Friday, May 08, 2009

Boy Scouts Enact Weight Requirements

Long-time Mod-bloggers are aware that I have lost 75 lbs this year, so (1) I know what it is to be fat/obese and (2) I know how hard it is to lose weight. Still, I am don't think it is unreasonable for the Boy Scouts to enact a weight requirement for stress activities. A lot of volunteers are up in arms about the change.

The national Boy Scout destinations, such as the Florida Sea Base, have always had these standards, Smith said. According to the FAQ, local councils will be able to impose additional requirements on top of the national policy, depending on the activity in their region.

"We want to note that these policies do not restrict a person's ability to volunteer in the scouting program and are not meant to make it difficult to participate in scouting activities; rather, they are meant to ensure the health and safety of those who participate in high adventure activities," Smith said in an e-mailed statement to ABCNews.com. "Therefore, we do not expect it will greatly impact many volunteers or leaders."

Armstrong said he was concerned that the new requirements would preclude him from teaching archery next year, something he's done for years. The day camp, he believes, is more than 30 minutes away from a medical facility.
Fat people truly are discriminated against, but this doesn't seem like one of those cases. I am interested in hearing the opinions of some of our wilderness readers on this. Is this a reasonable restriction?

3 comments:

BH said...

Most of the wilderness programs I have been involved with exclude people with type 1 or 2 diabetes. This is not because it is their fault, but because it us unsafe to be so far from medical attention. Wether you want to argue that it is discrimination of the overweight or not, this new rule looks to limit exposure to an obvious health risk.

Ward said...

Well, as a Scout for 25 years now, I can say that on the one hand, this is a good idea. We should have expectations that force growth in all areas, especially physical care. Scouting is about teaching boys to become the best men that they can be, and that includes physical health.

On the other hand, my Scoutmaster through much of my boyhood was a very overweight man who, none the less, was able to out-hike most of us boys any day of the week. However, I do see him somewhat as an anomoly. So it's not all about weight either. So yeah...I'm of a split mind about this.

shadowmom1 said...

Archery precluded because of weight? I can see high energy activities or heart-stressful ones or things like rock climbing, but archery?