Question about rank requirements

[skeptic]

Yes, the swim thing can be a real sticking point. Over the years I have had a small number of boys who did not make it through them, and a few more who barely passed, but then could not deal with alternate badges for Eagle, usually because they were the only one doing them, and the drive was not there. Also have had a few who got past the early requirements, and then took advantage of the alternates on their own.

 

I have also had a few instances where a parent really got vexed when I would not waive the swimming. To them, it was not fair to challenge a physically able boy to overcome a mental issue. Lost a few that way, but one or two of the boys understood better than their parents and dealt with it.

 

Funny story with one of the almost non-swimmers. He never made it past first class, but stayed with us through high school, and then helped out while in JC. He is now a major in the army. But, he decided that since I swam the mile every summer at camp, very slowly with rest strokes, that he could too. But the only rest stroke he had mastered was the elementary back stroke. He swam the mile using nothing but the elementary; took him a bit over an hour. But the fact he did it was far more important than the patch, and probably contributed to his overall growth dramatically.

 

One other thing that, at least here in the West, happens often on swim check day is the combination of often high altitude and cold water. Our local camp until recently never had a pool cover, and its water was always in the low 60's at best. Add 5700 feet elevation and scouts coming from sea level, and you have exhaustion and shock waiting to happen. I try to remind the boys that the test is not a race, and that they might use less tiring strokes the first day; but most either only know some poor variant of the crawl, or just want to prove they are the fastest. And some end up not finishing and having to come back the next day. They usually do not make the same mistake the next year.

 

Enough of my wind.

[dg98adams]

Gklose,

 

I only put the "rule" there because you were a little off.

 

I had prepped my son beforehand ("you're going to jump in, then swim three lengths any way you want, and then swim one on your back, and then you'll float for a short bit"), and I knew he was capable of passing the test.

 

I pasted the "rule" so it would be easy to see where you where off.

 

The Scout does not get to choose ANY stroke, but CAN CHOOSE from ANY listed strokes: (side, breast, trudgen, or crawl). He cannot dog-paddle, swim underwater, bob-along, touch the wall or etc....The basic premise is active forward motion, with or without the arm out of the water. On your back is on your back..

 

I also typed, when I ask the Scout if he can do them I show him what I am asking for...... I go so far as to get a Scout to demo it, as we usually have one in the water. I am an active participant, not reading this off from the shade on the the other side of the fence.

 

As far as floating, the Scout has to demonstrate TO THE PERSONA ADMIN. the test that he can float without panic when exhausted, and since it comes at the end of his 4 laps, its reasonable to have him do it then and stop when the PERSON ADMIN. the tests says "stop", not the scout.

 

I am sorry if you took anything personally, it was not intended.

 

This forum is a place where questions or opinions get asked and others chime in. I have been on Camp staff and had this discussion with lots of Scouters.

 

 

[scoutldr]

Being a former BSALG counselor, and WSI, I agree with dg98. WHat drove me nuts is our last Aquatic Director at camp, who "mothered" (sorry, ladies) the boys too much. She started out by asking "who is a non-swimmer"? Then those were set aside and given white buddy tags without even getting their feet wet. Next she asked "who is a beginner", then those were given ONLY the beginner test. NExt the swimmers. My style is to treat everyone as a swimmer until they prove otherwise. Staff should decide their ability...not the scout.

[IM_Kathy]

this is the one requirement that I would like to see them give options for like they do for the eagle required badges.

 

my son nearly drowned when he was about 3... took forever to get him to get into a pool after that. About the time he was a wolf he would finally go in to shallow water. The only reason he earned his aquanaut as a webelos was because he did his best. At that time he was doing swim lessons.

 

one of his friends was unable to do swim lessons due to financial reason. I took him and my son to the local Y a few days a week for a couple of months.

 

they finally did complete it. I can understand the whole "important skill to learn" "acomplishing task means so much to those boys". But, why doesn't BSA legitimize menal handicaps (as in total fear) like they do physical ones?

 

I see 2 options... get a metical professional to put in writing why son cannot accomplish such task or else use this as a was to try and motivate the boy to do it.

 

what I did with the 2 boys was just start by figuring out the easiest way the boys can swim the forward stroke - some can't do the breast stroke, some can't do the crawl... then start with small distances and just keep lengthening it. oh, and always in shallow water... then move to water just barely over their head for them to jump in and come up... each time they go further make it a big deal... when they are getting so close to full distance tell them how good they're doing and then mention had they only gone so much further they would have it. Also stress that this is NOT a timed event... doesn't matter how long it takes them to get from point a to point b - just that they do it without stopping.