Boy Scout Fly Fishing Merit Badge at National Jamboree

[MPW]

Just a quick note.

The Boy Scouts of America are offering
a Fly Fishing Merit Badge at the 2005
National Jamboree at Fort A.P. Hill
in VA.

The merit badge was first offered in 2001.
At the 2001 National Jamboree approximately
2500 boys took the badge. The estimate for
2005 is in excess of 8000!

I am told that many Scout Camps would like
to offer the fly fishing merit badge, but
there are not enough counsellors to fill
the demand.

If you are interested in becoming a counsellor, contact your local BSA office.
You can view the merit badge requirements
at [url=http://www.meritbadge.com:55b0f]www.meritbadge.com[/url:55b0f] .Just click on
"Fly Fishing".

We need some new blood in this sport, some
of our guys are "getting up there".
My TU chapter has taught the badge for a few
years now, and it is a lot of fun!

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**MW**

In our area (Greater Phoenix) the Arizona Flycasters Club has been offering counseling ever since the badge was approved. We have put on many many sessions to quite a number of Troops in the Valley. Last year we were in attendance at a Camporee where more than 76 Scouts received lessons in casting, fly tying, knots, ecology and etimology (sic?).

It is a worthwhile program. Do as MPW advises, call up the local BSA office (you'll find the number in the white pages) and they'll get you going. Also, check to see if your local fly fishing club already has a program (as the AFC does) that co-ordinates Troops requests for Counselors.

Teach a Scout to fly fish and you've given him a life long advocation, one that he'll always remember starting out with your help.



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Snow on the roof but with fire still in the hearth

I am not someone who can give an "official" answer about "flexibility" to merit badge requirements, but I am a merit badge counselor for the Fly Fishing Merit Badge (as well as other merit badges). My approach has been to meet the documented requirements totally. The only time any "flexibility" would be allowed would be a consideration for a disability of some sort. In this day and time of selectively "excusing" requirements (not only on merit badges, but laws and rules) within politically correct guidelines just whittles away the basis for attempting to meet the requirements. It also reduces the feeling of achievement that previous merit badge recipients may have. If the merit badge requirements are not met, then the merit badge should not be awarded. If a counselor has an issue with a merit badge requirement (for whatever reason), then he should make his issues known and see if there is enough support to change the requirements. To haphazardly decide to let someone "slide" on a requirement because of the counselor's viewpoint puts into question whether that person should be a counselor to begin with. You are a registered counselor for the organization and therefore should intend to support their official requirements. It is their merit badge, not yours....
I think you may eventually be able to get an "official answer", but doubt it could be much different from what I expressed - then again I have my own biases.
Anyone who is working with youths, whether Boy Scouts or not, take heart in the wonderful joys of passing on a sport that you love.
Many seeds that are planted never grow, but just one flower resulting from the work can only be viewed as success. Continue to plant the seeds.....
Halfhitch

[mwebb]

I've only been at this a couple of seasons but I don't think I could get that badge by those standards. Heck, I think I still have a fly in the back of my arm from last year.

[This message has been edited by mwebb (edited 29 July 2005).]

[dudley]

JC,
I believe that halfhitch's views pretty much some up Boy Scout policy.
From my short stint as a Scout leader, I didn't get the idea that they were very flexable about this sort of thing.
I bit my tongue and kept my opinions to my self many times for the sake my son and the other boys.
I believe the Boy Scouts are a great oganization, and I give them a donation every year, but I think some of thier policys are outdated and should be changed.
If they get tossed out of FT.AP Hill before the next jamboree, so be it.

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"Nick's heart tightened as the trout moved. He felt all the old feeling" ...Ernest Hemingway




[This message has been edited by dudley (edited 29 July 2005).]

[William Fitzgerald]

Jc--I have been involved in scouting since I attended the first Jamboree in Washington DC in 1937.

A merit badge counsellor for many years. Contrary to those that follow the rules to the letter I was told to use my discretion in some matters. The fishing badge stated to tell how to clean and cook one fish--this was also changed last year to clean and cook the fish as called for in the fly fishing badge. Think of having 20 clean and cook bluegills-----

So I sent off a letter and the official reply was to use my discretion--that the wording was a form of learning survival training. I was told to show how to clean a fish and most scouts do know how to cook.

The ff merit badge was brought about thru the FFF and the writers now feel there should have been two badges --a fly fishing and a fly tying.

You don't have to be a counsellor to teach the ff merit badge--It is only required to sign the final papers after testing and one will be available at most meetings. A counsellor form is available at a scout office--easy to fill out for a background check.

To date I personally have taught over 100 scouts and tested half that amount. More this fall when school begins.

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Bill

[Coach Robb]

As a scouter and merit badge counselor. You can expand on the requirements ,but not delete any. One of the things I like about scouting is that one actually has to complete the requirements to succeed. When my son received his Eagle rank he had 4 partial merit badges that he had started and not completed the requirements.(None were Eagle required).
I had a section on fly fishing a fly tying before there was a fly fishing merit badge. Some of my best experiences were with the shore lunch portion of the merit badge. It is a good thing for them to see where our food comes from.
It may make a difference that we harvest,kill,comsume from a pond that my father dug, I stocked ,and I regulate the take.
My son is at the Jamboree this week and much to my joy the ACLU move to get them banned was shot down and they now have access in perpetuity.

[MPW]

JC,
I am a merit badge counselor.
I think the rules should be followed to the letter, and if you don't like it, don't teach it.
The only exception would be for a boy with
a disability (mental, physical or emotional), and they are all welcome in Scouts.

It is however up to the counselor, and some
do "stray from the rules". This just hurts the boys, they don't all recieve the same instruction.

Yes, we have cleaned and cooked 20 fish!
Each boy should have the experience, it was a blast! Some counselors kill one fish for the whole group.

BSA states that it is up to the counselor.

I agree with halfhitch and WF.



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**MW**

[William Fitzgerald]

halfhitch and CoachRobb glad to hear you follow the requirements==Here is the answers to my letter to the scout headquarters. One writing to the group in charge. "I think Bill makes a good point.Do you think a slight alteration could be made to accomodate his idea of showing instead of actually doing it. Not much of a problem when working with one scout but a big deal if you have ten or twenty--Your thoughts".

"We interpret the requirements liberally,so explaining How to clean a fish is OK. The scout should know how its done if needed for survvival,the reason cleaning fish is there at all. We argued for catch and release,but die=hards said scoutng was more fundamental,and finally we liked that. Similarly about the casting requirement,50 feet would seem OK with or without a tight loop. Or how neat the flies be tied. This is a massive set of requirements for one merit badge--there are really three merit badges,casting,tying and entomogy,plus all the rest. So,we must be realistic.

My merit badge books are a 2002 edition,in it they have two mistakes in the glossary. Leader--part of the line that is between the backing and the fly line. Tip top--The ferrule on a fly rod located at the very tip of the rod.

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Bill

For me it's always been a simple thing...the line is drawn in the Merit Badge Pamphlet where the requirements are laid out explicitly. As said above, either "follow the requirements or don't teach". To put this thought into another activity, what if you only told young people how to drive and they then only had to repeat your words at the MVD? How many more idiots on the road can we stand.

Cleaning a fish can be a problem in C & R concepts but there is an answer - go to the nearest fish market and BUY a fish not yet cleaned. As to catching two species ....that can be a tough one in some areas....but, follow the booklet...takes some doing. Nobody said that this badge had to be easy to earn.

What if a Scout wanted to learn Astronomy and lived in the middle of NYC? Do you let him just describe what a constellation looks like 'cause the stars are hard to see with all the bright lights of the city around the Scout. Nope, you follow the rules and use the solution of going to the country where there is no interferring light.

To make a long story short, unless there is a physical or mental reason why the Scout can't do the task, then he MUST.

This from a guy who has been involved in Scouting since 1946 and held nearly every volunteer position except Council Chairman at one time or another. Amongst others, Council Eagle Board of review for 12 years and you can bet there were a lot of Eagle candidates that were sent back to the drawing board during those years. At the same time, every Eagle who made in during my tenure (and there were hundreds) knew dang well that he had "done the job".

'nuff said

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Snow on the roof but with fire still in the hearth