Belt Loops & Pins

[Greaves]

So I'm this year's Achievement Chair, and I'm confused about the Academic & Sports Program.

 

My predecessor told me that belt loop and pin work had to be completed in the scouting year--as in, "if you haven't completed the work to earn Art by the time you advance in rank, you must begin all over again." I read the book on Academics and Sports, and this question isn't mentioned at all.

 

Also, I was told that all belt loop work must be completed *again* to earn the pin next year. Again, I searched the book, and found nothing to confirm or refute this position.

 

Basically, what I want to know is. . .is she right? Or has she read something into the program that isn't there?

[Pack212Scouter]

The Cub Scouts Academics and Sports Program is an additional, supplemental, and optional Cub Scout program. As such it is not a part of the normal requirements towards ranks except when used for Wolf elective 20 or for some of the Webelo requirements. As such, there is no published timeframe for completion of belt loops and pins. The only time that completion would be restricted is if they are used for Wolf elective 20 or the Webelos program. In those cases they must be completed in that rank year.

[Greaves]

Thanks so much for your answer. That was the sense I was getting, that there is no time frame in these loop & pin achievements.

 

I was going crazy looking for it--I must have read the book a dozen times, trying to see it in there! And then I read website after website--which just quoted the book!

[Pack212Scouter]

While we want to follow the rules & requirements, you will unfortunately find the predominant color in Cub Scouts is not Blue or Gold...it is Grey. I suppose that this is a by product of using "Do your best" as a principal guideline for the program.

[Scouting Mom]

Since the A&S program is supplemental, your pack can set some guidelines or policies related to it...for example, I've seen many sites that say each BL can only be earned once per rank, however, no where in official BSA literature does it say that. Your pack, however is free to make that policy. Our pack, and I'm learning many others, only award one BL of each type per boy...even Webelos, who often earn certain BLs for a second time don't actually get it physically awarded if they already have one.

 

Your pack is free to set the policy which will suit them and their budget. This is even discussed in the beginning of the A&S book

[Pack212Scouter]

Good reply ScoutingMom, our Pack does the same thing...awarding a belt loop only once. Part of this is the cost...and part of it is that by Bear/Webelo years you are usually running out of boy (waist) before he can get all the belt loops on. LOL

[Gold Winger]

I, for one, was always baffled by how you could earn a belt loop twice. Usually, the boy had already done the requirements and most don't really lend themselves to being repeated. Let's look at basketball . . .

 

1. Explain the rules of basketball to your leader or adult partner.

2. Spend at least 30 minutes practicing basketball skills.

3. Participate in a basketball game.

 

So the den leader says, "let's work on the Basketball loop" but Johnny has already earned the loop. So he says, "Hey DL! I explained the rules to you last year. Remember? I practiced and played basketball last year. Right? So I don't have to do it over again. Right? But I still get the loop."

 

One might argue that he has to do it all over again but that's not specified in the requirements, is it? And we all know that we cannot add to the requirements.

[pixiewife]

In our pack, like most I think, the boys only earn the B.L. once. When they are Webelos, and have to earn it for a Badge, they do the requirements, if they have previously earned it, they do not get another actual beltloop. When they are earning their pins, they do not have to do the BL requirements again, even if they earned the BL in another year. It is like having to pass one grade to get to the next.

I'm glad you asked this question though, because I have had the same question, about time frame. I am going to ask our Pack Trainer, who told me all requiremnets must be done in the same year, or you have to start over, if that was something our pack decided on, or if it is just something that she (with all due respect) made up.

Thanks for reminding me!

[Gold Winger]

There are many myths and legends in the world of ranks and awards.

 

A common one is that a Scout only has one year to complete a merit badge.

 

Packs or troops do not have the authority to set their own time limits for any award.

 

[Lisabob]

Do note though GW (and others) that some of the beltloops are either required, or are options, for part of the webelos activity pins. In those cases, the webelos book is crystal clear that a boy must earn, or re-earn, the beltloop **as a webelos scout** in order for it to count toward webelos advancement. In this case it is not "adding to the requirements" to tell a boy that even if he earned it as a bear, he has to earn it again if he wants it to count toward a webelos pin. And incidentally, it is a good idea for bear leaders to look ahead a little bit so that they're not duplicating something at this time of year that the boys are going to need to do again in Sept. as webelos.

 

In our pack the tradition was to acknowledge that the boy had re-earned a beltloop as part of earning his webelos pins, but we did not pay for the duplicate beltloop. Instead we used the small (and much cheaper) "rocker" segments that they could put on the red vests. This seemed to work well for all involved.

[Gold Winger]

I don't recall which loops have to be 're-earned' but I think that BSA would add some consistency and credibilty to the A&S program if they simply said "loops and pin can only be earned once. Loops for X, Y, and Z cannot be earned until the Cub Scout is a Webelos Scout."

[Lisabob]

I'm not sure I would say they need to be limited to earning the loops one time. I remember that my son earned the science beltloop as a wolf in 2nd grade and again later as a webelos II in 5th grade. Truly it was two completely different experiences because he was capable of a great deal more in 5th grade than in 2nd. (he went on to earn the pin too)

 

And the way the webelos pins are set up, some of them allow a very wide range of loops to "count" toward the webelos activity pins. For example, for the "sportsman" pin, I remember that there were probably 12 or 14 different beltloop options. It would be a shame to tell younger cubs that they couldn't earn any of those until they became webelos scouts. What I do think though, is that there could be a lot better TRAINING for Wolf and Bear leaders regarding how the loops are utilized in the webelos program so that this aspect doesn't take them by surprise.

[Beagle Scout]

If I'm not mistaken, every belt loop can be used to satisfy a requirement for one of the Webelos activity pins except for the Collecting belt loop (assuming that Archery and BB Gun Shooting can be counted toward the Sportsman activity pin).

 

[SctDad]

Actually Beagle Scout, if you look at the wolf requirements, they have "As a wolf scout, earn the BB Gun and Archery Belt Loop" or at least they say to earn them in the Wolf Requierments.

 

But this is something that can be done at just about every Council Day Camp. At least down here they do.

 

Let me know if there is anything I can do to help. I have a list of BL's that are needed for WEBELOS and will try to keep those for the Webelos years. But if a boy wants he can earn it at any time, I will just let him know that he will need to do it again as a webelos

[Beagle Scout]

SctDad, I was not trying to say that only Webelos can earn belt loops. I was just trying to point out that the only belt loop that cannot be used toward a Webelos activity pin is Collecting. Also, Archery and BB Gun Shooting are not specifically listed as counting toward the Sportsman pin, but our pack gives credit for them.

 

In our pack, we do not discourage boys from earning belt loops and pins, but we do not push them, either. When I plan out the meetings for my den for the year, I select one academic belt loop and one sports belt loop to work on as a den so that we can use those experiences toward the National Den Award. Beyond that, the boys and their families may choose to pursue other belt loops or pins on their own. Of course, we encourage the boys to go to summer camp and to earn the Archery and BB Gun Shooting belt loops and pins while they are there. We also make sure to recognize the boys who play sports with the appropriate belt loops and pins.

 

I agree with you 100% that it makes sense to plan for many of the belt loops to be earned by the Webelos, but that the boys can earn them at any time. If a boy has already earned a particular belt loop prior to Webelos, he may repeat the requirements for credit toward the associated Webelos activity pin. However, our pack will only pay for the actual award once.