NOAA- Riding

[satl8]

Get your thoughts on the riding segment...

Riding. A Scout, Sea Scout, or Venturer may earn the National Outdoor Badge for Riding upon successfully completing the following requirements:

1. Earn the First Class rank, Sea Scout Apprentice rank, or complete Venturing Ranger Award requirements 1-6.
2. Complete the requirements for at least one of the following:
   1. Cycling merit badge or Ranger Cycling/Mountain Biking elective and 100 miles of cycling
   2. Horsemanship merit badge or Ranger Equestrian elective and 20 miles of horseback riding
   3. Motorboating merit badge or Ranger Watercraft elective and 100 miles of motor boating
   4. Skating merit badge or Ranger Winter Sports elective and 20 miles of skating
3. Complete 200 miles of riding activities, including cycling, stock riding, skating, motor boating, mountain boarding, (including ATV or PWC riding at an approved council program), under the auspices of the Boy Scouts of America, including the miles in requirement 2.

A gold device may be earned for each additional 100 miles of riding set forth in requirement 3. A silver device is earned for each additional 400 miles of riding. The youth may wear any combination of devices totaling his or her current number of miles of riding.

 

So the Scout has completed the cycling merit badge (150 miles), 2(a) seems to indicate another 100 miles in addition to the merit badge since it say "and" for a total of 250 miles.

Automatically requirement 3 is met since the requirement for #2 is over 200 miles? it does say "including the miles in requirement 2".

Scout turned in a log with about 480 miles on it.

Segment patch is definitely earned, no question about that.  2 gold devices or 1 gold device?

 

Anyone agree or disagree with 2(a) that also seems to be a point of contention as well. Seems to me the Cycling merit badge (150 miles) and the Ranger elective (210 miles) are the equals, the *and* relates to both. To others it reads cycling merit badge and done. If you do the ranger elective then you have to do the extra 100 miles, which doesn't seem right to me?

 

Ranger elective-

• Cycling trips
  1. Take at least eight separate cycling tours 20 miles in length or eight separate mountain biking treks 10 miles in length.
  2. Keep a personal journal of your eight trips, noting routes covered, weather conditions, sketches, maps, and sights seen. Also note significant things along the trails such as trail markers, downhills, climbs, rocks, drops, log hops, and portages.
• In addition to the tours and treks in requirement g, plan and do a two-day cycling tour 50 miles in length or mountain bike trek 40 miles in length. Your trip plan should include routes, food, proper clothing, and safety considerations. Record in your journal.

[UKScouterInCA]

To earn the Cycling Merit Badge a Scout rides a minimum of 150 miles if taking the road cycling option, or 52 miles if taking the mountain bike option. (NB if they do Motorboating they have gone a minimum of a mile, if Horsemanship 60 feet).

I do not interpret 2a to be 100. miles in addition to the merit badge, I interpret it to be including the badge. So, if taking the road cycling route the Scout needs an additional 50 miles above and beyond the Cycling Merit Badge.

 

This does illustrate some of the inequity in the award, it is easier to achieve road cycling than mountain biking, which is itself easier than horseback riding or skating. But to earn the award via any of the tracks you have to show a commitment to the sport beyond just getting the Merit Badge.

[InquisitiveScouter]

A panda walks into a bar and eats shoots and leaves   OR  A panda walks into a bar and eats, shoots, and leaves.

Let's eat, Grandma!  OR Let's eat Grandma!

Commas kill!  Or, at least, the lack of one can cost you money!  https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/think-commas-don-t-matter-omitting-one-cost-maine-dairy-n847151

Without the comma, the clause causes confusion, but grammatically belongs to its immediate predecessor only.  With a comma, it would be an independent clause, and therefore an additional requirement for all.  The preceding "or" makes this more potentially more confusing if punctuation rules are not understood or applied.

At this point, the writer has not adequately communicated the actual requirement.  This is a FAIL.  When confusion exists, the only correct thing to do is to make the requirement as indulgent as possible for the Scout.

When they write:

"Cycling merit badge or Ranger Cycling/Mountain Biking elective and 100 miles of cycling", I parse this as such:

Cycling merit badge (150 miles is sufficient for Scouts) or Ranger Cycling/Mountain Biking elective and 100 miles of cycling (210 miles is sufficient for Venturers)

Look at these comma cases...

Cycling merit badge, or Ranger Cycling/Mountain Biking elective and 100 miles of cycling (same meaning as previous; first comma is important, and clearly separates the two conditions)

Cycling merit badge or Ranger Cycling/Mountain Biking elective, and 100 miles of cycling (now both previous sufficient conditions have an added condition... an extra 100 miles, so 250 miles for Scouts, and 260 miles for Venturers)

Cycling merit badge, or Ranger Cycling/Mountain Biking elective, and 100 miles of cycling (same meaning as above, first comma is superfluous)

Why not write it like this:  "Cycling merit badge or Ranger Cycling/Mountain Biking elective, with 100 additional miles of cycling beyond the requirements for either."  ???

BSA has never been known for clear and concise communication.  The Guide to Safe Scouting is the biggest case in point.

On 5/9/2024 at 4:04 PM, satl8 said:

If you do the ranger elective then you have to do the extra 100 miles, which doesn't seem right to me?

Why?  I have no problem with Venturers having additional requirements.  If interpreted in the strictest sense, they already have to do extra miles.

 

 

 

 

Edited May 11 by InquisitiveScouter

[InquisitiveScouter]

On 5/9/2024 at 4:04 PM, satl8 said:

Scout turned in a log with about 480 miles on it.

Segment patch is definitely earned, no question about that.  2 gold devices or 1 gold device?

2 gold devices.

Or here's a wacky thought... ask the Scout to read the requirements and tell you what he thinks he has earned! 

Edited May 11 by InquisitiveScouter