I have died a thousand deaths. I have been spiked, zapped, flamed and impaled by arrows. Super Mario, Sonic, Star Wars, Doom --- I've died in them all. Yet, I am still alive and well, don't carry a single scar, and have nothing to show for my video adventures except twitchy fingers and a glazed look in my eyes. How different from the real adventures of the great game of Scouting that I will start playing again next Wednesday night.

Last time I played, I was shipwrecked on the Allegheny River in a snowstorm. I built a war kite, complete with razor blades and ground glass, and battled for supremacy of the skies. I was part of a gang that tramped and camped and traveled the world in search of adventure. We battled other gangs for medals, bragging rights and just for the joy of competing --- chopping logs, sending secret messages and finding our way through the trackless wilderness. We were the good guys, fighting the forces of darkness by controlling floods, building fire trails and sprucing up Clarion long ago. We raised money and went on grand expeditions to the New York World's Fair, the Jersey Shore and to Valley Forge where we camped with thousands of other boys who played the game. Yeah, I was a Boy Scout and, trust me, Scouting is still the ultimate game for boys!

The game has rules --- be prepared; be trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean and reverent. It has a philosophy --- do your best, do your duty, help other people, be strong, engage the world, live a clean life. Players wear a uniform --- a colorful outfit with an unusual scarf that is good for blindfolding prisoners, tying up broken bones and identifying you as one of the millions of players of the game worldwide. The game has gone on now for nearly 100 years. If you play it wholeheartedly, the game of Scouting teaches knowledge, skills, teamwork and a way of looking at things that will serve you well all your life.

Now a new gang is forming and I am getting back into the game. If you are a boy between the ages of 11 and 18, or an adult who likes adventure, you can be part of it too. To hear all about the Great Game of Scouting, bring Mom or Dad to the Owens-Brockway Clubhouse on Wednesday night, February 28 at 7:30 p.m. In just three weeks you can be crawling on your belly through enemy territory as you attempt to Capture the Flag in a strange wood that I know of. In just four years, you could be with me on a mountaintop in New Mexico, starting the adventure of a lifetime. All you need to do is become a player in the best game around --- the Great Game of Scouting!