different sport for season and compitation

[majmark]

I do not understand why a boys has to have different sports for requirment 3 and 4? My son plays baseball in different seasons, on different teams, and so on. Why if he is that decated to this sport must he join another to take up his time, when he can fufill the badge by playing a season while going to tourinments?

[BM_Crawford]

I never took sports badge and I'm not a coucnilor so my word doesnt amount to anything really on this but Im going to venture a guess that BSA wants the scouts to learn different sports and participate in some way. As I said I dont know the requirements so I'm just going off of what I am thinking the badge entitles.

[majmark]

I understand you reply, however, as with othe merit badges, there is an over lap of requirments built in. To earn physical fitness, athletics, swimming, etc, the scouts participate in different sports. Why tie their hands when the added time and costs can make this prohibitive?

[ICanCanoeCanU]

I agree that the badge is looking for someone that has a variety of sports. It also wants them from both an individual sport (tennis, swimming, track, etc.) and a team sport because the participation is so different.

[majmark]

I understand what you are saying, however to recieve other merit badges would meet that requirment.

[West]

How so? Swimming MB is not swimming the sport. Not even close. Cycleing MB isn't cycling the sport either I could go on with examples, but the point is that the MB is only a basic entery into the activity. It's not the sport.

[majmark]

Isn't the idea to expose the boys to indididual accomplishment and team association for teamwork? These attributes are accomplished in many other MB not just in sporting. The Athletics MB is all about individual accomplishment as well as teamwork. I still fail to see where a boy on a basketball team, tennis team, or golf ertc...cannot earn this badge because he must take up another sport to meet the requirments

[West]

Isn't the idea to expose the boys to indididual accomplishment and team association for teamwork?

Yeah, through sports. There are many ways to teach team work (includeing the Patrol Method). And indididual accomplishment (say the advancement program in general). But for sports MB you have to do it with sports. If one sport was good enough it would be the Basketball MB, Baseball MB etc.

[majmark]

If these accomplishments are met through sports, why so many different MB for sports such athletics, cycling, fishing, golf, skating, snow, swimming. All of which are individual and team depending on the level of participation. The requirments can be as an individual such as an individual completing a singles golf tourniment then finish a singles bowling season.

[hops_scout]

There is a reason it is called "Sports MB"

I am currently working on this merit badge. Those requirements were simple for me because I currently play 3 sports in high school and in Junior High, I played 3 sports.

High School
football, basketball, and baseball

Junior High
football, baseball, and track

[majmark]

i'm glad you have the opprotunity to be in so many sports, however the plural of the word sport does not take away from the fact that exposure to different sports can be accomplished in other MB. If a boy is @ a school that does not have football, he doesn't play basketball, but excels in baseball @ multiple levels, he should be able to as easy as you, complete this MB

[wagionvigil]

This MB has not changed much in 40 years.bSA is not going to chaneg it in the near future so you are stuck with it as is! It is so the scout experiences different sports. ALso if you are playing a sport say Volleyball in Gym class and you have a tournament with other classes Does it count as a requirement? I have seen it done this way. So you get a few neighboring troops together at the local bowling ally and have a tournament. Simple?
I know that schools that have swimming pools and have class in pe have races etc.

[ICanCanoeCanU]

This sounds like your real agrument is that there isn't a MB for "Baseball" and yes, that's true. You could always follow the process to have a new badge submitted to Nationals for approval but I think this can be a lenghy process.

In the mean time, I don't see why someone couldn't quailify for this badge working with a gym teacher. Most of the events are tested in schools for athletic results by schools. The exception might be the swimming requirement, have your son contact a swimming MB counselor to work with to verify he's met the required times for one of those requirements. A counselor for the "Athletics" badge should be willing to take this as his proof.

[hops_scout]

I guess it's a good thing that this merit badge isnt required.



On a side note, I've visited several forums for almost 3 years now. It seems every time that a question about why doesnt this work, why doesnt that qualify, etc.... it is the parent wanting the answer. NOT the boy OR a leader playing "leader" at the time.

[cballman]

well lookig at the req. for this badge it wants a scout to do team sports for req. 3. and pretty much individual sports for req. 4. to say that a child can do both req. using only baseball is wrong because it is spelled out in the merit badge req. that a team sport can only be used for req. 3. also you cannot ADD to or TAKE AWAY from any badge. so as a ASM then I would tell the boy and his parents that if they cannot follow the reqs. then they do not need to try the badge. if you have any questions about that then you need to go to the council office and ask your District Executive about this.

[majmark]

As a scout leader, I feel it is part of my responsibility to review requirments to guide the scouts. The requirments in 3 are both team and individual. The sports listed in req 4 are mostly (not all) are individual, and do OVERLAP. Look at wrestling for example. I do know scouts who are single sport boys, and have complted multiple seasons in their sport, and have competed in multiple tourniments. Is it not our responsibility to offer possible changes? Even for MB that have not been changed in 40 years. No reply required!