Re: Personal Fitness MB

A couple of thoughts concerning the change in the Eagle Scout requirements so
that Personal Fitness is now required.

1. As has been said, if some Scout truly cannot meet the requirements for
Personal Fitness for disability reasons, there is provision for the
substitution of an alternate merit badge.

2. The requirements for Personal Fitness are different now but when I earned
the Eagle in 1959, Personal Fitness was a required merit badge. And pudgy
little me required one year of training to be able to shape up and meet the
requirements.

This is the EAGLE AWARD we are talking about. We proudly beat on our chests
and say that only the top 2% of Scouts earn the Eagle. And only about 25% of
youth or fewer are Boy Scouts and presumably they are among the more fit of
youth. The requirement for Personal Fitness only states that the Scout must
be in the 50th percentile of youth in the country. So if some pudgy or even
obese would be Eagle Scout has to buy a pair of shorts and running shoes and
hump his buns around a running track for awhile in order to be in the top half
of the youth in the country to earn the Personal Fitness Merit Badge, I don't
think we are perpetrating child abuse.

It would seem that national advancement subcommittee wants to be a bit more
specific about what the personal fitness part of citizenship, character and
fitness means. Personally, I think that's a rather good idea.

Best wishes,

Neil Lupton

• Messages sorted by: [ date ][ thread ][ subject ][ author ]
• Next message
• Previous message
• Maybe in reply to
• Next in thread