Basementdweller

Sounds like under the Auspices to me....... Very scouting to send the invite.

If my son chooses to earn it...... He will have done do in a scouting manner and not short cutting the intent.....and counting absolutely every breath he takes toward the award. The best part....he will never have intended to earn it....He will have earned it thru the course of an active scouting career.....Not thru book keeping tricks.

Individual achievement working towards a goal with a Scout Master approval? I am going to say no out of the blocks.......But a lad with a very compelling argument or reason why might sway my decision....As SM I would turn it around on the lad....so you want to earn the riding award.....why don't you organize a Patrol ride to bob's park and back.....or why not organize a ride to Eagle districts camporee......Promote riding in the patrol and troop...... Isn't that the point of the award????? Very Clearly Patrol, Troop, OA, District, Council and National BSA events are an absolute yes. BSA camp staff, life guard, ect yes. Earning a hiking, backpacking or cycling merit badge with your patrol mate yes........ Riding back and forth to school on your bike no.......Hanging at the swimming pool with your buddies no......water skiing or canoing with your family no.

I am not the one counting my scouts time in the bath tub as hours for the aquatic segment.

He emailed back and in the admin tab you can adjust what your adults can such can see......... pretty easy...Heck I didn't even know you could do that.

I know of at least one scouters son who will receive the award unearned.

It does not count..... Read the links.....I posted above. especially 18.1 Him hanging at the pool checkin out the ladies is not even remotely under the auspices of scouting, even if it is with some of his buddies from his patrol....

Ya know that is a good point.....My son and the bulk of his patrol hang out most summer days at our local public pool.....So does that make it a scouting event?????? of course not.....Could it be sure......I know my son has enough hours at that pool to ever probably 10 or more gold devices in aquatics, 4 years x 12 weeks x 5 days x 6 hours......ya pretty easily..... But it isn't under the auspices.......so it doesn't count.

Not according to the links below. A scout and dad cannot go to the riding stable and go for a ride and count it....Nor can they ride to the cornor store or go family camping, canoeing or hiking and count it. The sole exception to that is working on a merit badge but even most of those are done as a scouting group........ I am not putting up roadblocks nor am I trying to short cut the program. Complete the requirement as written....Under the auspice as discussed below.

here is another discussion of under the auspices. http://netcommissioner.com/askandy/2010/07/issue-221-july-14-2010/ So, what does this tell us…? First, it tells us that family camping doesn’t count because it’s not “under the auspices of the BSA.†But it also tells us that any camping “under the auspices of the BSA†absolutely does count, whether with one’s own troop, with another troop, at one’s council summer camp or another council’s summer camp, a Camporee or Jamboree, or a special event held by a district or council (e.g., overnight Klondike Derby, etc.). So, if everyone just reads and then sticks with the exact language of any requirement and doesn’t attempt to put any sort of special spin or further qualification on it, and doesn’t try to operate from a decades-old memory, all’s well that ends well.

I wish you would research before posting because your simply wrong...... Here is a link to ask the expert at Bryan on scouting discussion what "Under the Auspice means..... http://blog.scoutingmagazine.org/2012/06/07/ask-the-expert-interpreting-camping-merit-badge-requirement-9a/comment-page-1/ Next it says, “at designated Scouting activities or events.†This means the experiences are held under the auspices of some level of the BSA, and that “Scouting†happens on them. For example, an individual family or a couple of Scouts and their parents heading off into the woods doesn’t count. So family camping trips, hiking sailing canoeing or summers spent at the pool don't count.

Our CD and MD put their foot down this year and said the physical had to be in 2013.....Not sure why....He did flip thru my binder and checked the signature dates.

As Scout Master I would never hand the medical forms to anyone at the CO for any reason.....I would never violate my leaders and parents trust in that manner.....Nor do I just flip thru them snooping. I have boys with health issues, I know the issues and the meds they take. So explain to me what medical condition would a Church look for and kick a person out for??????

I don't think It is in the G2SS, but it is taught in the IOLS courses....The sanitizing is probably over kill, but we do it anyway..... For cub family camping we use 4 tubs with the first two being wash.... The moms just can't get over the fact we don't have running water and trash our wash water with just a few dishes. Even with Boy scouts standing and teaching they just don't get it. So we coach that the dish should be clean after the first tub and the second is the finish, third is rinse and 4th is sanitize. We buy sanitizing tablets and tubs from Gordon Food Services. I think they are $5 for enough for a couple of years of camping. Follow the direction on the product you buy....we use one tablet per pan of rinse water.....No issues yet.

So can a Dad and Son ride Bikes to the donut shop and back every saturday morning and count the milage......NO Can Son and patrol ride to the donut shop and back every saturday morning and count the milage.....Yes I am not adding requirements...It is an individual but must be earned as part of the group , be it patrol, troop, district or council. I am not the one confused, nor am I adding requirements. My point is overzealous dad cannot significantly impact whether his individual scout can earn it or not.

While it is an individual award......I cannot be earned by individual effort.......You gotta do it with a group of scouts, which is a group afterall. Old KDD can't take scout son out every saturday morning for a bike ride till he makes the miles for the riding portion of the badge. Now he could take scout son's patrol out every saturday morning for a bike ride. There is a difference.

As long as you are doing the job.....No one else will step up. So my advise is not to do it. If the boys suffer a bit before another parent decides to help then so be it.

I was less than entertained when I got the notification that my scout needed to pony up another $50 or what ever it was...... Like I said, I hope they remember to feed them.

Has anyone one else got the email that their payment for whitewater rafting may or may not have been accepted or processed????? so your scout needs to have a credit or debit card just in case it wasn't....... Then the email that my sons immunization records aren't right??????? Really looked at them on my hard copy....all the dates are filled out...but he better bring the extra paper signed by his doctor....... Oh BTW weren't we supposed to receive our scouts schedule the last week of June???????????????hmmmmmmm That never happened......... I really hope they remember to buy food while they are down there

There is nothing at the link rex posted, just 10 minutes of a logo......

Never been to a camp where slack was cut when it came to physicals.

Just played with the reports as a Parent with adult only permissions. There is no information such as DL numbers or Insurance info available to the average parent in any of the reports I ran. All though, you can print rosters with addresses and phone numbers and emergency contact info...... I did email John and ask him to limit access to the reports to Adult and youth leaders only. I don't really see the need of the average parent to have access to our troops roster.

Interesting..... I would email support......I imagine it would take him less than an hour to change the permission on the reports so only leaders or a new designated position can run reports..........It does log all emails.......

I was blackmailed into attending woodbadge.......Don't go if you don't want too..... Other than possibly networking with other scouters, which can be done free at roundtable, I found it a complete waste of time.

Hmmm, my policy is no medical form no trip to camp.....Adults or youth...... Just curious......Is the parents scout neurotic and paranoid too????