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NOAC Course and Program Registration Is Going Live!

Starting today, April 1, registration for NOAC courses and programs is live. Head over to registration.oa-bsa.org to search the list of available courses and sign up. Hurry – before the class you want fills up!

Feature Program: Exciting New Ceremony Opportunities!

Novice ceremony team at NOAC 2006Inductions and Ceremonial Events (ICE) is offering full-day activities throughout the conference. From training to individual coaching and evaluations to competitions ICE has something for you!

Pre-Ordeal and Vigil Competitions: Do you think your ceremony team is one of the top 10 in the nation? Ceremonies competitions may be for you!

New for NOAC 2009 is a competition for Pre-Ordeal and Vigil ceremony teams. We're looking for the top 10 teams in the nation to be filmed for upcoming ceremonies training videos. Teams who enter the competition will have their preliminary performances taped on Sunday. The top 10 teams will perform their final round in front of a panel of judges during a taping in a TV studio on Wednesday. The top 3 teams in Pre-Ordeal and Vigil will win a trophy and be announced at the closing show.

Please note that ceremonies competition is separate from the ceremony evaluations. A team does not have to enter the competition to participate in the evaluations. All teams that enter the competition must also participate in the evaluations.

Ceremony Team being evaluated at NOAC 2006Evaluations: Are you looking for a way to improve ceremonies in your lodge? Do you think that your ceremony team is good but could be great? Join us for ceremony evaluations!

The goal of the 2009 NOAC ceremony evaluations is to improve ceremonial performances and to maximize the quality of the induction experience for the candidate. Since the purpose of these evaluations is purely educational, there is no need for teams to be highly experienced to participate. Inexperienced teams should be able to improve significantly by participating in the evaluations. More experienced teams will benefit as well, by receiving suggestions from the highly qualified evaluations staff. Evaluations will be done for Pre-Ordeal, Brotherhood, and Vigil ceremony teams.

Please remember that the ceremony evaluations are separate from the competition. A team does not have to enter the competition in order to participate in the evaluations.

Call-Out Competitions: More Scouts view the Call-Out ceremony than will ever have the chance to view the other ceremonies of the Order of the Arrow. Lodges should place special emphasis on the performance of their Call-Out ceremony to make a great first impression with the candidates and to showcase the OA to non-members.Lodge ceremony teams at NOAC 2006

The purpose of the Call-Out competition is to provide lodges with useful comments from experienced evaluators on how to improve their Call-Outs. The top ceremonies will also be available for lodges to view via the National OA Web Site. Awards will be presented for the top three scripts. This competition will be based only on the written script and video submitted. A live Call-Out team will not be evaluated as part of this competition.

Advanced Inductions Management Seminars (AIMS): Learn how to bring national ceremonial standards to your lodge and section. The Advanced Inductions Management Seminar (AIMS) will offer Arrowmen the opportunity to learn methods and strategies to improve their lodge inductions program. AIMS will focus on the areas of inductions management, building and training ceremonial teams, ceremonial evaluations, and practical implementation of national policy. AIMS is recommended for experienced NOAC participants who already possess a high level of ceremonial understanding and wish to learn more about making ceremonies happen on a program level.Ceremonialists from NOAC 2006

Participants will discover ways to improve the inductions process in their lodges and sections through master trainers and participant break-out sessions. The seminar consists of three required morning training sessions. Optional afternoon and evening sessions are available on topics not covered in the morning. These may be attended by all NOAC participants.

Individual Coaching: Do you want to work one-on-one with a NOAC evaluator? Want a little bit of extra help but don't have your whole team at NOAC? Come to Individual Coaching!

An individual or ceremony team that desires additional help or instruction on a particular ceremony character or ceremony can participate in Individual Coaching. Individuals, partial teams, or entire teams will be paired with a ceremony evaluator who will offer feedback on any portion of any ceremony desired. Costumes are optional, but not required, to participate in Individual Coaching.

Feature Program: Office of the Chairmen

A new program will take place at NOAC, focused on making an impact in councils. Lodges will have the opportunity to receive valuable advice and assistance that will allow them to realize the Power of One by accomplishing the mission of the Order in their councils. Lodges will meet with Dr. Carl Marchetti and Ed Pease, past national OA committee chairmen, Dan McCarthy, national OA committee member, and Larry Newton, 2007 national vice chief.

Since this is a new program for NOAC, the staff of the office of the chairmen is going to great lengths to make the program great. The NOAC program group has developed questions to ask lodges that are the result of collaboration between the region OA chairman/staff advisers and the Order of the Arrow steering committee. These questions will assess the Order’s impact on individual lodges as well as solicit feedback by which the national committee can best improve its support for lodges.

To participate in this exciting new program, lodges are being nominated by section and region leadership and the selected lodges will be invited to participate in the program.

Important Medical Information for NOAC Attendees and Staff

All NOAC attendees and staff will need to make sure they have a Boy Scout medical form completed, as well as a medical waiver if they have certain chronic medical conditions. This year, the medical form and the request for a medical waiver can be submitted electronically. Staff will be required to submit their medical form electronically. To see if you require a medical waiver or how to submit either of these items electronically, go to http://event.oa-bsa.org and click on the link on the main page. Even if submitting electronically, it is recommended that you bring a copy of your medical form, in case of computer problems and for travel to and from the conference. For any questions regarding OA Health Services, send an Email to oahealthservices@aol.com.

Please note that the Height and Weight requirements will not be enforced by the medical staff, but participants should watch their height and weight restrictions closely if participating in certain high adventure style activities while at NOAC.

Important Notice Regarding Food Preparation at Founder's Day

During the upcoming 2009 National Order of the Arrow Conference many lodges are planning to take part in the various activities during the Founders Day events. In the past, lodges have decided to create a display or booth which represented specific items, traditions, and customs that were unique to their home council and lodge. In doing so, some lodges have prepared foods and beverages representative of their region. While this has been a great way for many lodges to share their unique qualities about their home with the rest of the country, this tradition will be changing this year.

Due to the increased awareness and concern for the restrictions and regulations governing the delivery and preparation of food for public consumption, the conference management has elected to not allow lodges and individual participants to deliver and prepare foods to the 2009 National Order of the Arrow Conference. As an alternative, lodges will be able to distribute commercially prepared and prepackaged food products that do not require any refrigeration or preparation. In addition, open container beverages will not be allowed to be served.

Thank you for your understanding with these policy changes and we hope you will have a great experience at the 2009 National Order of the Arrow Conference.

Arrowmen in Action: Stepping Up To Help When No One Else Did

Arrowmen In Action The twists and turns that come with driving up a mountain road can often be unnerving. So can coming upon an injured motorcyclist on your way to a Scouting event. That’s what happened to 14-year-old Taylor Wood—a Life Scout and Brotherhood member of Siwinis Lodge in Torrance, California—while riding with his Scoutmaster and his Scoutmaster’s son. "We were driving up the mountain and there were about three cars in front of us," recalled Taylor. "Then we started to see motorcycle parts scattered in the road." The motorcycle parts belonged to a motorcyclist in need of help lying on the side of the road with his friend. "None of the other people ahead of us stopped to help so we stopped."

Even though it appeared the injured motorcyclist only had minor cuts and scrapes, Taylor rushed out of the car with his first aid kit. "I always have my first aid kit." Taylor said. "Some people keep them in the back of their car or in their packs, but I keep mine with me." He immediately began to clean the motorcyclist’s open wounds and made sure to stabilize him to avoid making any internal injuries worse. When medical personnel arrived, Taylor and the other passengers in his vehicle slowed traffic down on either side of the accident.

Finally, nearly 20 minutes after Taylor and the others came upon the accident, a Sheriff’s Department helicopter landed nearby to evacuate the crash victim to the hospital. Emergency personnel never revealed the motorcyclist’s name to Taylor or his Scoutmaster, making his heroic deed a random act of good citizenship. But for Taylor, deeds like that are nearly habits. He’s been involved with three other accidents similar to this one. "It’s just a normal instinct," he said.

Taylor used the Power of One to help save a life. How will you use it?

Featured Trading Post Item: A Special Offer for NOAC 2009!

Ordeal Ceremony Figurine

The OA Trading Post is accepting pre-orders for NOAC 2009 memorabilia for pickup at NOAC or for delivery during NOAC. We're so excited about the 2009 NOAC that we are offering a special incentive: when you spend at least $125 in a single order between now and July 30, 2009 you can add a bronze Ordeal Ceremony Figurine for 50% off the regular price — that's a $50 savings!

This great deal can be found at http://tradingpost.oa-bsa.org.

Be sure to share this with your OA Brothers, family, and friends so they can take advantage of this great offer.

Reminder: Event Selection Begins April 1

I'm There

Beginning April 1, NOAC 2009 delegates will be able to log-on to the registration web site and select their preferences for training, afternoon activities, competitions, and other NOAC activities. Have a sneak peak at the program for NOAC by going to the program page of the NOAC web site at http://event.oabsa.org/events/n2009/committees/

Remember the Power of One

"The only way of finding the limits of the possible is by going beyond them into the impossible." - Arthur C. Clarke

Questions?
As we get closer to NOAC, you probably have a few questions. If so, send these questions to nept@oa-bsa.org. A Frequently Asked Questions page will be going up on the NOAC web site as questions start to roll in.
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