Choice: Football or Webelos 2 ?

[Trevorum]

I don't know about Lis'bob, but I am locked out within the first 10 seconds (and probably sooner).

[Lisabob]

Me too Trev. Maybe it is an anti-bobwhite conspiracy?

 

Lisa'bob

[SR540Beaver]

As a former sports parent, I have learned to employee my God given right to say NO and/or to make my son make choices. He played competitve baseball from kindergarten thru 3rd grade and was on two state championship teams. We practiced 4 to 5 times a week, had tow league games a week and played a tournament about every other weekend. When he was in 2nd grade, he played 76 games over the spring and fall seasons. I don't say that proudly anymore. I realize the foolishness of it now. Don't get me wrong, he gained a lot from playing. He learned a lot about teamwork, doing his best, good sportsmanship. etc. But it was a lot of pressure too. The coaches were like drill instructors. They could smell a weakness in a kid a mile away and ostricize him. If a kid didn't play every inning of every game. the parents either got in the coaches face or started sweating that their son's days were numbered on the team. It is no way to treat children and I see it for the mistake it was now. There are good programs that teach fundamentals and make it fun instead of cut-throat competitive sports.

 

I remember one kid we had in or Webelos 1 and 2 den. He played baseball, basketball and football. He wanted to do it all. His dad kept telling him that a time was coming when he was going to have to pick "A" sport to play, as he could not do them all in Jr High and Sr High. His crossed over to the troop we did and he fell far behind his peers just like he did in Webelos because sports came first. That was his and his parents choice and right.

 

I don't mind my son playing sports if he wants to, but he has made a commitment to Scouting and I won't let him low it off on a whim. He wanted to join the 7th grade golf team that is just forming. Dad told him NO. He has a responsibility as an APL and dad is spending $400+ to send him skiing over spring break with the church youth group and $800+ to send him to Northern Tier with his troop this summer. That follows on the heals of $1900+ for Jamboree last year. Daddy isn't buying him golf clubs anytime soon. Choices were made and choices will be stuck with.

[SSScout]

Coming in to this late, perhaps, but after being a girls soccer coach ( 1st season no wins, second season half and half, third season league champs undeafeated, fourth season 2nd place) and a DL and CM, and now ASM, I see some parrallels between good coaching and good Scout leadering. In both,if done right, the coach /SL requires something of the child that the child feels OBLIGATED to provide. If the parents see a benefit of the child attending, there will be a DOUBLE obligation that the child feels. Can he/she dissapoint the C/SL? In CS, we require parent participation, less so in BS, but obviously if the parent participates, the boy gains accordingly. How often have we (CSL or SL) seen what I call the "soccer syndrome" ? Drop the boy off and come back in 2 hours. Even SLs can use that to advantage, but it means making yourself indispensible to the Pack/Troop, and that can have poor consequences too, especially if one has not succeeded in training/providing for your successors. When one moves on, is there someone left to continue the Pack/Troop?

A good S/L inspires and leads by example and training, but remember, "a boy does not live by training alone". I still think that learning to run and kick straight is great, but somehow one has to show the Scouts that SOMETIME it might be nice to know how to find your way in the woods, or in a strange city, or know how to stop bleeding or breath for someone who can't. Your average soccer coach won't teach you that. Or reward you for knowing it.

[Vigil-Hiker]

Why have to choose? Most coaches will tell them to get at least half of the weekday day practices with Friday and Saturday as mandatory. POP Warner Flag football is for 6-7 year olds and tackle for the rest. My den is made up of all Catholics who attend CCD classes on different days and play football, soccer, or basketball in the Fall and play baseball or lacross in the Spring. Most have stuck with it so far from Tigers and are now Bears.

 

Our village has 2 Packs, 3 Troops. 4 Flag football teams, 3 7-9 year-old tackle teams, 2 9-11 year-old tackle teams, 13 7-9 year-old baseball teams, 8 9-11 year-old baseball teams, atlesat 2 teams for each basketball level, and 6 soccer teams. (we also have Gaelic football, plus all the girls sports teams(same sports), cheerleading, and 2-3 Girl Scout troops.) We also have the top school district in the County and one of the best in NY State.

 

It is a matter of what you want to do and flexibility in scheduling time. Every coach here says "school work first, then everything else" and must make 1/2 of the practices to play.

[Lynda J]

One thing we need to be sure to think about. If we make these boys chose between sports and scouts they will probably chose sports. So you have to arange your program so it works with the school sports program. I would prefer to lose a boy for a couple of months than for ever. I have heard of troops that told boys that if they missed more than so many meetings they would be dropped from membership. Many time sports at school received a grade. I will never put a boy in a position of having to make a final choice.

We have boys in sports, and band. We haven't lost one to either if over two years because we make sure we work with them. You can also talk to the coach or band director about acting as a MBC for the Athletice and Music merit badges. It gives them some presective on what Scouting is. We have a band director that when there are tryouts or competitions will try to set out boys times as early in the morning as he can so they can leave and take part in troop activities. On one campout we had two boys that had a band event on Saturday morning. They did this then came to camp at about noon. A parent brought them out. So they have been able to take part in both worlds. And we don't berate them for not being committee to Scouting.

[Vigil-Hiker]

When I was in Boy Scouts, I managed to have a summer job, ran Winter and Spring Track, Marching band(we went to every football game, and performed in 3 competitions per season), concert band, and stage band. Concert band had concerts twice a year, and stage band usually had 3. I also managed getting a seat in County band 2 years in a row. Every time there was a school musical, stage band provided the musical background. Every year went troop camping 3-4 times minimum, attended 3 camporees, and every OA Ordeal Weekend(3 times a year, and was on ceremonies team). I did manage to earn my Eagle, but cut it close (3 days before I turned 18 with exactly 21 merit badges).

 

The kids need to decide what is important to them and what they enjoy doing. If they want it all, they need to be supported by their parents, and have a busy schedule that they can manage and not be overwhelmed by their choices.

 

Middle school football is only 2 1/2 months of the school year. Scouting is a year long program. If they want to get their Arrow of Light and think time may be issue in the Fall, work hard on requirements during the summer and attend day camp. This will also give them something to do during days they are bored and had no idea what to do in the summer.