Heres one of the newest activities that has been approved for Scouts to do in the Troop, District, or Council settings and well this activity is known as slacklining which was recently done during the Super Bowl by a Eagle Scout.
Source of article is from:
Bryan On Scouting:
A Blog for the BSA's Adult Leaders
So check it out and tell me what you think. I personally think that its a really cool activity but its surprising to me based on previous healthy & safety issues brought before the Health & safety Group which determines which activities are approved and if their approved helps to provide guidelines about how the activity should be conducted.
Yours in Scouting Service
Mark West
Assistant Scoutmaster/2012 Summer Camp Chairman
Troop 1316, Troop 1616(aka 669), Troop 125
Tustumena District/ Denali District/ Eklutna District, Great Alaska Council
NSJ '05 Youth Participant NSJ '10 Subcamp 7 Youth Staff NSJ '13 Subcamp Staff
WSJ '07 Youth Participant WSJ '11 International Service Team(IST)
Eagle Scout OA Brotherhood Honor Big Horn Denver Area Council NYLT QM Philmont AA '08
If you are paid to do Scouting, you are called a professional. If you are not paid to do Scouting, you are called a Volunteer. If you pay to do Scouting, then you are called a Scouter.
Slackling looks like a terribly bad idea gone wrong on steroids.
ReplyDeleteHow many broken ankles, wrists, elbows, etc until someone realizes just how terribly bad?
Acrobatics are prohibited huh? Good luck enforcing that one and that is exactly where all of the head, neck, and spinal cord injuries will result from.
Spotters? Considering the height, speed, mass in motion, etc. and there will be plenty of spotters getting injured too.
Clearly this Health and Safety Team is not a strong advocate of preventing reasonably foreseeable injuries to scouts.
I suppose if a professional entertainer who earned his Eagle Scout a decade ago takes up flying with jet packs at the next Super Bowl some fool in Irving will approve that activity for scouts as well.
It's a shame that some people in a values based organization have forgotten how and when to just say no and that not every activity some dare devil can dream up is appropriate in the scouting program.
A task force committee has been formed to look at how slacklines may be used in Scouting. Current recommendations are max height of 3 feet, Crash pads or belayed partipicants, 8" minimum diameter trees when used, etc. Council approval is required prior to implementing a slackline program.
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