Scout Patch Collectors

2009 NOAC Day One Patch Trading Report

Just a few thoughts about the first day of trading at the NOAC from my perspective. I was up with my contingent getting registered around noon on Saturday and saw just a few folks spread out. As I went through registration I could see why. The process was very organized as you rotated through various stops with a pair of guides receiving instructions. We had an opportunity to sign up for various activities as well as get our contingent picture taken. After all that was said and done (it took just under an hour) our guys had to go to their dorm to finish checking in with dorm assignments etc. It was at the housing check-in that you got your registration badge, lanyard, etc. From there my contingent headed to lunch (first meal on campus was Saturday supper). A few of my guys did come down to the TOR but that was at about 3:30 (the close time was pushed back to 5 PM).

As for the TOR being on campus. I think it was a great idea. Hopefully it will be a part of the next NOAC. But if some of the table renters expected floods of contingents to come in then they were disappointed. Friday and Saturday morning the traffic was pretty light. I did notice a good uptick from lunch until the closing Saturday but there were just smaller packs of contingent members coming through. Maybe a 1/2 dozen lodges that I saw honestly brought in their contingent on Saturday. I don’t have a theory as to why there was not a better crowd. I can tell you that during check-in with my lodge it was NOT mentioned by any of the staff people. Perhaps there needs to be an official prescence from the TOR organizers up at registration telling people about it. Sure it was on the schedule but let’s face it..check-in day is very hectic.

As for the PM trading….hmmm how do I put this nicely. The facility was/is AWFUL. It is in a dorm lobby that does have some nice couches (maybe 5-6) and there was an ATM in that lobby. Drawbacks? Everyone who skipped the show (mostly the non-registered traders leftover from the TOR) got there way early and staked out all the tables and places where you could sit down and set up. Those of us who sent to the show could find floor space here and there. The place was so tight you moved around shoulder to shoulder for the first hour until it cleared out.

I’ll go ahead and throw another firebomb out since this is my blog. An ISCA guy yelled out to everyone that there was to be no youth-adult trading and that after one warning you would be asked to leave. Then he promptly left and that left only one ISCA guy to supervise. Rather than repeat all the nasty comments I heard from other traders that would be rather inflammatory about this situation let me just make one simple statement. I am an official registered contingent member at the NOAC. I signed the official Code of Conduct (that had to be witnessed for crying out loud!) and no where in there does it talk about this rule.

I went up the ISCA official (I will refrain from naming him) and asked him why he was enforcing this but not requiring that everyone in the room was a registered participant (as has been the big rule for years) and he had no answer.

Perhaps the ONLY bright side to the situation is that by 11:30 when the trading was supposed to end nobody turned out the lights and ran us out. There was still trading going on past midnight although it thined out quickly.

I haven’t traded enough to figure out the hard issues (other than all limited edition delegates!) but I can tell you a few of the really common ones that were very easy to pick up: Witauchsoman 44 purple and yellow borders, Chattahoochee smy border, Nachamawat purple border, Kidi Kidish grey border, Tu Cubin-Noonie green border, Guneukitschik rmy border, and Woapeu Sisilija black border.

I will try and report on Sunday’s trading soon. As for the griping above I’m just calling it like I see it and I’m sure that as this is MY blog you would expect nothing less!