By Joey Dierdorf
From the snow mounds of Minnesota to the rolling hills of West Virginia, twelve sections from across the Central Region came together to experience a gathering like no other. The Central Region's Section Officer Seminar was held at the beautiful Heartland Center in Parkville, Missouri from November 22-24, 2013.
"We are all equal in the fact that that we are all different, but we are all bound by a brotherhood that is nearly 100 years strong, and this weekend we will strengthen that brotherhood even more!" said the 2013 Central Region Chief, Mike Gray, at the opening session of the seminar. The weekend started with an awesome training session, led by past region chief Collin Huerter. Everyone learned of the all-important idea of the golden circle, a concept of people buying a product or participating in an event, not because of what you have but why you do it. This gave every section leader a new perspective on how to promote their Conclaves.
Officers and advisers were also challenged on how to think outside the box with their promotional activities through things like balloon drops and birthday cakes. The officers also heard from Ted Weiland, past assistant director of the Northern Tier OA Wilderness Voyage program, who shared techniques to invigorate youth about the Order of the Arrow's High Adventure programs.
Many best practices for running a successful section were presented and discussed. One section was honored for their outstanding efforts; C-4A was awarded the "Region Cup" by the Central Region for being the "best in the midwest." Ricky Angeletti, section chief and newly elected 2014 Central Region chief, along with his officers Blaine Lott and Brayden Quick, proudly raised the cup in recognition of their hard work and outstanding efforts on behalf of Section C-4A.
The weekend culminated with a trip to Coco Key Water Resort. An indoor water park in the middle of November played the perfect recreational role to end the event. Amidst the splashes and the rumble of rushing water slides, participants were asked to reflect on the past two days. Mitch Leonard, vice chief of Section C-3A, said, "Mike Gray really hit a home run with this, his last event!" Logan Greene, C-6A chief agreed. "Good trainings, good food, good times," Greene said.