participants (and dads). We work hard to keep the competitive element to a minimum.

Since he is in 2nd grade, I had him design the car layout. I cut the wood with the bandsaw. He painted and we put the wheels on together. I will leave it to you to judge whether we had a good balance or not.

With that said, though, I am happy with Charlie's win.

Water Rights Dispute - More Reporting

There has already been a lot reported on the Great Georgia Water Grab (see knoxnews.com and other sites for information). The attempt by Georgia to move the Tennessee border also made more national news as an also ran by Georgia in its fight with Alabama and Florida. The story was on NPR this morning at the following link.

The radio story related to Georgia's continued 20 year fight for water with Alabama and Florida. Its nice to see that they are fighting with others, as well as Tennessee. Conservation is the first key.


knoxnews stories:
Water War story
TN Lawmaker response
Sam Venerable commentary
"They're Idiots" Story
Venerable "Too Late"
Bredesen response to Georgia
Chattanooga Response

there are other stories on knoxnews.com, but thought this was enough to get started.