Who is Troop 8787?
BSA Troop 8787 is Chartered with VFW Post 8787 (which is near the Scout Shop, on the Northbound side of I-35). We are in the Blackland Prairie District of the Capitol Area Council and we have Scouts from all over North Austin including, Round Rock, Pflugerville, Hutto, Leander, Taylor and Manor.
We began in the summer of 1996 and although we do not have an associated Cub Scout Pack “feeding” the Troop, we are among the largest and most active Troops in the District. The Scouts that join our Troop don’t come out of convenience, they come because they feel this is the best place (for them) to have fun, learn Scout Skills (and life skills) while learning/living the values and ideals of scouting.
Over nearly 20 years, we have seen more than 60 Eagle scouts pass through our ranks. Although our troop is run by scouts, we are lucky enough to have a large team of active adult leaders that help support the Troop and our close association with Crew 8787 gives our members unique opportunities to learn and take adventures with them.
Regular Meetings:
Where: We meet at the VFW Post 8787 (500 VFW Rd, Austin)
When: Sunday Nights, 6:30pm to 8:00pm
Our Scouts come from many different Packs. How do you decide which Troop to join?
Scouts can choose ANY Troop; they do not have to join the Troop that share your chartering organization. Choose the Troop that suits you; one that will keep you interested.
Scouts generally want to join a Troop where they can have fun and where there are other fun/friendly Scouts with similar interests. Scouts like to hear about what activities we do at meetings, how often we go camping and what kinds of things we do on camp-outs, and what other fun and/or high adventure things we do. (look at our calendar and see what we do).
Parents generally want their Scout to join a Troop where he can have fun (so he sticks with it), where they have a great opportunity to develop into capable, smart, confident young men with great leadership skills. Some Scout families like that we meet on Sunday nights because it fits well with some schedules and it is important to those families to be able to share the experience with their boys.
So what are some things that make Troop 8787 so great?
- Although we are a boy led troop, we have a lot of active adults that enjoy participating. We let the boys do their thing, but having an ample supply of volunteers with a wide variety of qualifications and BSA Certifications is very helpful (Range Safety Officers, Certified Climbing Instructors, Adults with Wood Badge, Powder Horn, IOLS, etc.)
- Our Troop shares the Charting Organization with Venture Crew 8787. Our relationship with the Crew provides the boys access to even more High Adventure activities if they choose.
- We are fortunate enough to have a few families that allow us to camp on their property. That allows some activities that we can not do on BSA, State or Federal land. The Troop has even built a Tough Mudder type course on one of the family’s property!
- We have a relationship with Camp Mabry that provides our Troop with a unique Winter Camp program. We traditionally spend Winter Camps camped out at Camp Mabry; this location allows us to put on a program with very good adult support for Merit Badge workshops and other activities (not all of the adults need to stay overnight because of the location). Our Winter camps are very high quality programs and minimal cost (a fraction of a council Winter Camp).
- We generally alternate Summer camp each year, in and out of state and many of our boys participate with the Crew for high adventure trips.