SlowDerbyRacer

I'll buy most of what you're saying. However to accept your caution to not infer improved time management as the cause, I'll return the same caution to not assume maintaining eligibility is a main driver. I did a cursory search of the literature on this question and came across a non-scientific article with athlete commentary. In it different athletes pointed to different reasons for their in season academic success. There were comments both crediting improved time management and pressure to maintain grades for eligibility. So perhaps there are a number of causal factors here which depend

Then you are an outlier. Studies have consistently shown athletes have better grades, on average, in season than they do out of season. That's because of the increased emphasis need on time management. Top 10% in ACT testing, but bottom half of school is not the fault of participating in sports. There was something else at play there.

Thanks. That Shug is certainly an interesting dude!

Then I feel for your sons. Sounds like they've had some bad coaches. I'll admit the lessons sports teach are not as pointed as those in scouting (there's almost never a sports law and oath for example***), but they do exist. The bad apple coaches and organizations shouldn't be an excuse to discount the benefits of sports no more than bad apple leaders and/or packs should reflect all of scouting. *** It's not required to be recited and probably is unknown to those who play and coach, but there is a Little League pledge. Use of it is at the discretion of the local league. Sure sounds

Maybe, but I'd think there might be some on the shore and I've seen pictures of some pretty ingenious mounting setups with rocks, oars, could use the canoes, etc. Of course I say this as far from an expert. My knowledge is pretty much limited to the Friday afternoon I wasted last week searching the internet on this topic when I first saw the thread. I definitely want to give this a try.

I'd think a hammock would be more comfortable than a gravel bar. No?

While not stated, i assume (dangerous) the intent is to avoid 2 people in a tent in an improper situation. A cabin style tent style is different as it is a large group setting and should be treated no different than regular cabins that are at scout camps all across the country. Just my opinion...

To be clear, this is really a different issue. There are 2 things that are separate but often intertwined. 1) Coaches who demand complete commitment to the sport (what I think the OP was getting at). 2) Early specialization and year round training which is what leads to the overuse injuries. You can have #1 without #2. And you can also have #2 without #1.

And even if those kids are not elite talents, there's still much to be gained from sports participation. I'll never begrudge a kid who wants to compete, strive to be his best, and make a commitment to something (the team) that is greater than himself.

Yes, it's different because scouting is not schedule driven like sports. Scouting does not have a firm timeline. You could take 2 years to make Eagle or 7 years. There's no set order that you have to earn your merit badges in.

Disagree 100%. Travel sports may create better players, but in the grand scheme of things travel sports create individuals who are able to work toward a goal, practice teamwork, balance time, and a whole myriad of other benefits. Seeing sports as only creating players is extremely shortsighted.

To the OP's question, I'm not going to start the debate of rec sports vs competitive/travel as that's a giant rabbit hole and really outside the scope of this board. But I will say, if a scout is engaged in any sport (even rec), I can appreciate the priority the kid and family need to make to it. I'm a scout leader and a youth coach so I see both sides. It's frustrating from the scouting perspective for a kid to miss, but on the sports side it's infuriating. When you sign up for a team, you make a commitment to that team. Missing not only hurts the kid, but the rest of the team as well.

As kids, even though we knew the real meaning, CCD was always referred to as the Central City Dump.

This is a blatant sales pitch, but I'll still call it appropriate (as if I had any real authority!). I think hammock camping is worthy of discussion here and I'm curious what others have to say. I first saw it in action at a spring scout camping trip and I thought it was weird and unnecessary. But as I've thought about it since I think it might be a good way to go and I too would like to hear others' comments on this. To me it appears it would allow for a lighter pack, possibly a more comfortable sleep, and gets you off the ground. Negatives to me appear to me lack of a larger shelter if

Ragequit. I like that one. And I noticed one of the recent quitters really hasn't quit - just changed his name and was on as recently as this morning. Lots of it is just bluster - the online version of taking one's ball and going home - only to be peeking out the window watching the game and wishing he was still a part of it.

He just needs to be a member of the den for 6 months, do the following 4 adventures and 3 other electives. No Webelos rank necessary. a. Building a Better World b. Camper c. Duty to God in Action d. Scouting Adventure Edit: And to be fully accurate, I should add he also needs to do the Cyber Chip and Child Abuse prevention activity with his parents.

Neutral? No way. Exclamation point in the subject and the sigh after the parent pushback say he clearly has a position/opinion. Granted I'll give you neutral if you're just talking about his (apparent) willingness to still meet with them. I like the inkblot reference!

Let me add a parallel analogy. You said he's a first year scout right? That says to me he's a 6th grader. If this was school, it's completely reasonable for parent teacher conferences to take place. This is a scout equivalent. As a courtesy and to a degree an obligation, I think you need take the meeting with the parent of the minor child you mentor.

Do what you can to identify who you think might me good (reputation, have seen him/her involved at school, word of mouth, etc) and then ask point blank. Public pleas for volunteers fall on deaf ears. Make someone say no.

I'm going to assume by non-issue you mean alcohol isn't around at any activities. If so, I think it's safe to say your church is not Catholic...

Not everything should be interpreted as so black and white. Take for example our local Major League Baseball team. They have periodic Scout Nights where the scouts parade on the field in uniform and have a few other perks. Should that practice of Scout Nights be stopped because the park sells beer? I think common sense says no. To the OP's question, if the scouts are manning children's games, there should be no issues. Now if they start selling beer tickets, that's a different story.

Thanks Chisos and Eagle. Glad to see others interpret it things the same way I do. It's probably far from the intent of the program, but I guess it's technically possible to wrap almost all the Webelos and AOL pins in a very short amount of the time and then just stay active enough until it's time to crossover.

So the new program calls for scouts to do 5 requirements and 2 electives to earn the Webelos badge. It then calls for 4 requirements and 3 electives for AOL. I haven't seen anything that says some or all of the AOL achievements couldn't also be done in the first year. Am I correct on this? The question arose as we have scouts already working on their 3rd electives as 1st year Webelos scouts. Can that 3rd elective be put toward the AOL rank, or would 3 fresh electives still be needed next year. Said another way, is the Webelos badge and AOL now like boy scout merit badges and adva

So it sounds as if it's just a tradition passed down with no known origin AND is not mandated in any scouting or other policy/procedure? Then why do we continue the use? (rhetorical question) Units all over the country put their own spin on things and buck tradition and norms (see all controversy on gay scouts/leaders <<< Note that's not an invite to send this thread off on a tangent), yet something that no one understands like the flag ceremony continues on without debate? That's just a little odd in my book. On a related note, when I first heard scouts saying this I always ju

Ours is very similar and maybe you can answer a question I've always had. Why do you/we say "Two"? It makes no sense to me.