Cub Scout Pack 182 (Waterford, Michigan) Homepage

"Youth sports certainly has its place in our communities; but I can see no better program, for our boys than Scouting – the one program which seeks to improve the character of young people through an emphasis on the outdoors, youth-led units and the “patrol method”. The boy who plays youth sports can earn distinctions aplenty, such as awards, certificates, and captaincies. He can travel to many different places – some very far away -- to play his sport. Well, Scouting can provide those same things as well, in many more areas than a sports team can; and Scouting can also provide something for which there is no real equivalent in youth sports. A Boy Scout who earns Eagle Scout rank, the highest one in Scouting, is a boy who doesn’t have to say that he CAN lead others; he can show that he has DONE it. The Trail to Eagle is so arduous (but not impossible to travel) that only two out of every hundred Scouts ever earn that rank; but having earned it, he has a distinction that he can present to college or trade school admission committees, or prospective employers – and they WILL take note of his achievement. Whatever the course an Eagle Scout’s life may take, he will go through like with an invaluable set of skills which he learned in Scouting. Apart from that, the skills he will learn in Scouting will serve him well, every day, for the rest of his life. Knowing how to throw or hit a baseball, shoot a puck, pass or catch a football, or shoot baskets is certainly useful when you are playing the sport in question; but rarely will those skills be called upon when your boy becomes a man."

Troop 20, Quincy, MA

Let's put it all in perspective: Signing Day

Scouting versus Sports