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Volume CXXXIII, Number 8 |
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BOC Notebook: leaders are made, not born
ELLIOT JACOBS
STAFF WRITER
This fall, Bowdoin Outing Club leaders were out in the field every weekend-high atop mountains, in rolling swells off the coast, and in churning whitewater-making decisions about how to insure the safety and fun of participants. Being a BOC leader can be one of the most difficult roles in the history of the world-do you open the yogurt pretzels or the gorp? Dunkin' Donuts or Bohemian? Does my life vest look good with my paddling jacket?
Answers to these questions aren't easy to find, and you may be asking yourself, "Were these BOC leaders born with good judgment, careful observational skill, and rugged good looks?" The answer to that question (with the exception of me) is no. The BOC leaders learned everything they know from a program called Leadership Training.
Leadership Training is a semester-long commitment to the BOC. Future leaders will learn all the basics to transform themselves from civilians into wilderness professionals. LT covers everything that you need to know to become a competent outdoor leader. Prospective leaders acquire and demonstrate proficiency in using a map and compass, in working out logistics of trip planning; in using, maintaining, and repairing equipment; in cooking; and in natural history and low-impact camping techniques. There are discussions and demonstrations of leadership styles, group dynamics, and teaching and learning styles-all skills that are required to lead safely.
Leadership training is a mix of classroom and field work-each LT class spends two hours in the classroom on Wednesday nights learning various skills, and then has the opportunity to put them into practice on the weekends. There are two major trips per semester for the leadership training class to work on their skills.
In addition, a major component of leadership training is the Wilderness First Responder course. This wilderness medicine course gives leaders both the credentials to work for any outdoor program in the nation and the confidence to know that they can handle a medical emergency if it arises in the field or at home.
I remember my first medical emergency like it was yesterday: I was leading a day hike, and an attractive young lady managed to sit on a knife and get a small cut on her upper thigh. The situation was critical-someone had to take off her pants and apply well-aimed, direct pressure to the wound. That someone was me. That's just the burden of leadership, though; something that every BOC leader feels weighing on him or her at some time or another.
Leadership Training is open to all classes, though we strongly encourage freshmen and sophomores to apply so that they can have the maximum amount of time to lead trips (we got nearly half a decade of leading out of Gajan). The informational meeting for LT is this Monday at 6:00 p.m. If you are even remotely considering doing LT, please try to come to the meeting, or email Mike Woodruff or Stacy Linehan if you can't make it. LT is a real commitment, but it yields real results in terms of experience, credentials, and fun.
Finally, I conclude my column once again with more advice for the freshmen. Back in high school, there was a huge stigma when freshmen dated seniors. It appears that some of you freshmen think that we're still in high school. In response to that-get a clue, freshmen! Times are changing-look at Ashton and Demi, Justin and Cameron, Harrison and Ally McBeal. These things just work.
The Bowdoin Outing Club strongly supports senior/freshmen relations, and has for a number of years. In years past, the pre-orientation program fostered a number of relationships that you wouldn't want to write home about. Even today, Outing Club officers are still leading the way in forming a meaningful rapport between almost-high schoolers and almost-grown ups. In conclusion, freshmen, don't forget about us seniors. Just because we are much cooler doesn't mean that we're not searching for the same thing in a relationship. Please, I'm so lonely.
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