scottteng

Hi neighbor!

http://www.pistoleer.com/targets/pics/TQ1-1.gif

This is the target. We want the dime to be in the black bullseye. This is at 50' in a bench rest position. The requirements for rifle merit badge and also a pro-marksman medal are 5 targets with all 5 shots in the black. Some boys find this very easy some work very hard all week and still need to complete their targets.

If you find one let me know. It would be a great addition. I am sure you already know about the Junior Shooting Team patch http://www.nssf.org/JrUSA/ and the medals that are available.

The other may be counted for eagle but not as a required it is just another elective merit badge at that point.

More day camps should be over any more discussion?

Any scout related shirt seems to do my son likes to wear his cub scout day camp staff t-shirts in hopes that someone will mistake him for summer camp staff. He has almost enough official shorts to make it thru summer camp but judging by what I see at open shoot on the rifle range in the evenings any old shorts will do. Some of the boys even show up from dinner in class a shirts which will walk home by themselves at the end of the week.

http://www.boyscouttrail.com/webelos/webelos_activity_badge_requirements.asp#Sportsman

"Do These:

1. Show the signals used by officials in one of these sports: football, basketball, baseball, soccer, or hockey.

2. Explain what good sportsmanship means.

3. While you are a Webelos Scout, earn Cub Scout Sports belt loops for two individual sports ( badminton, bicycling, bowling, fishing, golf, gymnastics, ice skating, marbles, physical fitness, roller skating, snow ski and board sports, swimming, table tennis, or tennis).

4. While you are a Webelos Scout, earn Cub Scout Sports belt loops for two team sports ( baseball, basketball, soccer, softball, volleyball, flag football, or ultimate).

Resources: "

AS much as it pains me to say it no it is not one of the specified sports. The boys at the day camp I worked with as range director had a team sport that they did also I think it was flag football. Belt loops are not hard I even did marbles with the whole den during a den meeting when I was WDL. The one of the above that day camps do do regularly is fishing.

My GS just bridged to jr having been a brownie for three years the only uniform even suggested by her troop was the vest. Now that she is a jr I got her a sash just for a change and purchased a skort combo skirt and shorts. Great garment for florida climate and outdoor activities. The sash came from GSA along with the correct insignia they are reasonable. The skort came off E-bay. I am registerd GS leader just for carpooling no uniform needed. Boy scouts is more costly I need uniform as ASM and son needs uniforms in multiples. All are available on E-bay look in the stores if you don't want to get into the bidding. I use the extra uniforming and equipment needs as birthday and Christmas ideas

"1) Work on Merit Badges individually"

This makes obvious the lack of training here a MBC is not permitted to meet with an individual. The candidate must have a buddy with him to meet with MBC. I suppose that he could have a buddy that does not want that merit badge just come along, but why not find someone who is interested in doing the same thing. Most merit badges have at least some group effort requirements it is hard to "discuss" a subject by yourself.

My son would much rather go to an outside merit badge counselor than to me. It seems I will add on extra work to make sure of his depth in a subject and have the power and inclination to ground him for the foolishness that he has not yet outgrown. I am also his school teacher so can make his life extra miserable with extra assignments that are after all school work and are just peripherally related to the merit badge in question. I cannot of course do this with other merit badge candidates.

We have had several shoppers forget to purchase condiments for the campout the boys survived but it is a lesson to the shopper when he incurs the wrath of his patrol mates for forgetting the catsup. For the little that a small bottle of catsup costs we will continue to put it on the list the little packets turn to catsup jell after a period of time. We are in a rather harsh climate for food spoilage here in Florida and a great climate for camping most of the year except during high summer when it may be too hot.

I would submit to you that it does not matter what was taken 20 years ago. The powers that be have decreed that only the trainings you have taken or been recertified in in the last two years are any use. That is here I imagine that most councils have similar rules even if they are not rigorusly enforced.

Cub Scout Sports for Camp Only

Shooting Sports for Cub Scouts, Webelos Scouts, and Parents in Camp, No. 13-550, has been developed for those who will give guidance to Cub Scouts and Webelos Scouts in learning BB-gun and archery shooting-sports skills while in camp.

The Archery belt loop and pin can only be awarded by a BSA range-trained shooting-sports director.

Belt Loop

Cub Scouts and Webelos Scouts can earn the archery belt loop by participating in the archery safety program at Cub Scout camp.

from the same web site as the last post.

Archery is not my forte so I left it to the Archery Junior rangemaster who was the archery instructor last summer at summer camp.

Please note that no actual bow pulling seems to be required. They got a lot more than this with us.

Cub Scout Sports for Camp Only

Shooting Sports for Cub Scouts, Webelos Scouts, and Parents in Camp, No. 13-550, has been developed for those who will give guidance to Cub Scouts and Webelos Scouts in learning BB-gun and archery shooting-sports skills while in camp.

The BB Gun safety and shooting participation belt loop and pin can only be awarded with approval of the camp BB-gun shooting-sports director to Cub Scouts and Webelos Scouts who earn them at a BSA facility range.

Belt Loop

Complete these two requirements:

1. Complete the camp basic BB gun marksmanship safety course.

2. Fire 15 shots at a 4-inch or 5-inch target. No particular score is required. Participant must be able to adjust the BB gun sight.

http://members.tripod.com/pack485/loops/bbgun.htm

cut and pasted from the above web site more specific info in my last post is in the training guide for the cub scout shooting sports director syllabus. Which is what I ran out to my truck to get. Thru with daycamp today all earned bb-gun and archery Belt loop most earned NRA junior shooting patch. Several other belt loops were in each boys packet. Probably fishing put on by the state fish and game commission and a sport one as they go to a daily sport session too. Believe me setting up an approved temporary range is a pain in the you know what National, council, and the local pd will all want to inspect and check what you are doing and give you once and twice over as far as qualifications. These days most parents firearm saftey rule is stay as far away from them as possible this is sad because if it continues we will continue to decline as a nation. Remember the Swiss who managed against all odds to maintain their neutrality in WWII. A 100% armed populace. When asked what would the Swiss do if invaded by a million man German army " shoot twice and go home" seems a mighty boast for a 500,000 person nation. Or is it?

You'll have messed me up this is the second time you have sent me to the truck for my training stuff and got me in hot water when asked for my card on the bb range today it was sitting on my computer desk and I had put it back in the truck now I had to get it again. The big three they really want them to know are 1"always keep the gun pointed in a safe direction" ie on my range (its a rangemaster thing get over it) down range or straight up as we load em full up with bb's none of this cup with nasty bb's going into the gun

2 "always keep your finger off of the trigger until ready to shoot"

3 "always keep the gun unloaded until ready til use" no loading or pumping until they hear the magic word

In addition to these three they want them to follow basic range commands how does a parent or leader teach range commands? that is not happening!!! the boys get it one of them walked out of the range this week saying I am a robot I am a robot I told him that was good and while he was on my range he was my robot. I review these rules b4 each group gets to shoot asking them questions about each part. and enforce the rules on my range after you sit a boy down for letting a rifle point in the wrong direction it is all over camp b4 the day is over. The added bonus that we would like the boys to know is the four things they should do when another child asks them to play with a gun say no, leave the area, tell the other child's parents and their parents this is usually done by telling a story or a hypothetical. Now their appointed leader for day camp is the assigned den leader or the leaders running the venues especially when the venue involved involves certification. We do not generally have cubs requiring adult partners ie tigers in camp due to their not being recruited til fall. all of our former tigers are now wolves and in wolf dens for day camp.

hold on now specs on archery and bb gun belt loops are that they are only to be awarded at day camp by a certified cub scout rangemaster. There is a specific course that is followed with specific things that need to be followed. Granted it is not rifle merit badge the safety rules are simplistic and drilled into the boys daily. at our day camp at three different venues bbgun, archery, and wrist rockets. If you want to run a cub scout range suck it up and give up an entire saturday to go through the training with an approved camp school trained trainer. Been their done that and have the card and t shirt to prove it. Until then keep your opinions to yourself or take it up with the range master or shooting sports director. Its really like lego blocks the real basic simplistic stuff you drill into the cubs at the bb range is just a foundation for the future bricks to be added at summer camp later.

As far as the rest of the sports are concerned if the boys spend a 30-40 minute period each day for a week that should cover practice and basic rules requirements. Look at all the posts in boy scout sections regarding adding to requirements.

on our last campout the old goat patrol had smoked chicken leg quarters cut into leg and thigh in the brinkman wet smoker. Mix of hickory chips and mesquite. Cooked all day and met the burn regs for camp as we cannot have open fires due to dry conditions. Trying to set the example for the boys that have hamburgers and hotdogs for almost every dinner meal. There was leftover chicken and after we had dined and we shared with the boys. There were not any extra sweet potato's that were grilled on the coals in the smoker but I'm sure the boys enjoyed their chips. The boys regard their meals as a treat.

For a quicky meal with leg quarters Par boil chicken and pack with marinade or bbq and freeze finish over hot coals or briquets at camp til warm inside and charred outside. Have done this at home many times should work as well taken to camp.

we have had to resort to the no soda on campouts rule. Soda was previously purchased using meal money and available on campouts but each boy was given his quota or share of soda's he was allowed. Well some are savers and some are consumers. on sunday morning as we were preparing to leave a boy requested a soda from his allotment according to him his first soda of the weekend, there were no soda's left the consumers had consumed then in entirety and were not willing to confess their gluttony at their patrol mate's expense. Thus we banned soda purchases using pooled funds. The boys could bring soda of their own for the weekend if they are willing to lug it.

I think I said that it was appropriate to do some merit badges at a troop meeting or even as a troop or patrol. I think that is a part of why the summer camp and merit badge univ. have become so popular is that our young men have become herd animals and they will do something in part because their buddies are doing it. Does that diminish the basic introduction that most merit badges cover probably not, if it sparks a boys interest to persue further, beyond the requirements then you have accomplished something worthwile.

twin rivers district a part of wcfc the twin rivers are mud creeks as all florida rivers tend to be.

Some mb lend themselves to troop or patrol focus what counclor wants to keep track of 20 nights of camping but the sm or patrol leader in larger troop does this as a part of his job. For camping mb. It is amusing to see summer camps offering camping as one of their mb's how do they cram 20 nights into 1 week.

The boys have fun doing it says it all. That's what cubs is all about.