Scout Swimming Requirement

[MaScout]

Well...the Swimming MB is an alternate required MB. Meaning??? The boy may choose from swimming OR hiking OR cycling. So...he doesn't HAVE to earn the Swimming MB for Eagle, just one of those three.

[Lisabob]

John, I know that you are a COR of the best sort - active, knowledgeable, and fully supportive of your troop having the best possible program, within BSA guidelines.

 

I agree that CORs like yourself are invaluable assets.

 

But I don't think most of us have CORs like you. Most of us are operating with "ghosts" at best. I've never met our current COR; he (she? I don't know) does not attend our events, doesn't answer letters and emails and phone calls very often, and certainly wouldn't be in a position to offer training advice to the unit leaders. Just getting signatures when necessary is about all we can hope for.

 

Sad to say, at least anecdotally, I've drawn the conclusion that there are more people and more units with experiences like mine out there, than with experiences like yours when it comes to the COR-unit relationship.

 

Not that this excuses a unit making up its own rules or "bending" existing BSA rules for advancement.

 

Lisa'bob

 

[SWScouter]

Okay, back to the original question.

 

I believe that the swimming "demonstrate" requirements for 2nd class used to have a footnote that stated, "This requirement may be waived by the troop committee for medical or safety reasons." This was removed from the reprinting of the scout handbook in 2001.

 

See http://usscouts.org/advance/boyscout/changes/bsrank3-01.html

 

So, In the past, the troop committee could very well have done this under BSA auspices, but it has been several years since they were allowed to.

 

SWScouter

[SWScouter]

So I should add that perhaps this is just a matter of having some of the troop leaders buy an updated version of the scout handbook and having them work from the latest requirements book.

 

SWScouter

[FScouter]

You should note that Swimming is a required MB for Eagle.

 

No longer true. The Swimming merit badge is NOT, NOT, NOT a requirement to earn the Eagle rank, and has not been for several years. Refer to Boy Scout Requirements 2006 # 33215.

 

Swimming is a good skill to have, as noted by Baden Powell, but the Eagle rank can be earned by completing other merit badges.