Myakka Boy Scout becomes third in his family to earn Eagle Scout rank

Myakka City’s Gabriel Legutko didn’t necessarily choose to be a Boy Scout.

He said he was born into it. 

His two older brothers, Henry Legutko and Andrew Legutko, both earned the Eagle Scout rank, the highest a Boy Scout can achieve. 

With Gabriel Legutko growing behind them, it was natural for him to follow in his brothers’ footsteps and become a member of the troop. He decided to stay in Boy Scouts for the skills he was developing and to become a better leader.

But he wasn’t sure he had the motivation to do what it takes to become an Eagle Scout. 

Knowing he would be the third in his family to become an Eagle Scout and adding to the family’s legacy became the driving factor for earning the rank.

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He said he’s proud to be the third in his family to earn the rank and to give his parents, Tracy and John-Paul Legutko, a “100% completion rate.”

Tracy Legutko said seeing her three sons earn their Eagle Scout rank has been overwhelming, knowing all the hard work that they have put into it to earn the rank. 

“(Scouts) has made them into the men they are today,” she said. “Scouts has helped raise my children. It’s instilled leadership in them. It gave them outdoor skills and confidence in each of them.”

Gabriel Legutko earned his Eagle Scout rank by refurbishing the tree stand Oneco Hope Global Methodist Church uses every holiday season to sell Christmas trees. 

He saw it was rundown and was concerned whether it was safe to use. 

The moment of greatest uncertainty of whether he could become an Eagle Scout was at the beginning of working on his project. He had to come up with a plan to refurbish the stand, along with a financial plan, and then present the plans for approval. He said it was overwhelming. 

He questioned whether it was worth it, but he persisted anyway. 

Gabriel Legutko’s leadership skills were put to the test. He said he had to learn to hold himself back from getting directly involved in his project. Instead, he had to take on a managerial role to oversee the project and direct the scouts in his troop on what needed to be done. 

“I like helping people and stepping in, so It’s weird to just have to stay there and talk to people instead of being able to help,” he said. 

With the support of his parents and his grandfather, Carmie Snider, Gabriel Legutko finished his project. 

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Boy Scouts always has been a family affair for the Legutkos. 

Henry Legutko, who is now 22, started with Cub Scouts in 2007, and his brothers followed in his footsteps. 

Tracy Legutko said her sons now laugh because their involvement in Boy Scouts has given her a love for camping as well. Her favorite memories are going on camping trips with them. 

Throughout the years, Carmie Snider, who is Tracy Legutko’s father, has mentored his grandsons and helped with their respective Eagle projects. 

Both Tracy Legutko and Carmie Snider will continue to support Gabriel Legutko’s troop, Troop 10, and give back to the organization that gave the Legutko family more than a decade of memories and lessons. 

Gabriel Legutko said having his brothers in the troop wasn’t always easy as there was a “power dynamic” among them they had to balance. 

“You can’t be too mean to your own siblings, so you can’t always make them wash the dishes or anything,” he said. “You definitely have to be cordial. You have to respect each other. But it’s a lot of fun to have family in scouting.”

Gabriel Legutko will celebrate his accomplishment at an Eagle Scout ceremony April 28.

He said the celebration will be an opportunity for him to connect his past to his present as members from his former troop and his present troop will come together to recognize his achievement. It’ll be fun to have the members finally meet each other after Gabriel Legutko has shared stories and memories of being in both troops. 

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When he started with Boy Scouts, Gabriel Legutko was a member of Troop 42 in Myakka City. 

In 2020, Troop 42 disbanded due to an insufficient number of participants. Andrew and Gabriel had to find a new troop, so they went to Troop 10, which meets at Oneco Hope Global Methodist Church.

Moving from Troop 42 to Troop 10 was an adjustment, Gabriel said. In Troop 42, they focused more on outdoor skills as they were in Myakka City while Troop 10 focuses more on leadership training. 

He said the lessons and skills he learned from both troops have made him the scout he is today and will help him in his future.

Now that he’s earned the highest rank, Gabriel Legutko said he can relax and revel in his accomplishments. He hopes the younger scouts he’s worked with have learned from his dedication and leadership and will go on to do the same for future generations. 

Gabriel Legutko, along with his brothers, will continue to be involved with the organization through Order of the Arrow, which is the Scouting’s National Honor Society.

“Once a scout, always a scout,” he said.