In this email you will find:

• Featured Resource: The Power of One Playlist
• Program Update: Outdoor Adventure
• Program Update: NOAC Patch Trade-O-Ree
• Program Update: OA High Adventure at NOAC
• Program Update: OA Museum
• Region Update: Western Region, from Chief David Harrell
• Region Update: Northeast Region, from Chief Ryan Hay
• Region Update: Southern Region, from Chief Mark Norris
• Region Update: Central Region, from Chief Michael Beckman
• Arrowmen in Action: City Councilman and Scout
• Featured Trading Post Item: Region Patches
• Frequently Asked Question: Golf Tournament Clubs
• Reminder: Event Selection Now Open
• Reminder: Full Payment Due May 31
• Remember the Power of One
• Questions

The team of experts on the National Events Promotion Team has reviewed every song ever played and created a list of songs that emphasize the slogan of this year’s NOAC, the Power of One. The Power of One playlist will be available soon on the NOAC website, event.oa-bsa.org, with link to iTunes where Arrowmen can purchase the songs. Check it out today!

This year we can look forward to having new adventure activities at NOAC, such as a dry tolling course for ice climbing. This will look very similar to the bouldering walls, but there will be chains hanging from the roof that people put their ice axes in to get across the course. There will also be mountain boarding, which is similar to skateboarding but on an open grass covered hill.

As always, SCUBA BSA and kayaking BSA will both be prominently featured at the conference. And, we will have a huge push on high adventure as staff from all three BSA high adventure bases will be there showing off their skills. We will have many different ways to have fun – climbing challenge course, talking with the US Forest service, trying your hand at fly fishing or taking a dive in our SCUBA pools will all be great fun. The Outdoor Adventure area will be a great way to spend time during NOAC.

Where else can an Arrowmen experience the thrill of SCUBA, Mountain Boarding, Ice Climbing, and Kayaking all in one week? There is only one place, NOAC. The Xtreme High Adventure (XHA) team has an amazing program in store for NOAC. Our goals is to harness “The Power of One”, to help Arrowmen experience new activities that they may not be able to do at home, while under the supervision of trained individuals. At this NOAC, we will be operating under a totally new paradigm, a radically different mindset to deliver the best week any person could have. Each of you is part of one of the four XHA sub programs. Your program leaders are working hard to finish the logistics for all the XHA programs, so stay tuned for additional information as we get closer to NOAC.

If you are on staff, you can have fun too. The XHA planning committee is committed to making staffing NOAC a memorable experience. Know someone who wants to be a part of the XHA team? Positions are still open for SCUBA, Kayaking, and Ice climbing programs. Interested Arrowmen can contact the XHA Youth Lead, Daniel Salet, at d_salet@yahoo.com.

You won’t want to miss the NOAC Patch/Memorabilia Trade-O-Ree on Saturday in the Tennis Center (near the registration area at Assembly Hall).

Arrowmen, bring your patches and get ready for lots of trading while your lodge is checking in. Special memorabilia displays will be set up, ethics in patch trading will be emphasized, and the sale and purchase of new and historical memorabilia will be allowed.

If you’re new to patch trading and collecting, or even if you are an experienced collector, classes on patch-trading will be held on Saturday starting on the hour. Ten minute sessions on trade-o-rees will be held every half hour.

The trade-o-ree is sponsored by the International Scouting Collector’s Association (ISCA) and is an official part of NOAC on Saturday. The trade-o-ree will officially begin on Thursday morning for early arrivals.

Lodges can rent a table to market lodge fundraiser items by going to www.scouttrader.org and using the on-line registration form.

More information can be found at www.scouttrader.org, or by emailing noactradeoree@gmail.com.

Come check out all that OA High Adventure has to offer, Whether you are a veteran of the OA High Adventure programs or you have no idea what I am talking about there are plenty of things for you to do and learn. The OA High Adventure team will be all over Indiana University involved in many aspects of the conference - promoting at the evening shows, sharing valuable knowledge about conservation and trail work, or providing new information about all of the programs. From Wilderness Voyage, to Trail Crew, Ocean Adventure, and the new and exciting Canadian Odyssey, all of the programs will be covered at all of the main events of the conference. If you have questions about the program just ask anyone on the OA High Adventure team, they will be easy to spot, they’re the bearded ones in Carharts. Come out and spend some time with the crazy people of OA High Adventure, and next thing you know, you will be having the time of your life at one of our awesome programs.

The OA Center for History invites participants to assist their lodge in showcasing lodge history through two competitions, a lodge historical display competition and a lodge oral history presentation competition, both of which will be showcased at the NOAC Museum. Each lodge should reserve your spot now on the NOAC Registration website, registration.oa-bsa.org

Lodge historical displays should be a learning experience for those viewing it and should demonstrate originality and creativity. A combination of lodge memorabilia including lodge histories, pictures, drawings, descriptions, lodge patches and other memorabilia is expected. Lodges should highlight individuals who have made a difference in the lodge. Displays may be table top, on easel, or freestanding. A six foot table is the standard for table top displays; additional space can be made available upon request. Youth participation is highly recommended and will improve the overall judging score. Please refer to the display entry guidelines on registration.oa-bsa.org.

Check out the NOAC website for more information on Museum activities, or email noacmuseum@gmail.com.

As you all certainly know, NOAC is just a few months away, and it will be an opportunity to meet a ton of new people, see and learn things you’ve never experienced before, experience fellowship with your brothers, and show the entire OA exactly why WEST IS BEST! Make sure you guys come loaded up with your OA and Western Region gear (including the patch you can buy online from the NOAC Trading Post) to demonstrate your spirit to everyone you’re going to meet during the best NOAC ever!

Here are just a few of the fun things you have to look forward to:

• The Western Region gathering! Tuesday night, you’ll get to join all your Western Region brothers for a session of fun and fellowship. At the gathering, we’ll also be getting pumped up for…
• RegionBall tournament! Immediately after the region gatherings, the Western Region will send hundreds of members from all of its sections out into the stadium to go up against teams from the other three regions, in the style of a huge LodgeBall game. So make sure to practice your dodge ball skills!
• Founder’s Day! The region will have its own booth set up during the Founder’s fair on Wednesday, so make sure to visit!

You don’t want to miss any of this, because you can make NOAC ’09 the best conference ever! And remember: West is Best!

The Northeast region is looking forward to an exciting and awesome time at Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana, for NOAC 2009. In addition to the regional gathering, we will be having a regional dodge ball tournament, as well as many other interesting and new activities. From Maine, to Puerto Rico, to Germany, brothers from all over the NER will enjoy fellowship, make memories, as well as friendships, that last a lifetime! I look forward to seeing all of you there!

Now that all of the conclaves are finished for 2009 in the Southern Region, we can focus our attention on NOAC. This week long event will be one of the highlights of the summer. I would like to thank each of you for committing yourself to attend this event. The conference staff, in return, has committed to making this event fun and exciting.

The Southern Region currently has the most people signed up. With the spirit of the Southern Region, we will make sure we are heard the loudest! I hope you are excited about NOAC, and I am looking forward to seeing you there.

Arrowmen of the Central Region!! I want to make sure that you are pumped for NOAC in August so I am going to tell you about some of the amazing things that will be offered. We are going to have shows almost every night at NOAC including a theme show, American Indian show, recognition show, and of course an opening show. Also, between all the activities and recreations that you will be doing, we will have our own region gathering where you can meet the region leadership and many Arrowmen from throughout the region. Also there will be a region vs. region dodge ball tournament, and I know that the Central Region will rock that! In addition to all that, you have Founders Day, being able to participate in the Goodman Games and visit booths during the Founders Day Fair. There will be American Indian activities too, which will include singing and regalia competitions. Special Events, another great part of NOAC, will include the OA museum, VIA luncheons, and meetings with the national officers. I want all of you to bring your excitement to NOAC and show everyone who the best region is!

Jeremy Yamaguchi can juggle. He doesn’t work for the circus, and he probably doesn’t spend much time entertaining kids. But at the age of twenty, Jeremy juggles school, Scouts and his position on the Placentia City Council. “Balancing school, OA and the City Council is a challenge,” he says. “I’ve missed school for the city and the city for Scouts and vice versa.”

But no matter how much is on his plate, Jeremy seems determined to give back to the program that he says helped shape him to be the leader he is today. He currently serves as the Section Chief for W4-S and is an assistant scoutmaster with his local troop in Orange County. “I can attribute the reasons for my success from the character development, life skills and outstanding leadership opportunities that the Scouting program has given me,” says Jeremy.

And it was that character development that led him to run for the Placentia City Council. “The main reason I ran was so that I could give back to my community.” Although Jeremy has caught quite a bit of attention as the youngest elected official in Southern California, he says it’s important to stay humble. “It’s important to remember where you came from,” he says. When it comes to his priorities, he looks to former President Ronald Reagan for advice: “faith, family, hard work and freedom,” is the order he lists them in.

What advice does he have for Scouts looking to go into elected office? “Be humble and stay true to who you are and to your ideals.” Jeremy uses the Power of One to give back to his community. How will you use it?

Check out all of the region patches featured in this email at the NOAC Trading Post, at tradingpost.oa-bsa.org. All of the patches are available for sale! Get your Region’s patch today, or even better – collect all 4!

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

Question: I am signed up for the NOAC Golf Tournament, but don't have any way to get my clubs to NOAC. Will rental clubs be available at the Golf Tournament?

Answer: Yes, clubs will be available for rental during the Golf Tournament. All rentals must be handled through the club house, their number is 812-855-7543. Club rentals are $10 for last year's model and $20 for this year's model. Participants can also bring their own clubs.

Check out more frequently asked questions at the NOAC website, http://event.oa-bsa.org/events/n2009/faq.htm!

Beginning April 1, NOAC 2009 delegates are able to log-on to the registration website and select their preferences for training, afternoon activities, competitions and other NOAC activities. Head to registration.oa-bsa.org to sign up for activities.

The conference fee is $395.00 for youth and adult members who pay their total conference fee by May 31, 2009 (postmark date). Conference fees paid after May 31, 2009, will incur a late fee. All late fees must be received by the OA Director no later than June 30, 2009. The fee includes five night's housing, 14 meals, program and support materials, registration materials, and recognition items during the six-day conference.

"Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined." - Henry David Thoreau