SSF

I appreciate where you're coming from but I do believe that scout parents can be just as aggressive and demanding - if not more so - than any sports parents ever could. In my own experience, as an Eagle Scout and as a parent of two Eagle Scouts who are both athletes, I have experienced some minor 'politics' in terms of their competing in sports, but that pales in comparison to the level of pettiness and egotism that I have seen displayed first hand by multiple scout leaders. I've also heard too many similar accounts from other scout parents, as well as posts on this board, over how some troops choose to operate by adding requirements or using their own subjective, or judgmental, biases to deny rank advancement. I can only go by my own personal experience and I've only seen true pettiness and egotism in scouts, not in sports.

I'd beg to differ here. Scouts does very much mandate participation. All troops do require a minimal level of participation to demonstrate that they are "active." "Active participation" is loosely defined by the BSA intentionally so that units can determine what level of participation is required. Troops vary greatly in this. Some are very strict and demanding of meeting attendance and camping participation, whereas others are more lax, but scouts who fall short of their troop's participation standards do not get the opportunity to advance, just like an athlete who does not attend practice regularly will not have the opportunity to play.

This is a very anti-sports article and many of the criticisms can also be applied to scout parents as easily as they could to sports parents

So you feel there should be separate standards of justice?

Our unit and the others in my area that I'm familiar with just aren't as active as others I guess...I'm still amazed by the unit that holds an outdoor aquatics event in March You'll have to add your own scouts to the throw-down as well...I'd just hope that we could have fair and unbiased judging

I've never heard of the "rule of law" being applied to BSA advancement. You sound like a criminal defense attorney, defending a guilty client

So, you're doing everything possible to ensure that these girls advance quickly. Are the girls being tested? Are they actually learning the skills?

That's an incredibly packed schedule. Your son's unit seems to be the exception. Back to back day hikes in addition to camping trips. Definitely a very full calendar. You listed the district's aquatics day as an outdoor activity in March though...did you list that as an outdoor activity by mistake? I'm presuming that was done at an indoor pool.

Yes, it's possible, but IMHO, this would be an extremely ambitious for most scouts, and unless this girl is solely involved in scouting without any other extracurriculars, part time job, etc. then that would also pose some challenges to actually completing these without a tail wind in her favor.

Who is the "their" that you're referring to? BSA or people opposed to girls in Boy Scouts. Yes, this girl supposedly completed these requirements in very quick time, as you admit. Does it not strike you as odd that girls are racing towards advancement so rapidly? Correct we have no evidence that she did not complete the requirements properly. We also have no evidence to indicate that she actually did. All of this stems from the girl posting on social media. If I were a gambler, I'd wager that some shortcuts were taken.

I can't fathom how any unit could hold ten events, six of which must be outdoor events or camping trips, within a three months span. What unit is that active...??? I don't see how anyone could have realistically met that particular requirement between 2/1 and 5/04. It is possible for her to have achieved this under advancement guidelines, but realistically, the probability of any scout actually doing this is extremely low. If this girl actually did what she has claimed, I have no doubt that requirements were either overlooked, held to a ridiculously low standard, or her leaders may have allowed her to double-dip, or even triple-dip.

Nicely put qwazse, I really like this response!

You are clearly troubled by any criticism against girls in the BSA. I'm not sure why you keep responding, and with the same copied and pasted response no less. In my original post that got removed, I called out the absurdity that was highlighted in the shameful and biased, "Girl Power" 'reporting' from the article that cocomax shared. If you put something out there that others find objectionable, then someone is likely to let you know that. And, just for the record, this is not a blog. It's a forum. That's why it's called "Scouter Forum."

I see that this message board continues to live in a bubble of 'we think.' Only the views of the elites are allowed and anyone who disagrees is silenced. So much for the freedom to disagree on what is supposed to be an open forum. Cburkhardt I hope that your efforts to feminize the BSA fail, but as I said in my post that was removed, this war has already been lost. The real BSA is dead. Congratulations to you on your victory in contributing to that.

I reacted too hastily in my previous response. (Bad SSF, bad!) I do see that you condemn the scoring used and I presume that's where the upvotes come from. I agree that scouts and units should vote with their feet and avoid this camporee if biased judging of any form is going to be taking place.