Protoclete

Is there still a Roundtable Staff Scouter Training Award? I find it referenced all over the place, but only with the old style progress record, and nothing seems to say it was discontinued. Anyone know for sure?

*Sigh*... i was trying to avoid flippant responses by acknowledging, and moving past, the whole debate about whether adults should even care about recognition/awards/etc, but thanks for the humor. Though, if i wanted to invent my own awards, i'd go for something a bit more bedazzling than a dixie cup. A Perrier bottle perhaps. My first adult scouter role, after college, was in a troop that had been on both sides of the discussion. At one phase, the adults never wore anything other than the knots and required patches.. At another stage, they wore whatever was allowed and in good order, thinking that looking more formal on formal events was encouraging the scouts to do the same. Both attempts to focus on and support the youth, with good rationale on both sides. And for the more reflective replies, thanks, too. So far, nothing really answers the question of *why* a more cluttered look was preferred, officially, with all the neck medallions for adults. Though i see that the cub scouter training awards revisions has reduced that somewhat. Unless someone, somewhere, is really thinking the knots should suffice even in formal occasions (and by formal, i was thinking COH, not black tie.) I tend to follow lecastor's thinking in practice, but was just curious why a more 'uniform' option was not pursued for the uniform!

First, let me acknowledge that i am fairly familiar with the basic uniform regulations about adult recognition - usually wear the knot, no more than five medals across (on formal occasions), ideally wear one or the other, etc. (I also acknowledge the healthy tension between two concerns - that on one hand this is about the scouts and adults should not be overly concerned with their own 'bling', and that on the other hand this about the scouts and adults honor the scouts by dressing 'formally' for their formal occasions, including wearing awards earned.) What has always struck me as strange is this... The Training Award and Key are presented as miniature medals, but nothing else is. There was briefly a miniature Eagle medal (http://www.nesa.org/eagletter/2006-F.pdf), but was discontinued since the military did not want it promoted for their uniforms. There are a plethora of medallions suspended by neck ribbons, but wearing more than one of these at a time looks tacky, even if there is no particular regulation about how many can be worn. I understand that the move to more neck-medallions instead of chest medals, especially with regard ot the cub scout training awards, was in part out of concern for women scouters. It still seems excessive. The 'five across the breast pocket' rule also seemed a bit strange. Given the preponderance of neck-medallions, how many people actually have five medals to be worn over the pocket? Especially when, as an adult, most youth awards are no longer worn? But let us say you have the Eagle, a youth religious emblem or two, and the two training awards... it might stretch from seam to armpit for some folks, and looks a bit unkempt with everything a different size. It seems that having miniature versions of medals for wear as an adult scouter would be a solution. --You can fit five medals the size of the training awards more neatly across the pocket than the full sized youth versions. --It looks better than having five medallions hanging from your neck. --Even wearing some things earned as a youth (Eagle, religious emblems) in miniature as an adult would simultaneously keep a (literally) bigger focus on the youth and yet still acknowledge the adult, while keeping everything tidier. Even to have a miniature-medal version of all awards, leaving the neck for the one deemed most important by the scouter, or for the one being awarded at that time, etc.. It's the same principle as the square knots but for formal occasions (COH, etc). Say you have someone who has earned an adult relgiious emblem, a silver critter or two, most cub scout training awards... they look like Mr. T. to wear them all. It seems like it would make sense to have the option for several of these to be worn above the pocket rather than around the neck (the current training award set-up works toward this, certainly, but more could be done overall). I suppose it has been thought of before, probably even thoroughly discussed, but i just have not seen it. I would be interested to know what that discussion and decision was, or anyone's thoughts.