Issue 647 – July 7, 2020

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Hi Andy,

In your column last week—June 30, Issue 646—you talked (accurately) about “dark” troops and tenure-in-position. I’ve done some further checking and there’s an even more COVID-19-specific reference that includes the GUIDE TO ADVANCEMENT you mentioned for the Scout who is Senior Patrol Leader of a presently “Covid-dark” troop. The BSA’s online COVID-19 FAQ page says this:

Q: May time missed due to canceled unit meetings count toward active participation requirements?

Yes. If youth are registered and in good standing, a disruption from COVID-19 virus can be the “noteworthy circumstance” that prevents participation. This policy has been in place for many years and is explained in GTA Topic 4.2.3.1.

Q: May time missed due to canceled unit meetings count toward position of responsibility requirements?

Yes. If youth are registered and unable to meet the expectations of their positions because of COVID-19 disruptions, then units may need to waive or rethink the expectations. Just as youth must not be held to unestablished expectations, they must not be held to expectations that are impossible to fulfill. See GTA Topic 4.2.3.4, “Positions of Responsibility,” with its six subtopics.

(In Service, Dave Klein, District Advancement Chair, Orange County Council, CA)

Thanks much, and if you take a close look, you’ll see that both of your valuable references point to the particular quotation I chose. Keep on keepin’ on!
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Good morning Andy,

After several months of Zoom meetings, we held our first face-to-face (or is it mask-to-mask) meeting this week. Our youth leaders did some brain-storming and planning, and decided that they want to recruit 10 new Scouts! So here’s a question we need to handle right away—We have one Scout who has a ten-year-old brother who’d like to join up. If he’s finished 5th grade, can he join our troop? Thanks and stay safe. (John Burnham)

Yup! If he’s a rising 6th grader, he’s all set! Thanks for asking and happy trails to your troop’s newest Scout!

For all readers, there are three ways to be eligible to join a Scouts BSA troop, and these apply equally to boys and girls: Be 11 years old (or older, up to age 18), OR have graduated from 5th grade, OR have earned the Cub Scout Arrow of Light. Any one of these does the job!
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Hi Andy,

While looking for guidance on “prohibited sports” that the Sports merit badge mentions in req. 4 (sports that are “restricted and not authorized by the BSA”), the only thing I found online is on this link:
https://stason.org/TULARC/recreation/scouting/BSA-Unauthorized-or-restricted-activities.html

What I’m trying to find is whether or not wrestling is allowed or prohibited. I know that contact sports like Karate and boxing aren’t allowed, but I’m not sure if wrestling falls into that category. Is there some other list that the merit badge is referring to?

Also, I didn’t see golf on either the approved or restricted lists, so I’m also wondering about that sport too. Can you help? (Name & Council Withheld)

Online or otherwise, the easiest to find and vastly most appropriate resource is the BSA’s GUIDE TO SAFE SCOUTING. Pages 39-43 give you exactly what you’re looking for and it’s a primary—not a secondary—source.

If you recheck Sports merit badge req. 5 in the SCOUTS BSA REQUIREMENTS book, you’ll find wrestling listed on page 234. As for boxing and Karate, these are unauthorized not because they are “body contact” sports but because they are based on the hitting or striking of another person.
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(THIS NEXT QUESTION PREDATES COVID, BUT CONTAINS AN ISSUE EVERY SCOUTMASTER WILL COPE WITH AT ONE TIME OR ANOTHER…)

Hi Andy,

I’m a pretty new Scoutmaster, and I really like my “job”—that isn’t really a job at all! We have a good troop of mostly new Scouts and my predecessor made sure all patrols were in place and a new troop election had been held, so we have brand-new Patrol Leaders and Senior Patrol Leader, just like me, even though the troop is now about a year old.

I want to do the best job I can, but I’m getting a bit overwhelmed and I’m only in my third week! These Scouts—we’re a troop of about thirty girls, a lot who were Cub Scouts plus a bunch of new recruits—and even with their prior experience they have a whole bunch of questions—everything from how to roll their neckerchiefs to what patch goes where, to what’s the date of our next outing, to how do they qualify for completing a rank requirement.

I don’t want to pass the buck—that wouldn’t be setting a good example—but if I stop to answer every question at every meeting, I’ll never get anything else done! What do I do? (Josie O’Malley, SM, Iron Mountain Council, SD)

You’re not alone. Every Scoutmaster learns the answer to this one, and sooner is the way to go, so thanks for writing!

Bottom Line: It’s okay for Scoutmasters to “pass the buck” when it comes to Scouts’ questions. Any question by a Scout, including the ones you’ve mentioned, can and should be redirected.

“Have you checked with your Patrol Leader?” is always the place to start with a Scout. This helps strengthen The Patrol Method and—without having to say it—tells the Scout who his direct leader is.

“Have you checked with our Senior Patrol Leader?” is always how you reply to a Patrol Leader, Quartermaster, Assistant Senior Patrol Leader, Scribe, etc., etc. You do this for exactly the same reasons.

The only youth leaders to whom you’ll respond directly are your troop’s Junior Assistant Scoutmaster(s) and, of course, your Senior Patrol Leader—these are the two Scouts you’re there to coach, mentor, guide, teach, and correct if necessary (but, for this latter, always in private).

If you have one or more Assistant Scoutmasters, they are to do exactly the same as you except for those who are guiding one or more Troop Guides; in this case the ASM is the TG’s direct coach.

When you—to use your words—”pass the buck,” you subtly encourage and focus the Scout you serve on how to get the answer for themselves, from the right place, instead of just throwing a question at the first available adult! This becomes a “teaching moment” without ever “moralizing” about it.

Stay safe, stay healthy, and stay positive!
Happy Scouting!
Andy

Have a question? Facing a dilemma? Wondering where to find a BSA policy or guideline? Write to askandybsa@yahoo.com. Please include your name and council. (If you’d prefer to be anonymous, if published, let me know and that’s what we’ll do.)

Although these columns are copyrighted, any reader has my permission to quote or reproduce any columns or column parts so long as you attribute authorship: “Ask Andy” by Andy McCommish.

[No. 647 – 7/7/2020 – Copyright © Andy McCommish 2020]