OA: NOAC 2012 Newsletter

NOAC 2012

July 30th - August 4th, 2012

Piedmont Council, California

Words from the Chief

To my Brothers,
NOAC was a great experience. The trading, brotherhood, and Indian dancing were highlights. I highly recommend attending the 2015 NOAC, which will celebrate the centennial of the Order of the Arrow. Over 100,000 brothers are expected to attend. For previous attendees, I recommend that you take part in the conference as staff, like I did for this past NOAC. The perks of being a staff member include an extra show and a lot more free time to wander around the college campus. I highly recommend arriving early as staff, both to get together with your team, as well as visit the trade-o-ree. To get involved in staff, getting to know the section chief the year before NOAC will give you a fast track to securing a spot. To meet the section leadership, you should attend a council of chiefs (COC) or the conclave. This coming conclave in April is a great place to start getting to know about the section leaders and the OA in general!

Yours in Brotherhood,
Evans H.
Lodge Chief 2012-13

National OA Conference 2012

July 30th - August 4th, 2012, Michigan State University

This past summer, several of the lodge members had the opportunity to travel back to Michigan State University for the 2012 NOAC. NOAC is a scouting event that shouldn't be missed. I know, I've now been to seven, four as a youth, and three as an adult.
I was initially drawn to attend the 1971 NOAC at the University of Illinois with a group of OA friends from Hungteetsepoppi and Achewon Nimat. I had a great time and made a bunch of new friends. It was the best trip I had been on. Since then, the six other NOACs have not disappointed, I've met many new friends, seen great shows, and enjoyed the camaraderie of many scouts and scouters.

As an adult and the lodge adviser, I've come to appreciate the extraordinary effort and devotion of the volunteer staff that organizes and coordinates the entire event. From the first opening of the registration portal, to the final check-out on the last day, the whole process is run professionally and with great organization.

There are too many events at NOAC, so you can only attend a fraction of the offerings. Over the years I've enjoyed the morning classes (on an amazing number of topics) and the lodge competitions in the afternoons. But what I appreciate most is the fantastic evening shows. The quality is fantastic, with professional quality results. The enthusiasm is infectious.

2015 is the 100th anniversary of the OA, and the 2015 NOAC should be the biggest and best yet. I hope you will consider being part of the 100th anniversary celebration!

Kevin Fischer

Patches, Patches, and more Patches

At NOAC patch trading was as popular as ever, Arrowmen were constantly on the lookout for the perfect deal to complete the desired set or add a new patch to the collection. The Order of the Arrow naturally attracts some of the most dedicated of scouts, and this years NOAC was no exception. Many scouts came to the conference with stacks of patches valued at hundreds of dollars by the end of the week.

After-midnight trading sessions were not unusual; according to Blaze, the trading actually got better around 1am as more scouts joined in to trade. Popular patches included the "Dark Hawk Rises" set (a Batman spoof), the Cogman collection (an Iron Man ripoff by the Orange Coast Council), and the official P Barnum Circus set-I put together one of those.

Scouts were hardly the only ones trading , often adults joined in looking to collect flaps to add to their personal collections. I'm happy to say that our NOAC flap, based on the 60-year flap by Forrest, was recognized and perhaps the single most valued flap at the conference. I would go so far as to say it was also the best-looking....
Brendan G.

Opportunities

One of my favorite things about the Order of the Arrow is its ability to help scouts travel, Experience new ideas, and meet and build strong fellowship with arrow men all across the nation. No organization is more effective in combining all three of these characteristics and remaining youth run and very minimal in cost. I have personally had the privilege of attending multiple conclaves, OA Canadian Odyssey, and now two National Order of the Arrow Conferences.

Thanks to our very close friend, Indy Nelson, Evans and I had the pleasure of being on staff for the Founders day, planning and executing the final day of NOAC. The three of us arrived early in Michigan with another friend from Alaska to stay with Evans’ relatives. The instant that we set foot on the Michigan State campus, I saw the familiar craze over patches. The ice hockey arena had been covered over and completely filled with tables, all crowded with people trading patches. For some arrow men, patch trading was the main thing that they would be doing for the entire week. Although I wasn’t quite this obsessed, I did a fair bit of patch trading, mainly using it to meet new arrow men from across the country. However, after each day I had about a 200% growth rate in patches. Along with patch trading, I spent a good amount of time at all of the high adventure activities available, including a BMX course, Rock Climbing, and Ice-Pick Climbing. But by far the coolest, and always my favorite event was the Native American dancing. I have been competing in the fancy feather for a few years at conclave, and being able to watch the national champions was amazing!

Once the finals in the fancy feather were over, and Founders day went off extremely well, we all got a chance to enjoy the final show. If you haven’t had the chance to see a NOAC show, you’re missing out. One night Defying Gravity performed, which was absolutely ridiculous and indescribable, and at the closing show they put on a full-fledged laser show that blew my mind. It was a shame to leave, but I will definitely be returning next time for the 100th anniversary! If this year was so amazing as the second largest NOAC in history, I can’t imagine how crazy it is going to be in 2015!
Forrest Y.

Staff, Work, and Fun

Eight Thousand Arrowmen attended the 2012 NOAC at Michigan State University. One thousand of those eight was staff, showing what the OA is really about, cheerful service. Most of their work started months before to allow NOAC to run smoothly and provide excellent entertainment for the seven thousand participants. Then during the week, many of the staffers worked from after breakfast till several hours after dinner for the first four days out of five. But then they got a break on Friday, Founder's Day. Founder's Day was our day, the big celebration of the end of NOAC. I helped Indy Nelson plan and carry out the live entertainment for the day. I worked with the central region to create a forty minute show that illustrated the central regions flair, intense region pride and some American Indian dancing, which was much better than Southern regions I might add (Taylor Swift and a lot of other country music).

NOAC wasn't all work for me though, in fact it was mostly loaded on the months before the week at MSU. I was lucky enough to enjoy the first four days of NOAC, but I did have to stay up late on the day before Founder's Day to set up, my cheerful service for the week. During the days of my enjoyment, I patch traded (much more friendly and less cutthroat than the National Jamboree), met new friends, hung out with my room mate, Michael Balco (great guy), watched some fancy dance (the most colorful and free-form type of Indian dance), and played some region dodge ball. I learned many things at NOAC and got a better understanding of the purpose of OA at the "United We Leave a Legacy" (NOAC's Slogan) class. However the most important lesson I learned and you should always remember it is “West is Best”, which is the slogan of our region, the West.
Evans H.

Defining Moment

I was one of a lucky few that got the opportunity this summer to attend NOAC 2012 at Michigan State University. NOAC, or the National Order of the Arrow Conference, was arguably one of the best outings I've been on as a scout, and one of the defining moments of my recent memory.

NOAC gathers delegates from all of the Lodges and all of the Regions from across the United States to come celebrate their love of scouting and cheerful service, and to experience the way that other Lodges involve themselves with their community. I was given the opportunity as a delegate to meet new people, participate in the roaring patch trade, and take classes that were designed to make me a better man and help me achieve the goals I wanted to achieve. I learned skills that will make me a better scout, a better community member, and a better man.

NOAC is a huge deal. The National Council throws an absolutely obscene amount of money into the event, and the money goes to high-budget shows and extensively planned events that everyone loves. The National OA Lodge Chief is in attendance, along with his cabinet, and makes regular appearances on stage. Over 8,000 arrowmen are in attendance, and all of them receive the opportunity to attend classes, performances, and activities, along with free meals and housing.

NOAC was one of the defining moments of my scouting career, and I strongly encourage every arrowman in Hungteetsepoppi to attend.
Ryan L.