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Dodgeball saved my outpost
March 19, 2018

When I look at my annual calendar and think, “what could I remove or cut back on”, I just can’t find anything.  We are all busy and life just doesn’t every let up.  That’s why we must be so intentional with our time.  Michael Hyatt says, “successful people learn to say no, really successful people always say no.”  This statement speaks to intentionality and to clarity.  Knowing how you got here, why you’re here and what your mission is are questions you must resolve before you can ever get intentional with your life.

In Rangers it’s easy to come to the wrong conclusion in the middle of a stressful night when you are trying to make it fun and meaningful for the boys.  Our schedule drives us to print the nights curriculum and fold it in our back pocket and then drives us to the church to deliver the nights work.  In this busy, get er done culture we look out over the classroom of boys and see what they must see on us, fatigue and stress.  So, we head out to the field for some dodgeball, and in that moment you’re the hero that saved the lifeless night.  Everyone is having fun and after you close the night with a short devotion you pass out the high fives and think, “why don’t we do this every night.

Let’s take a minute to dissect this night and look at the anatomy of an Outpost that runs on dodgeball.

Elevation of The Athlete

We are in the middle of an identity crisis all dodgeball does is elevate the athletes to the same status that every boys deals with in school every day.  I hear commanders use the phrase, “they’re in school all day, we don’t want to make Ranges just more school”.  Never ever use this phrase.  If you hear yourself say this you will know that you didn’t prepare and you need to drill down in the program to understand it better.  Nothing will dilute your camaraderie, teamwork and fellowship like an Outpost built on dodgeball.

Build In Competition Not Athletics

Competition is a must and you want to build competition into every aspect of the Ranger program, but competition is not synonymous with athletics.  You will hear us say this all the time that boys play differently when you put up the scoreboard.  Life is competitive, and a well mentored future man will need to know how to be competitive.

Not only is the entire advancement system setup to be competitive along with the patrol system, but there are lots of ways to build competition into the nights schedule.  One of the things we love is the Minute To Win It games.  Here are a few that are crowd pleasers.  Also, the countdown timers are all available including some seasonal versions.

• Card Ninja
• Defying Gravity
• Field Goal
• Paper Scraper
• Suck It Up

The awesome thing about these games is that it levels the playing field.  It will not be the most athletic that always wins and that will begin to build a camaraderie and fellowship that can help you get through whatever life throws at you.  Team building events everywhere are designed to build the team.

The Program Really Works

The Royal Ranger program is hard.  It takes a lot of work, time and effort.  No way to candy coat it.  But, how may things can you put your time, money and faithfulness to that not only yields rewards to your family and community but also has grand eternal rewards?  The list is very short.  The key to having and growing a healthy, vibrant, fun Ranger Outpost is to stick to the plan.  Break out the operating manual, the instructions, the blueprint.

Life Is A Journey One Adventure At A Time

I love dodgeball, and it’s fun, but it’s no adventure.  If you want to swell your Outpost, then give them an adventure.  With a few age appropriate adventures you’ll have your boys and their family’s marking their calendars early in the yea  to leave room for the OP### annual X trip.

Creation is an awesome space to explore and have a thrilling adventure, and everyone was created to connect with the outdoors.