Incomplete archery MB

[WisconsinMomma]

My middle son did archery at summer camp but his MB was incomplete.  The camp returned his blue card with an incomplete note stapled to it.

At last night's troop COH, he was given an Archery MB, doh!  And he got back the blue card with the incomplete note stapled to it and it's not a signed blue card.

So, it seems that we need to hold this merit badge and either have my son practice his archery to get his targets hit to whatever standard for the MB (that was the only thing he didn't complete) or he just skips finishing this MB.

Has this ever happened to anyone else? 

Now how hard is it to get good enough in archery to make these points, etc?  This is not my area at all!  He will need to connect with a local archery counselor.

[RememberSchiff]

Scout's honor. Ask him how he plans to square it.  Maybe he will surprise you and say he has already spoke to his SPL or SM.

Meanwhile find a nearby JOAD club where your son can learn archery.

My $0.02,

Edited September 12, 2018 by RememberSchiff

[qwazse]

1 hour ago, WisconsinMomma said:

... Now how hard is it to get good enough in archery to make these points, etc?  This is not my area at all!  He will need to connect with a local archery counselor.

With Dad's generous purchase of one bale of hay and a nice poster/target, I mastered archery in our back yard next to the woods between summer camps on a 25# wood bow that my brother had left in the basement rafters. (Best part of growing up: being tall enough to find stuff the rest of your family left in rafters.) That also included making/remaking bow string, fletching old arrows, learning the warp of an arrow and adjusting aim accordingly. It was the year my 100 year old grandpa moved in, and  after I made a run to the general store to buy his Marsh Wheeling cigars, he would sit out and watch me shoot. (Mom wouldn't let him smoke in the house). It's as vivid as that spring day: the memory of his weak arms and poor sight trying to pull back that bow.

I hope your son has similar good memories (excepting the tobacco purchase) as he masters this skill!

If you are concerned about a safe range, most big-box sporting good stores and sportsman's clubs have youth programs.

1 hour ago, WisconsinMomma said:

... At last night's troop COH, he was given an Archery MB, doh!  And he got back the blue card with the incomplete note stapled to it and it's not a signed blue card. ...

Regarding the troop, your son should be asking:

• Why he "got back" the blue card. It should have been given to him by his counselor at camp.
• Why his adult leaders are so arrogant to think that they, not their scouts, should be mismanaging blue cards.
• Why the troop advancement chair cannot read instructions. "Applicant will turn in this record ..." means just that. It should never be given to the unit by anyone except the scout via the SM after the SM has signed off on all three portions of the application.
• How soon the troop committee can revise its policies so that it delivers on the promise of scouting (which includes, among other things, a youth being accountable for his own advancement paperwork).

Edited September 12, 2018 by qwazse

[scotteg83]

2 hours ago, qwazse said:

With Dad's generous purchase of one bale of hay and a nice poster/target, I mastered archery in our back yard next to the woods between summer camps on a 25# wood bow that my brother had left in the basement rafters. (Best part of growing up: being tall enough to find stuff the rest of your family left in rafters.) That also included making/remaking bow string, fletching old arrows, learning the warp of an arrow and adjusting aim accordingly. It was the year my 100 year old grandpa moved in, and  after I made a run to the general store to buy his Marsh Wheeling cigars, he would sit out and watch me shoot. (Mom wouldn't let him smoke in the house). It's as vivid as that spring day: the memory of his weak arms and poor sight trying to pull back that bow.

I hope your son has similar good memories (excepting the tobacco purchase) as he masters this skill!

If you are concerned about a safe range, most big-box sporting good stores and sportsman's clubs have youth programs.

Regarding the troop, your son should be asking:

• Why he "got back" the blue card. It should have been given to him by his counselor at camp.
• Why his adult leaders are so arrogant to think that they, not their scouts, should be mismanaging blue cards.
• Why the troop advancement chair cannot read instructions. "Applicant will turn in this record ..." means just that. It should never be given to the unit by anyone except the scout via the SM after the SM has signed off on all three portions of the application.
• How soon the troop committee can revise its policies so that it delivers on the promise of scouting (which includes, among other things, a youth being accountable for his own advancement paperwork).

Our local summer camps gave electronic printed white cards instead of blue cards, and they go straight to the leadership on the last day of camp.  So I can see how the scout didn't get a blue card right away.

[qwazse]

1 hour ago, scotteg83 said:

Our local summer camps gave electronic printed white cards instead of blue cards, and they go straight to the leadership on the last day of camp.  So I can see how the scout didn't get a blue card right away.

I know I'm tilting at windmills.

Boys should not leave camp until their cards are returned. If the SM wants to sit in the parking lot and sign and separate the unit copy then and there, he may.

Scouts take home partials ... the advancement chair should never see them. This is for one simple reason: a scout may want to follow-up with a counselor the day he gets home. Making a boy wait until a court of honor to see his partial application is (dare I say it?) adding to the requirements.

[Saltface]

2 hours ago, scotteg83 said:

Our local summer camps gave electronic printed white cards instead of blue cards, and they go straight to the leadership on the last day of camp.  So I can see how the scout didn't get a blue card right away.

My council camp has started giving us a form with everyone compressed onto a few pages in line item format. It's rather annoying.

It would be nice for the boys to retain some token they could use to prove their accomplishment if the troop's records were ever in question.

[scotteg83]

17 hours ago, qwazse said:

I know I'm tilting at windmills.

Boys should not leave camp until their cards are returned. If the SM wants to sit in the parking lot and sign and separate the unit copy then and there, he may.

Scouts take home partials ... the advancement chair should never see them. This is for one simple reason: a scout may want to follow-up with a counselor the day he gets home. Making a boy wait until a court of honor to see his partial application is (dare I say it?) adding to the requirements.

Our local camps are using Blackplug software and it can be uploaded to Troopmaster (our achievement tracking site).  Parents have access and can view the partials the day after camp.  I know its not the same, but they have access to it.

 

Also, our advancement chair goes to camp with us, and with enough conversation, almost all our Scouts knew what their partials were before we even left camp.

[walk in the woods]

1 hour ago, scotteg83 said:

Our local camps are using Blackplug software and it can be uploaded to Troopmaster (our achievement tracking site).  Parents have access and can view the partials the day after camp.  I know its not the same, but they have access to it.

 

Also, our advancement chair goes to camp with us, and with enough conversation, almost all our Scouts knew what their partials were before we even left camp.

I suspect @qwazse's point is using software is good for the adults, but, takes responsibility away from the boy.

[scotteg83]

2 minutes ago, walk in the woods said:

I suspect @qwazse's point is using software is good for the adults, but, takes responsibility away from the boy.

Oh I understand his point, but I also know my Son has 2 incomplete blue cards in his scoutbook that he's sat on for the last 2 years now

[thrifty]

depending on your living arrangements you could always try finding a cheap bow, a few arrows and a bale of straw with a paper target on it and he could practice at home.  Safety first!  Don't know, maybe a MBC would sign off on it if you recorded him doing it with proper distances etc..

Our metroparks have offered introduction archery courses and we have several youth rifle/archery/hunting clubs that do youth programs.  it could improve his aim and an instructor might allow him to use the bow and target to attempt his MB requirement. 

He should be able to attempt to complete the MB at next years summer camp during free time if he goes.  just send the blue card with him. make sure to photocopy the blue card in case anything happens to it and keep it in a bomb proof container to hopefully prevent it from being damaged.  could try to find a way for him to practice right before next years camp and then when he gets there he could be ready.

if the bsa camp is not far away and a range master is available, you might be able to make some sort of arrangements with the camp itself.  maybe during some other event that includes archery?  scout volunteers during the Halloween weekend and someone is nice enough to help with the archery?

Edited September 13, 2018 by thrifty
to add

[qwazse]

1 minute ago, scotteg83 said:

Oh I understand his point, but I also know my Son has 2 incomplete blue cards in his scoutbook that he's sat on for the last 2 years now

Brave new world! I'm not entirely sure my parents ever knew what MB I was working on until it was announced at the CoH or I asked for help with materials or transportation. If anybody explained to my folks how I was doing, it was my PL!

1 hour ago, scotteg83 said:

... and with enough conversation, almost all our Scouts knew what their partials were before we even left camp.

With zero* conversation, I and all my fellow scouts knew what my partials were. They were the blue things in our hands with unit and counselor portions attached.

13 minutes ago, walk in the woods said:

I suspect @qwazse's point is using software is good for the adults, but, takes responsibility away from the boy.

So much of the advancement chair's job is make-work. Some of it does make the troop more agile (e.g., BoR's can be scheduled better, orders for patches submitted promptly, etc ...). But most of it is one more adult to pencil-whip a scout.

*Well, it was a one-sided conversation. Something like, "Q, here are your partials. Your PL will explain. The list of counselors for our district is on the meeting room wall. Enjoy your ride home."

[Eagledad]

32 minutes ago, walk in the woods said:

I suspect @qwazse's point is using software is good for the adults, but, takes responsibility away from the boy.

While walking through camp on a beautiful Saturday morning, a scout yelled at me asking if the rinse water for KP was supposed to be hot or cold. Before I had time to respond, he had already turned around toward his tent yelling in the same loud tone, "I know, get the Scout Handbook". 

I must admit, I have been concerned that technology is robbing us of opportunities to develop character. A free digital Scout Handbook? That can't be good.

Barry

[scotteg83]

3 minutes ago, Eagledad said:

While walking through camp on a beautiful Saturday morning, a scout yelled at me asking if the rinse water for KP was supposed to be hot or cold. Before I had time to respond, he had already turned around toward his tent yelling in the same loud tone, "I know, get the Scout Handbook". 

I must admit, I have been concerned that technology is robbing us of opportunities to develop character. A free digital Scout Handbook? That can't be good.

Barry

There's a free digital Scout Handbook?  If you are talking about Scoutbook, that is just to track advancement, camping, hiking, service hours, etc.  It has no actual learning in it, a paper handbook is still needed.

[Eagledad]

12 minutes ago, scotteg83 said:

There's a free digital Scout Handbook?  If you are talking about Scoutbook, that is just to track advancement, camping, hiking, service hours, etc.  It has no actual learning in it, a paper handbook is still needed.

Ah! Thanks.

Humanity is saved.

Barry