Swimming Merit Badge Outside Summer Camp

[TEP 1]

My son was not able to complete his Swimming Merit Badge at summer camp.

Are there any recommendations on how to get Swimming merit badge outside of a summer camp?

 

[desertrat77 1144]

TEP, welcome to the forum!

[shortridge 184]

36 minutes ago, TEP said:

Are there any recommendations on how to get Swimming merit badge outside of a summer camp?

He should talk to his Scoutmaster and ask for the names of local Swimming merit badge counselors, then contact a counselor and explain his circumstances. Going with a buddy, he should meet the counselor and discuss what he still needs to do and how he plans to do that. Then he should do it! 😃

If there are no counselors near you, he can ask the Scoutmaster to talk to the District Advancement Chair and see what his options are. There may be a counselor in a neighboring district, or perhaps the district can contact some local experts - a YMCA aquatics director comes to mind - who would be willing to sign up as a counselor.

[mashmaster 783]

It doesn't have to be a merit badge counselor if you can't find one.  Go to an aquatics center and cover the requirements and the scoutmaster can sign off.  Get prior approval from your advancement coordinator and scoutmaster so they understand what is going on.  

I would go for a BSA merit badge counselor first if you can.

[Thunderbird 179]

20 minutes ago, mashmaster said:

It doesn't have to be a merit badge counselor if you can't find one.  Go to an aquatics center and cover the requirements and the scoutmaster can sign off.  Get prior approval from your advancement coordinator and scoutmaster so they understand what is going on.  

I would go for a BSA merit badge counselor first if you can.

 

The swimming merit badge has to be signed off by a swimming merit badge counselor.  Scoutmasters must register as merit badge counselors and be approved for any badge they wish to counsel or sign off in their troop, so if a Scoutmaster is not registered as a swimming MBC, then he or she cannot sign off on the merit badge.

The swimming rank requirements are different - they do not have to be supervised by a registered MBC.

[SSF 57]

1 hour ago, TEP said:

My son was not able to complete his Swimming Merit Badge at summer camp.

Are there any recommendations on how to get Swimming merit badge outside of a summer camp?

 

How old is your son and what prevented him from completing the merit badge at summer camp? 

In my experience, most scouts, and even their parents, have little concern for whether or not they can actually swim well...they just want the merit badge. 

I'm a Swimming MB counselor and a dad from my son's troop recently asked me if I would sign off on Swimming MB for his son, who's 12 or 13. 

I had a few issues with:

1) The fact that the dad and not the scout was approaching me about this

2) That this particular dad seemed to have the expectation that I would automatically sign off on the merit badge for his son, just because I happened to be with the troop (doesn't work that way)

3) Most importantly, I had seen this scout swim during the swim test before summer camp and there was no way I could reasonably sign off on the badge for his son with his strokes looking as bad as they did. It was clear he had never been taught properly.

When it comes to BSA swimming, I hardly expect any scout to be the next Michael Phelps, but there has to be at least some semblance (or at least effort) to show proper form and this particular scout needed a lot of work. His conditioning was also terrible. 

Ultimately my advice to the dad was that his son, and not himself, should be doing the outreach to counselors and to stop rushing this merit badge.

Sign his son up for swimming lessons so he can practice and work diligently on his swimming over the next full year so that he would then be fully ready and conditioned to complete the badge at summer camp next year with no problem.

Edited October 26, 2018 by SSF

[mashmaster 783]

27 minutes ago, Thunderbird said:

 

The swimming merit badge has to be signed off by a swimming merit badge counselor.  Scoutmasters must register as merit badge counselors and be approved for any badge they wish to counsel or sign off in their troop, so if a Scoutmaster is not registered as a swimming MBC, then he or she cannot sign off on the merit badge.

The swimming rank requirements are different - they do not have to be supervised by a registered MBC.

you are correct.

[69RoadRunner 375]

In our area, there are Rec Centers that offer the Swimming merit badge.  This might not be available if you're in a less populated area.  As mentioned above, if you have a YMCA, they might have someone registered to do that merit badge.

[MattR 2659]

10 hours ago, TEP said:

My son was not able to complete his Swimming Merit Badge at summer camp.

Are there any recommendations on how to get Swimming merit badge outside of a summer camp?

 

@TEP, welcome to the forum.

One thing that hasn't been mentioned is that your son should have or get what's called a blue card (and it's blue!) that has a record of what your son did complete at summer camp. When he gives that to the next counselor that counselor will continue marking requirements as done. He should have received one from summer camp but many camps don't fill these out. In that case he'll need to go to his scoutmaster to get it. And while he's there he can ask about finding the next counselor.

The intent of the merit badges is that the scout does the bulk of finding and contacting the counselors. The best thing you can do is help him learn the process and encourage him to do it. And making phone calls to someone a scout doesn't know is really hard, but a great skill for them to learn.

Good luck!

[DuctTape 1230]

19 minutes ago, MattR said:

 

The intent of the merit badges is that the scout does the bulk of finding and contacting the counselors. The best thing you can do is help him learn the process and encourage him to do it. And making phone calls to someone a scout doesn't know is really hard, but a great skill for them to learn.

Good luck!

When I was a scout our adult leaders were mB counselors for some if the mBs. However the troop policy was that none of them would be our counselor for a mB until we first completed one with a mB counselor whom we called to set up an appointment. I remember this being a challenge (mostly fear) but probably one of the most important skills and lessons learned in all of the mB processes.

[qwazse 4342]

5 minutes ago, MattR said:

... The intent of the merit badges is that the scout does the bulk of finding and contacting the counselors. The best thing you can do is help him learn the process and encourage him to do it. And making phone calls to someone a scout doesn't know is really hard, but a great skill for them to learn. ...

Welcome to the forums!

FWIW, scouting really becomes fun as boys learn to earn MBs outside of summer camp.

However, parents should be prepared to accept the reality that a boy might just not be motivated to earn a particular badge. Son #2 had partially completed Swimming his first year at camp, and held on to that partial for six years . He became a relatively good swimmer (a necessity in our family). Lots of willing instructors just a phone call away, plus five summer camps ... I was there to suggest "How about walking down to the acquatics area and knocking off those last few reqs?" Every year, the partial came back untouched! Really, I should frame the thing, right beside his Eagle medal.

So, lead the horse to water, but be prepared if he passes on drinking it!

[MattR 2659]

8 minutes ago, qwazse said:

Welcome to the forums!

Thank you, @qwazse. Actually, I've been lurking for some time and just decided to help out.

[WisconsinMomma 217]

My boys worked on and completed their swimming merit badges at home.  They took individual swim lessons at our fitness center with an instructor who is a Swimming MBC in a neighborhing council.  Then they also took a swimming merit badge workshop though our park and rec department.  One passed via that class, and the other took some additional lessons with the MBC to finish up his requirements. 

They spent a lot of time swimming, it was maybe 4 to 6 months of work.  My middle son, who was not a strong swimmer, now takes continuing swimming lessons because he wants to, and that's his choice of physical activity.  Now his teacher is telling him that if he keeps swimming, when he's older he could get a lifeguarding or swimming instructor job.   (He wants to be a Youtuber, but that's another story.)

Note that my boys both used goggles and my oldest wore a wetsuit because his is very thin and got cold in the water quickly, even in a pool at a temp for competitive swimming. 

I think swim lessons are the way to go for kids who need to get stronger in swim skills. He could take a few months swimming leading up to the next summer camp also.  Let your instructor know the merit badge requirements and all the goals. 

Edited October 26, 2018 by WisconsinMomma

[mashmaster 783]

My son is on the swim team and when I saw the Swimming merit badge run at 2 seperate summer camps, I was appalled at what passed in their eyes for proficiency.  It provides a false sense of ability that may endanger them in a panic situation.  

My wife is a certified US Swimming instructor (many classroom and pool hours) and she conducts our swim tests.  She is very critical and parents complain about when their son gets marked as beginner vs, swimmer.  Swim in a strong manner and continuously means something different in their eyes.  If they fall out of a boat at camp and have to swim to the boat or shore they need to be able to do that.  People rely on the fact that they are wearing a pfd, but pfd's can be put on wrong or not be sized correctly.

[WisconsinMomma 217]

Side story, I was just at our council office and one of the staff was telling someone else how yesterday (many years ago), her dad's ship was sunk and he floated in the ocean for 3 days before rescue.  Interesting stuff.  I did not remember the ship name. 

Edited October 26, 2018 by WisconsinMomma