New Scouting Health Initiative

[Rockford8070]

"I do have an issue with being at a long term scout camp during a heat wave and trying to keep the kids well hydrated and their main liquid choices are Mountain Dew, Coke and Pepsi."

 

That's about how I feel. It doesn't seem to matter how many times I tell someone that pop doesn't hydrate you, yet I keep seeing people suck it down instead of water.

[perdidochas]

"That's about how I feel. It doesn't seem to matter how many times I tell someone that pop doesn't hydrate you, yet I keep seeing people suck it down instead of water. "

 

It's a myth. Pop does hydrate you. It just doesn't hydrate as well as water. A 12 oz. coke hydrates about like 11 oz. of water.

[shortridge]

They don't serve pop (or soda) at the mess hall because that would interfer with sales at the trading post and vending machines. However, at all the far flung stations (archery, swimming, shotgun, etc.) the vending machines are in prominent display. Water is harder to access - again, it interfers with sales.

 

Never seen nor heard of this phenomenon. Might not be as widespread as you think.

 

At my local camp, there is exactly one vending machine, and it's outside the trading post, where fountain sodas and Snapple are on sale inside. Also candy and other snacks.

 

But in the dining hall, the food is healthy and balanced. At the program areas, we were trained to push water to the point of annoying the heck out of the kids. Water is available easily everywhere - out of drinking fountains at the latrines, in coolers at the program areas, at the dining hall, etc. And we modeled good behavior by downing water and refilling our bottles every chance we got.

[Scoutfish]

Same thing here. They sell bottled sodas at the trading post and that's it. No vending machines anywhere.

 

They have water coolers..well, the 5 gallon igloo cooler with the keg spout on it - at archery, BB gun, Tom Sawyer rafts, and fitness trails and stations. There are water fountains in the admin bldg, dining hall, and camp office as well as the trading post.

 

But the only sodas you will drink are the bottles you buy from the trading post or what you bring with you when you pack.

 

But the thing is this: Just because the trading post sells soda...it doesn't mean the kids will dribnk nothing but that soda 100 percent of the time. If they do, they have DEEP wallets and they do it while at home, at school , while shopping in town or any chance they have to go to a store.

 

 

Not sure why some people only see things in absolutes. Having soda at camp trading post does not mean it's a requirement to drink them no more than you are required to buy any other trinkit or moment or even a t shirt.

 

Most of the scouts I saw were drinking either water or Gator-Aid which is nothing more than glorified Kool-Aid.

[SeattlePioneer]

Dehydration USUALLY isn't a big issue in western Washington State, but when our Troop made a pilgramage to Idaho's Camp Grizzly it was a big issue with temperatures above 100 and very dry air.

 

Just about every meal part of the program was cheering on a camp staff member as he chug-a-lugged a quart of water to provide inspiration and a (more or less) good example.

 

Result --- none of our Scout had heat related injuries. One adult wound up with a urinary tract infection probably related to dehydration.

 

Soda pop not an issue.

 

Frankly, if I were unhappy with the program at one Scout Camp, I'd explain my unhappiness to the camp director before I left so he'd know why I wouldn't be back the next year.

 

A lot of Scout camps compete pretty hard for troops to attend. Most aren't going to put up with bad program ----and that includes both overmarketing soda or making it unavailable, in my book.

 

 

Having sodas and candy available at the trading post places a degree of responsibility on Scouts to behave wisely. Some such pleasures are fine in my book ----overindulgence is not.

 

A Scout who overindulges should probably be counseled and aided in making wise decisions while at camp by pack and troop leadership and adult leaders.

[RememberSchiff]

Back in the day, we scouts were told not to bring money to summer camp as there was nothing to buy and why chance losing our money. So we learned to get by without soda or candy for a week, no issues of missing money for whatever the reason or enterprising scouts selling their brother's Playboys. No money, no problems. Leaders and staff could focus on teaching swimming, archery, ...scout stuff.

 

A few years ago at one summer camp that we attended, the store was selling Ben & Jerry pints, soda, candy - no limit just before dinner. Tree bark for brains. Though the camp pulled the B&J's the next summer, they installed soda machines. We did not return, as this is contrary to the outdoor method that our program uses.

 

As to the Health Initiative -

1. Add that Page B Medical Form Weight Chart as a requirement for each rank - no more 300lb Eagles.

2. Bring back the Every Scout a Swimmer program no more $@%#&@# Camp Splash at summer camp. At the end of the camp week, every scout is a better, stronger swimmer.

3. Tell all SM's to encourage all scouts to play school sports even it if means they miss or are late for scout activities. Be more flexible in meetings - next Monday night's meeting will be at the Y to swim.

4. Drop the notion that there has to be "snacks" at every den meeting, pack meeting, Round Table, COH...

5. Try a pilot of scouts wearing a pedometer and walking 10? miles a week. PL checks each week.Patrols complete for total mileage.

6. Get a National Leader to cheer the scouts off their duffs. Someone young and athletic, a yeah I want to be like him kind of guy. I know a Dirty Job but we know just the guy.

 

My $0.01, time for coffee

[jhankins]

The health initiative and some of the comments here fail to consider environmental and medical issues that have begun to plague children and families. If an autistic child doesn't fall in the healthy weight category, he can't be an Eagle? If a boy that has rheumatoid arthritis requiring daily steroids has no bone mass and constantly gains weight due to excess steroids, he can't be an Eagle?

 

I'm all for a National leader who can get kids off the couch, but I refuse to disqualify children based upon health considerations and assuming that if a child is not of an "ideal weight" his parents feed him wrong or he's just "lazy."

[BS-87]

There are serious health problems like your examples, and then there are bologna problems that people would take advantage of to make their kid meet any conditional loophole.

 

Maybe maybe physical fitness requirements should focus on improvement based on goals set by the scout. Let the boys surprise you and their parents with their ambitions on paper, and then hold them to their goals.

[OldGreyEagle]

Just a thought, Autism and Rheumatoid Arthritis are bona fide medical conditions and the BSA does have a policy when condsidering such youth for advancement

[Eagle92]

I have a problem with height/weight charts b/c I have met folks who are "overweight" according to the chart, but when you do a BMI, they have low body fat. One example I know of was a prior military guy who constantly had to get a waiver b/c accordign to the chart, he was fat, but he had 6% body fat b/c he was a PT monger. Also knew a gymnast who was "fat" at 146 pounds and 5'2" according to the charts. Yeah right with 9% body fat, she was fat. tell that to all the guys watching her when she went swimming in her bikini!

[jhankins]

Tying boys and leaders to a chart that's based on hinky numbers (as Eagle92 mentioned already) just creates more problems.

 

What about the boy who does his best, hikes as best he can, exercises as well and as often as he can, yet still doesn't meet your chart -- he's going to be denied Eagle because he doesn't meet your standards for height and weight measurements? I'm sorry, that's just ridiculous to me.

[BS-87]

That's why physical fitness requirements should focus on improvement based on goals set by the scout. Let the boys surprise you and their parents with their ambitions on paper, and then hold them to their goals.

[FScouter]

"Also knew a gymnast who was "fat" at 146 pounds and 5'2" according to the charts."

 

5'2" and 146 is in the "recommended" range. 178 pounds is the maximum. According to the current chart.

[Pack212Scouter]

We need to stop being the food police and teach them how to make appropriate choices. What most children and adults are not taught is that what you can eat is entirely dependent on your physical activity and your genetic predisposition. If you have a history of cholesteral and high blood preasure, then your should not eat high in saturated fats and salt....but this does not mean that someone from a familily without such issues and who burns 4,000-5,000 calories in a day should not. People need to be instructed on how to make appropriate decisions, not have them policed for them.

[Rockford8070]

Pack212Scouter, how many 12 -14 year old scouts know their family history well enough to make informed decisions like that?