2022 NOAC Recap

NOAC 2022 was an unforgettable experience for all those from our Unami Lodge, One Contingent that attended. From the shows to Ultimate Frisbee to ceremonies competitions, to patch trading, NOAC had it all! For many of our contingent members, it was their first NOAC! TO hear from a few of our contingent members on their experience, click the link below!

Contingent Leader Recap:

Hello Unami!

This summer our lodge had the opportunity to send 58 wide-eyed and excited Arrowmen to the National Order of the Arrow Conference (NOAC) at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. At the conference, our contingent was able to experience high quality training in all things from Inductions to Chapter Leadership to Native American Beadwork. Unami is lucky to have so many youth members who are now prepared to take on the needs of our lodge and order. Also at the conference, Unami was able to compete in Ultimate Frisbee, Gaga, Escape Rooms, and many more fellowship activities. One highlight of the week was when our Pre-Ordeal team was chosen to compete with the best ceremonial teams in the country. To see this impressive team in action, I encourage you to attend Fall Fellowship in October to observe Unami’s Pre-Ordeal ceremony on Friday night. The evenings at NOAC were capped off with elaborate and engaging shows in the UoT’s Thompson Boling Arena that gave insight into the future direction of the Order. After the conference came to a close, Unami spent the day in Dollywood before returning to Valley Forge. If you weren’t able to attend this NOAC, don’t worry. In a short 2 years, NOAC 2024 will be here and you can be a part of Unami’s future.

Signing Off,
Jason Abiuso
Unami Lodge, One
2022 NOAC Chair

P.S. I just wanted to thank the lodge for choosing me to organize our contingent this year. It was a blast and I can’t wait for NOAC 2024!

Contingent member testimonials:

• Being a younger arrowman, NOAC has exposed me to an entirely other side to the OA. So many new opportunities and inspirations that have been made. For example, I never knew my love and respect for American Indian Drumming or dancing, and it made me realize my true feelings towards the OA as a whole. The training was the most beneficial I have ever experienced, and it has taught me how to be a better leader and how to put our lodge in the best step forward. Even down to the little things, like navigating where I need to go around campus. NOAC has taught me so much and it was truly an amazing experience. After attending NOAC, it truly does set in how much it benefits you in your daily life. I’m ready to use my training to the best of my abilities to take back to our lodge and pass it forward!

• The trip was absolutely amazing! There were so many great people I was able to meet and I couldn’t have spent my summer better! Despite the heat and walking everyone always had a smile on their faces, and when sadness was clearly in the air we all had each other’s backs. This truly is an experience to remember, and I hope other people are lucky enough to experience it the same as we did!

• My favorite parts of NOAC include ultimate frisbee, Dollywood, and the bus ride. I enjoyed ultimate frisbee because it was a great time to get to know more about people in our lodge through a competitive aspect which I enjoy. I also enjoyed Dollywood because I got to know more about the people in my group and I got to go diving in a foam pit. The bus ride to and from NOAC was also a time to remember because many memories were made, many laughs were shared and I got closer with everyone! My favorite training had to be Leadership Academy because I got to go around to different stations and play games and learn more about communication and team building. The 5k was also another highlight because I was pushed beyond limits by other brothers from different lodges. It just felt like we all had a common goal and we would do anything for others to finish as well. I also got second so I got a pretty cool medal! Overall, NOAC was a time that I could never forget and I can’t wait to make even more memories within the lodge!
      From the bus ride up to the shows every night, it truly was an experience to remember. The people I met were unlike any others and I’m so thankful I was given the opportunity to attend this trip. With one goal in mind we all were able to hold our heads high, knowing if we felt we’d be caught.

• This NOAC was an experience like no other for me. While it was stressful and a bit chaotic at times, I had an unbelievable time bonding with the officers and other members of the Lodge. We have a tremendous nucleus of leaders which I know can take what they learned and push us to new heights. The training that I attended was good but I wanted some more advanced Lodgemaster training which did not happen as we had to work through people who have not pushed the envelope with the tool. I saw a Lodge who came together to work hard and play hard (Ultimate Frisbee, Gaga, Basketball). The patch trading has been definitely going down year over year but was still strong this time as well. I can’t say enough about how the Lodge came together after the emotional show and how it has made us very close and empathetic to each other’s needs and feelings. I CAN’T WAIT for 2024. Wherever it may be.

• It is hard to describe my first NOAC in a few words. From the training, the shows, watching the PowWow, the ignite festival, the very moving memorial on Wednesday evening, watching some of our own teachers in the training sessions, and our ceremonies team being in the top 6 of the nation, the whole experience was amazing. The most rewarding for me was to be able to spend time and get to know some of my fellow lodge brothers and sisters better. I am hoping to continue this at our weekends and LECs, because it was so much fun and there are so many of you to meet!!

Photo Gallery

National OA BSA’s Flickr Page is available at flickr.com/oabsa

Unami Lodge’s Photo Album will be coming soon.