Larry Armstrong's weight will exclude him from "high adventure" scouting trips with his sons when the Boy Scouts of America imposes new height/weight requirements next year. (Courtesy Larry Armstrong)
Larry Armstrong's weight will exclude him from "high adventure" scouting trips with his sons when the Boy Scouts of America imposes new height/weight requirements next year. (Courtesy Larry Armstrong)
It's important to note that he already didn't qualify for some Scout outings because he's overweight. Philmont, the 3 Northern Tier bases, Seabase, National Jamboree and others would already have excluded him. What this does is to expand that exclusion to similar outings that are run by local Councils as opposed to National Council.
He can still do the activities listed that he’s been doing.
Sorry for the multiple posts. But another inaccuracy; at 6’ 2”, his limit is 252 pounds, not 239. Not that it’ll make much different for him in particular, I’d guess.
Well it sounds to me like they are just worried about a possible medical emergency and how they would get someone that big to safety. I can understand. I mean I have been on some pretty long hikes with the scouts when I was kid. I don't know how you would get someone to safety who weighed nearly 400 pounds if he became incapacitated.
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Part B is required with parts A and C for any event that exceeds 72 consecutive hours, a resident camp setting, or when the nature of the activity is strenuous and demanding, such as service projects, work weekends, or high-adventure treks. It is to be completed and signed by a certified and licensed health-care provider—physician (MD, DO), nurse practitioner, or physician’s assistant as appropriate for your state. The level of activity ranges from what is normally expended at home or at school to strenuous activity such as hiking and backpacking. Other examples include tour camping, jamborees, and Wood Badge training courses. It is important to note that the height/weight chart must be strictly adhered to if the event will take the unit beyond a radius wherein emergency evacuation is more than 30 minutes by ground transportation, such as backpacking trips, high-adventure activities, and conservation projects in remote areas.
Risk Factors
Based on the vast experience of the medical community, the BSA has identified that the following risk factors may define your participation in various outdoor adventures.
• Excessive body weight
• Heart disease
• Hypertension (high blood pressure)
• Diabetes
• Seizures
• Lack of appropriate immunizations
• Asthma
• Sleep disorders
• Allergies/anaphylaxis
• Muscular/skeletal injuries
• Psychiatric/psychological and emotional difficulties
For more information on medical risk factors, visit Scouting Safely on www.scouting.org.
Geez, after reading all the posts, I could only wish that the local scouts did anything remotely like this. Maybe my son would have stuck with it!
I PUT him in basketball - he was afraid to take the ball, but I was so grateful to the coach who put him in the game anyway, because he was at least running up and down the court. I might mention here that I was living in a high crime neighborhood next to my Grandparents who watched him while I worked, so playing outside was not an option due to safety concerns. He joined every seasonal sport for exercise and ate well balanced meals. I even had him join weight watchers! Do you have any idea how difficult & embarrassing that is for a teenager?
I THOUGHT he was overeating until I had a birthday party for him and observed what his school-mates were eating! His father was close enough to be an influence yet disinterested enough to be a continual upset as he continued to grow up, which continued to contribute to the problem.
THIS is a very heartbreaking problem for parents and the causes & solutions are complex. I am still grateful to those who let my son participate in healthy, character building activities when he was heavy. He was not going to win a track event but he was out with his school mates and getting some exercise! Some of the comments on this forum are harsh and biting. Joining the scouts might be just what he needs or one peg of many that will help him now and influence him positively for the future. Take this opinion from one who has lived a similar situation. Happily my son, who still wrestles with his weight, is happy, productive and well adjusted from the steps we took to help him deal with and manage tough life changing circumstances.
NOW this young boy has again been singled out and humiliated over what is already a painful issue for him and his parents. Less criticism and more understanding would be a much better example. As I read some of the comments on this thread I consider how the attitudes negatively influence the kids of the posters. When kids & adults ridicule a child (person???) who is already fighting to control a problem, the ridicule just adds to the problem.
WISDOM is the tradeoff that we receive for enduring the effects of aging IMHO. One thing I have learned is that as I deal with my imperfections and work to minimize the effect they have on those that I love, I am hardly in a position to criticize anyone else. I have become much more reflective of other's imperfections as a result, much less likely to make offhand criticisms about them and more understanding in general. (I am not talking about criminal behavior, but of those that I touch in life).
OFTEN I am thankful that I am not wrestling with the same problem, making me happier about those on my plate by comparison.
From what I’ve seen looking at these charts in the past, just about all NFL/NBA players are OBESE.
I remember reading back when George W. was shown running and exercising after his yearly physical that based on his height and weight he was also OBESE.
High Adventure is a term with meaning in Scounting. It is a designation of a certain type of official camp. Other camps are known as Aquatic or Merit Badge Camps. Archery instructors can be found at some High Adventure camp, but most are at Merit Badge Camps.
On average 2 scout masters a year die at High Adventure camps, typically of heart attacks brought on by a lack of physical preperation. This rule is clearly addressing this statistic.
There are only 3 high adventure camps I can recall at this time:
Philmont: the most famous camp in the world, 50 to 250 miles of backcountry hiking.
The Windjammer Camp in Florida: Sailing a wind powered boat.
The Canoe Adventure Camp in Minnesota: 50+ miles of canoe and portaging.
Physical fitness tests are appropriate. Obesity is an appropriate heuristic in my opinion.
— lates
— jrawk
Eagle Scout
Worked 7 summers at a scout camp.
I don't know why that should be so hard to understand.
Back when I was recruited into Scouting I wanted to go far and do big things. But our Scoutmaster in Troop 110, while he seemed physically fit, was a drinker. The kind who spent most of his time while not working with a beer in his hand. He was a super nice guy but perhaps too nice and hardly inspiring, and I dropped out of Scouting after maybe a year.
Sadly, our Scoutmaster died in his early '50s, quite possibly a consequence of his personal habits.
Just another reason an outfit like BSA needs to uphold various standards in it's volunteers. I don't necessarily agree they need to be arbitrary and absolute, but if a guy lacks the necessary moral qualities or is physically incapable of carrying out the mission for whatever reason, the boys in his troop are being shortchanged.
On my honor I will do my best
To do my duty to God and my country
and to obey the Scout Law;
To help other people at all times;
To keep myself physically strong,
mentally awake, and morally straight.
CLEAN: A Scout keeps his body and mind fit and clean. He goes around with those who believe in living by these same ideals. He helps keep his home and community clean.
I think this is fair.
Remember, not that long people were trying to cut them down for not allowing gays. I defended them on that, and so did many here. It was a private organization then, it it is now. I used to be a scout, and I will tell you straight up that he WOULD NOT make it on some of our trips. I am not saying he could not physically survive, but a man of his size is not capable of some things. He should step up, and know his limitations, and not try to bend the system his way... if he really wants to help the kids.
This is wrong, in my opinion. The Boy Scouts teach values. What sort of value are they teaching by discriminating against someone due to their weight? Every large dad out there would no longer be able to participate.
Sure, anyone who weighs that much needs to lose weight, but banning them from participating in the boy scouts (which is good exercise in and of itself), is just not right.
High adventure means physical stress and intense activity. I would doubt the man is up to the task. As a 55 year old overweight individual about to empark on a 70 mile backing adventure in the wilderness of Philmont Scout Ranch, I was pullesd aside and given a total physical prior to being given the go ahead. As an experienced Backpacker in very good hiking condition I had no problem and was permitted.
Others were not. They were deemed physically incapable of the high adventure and not permitted to continue even though they had paid money and travelled all the way to New Mexico. Part of the reason is that it is difficult to assist a cardiac patient way back in the wilderness. Another part is lawsuits. If the adult leader did have a severe health problem, there would surely be a law suit. It is better to deny privilege than to spend money and time in court.
There are lots and lots of very large Scout leaders. Some know their limitations but others do not. All scout trips including most permanent camps are not High Adventure and do not have the same health requirements.