Sarasota scouts receive Eagle Scout awards at ceremony

It’s no easy thing to become an Eagle Scout, the Boy Scouts of America’s highest award.

About 4% of boys who enter Scouting ever rise to that level, said Scoutmaster and Eagle Scout Bobby Fletcher.

So seven Scouts who have known each other since grade school earning their Eagle badge together? That’s something much more rare. 

But such was the case on July 27, where Scouts BSA Troop 895 recognized seven Sarasota young men — six of them graduating high school seniors — as Eagle Scouts at a ceremony held at the Church of the Palms. Typically held for a few Scouts with family and friends present, this ceremony had social distance guidelines and a few family members to cheer on their children’s success.

 It was meant to be held in April, but Fletcher and other leaders decided to host a smaller, shorter ceremony for the boys before they moved on to college. 

“It occurred to myself and to the other leaders that simply sending them off with their awards mailed to them …  was just too pitiful to be endured,” he said. 

The ceremony was held in an indoor basketball court at the church where family members were able to space themselves out. To become an Eagle, a Scout has to collect 21 merit badges, pass seven boards of review, hold leadership positions in the community, and lead a community service project.

“It's fairly demanding in terms of time and effort,” Fletcher said. “It really does require the rare teenager who has the self discipline to take him himself all the way through this process … they learned from each other, they work for the sake of each other. It's for that reason that all of these guys have been able to make it through.”

Over the years, the seven scouts from Troop 895 have built resting boxes for puppies, improvements for the Crowley Museum and Nature Center, and a game area at Church of the Palms. 

It’s been a long time coming, especially for 18-year-old Will Getzen. Getzen started in the Cub Scouts in elementary school, only to leave and eventually return a few years later as a Boy Scout in middle school.

Getzen and his fellow Scouts have been on some journeys since then. The troop canoed through the wilderness, served anchor duty on a sailing ship, and hiked 80 miles through New Mexico. 

“I feel like a lot of people see Boy Scouts and think “Oh you're going camping and playing with sticks in the woods’  but it was the real deal,” Getzen said. “You're waking up and hiking for 10 hours carrying your food and water … it’s just one of the things I'll never forget.”

Both his brother and father have been involved in Scouting, with his father Jim Getzen serving as one of the adult leaders in his troop. As Jim had never reached Eagle rank when he was a young man, he said he was just delighted to see his son and his friends achieve their goals. 

As for Fletcher, he said he felt a mix of pride and sadness to watch his Scouts finish their time and move on to new things. 

Getzen has put high school behind him — he’s enrolled at University of Florida — but doesn’t plan to forget the memories with his friends anytime soon. 

(The Scouts) definitely taught me a lot about planning in general and just working as a team,” he said. “Just how to work as an effective team … you don’t realize the skills and talent that goes into making an effective team, but I think I've definitely opened my eyes to that.”