Contact Us  |   Search  |   Boy Scouts
Home  |

Since one of the main purposes of the Boy Scouts of America is to promote physical fitness, this program feature is right on target. Besides, most Scout-age boys love physical action, so they will eagerly participate in the suggested activities.

Troop meeting instruction and practice will cover most of the physical fitness requirements for Tenderfoot through First Class ranks. There are also lots of games and contests requiring strength and agility.

Our aim, however, is not just to provide a month of fun, but to encourage the Scouts to make physical fitness a lifetime pursuit. Urge them to continue testing themselves regularly, not just this month while they are working on physical fitness skills. That does not necessarily mean that they must continue doing push-ups, pull-ups, sit-ups, etc., for years to come, since those who remain active in sports year-round probably get plenty of exercise. But it does mean we want to make them conscious of the importance of fitness for their whole lives.

The big event will be a Scout decathlon—a series of ten events requiring strength, agility, coordination, and some sports skills. It will be run as an interpatrol competition.

The Scout decathlon could be either an afternoon event or the centerpiece of a weekend campout. The site might be an athletics field or a camp with a large playing field.

This month’s patrol and troop activities should give your Scouts

• A greater understanding that physical fitness is essential for a fulfilling life
• An awareness that they can improve their fitness with regular exercise, adequate diet and rest, and abstinence from smoking, drugs, and alcohol
• Increased self-confidence as a result of improving physical fitness

By month’s end, all Scouts should meet many of their physical fitness requirements through First Class rank. Depending

on the campout activities, they may also complete all or part of the following rank requirements:

• Outdoor—Hiking, camping
• Citizenship—Flag ceremonies, Good Turn
• Patrol/troop participation—Patrol identification
• Personal development—Scout Oath and Law
• Physical fitness—Health, conditioning

• Outdoor—Camping, hiking
• Citizenship-Flag ceremonies, Good Turn
• Patrol/troop participation—Leadership
• Personal development—Scout Oath and Law
• Physical fitness—Health, conditioning

• Outdoor—Cooking, camping, nature, hiking
• Citizenship-flag ceremonies, Good Turn
• Patrol/troop participation—Leadership
• Personal development—Scout Oath and Law
• Physical fitness—Health, conditioning

Merit Badges. Older Scouts can concentrate on the Personal Fitness merit badge this month, and should be able to complete. many of the requirements. Depending on activities during the month, they may also complete requirements in Cooking, Hiking, Camping, Athletics, Swimming, Sports, Skating, Skiing, Cycling, and other outdoor-related merit badges.

The patrol leaders’ council can involve parents in the program feature this month by

• Asking qualified people to assist with instruction for the fit ness skills
• Inviting parents to serve as judges, scorers, timekeepers. etc. for the Scout decathlon
• Asking parents to provide transportation to the decathlon site, if necessary

The patrol leaders’ council should meet in the middle of the previous month to plan troop activities for this program feature. If you don’t complete all items on the following agenda, continue your planning at patrol leaders’ council meetings after each troop meeting.

• Decide whether to make the Scout decathlon a one-day event or the highlight of a weekend campout. Choose a site for it and arrange to secure permissions, if needed.
• Plan the ten events for the decathlon. See the ideas on the following pages. Arrange to secure the necessary equipment; ask the troop committee for help, if necessary.
• Inventory the troop’s camping equipment, if that has not been done recently.
• Make a list of possible Good Turns for the community.

• Plan details of troop meetings for the month. Consider inviting counselors for the Personal Fitness or Athletics merit badges to help with instruction.
• Hold a junior leader training session. (See the Scoutmaster’s Junior Leader Training Kit.)
• Coordinate any intertroop competitions.

Choose ten of the following events or devise your own.

600-METER RUN/WALK RELAY. Measure a 600-meter course (656 yards). If your decathlon site has a football field, the course could be three laps from end zone to end zone, then three laps from goal line to goal line, making the course 660 yards long. In camp, the course might be laid out on a smooth, relatively level, trail. Run as a patrol relay. Avoid having Scouts run more than one leg because it would exhaust them for later events.

Scoring: Ten points for the winning patrol, 8 for second place, 6 for third, 4 for fourth, and 2 for fifth place.

STANDING LONG JUMP. Follow the procedure in the Boy Scout Handbook.

Scoring: Determine the patrol score by averaging the distance jumped by each patrol member. The patrol with the highest average scores 10 points; second place gets 8 points; third, 6 points; fourth, 4 points; and fifth, 2 points.

RUNNING LONG JUMP. Score the same as for the Standing Long Jump.

JAVELIN THROW. Use a Scout stave or 6-foot pole cut from dead sapling. Each Scout gets three throws; score only the longest. The thrower may run up to the throw line.

Scoring: Find the patrol’s average throw, in feet, from when the javelin’s point strikes the ground. The patrol with the highest average scores 10 points; second place gets 8 points; third 6 points; fourth, 4 points; and fifth, 2 points.

HIGH JUMP. Use regular standards or make them from 6-foot poles driven into the ground. To hold the crossbar, place finishing nails in the poles at 2-inch intervals above 3 feet. Give each Scout two jumps; count the higher jump.

Scoring: Find the average height jumped by all patrol members. The patrol with the highest average height jumper scores 10 points; second place gets 8 points; third, 6 points fourth, 4 points; and fifth, 2 points.

JUMP AND REACH. The Scout is given a piece of chalk and while standing flat-footed, he makes a mark as high as he car reach on a smooth-barked tree trunk. He then leaps as high as he can and makes a second mark. His score is the difference in inches between the marks. Give each Scout two tries and score the better jump.

Scoring: Find the average of all patrol members’ scores. The patrol with the highest average scores 10 points; second place gets 8 points; third, 6 points; fourth, 4 points; and fifth, 2 points.

BASEBALL BATTING. Each patrol member is given five swings at pitches thrown by a leader at batting-practice speed Score 1 point for each fair ball; 5 points extra for balls that travel more than 300, including the roll.

Scoring: Find the average of the scores of all patrol members, The patrol with the highest average gets 10 points; second place gets 8 points; third, 6 points; fourth, 4 points; and fifth, 2 points.

ROPE CLIMB. Hang a rope that is at least 1 inch in diameter from a tree limb or other support about 18 feet overhead. Award 2 points for patrol members who make the climb using both hands and legs; 4 points for those who use hands only.

Scoring: Find the average of all patrol members’ scores. The patrol with the highest average scores 10 points; second place gets 8 points; third, 6 points; fourth, 4 points; and fifth, 2 points.

SHOT PUT. Use a 5- to 6-pound rock. Scratch a circle about 6 feet in diameter on the ground. Scouts must not leave the circle as they put the shot. The shot must be put by tucking it against chin and pushing, not throwing like a baseball.

Scoring: Find the average distance for all patrol members. The patrol with the highest average scores 10 points; second place gets 8 points; third, 6 points; fourth, 4 points; and fifth, 2 points.

PULL-UPS. Use a chinning bar not more than 1 inch in diameter and about 6 feet off the ground. Follow the procedure in the Boy Scout Handbook.

Scoring: Find the average of the number of pull-ups done by all patrol members. The patrol with the highest average scores 10 points; second place gets 8 points; third, 6 points; fourth, 4 points; and fifth, 2 points.

ROPE SWING. Hang a 1-inch rope from a tree limb or other support about 10 feet above ground. Mark lines for take-off and landing 6 feet on either side of the hanging rope. Each patrol member takes one swing, observing the take-off and Landing lines.

Scoring: For patrols of eight Scouts, score 1 point for each successful traverse. For patrols of six, score 1.5 points for each success. For patrols with fewer than five members, score 1 point for each success.

FOOTBALL PASSING. Suspend an auto tire from a tree limb at about the 6-foot level. Scratch a line on the ground about 10 yards away. Keep the tire center opening facing the passer.

Each Scout has three tries to pass the ball through the center of the tire.

Scoring: Count 1 point for each successful pass. Find the average number of passes for the patrol. The patrol with the highest average scores 10 points; second place gets 8 points; third, 6 points; fourth, 4 points; and fifth, 2 points.

FRISBEE GOLF. The course is a series of targets ("holes") spaced about 50 yards apart. "Holes" might be particular trees, small buildings, garbage cans, etc. Include "hazards"—ravine, small stream, marsh, wooded area, etc. Station judges at each "hole" to make sure Scouts hit the targets.

Unlike regular golf, the number of shots makes no difference; the aim is to go around the course in the fastest time, regardless of the number of "strokes."

Each player must be timed separately. He tees off at the starting line by sailing the Frisbee at the first "hole," then runs immediately to the Frisbee and shoots again, and so on, around the course.

Scoring: The patrol’s score is the average time by all members. The patrol with the fastest- average scores 10 points; second place gets 8 points; third, 6 points; fourth, 4 points; and fifth, 2 points.

SCOUT’S PACE RELAY. The Scout’s pace is an old Scoutcraft skill, requiring the boy to learn to run and walk a measured mile within a few seconds of 12 minutes.

Use a 1/4-mile track, or measure a mile on back roads at the camp. In the Scout’s Pace Relay, there are eight legs of 220 yards each. In patrols with fewer than eight Scouts, some must run twice.

If you are using a ‘A-mile track, each patrol stations four of its members at the start, the rest at the halfway point around the track. If you are on camp roads, one Scout would be placed at every 220-yard mark. (In that case, of course, all patrols would need eight members.)

Scoring: The patrol finishing the race closest to exactly 12 minutes (without using watches to help) scores 10 points; second place scores 8 points; third, 6 points