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wagionvigil wrote:When any MB states specific ways of doing the MB that is it, there are no other options. Those items are NOT open to local interpretation.
FrankJ wrote:wagionvigil wrote:When any MB states specific ways of doing the MB that is it, there are no other options. Those items are NOT open to local interpretation.
Exactly. The requirements require the use of a bicycle. They do not require the use of a specific type of bicycle. As a MBC, you are not allowed to require what is not there.
wagionvigil wrote:I Believe it states which type of bicycle. A tandem is a specific type like BMX, Or mountain tandem is not mention so therefore is not allowed.
FrankJ wrote: [The requirements are on line at scouting.com & usscouts.org. There is not a list of allowed bicycles in the requirements.
I think my main bone of contention is not really about tandems, since they are really a rarity, but the idea that you can have a strict zero tolerance kind of no more no less policy and then have a set of poorly written requirements. There are examples out there that are far worse than the cycling merit badge.
ThunderingWind wrote:the National Legal team should have noticed this.
WeeWillie wrote:Let’s be honest about the real reason for allowing your non-outdoorsy Scout to ride tandem with an athletic Scout. The reason is physical fitness. Without another Scout to assist him, this Scout does not have the stamina to complete the rides. Right! Allowing another Scout to ride tandem is deleting from the requirement because the Scout is not doing his own work. Sorry, stoking does not guarantee equal effort, nor does it guarantee that the combined effort is comparable to the effort needed for each Scout to ride singly.
The Guide to Merit Badge Counseling is clear, group testing is not allowed. The guide also states that a Scout should be allowed to progress at his own pace. In other words the Scout should be allowed to develop the stamina to complete the ride at his own pace instead of pace established by the troop’s activity schedule (or aging out.)
The Requirements Handbook is just that, a list of the requirements.
The Guide to Merit Badge Counseling provides MBCs the guidance to implement the requirements. When a unit recruits an adult to become a MBC the unit has a responsibility to insure that the new MBC has the tools to effectively do their job. There is no excuse for not using the tools available.
What is going to happen when the athletic Scout realizes that his partner is not carrying his own weight and that may cause him not to complete the ride?
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