Scouts taking the Personal Fitness Merit Badge and any interested in taking the fitness test portion of their Tenderfoot rank should RSVP now for the upcoming fitness test on May 4 at 2:30 pm. This is the third fitness test for the Personal Fitness Merit badge. Scouts who are working on the Personal Fitness MB must attend this test. PLEASE RSVP TO INDICATE WHETHER OR NOT YOU CAN ATTEND. This test can also be used for your Tenderfoot fitness test requirement. The fitness test should take around 45 minutes and will take place at the Silver Creek Middle School, 3701 Saul Rd, in Kensington. We will meet behind the building by the fields.

All attendees to the Bechtel High Adventure are invited to attend the required shakedown, a canoeing trip at ASM Hamza's cottage. The shakedown is scheduled for June 8-9. Details are below.

RSVP now for May's outing -- white water rafting on the Lower Youghiogheny River. We will launch on Saturday at noon and the trip downriver is approximately 4 1/2 hours. Guides from the outfitter will travel with us in kayaks. Scouts will travel downriver in groups of approximately 8 people per raft over a number of class III rapids between slower pools to rest, recover, swim, and have fun.

GT8 scouts attending the Whitewater rafting trip in May, the summer camp at Camp Olmstead, or Bechtel High Adventure this summer can come to the YMCA in Silver Spring between 3:00-4:00 pm on April 28 to get a swim test accomplished. Please come in your bathing suit and with a towel. The test involves jumping in the water feet first, swimming 100 yards, and floating on your back.

All GT8 scouts attending summer camp must submit their medical forms to GT8 Camp Registration Coordinator Ms. Valeria Tortorelli (valeriat.allen@gmail.com) by May 1. The required form can be found on the calendar entry on the GT8 website. Specifically, Scouts need to complete the BSA health forms parts A, B, and C, as well as the NCAC Health Advisory form. (***NOTE: PART C OF THE BSA HEALTH FORM MUST BE COMPLETED BY A DOCTOR.***)

If you are unable to attend the GT8 swim test on Sunday, April 28, Boys Troop 8 will also be holding swim tests on Saturday, April 27 at 5:30-6:30 and on Sunday, May 12 at 5:30-6:30. These tests will be at the YMCA on Old Georgetown Road in Bethesda. The YMCA, which has invited us to their pool, requires a simple online waiver; scouts must complete the waiver and bring a photo ID to the pool. A link to the waiver is on the calendar invite on the GT8 website. These tests will count for the swim tests needed for the Rafting trip in May and summer camp.