Swimming Merit Badge Questions

[JustAScoutMom]

My son is a new scout, and he will be attending his first summer camp in June.  He is taking a double-block swimming merit badge class.  He was in lessons when he was young, and we live near the beach and have a pool, so he is perfectly comfortable and capable in the water....daring and enjoys it.  However, he doesn't know the proper strokes and has little upper body strength (legs are strong though!).  He is also EXTREMELY skinny (5 feet and barely 75 pounds), so no fat at all in his body.

Given the above, what are his chances for earning this merit badge at camp after so many hours swimming there?  Do most scouts that earn it at camp have prior experience being taught the "proper" strokes?  Do most scouts fail simply due to the distance of 100-200 yards without a stop?  Is his lack of floating (on top) of the water going to be an issue since he has no body fat?  He can float....but his butt will not be "on" the water surface.  What does the term "strong manner" mean in terms of strokes?  Seems very subjective.

Edited March 9, 2018 by JustAScoutMom

[qwazse]

It's like my Son #2 has an evil twin a decade delayed! That boy got a partial year 1 and held on to it for 6 years without walking down to the nearest aquatics area and completing his surface dives (which he would do frequently and often in a lake at half the temperature, twice as turbid, and a billion times the volume of the lake (let alone the aquatics area) at camp. He wound up earning Hiking MB for his Eagle requirement.

So, as you can see, distance wasn't the issue. The issue was we had storms nearly every day the first summer he took the badge, and a short attention span for six years following.

There are a wide variety of boys who take Swimming MB. And instructors and aquatics directors vary from year to year. But generally, they try to work with every boy to get up to speed. Frankly, if your family spends a lot of time on big water (as ours does), those swimming lessons buy some peace of mind.

I'm not sure what double-block class means. If that means he's in two classes to other boys being in one, I would not recommend it. Hypothermia is a real risk of extended lessons (take it from a guy who has to re-up his guard certification) and that hits skinny kids harder. It's better to have lessons, do something else like scout craft, nature, or handicraft, then come back later during free time if he wants.

As to strong manner, it is subjective. The aquatics director sets the tone. I generally want to see the boy coming out of a test happy and ready for the next challenge. I want to know that if a guard's back is turned (which should never happen) and the boy's buddy swam off (again, should never happen) and the boat that he got tossed from didn't have flotation (like I said ...), that the scout can get to safety from the middle of deep water. That's especially true of bodies that aren't as buoyant. But I think your son will likely pass if not on day one, by midweek. A strong kick usually covers a multitude of shortcomings.

[Hawkwin]

I don't think it will be an issue, to quote:

Level off and swim 75 yards in a

strong manner using one or more of the following strokes:

sidestroke, breaststroke, trudgen, or crawl; then swim

25 yards using an easy, resting backstroke. The 100 yards

must be completed in one swim without stops and must

include at least one sharp turn. After completing the swim,

rest by floating.

-------------------------------

"Strong" being subjective, should probably be removed from the language. As long as he can swim using a combination of the above strokes for 75 yards, he should be OK. The strokes don't have to be perfect (Do Your Best). The float does not require the scout to remain completely still, just demonstrate that you can float without a doggy paddle or other active swimming method. I don't see any reference to his butt needing to be at any specific depth so as long as he can remain on his back afloat with minimal effort, he should be OK

[Jameson76]

Remember the why behind the swimming emphasis in the BSA, it is a needed life skill

• From 2005-2014, there were an average of 3,536 fatal unintentional drownings (non-boating related) annually in the United States
  • about ten deaths per day
• An additional 332 people died each year from drowning in boating-related incidents.
• About one in five people who die from drowning are children 14 and younger
• For every child who dies from drowning, another five receive emergency department care for nonfatal submersion injuries

• Swimming skills help
• Taking part in in formal swimming lessons reduces the risk of drowning among children aged 1 to 4 years
• However, many people don’t have basic swimming skills
• A CDC study about self-reported swimming ability found that:
  • Younger adults reported greater swimming ability than older adults.
  • Self-reported ability increased with level of education.
  • Among racial groups, African Americans reported the most limited swimming ability.
  • Men of all ages, races, and educational levels consistently reported greater swimming ability than women.

[Chadamus]

@qwazse double block means what you think it means. A class two periods long. The summer camp we're going to this year does the same with certain MBs like Wilderness Survival, Cooking, Swimming. Usually Eagle badges, but not always (Robotics, Kayaking).

[ItsBrian]

Saw on @WisconsinMomma status that her sons had completed the merit badge recently. Maybe she can offer more insight on this.

[CalicoPenn]

For the most part, "strong manner" can also be stated as "deliberative".  Watch an Olympics swimmer doing the crawl - the strokes are defined and clearly being placed in the water.  If the swimmer is just weakly or lazily flopping their arms in front of them, that's not a strong manner.  It's not about the power of the stroke, or the strength of the Scout.  As long as the Scout is deliberately lifting their arms out of the water and moving them ahead of him to put back in the water, he should be fine on that.

As for floating - the lower part of the body, without an occasional kick from ones legs, sinks - including folks butts.  This is pretty much true for everyone.  It has nothing to do with body size - butts sink.  The gluteous maximus (aka butt) is a large muscle mass.  Some may be fleshier than others - but it is still a muscle - and muscle tends to be denser than water which means it doesn't float.  What does float?  Ones upper torso.  Why?  It's essentially hollow (yes, it has lots of organs stuffed in to it but it is hollow) and it contains two fairly large air bags - aka lungs - and the air in one's lungs are just enough to enable to upper torso to float without being dragged under by one's butt and legs.  As long as the Scouts shoulders and head are floating on the surface (and they tend to), the Scout is floating.

If you have an indoor park district or YMCA pool around, and you're worried about it, it wouldn't hurt to spend some time practicing before camp - if you know of a local student who is on a swim team who wouldn't mind earning a few extra dollars to teach your son proper swimming stroke techniques - you could try that too.

I suspect most Scouts that don't earn the merit badge at Summer Camp are either held up by weather issues or have problems swimming in lakes.

[JustAScoutMom]

Thank you for the feedback everyone.  He really wants to ensure that he passes on the first attempt in front of his peeps and "leave them in the dust".  While I doubt that would happen (as there are few stronger/bigger boys there with him), I know it would make him feel so accomplished.  We may just have him join the local swim team now up until summer camp, just to ensure that he has the stamina and coordination for the strokes.  I appreciate any additional words of wisdom though!

 

[ItsBrian]

10 minutes ago, JustAScoutMom said:

Thank you for the feedback everyone.  He really wants to ensure that he passes on the first attempt in front of his peeps and "leave them in the dust".  While I doubt that would happen (as there are few stronger/bigger boys there with him), I know it would make him feel so accomplished.  We may just have him join the local swim team now up until summer camp, just to ensure that he has the stamina and coordination for the strokes.  I appreciate any additional words of wisdom though!

 

Don’t stress about it. I didn’t pass my first time (I’m still a youth), it’s no big deal. Beginner swimmers can do everything but go in the deep end or water activities. I didn’t even take it two years ago just because I didn’t feel like it and I knew I wasn’t going to be swimming.

[qwazse]

6 hours ago, Hawkwin said:

...

"Strong" being subjective, should probably be removed from the language. As long as he can swim using a combination of the above strokes for 75 yards, he should be OK. The strokes don't have to be perfect (Do Your Best). The float does not require the scout to remain completely still, just demonstrate that you can float without a doggy paddle or other active swimming method. I don't see any reference to his butt needing to be at any specific depth so as long as he can remain on his back afloat with minimal effort, he should be OK

Cub scouts try, Boy Scouts do.

We're in the business of forestalling death. Thus "Strong".

[David CO]

10 hours ago, JustAScoutMom said:

Do most scouts fail simply due to the distance of 100-200 yards without a stop?  

Some do. How is he at running? Can he sprint 100-200 yards? 

Endurance is not something you can develop overnight. Neither is muscle tone. 

If general physical fitness is a problem, you might want to work on that first.

 

Edited March 10, 2018 by David CO

[SSF]

"Strong manner" is hardly subjective. It's pretty straightforward.

[SSF]

6 hours ago, ItsBrian said:

Don’t stress about it. I didn’t pass my first time (I’m still a youth), it’s no big deal. Beginner swimmers can do everything but go in the deep end or water activities. I didn’t even take it two years ago just because I didn’t feel like it and I knew I wasn’t going to be swimming.

You should work on improving your swimming.

[qwazse]

Thanks for explaining double-blocking, @Chadamus. I guess if it's part of the camp routine, and the scout's with his buddies, and the water's warm, it works.

We attend camp during session 1 at 2500 feet on a 250 acre lake in Western PA. The mountain laurel is just blooming if it's not in shade, and winter is barely forgotten.

[ItsBrian]

8 hours ago, SSF said:

You should work on improving your swimming.

I can pass it now. I was a beginner during my first summer camp, around 4 years ago? I just haven’t been to camp for the past year due to me working at a day camp.