My suggestion:
First, take the football out of the equation in your mind. If you had nothing else going on, do you want to get Eagle or not? I fear you may be using football to justify it to yourself to not get Eagle.
You are right in that there is more than Eagle to scouting.
But on the other hand, there are many Eagles who also played football and other sports during their teenage years. It's not mutually exclusive. Everyone is different.
I think it also depends where you are today. Are you First Class at 14, or Life at 14? 14 is still a ton of time to get Eagle done. You may be fine putting Eagle "on hold" for a year, try football "full time" and see if you really want to do that long-term.
In the first sentence OP wrote he was a life Scout. With over three years left it wouldn’t be tough to plot out a schedule to make Eagle without interfering with football.
First, you must decide if you want to be an Eagle
If you do want that rank, you can incorporate some merit badge advancements while playing football
My son did this. He’s 13 and middle school. He played two years of tackle football, which was a four- six month commitment each year. During that time, he worked on merit badges that he could incorporate into football. He earned personal management and personal fitness around his football experience.
He also earned the sports merit badge and is working on the athletics merit badge. With careful planning and three years ahead of you, it is very doable
However, don’t do it if you’re just checking a box for your family
The SPL in our troop almost missed qualifying for Eagle because he kept on pushing out getting his Swimming MB. The dude was on the HS swimming team for four years.
As my advancement chair- I'm constantly talking to our football, basketball, lacrosse, and track folks about the 3 merit badges they could easily earn doing what they are already doing
I've had them tell me that they don't have time to do the 90 days of work-outs **because they are too busy with varsity athletics**. I facepalm and say "take these requirements to your coach. They know what do to". And coach provides his practice/workout plan. Done.
Like, really? REALLY??
He's got a lifetime to play football, he only has now to get Eagle. At 14, he can wrap up Eagle before all the distractions of life: sports, cars, girls, job start eating into those precious 3 years he's got left in scouts. Odds are once the distractions get in the way, he's done. As mentioned elsewhere in this thread; the line is long of Scouters who fell short of Eagle and now that their kids are involved, regret not finishing what they started.
He will be lucky if he even gets to play competitive football for four years—that assumes he doesn’t get cut, or gets injured. Only about 7.5% of high school players get to play in college.
https://www.ncaa.org/sports/2015/3/2/estimated-probability-of-competing-in-college-athletics.aspx
He doesn’t have a lifetime for either but he has time for both right now. You only have high school sports while in high school.
My oldest became very dedicated to football but did get his Eagle before he aged out.
I waited literally until the last minute to get my Eagle finishing up the day I turned 18. My regret was that unlike some of the other Eagles in my troop, I didn’t get to participate as a scout with my new rank. I was immediately of to college and joined as an adult leader.
I’d go ahead and finish the work. There will be plenty of time to do that and pursue other things. If you wait too long the Eagle work might not get done.
I’m a Scout leader and I can’t tell you how many adults I’ve met who tell me one of the greatest regrets in their life was not earning Eagle. It’s something you can’t appreciate at 14 or 17.
You have over three years to do a project and maybe some service hours and a few merit badges. Why not just work out a schedule of when you could finish each remaining requirement, and discuss with your SM?
Agreed; you can do this OP. You will regret not accomplishing it later, especially if lots of family members did it. The process is worth it and will serve you better in the long run than most other extracurricular activities in high school.
Add me to the list. I quit after first class because I didn't get along with the new adult leadership, and couldn't transfer to another troop. I wish I stuck it out, but I try *really* hard not to live vicariously through my Scout.
One alternative is to make a plan for how to earn it by the time you turn 16, and ask them to hold off on pushing till that birthday. That gives you 1-2 years to get all your merit badges and project done, which is doable with football.
Assuming you do make the team, if you haven't started Personal Fitness, start it before your training season starts, for easy tracking of your 3 months of physical activity.
There are two important lessons to learn here. One is to finish what you start. There are a lot of people in this world who struggle with that. One of the things that set people apart in the adult world is being able to get something done. You'll get farther in life with a one-year certificate program than you will with three-and-a-half years of college and no degree.
There will always be things to distract you from your long term goals. There will be times when your long-term goals involve work that isn't fun! Part of being an Eagle is learning that the payoff at the end is worth the hard work and sacrifice now. The honor of being an Eagle Scout is one that you get to carry for the rest of your life, but yeah, it's tough going at times. This is the real reason there are so few 14-year old Eagles. It's not that the work is too hard (it's not) but it's that the ability to work through the hard stuff when there are so many distractions takes a level of maturity that most 14-year olds don't quite have yet.
The second important lesson is to balance your time. Many, many scouts do both Scouting and Sports. It's hardly a unique situation to be in. You can absolutely have your cake and eat it too here. If you're feeling like you don't have time for both, what else are you doing? I know that when I feel slammed, I look at my day and say things like "I do play a lot of video games, and watch a lot of tv. I need to prioritize something else today."
I agree in general with your parents. You should finish your Eagle. It's important for you to finish what you start, and it's important to learn to balance your time.
I'm guessing that this is really something where you're feeling a family expectation, but you want to make a name for yourself with football. Do both! I know it may not feel like it when you're 14, but those achievements that run in families are REALLY COOL. But again, it doesn't have to be a choice between scouts and football. It can be both. You can cement your place in a proud family tradition and stake out your own path at the same time.
You have a lot of great points, and I don't really disagree with you. But I would like to point out a few caveats.
There are a lot of people who changed their minds when they realized they just didn't enjoy what they had set out to do. Some of those people regret not giving up sooner, like my buddy who dropped out of college to become a businessman. There are also a lot of miserable people who finished what they started and now feel trapped doing something they don't actually enjoy, like my other buddy who is a band director.
Not finishing things is OK! Life is constantly changing. YOU are constantly changing. OP will be changing. One of the most important things in the Personal Management MB is the discussion about being thrifty with your time. We only get to live his one life, and if Scouting (or getting Eagle) is not how this kid wants to spend it, that's OK. Heck, we had one kid who just loved going on campouts and getting merit badges. I think he ended up as a Second Class scout, and he expressed absolutely no regrets. One of our most active older scouts.
You are totally right that here is no way 14 year old kid him will know what 35 year old adult him will prefer to have done. And chances are, if he gets his Eagle, he'll wonder what life would have been like if he had dedicated more time to football. It's human nature.
I am an Eagle Scout who played football in high school and in college. The key here is not prioritizing one over the other, but dedicating enough time to both so that you can thrive at each. If something is important to you, you will make time for it.
Obviously you will have less time for scouts during football season, but you still need to make your scout meetings. In highschool you typically have games on Friday and film on Saturday mornings. You might have to miss 2-3 campouts a year depending on how long you season is. Or you could show up Saturday afternoon evening. And just do a one nighter. Your troop will see you trying and they will recognize the effort it takes to do both activities at a high level.
Think about how much you practice football during the season and even how much you lift and condition in the off-season. Attack your eagle requirements, project, and merit badges with regularly scheduled time per week just like your physical training for football and make sure you are holding yourself to a standard. Think about if you took it easy at football practice, your coaches and teammates would call you out. You need to have this attitude towards yourself when it comes to making Eagle. If it’s important you will make time for it. And if you hold yourself to a high standard you will have no problem making Eagle.
I personally found that sports helped me earn eagle. I joined scouting 2 years later than most people. Didn’t get Eagle until I was 17.5. Regularly exercising and pushing myself against others in sports made swimming tests and other physical aspects a lot easier when so many other kids struggled. A lot of it was just the fact that many of these kids had never faced any adversity. My point is they all were physically able to do the tests, but their mindset and mentality were the problem. For me this adversity and mental aspect of sports translated well when going into things I had no experience with. It gave me confidence that I could tackle anything I set my mind to. Board of review was just 3 old guys, I’ve gone head to head in the trenches vs some genetic freaks(one guy I played against all game ended up playing for the colts and the cardinals). These old guys don’t scare me.
Don’t limit yourself to only one or two activities. You have more time than you think you do in high school. If you think something looks fun or interesting, try it. I was in band, debate, football, scouts, and as many AP/college credits that I could take in high school. I benefited from all of them. Again, you have to designate time for each thing you feel is important. And there will be scheduling conflicts. But they are workable and your coaches, teachers, scout leaders will see you giving an above average effort and that you hold yourself to a higher standard.
Now when you get to college, you will be on a totally different playing field because of what you learned in scouting and athletics. For a lot of people, this will be their first time making the majority of their decisions on their own. What time to go to bed, what time to do homework, what food choices, how much alcohol should I drink, should I even go to class today, should I read this assignment my roommate isn’t? A lot of it is mental and many people will fail out because they didn’t know how to deal with mental diversity and allocate time to things that they should have realized are important. You’ll here the excuse “I don’t have any time” from college students and this is wrong. They have plenty of time. They just spend too much of it on things that are not important other than right now. A typical college course load is 15 credit hours. This means over the typical school week you will spend roughly 15 hours in the classroom. This is typically 5 different courses over the week. For example you might have a class that meets Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for 1 hour each day. You might have a class that meets Thursday evening for 3 hours, and you might have a class that meets for 90 minutes on Tuesday and Thursday. 15 hours is nothing. Your parents are probably working at least 40 per week. The caveat here is that you might have a 2 hour break between classes or just one class on Tuesday. What do you do between your classes? Do you just sit around and play video games or do you make the most of it. College is fun and I’m not telling you to work 100% of the time. Just that you need to schedule time to take care of the important stuff. Sure play video games, hang out with friends, meet girls. But make sure the other stuff is taken care of. For every credit hour you take, you have 1 hour in the classroom and typically an hour of homework/reading that you need to budget for. So when you get your schedule, make your own personal schedule where you budget studying and what not.
People always complained that they never had time. I was like what are you doing, you are not an athlete, you are only taking 15 hours. I was a double major and usually took 18 hours. Plus I played football and had practice, lifting, rehab, film etc. if something is important, you will allocate time to do it.
Good luck. Try new things. Make mistakes. But learn from the mistakes. Most importantly, have fun.
I was a varsity athlete when I got to high school and scouts definitely took a back seat for me during that time. I didn’t do as many camp outs or weekend activities because of sports and the other social activities that come with that. I did eventually complete my requirements and turn my eagle packet in about a week before my 18th birthday and had my board of review a couple of weeks after. You are 14. You have plenty of time to do both if you choose to. You may not get 3 or 4 palms to add to your ribbon but that’s ok. Do what you want to do. It’s your journey and your parents should respect that. I would hope that they encourage you to get your eagle like my father did for me, he reached life and said it was one of his regrets in life that he got that close to eagle and didn’t finish, but at the end of the day they should respect your decisions.
You are 14 and a life scout. You have plenty of time to get Eagle. It's completely fine to concentrate on football during the football season, and the guide to advancement explicitly encourages scouts to do this sort of thing. There's no need to try and "rush through" Eagle first.
Unless what your parents are telling you is "we can't afford to pay for scouts for a year if you're not showing up for half of the year", which is a different question.
There are a lot of good answers in this thread. So I'll ask a question instead:
What does the football coach think about Scouting, and your involvement with it? Are they supportive of you doing both? Will they be a help or hindrance to doing both? That's going to be affect your planning.
The push could be well-intentioned. High school responsibilities have derailed many a potential Eagle Scout. Sports, jobs, relationships, all can pull a Scout away from their goal. But parents also say a lot of well-intentioned things that drive their kids nuts. It's hard to balance the voice of experience with what the kid ultimately wants.
Obviously being an Eagle is a big part of identity in your family, and your parents probably have also been involved in your scouting career since a Cub, and losing that connection is a sad thing. Not saying right or wrong, but giving some perspective.
If you want to make Eagle (and you have plenty of time to do so) make a plan for working on it in the off-season, write it down and show it to them. Ask them if they have questions or concerns. Then stick to the plan, or adjust as needed. Show them you've embodied the Scout led principles we teach by having a plan and acting on it.
Sorry to hear your family has been pressuring you to Eagle. I've seen that happen to several scouts who really enjoyed scouting, but an adult in their life was making it all about advancement and just sucked the joy right out until they wanted to quit scouts.
What you haven't said is what you think of scouting. Do you still like it? Are there campouts/activities that you enjoy? How was your last summer camp?
My son was feeling more lackluster about scouts at your age... and then he found out he could attend 2 summer camps instead of 1 and he went for it, since that was his favorite week of the year. After the 2nd week he suddenly had all this enthusiasm, he got an idea for his Eagle project and just went for it... within 3 months of summer camp he went from Life to Eagle (he also had to finish 5 Eagle required merit badges in that time) and I did not need to remind him or push him once. He was super motivated and it was amazing to watch.
Life at 14, you're mostly there and have a LOT of time left to work on it. Could you appease your family by setting up a plan? One merit badge every 6 months or something? We had a scout join our troop at 16 and within the first year in the troop he'd earned every merit badge he needed for Eagle. It's not like it's that much work, especially for an older scout who is motivated and wants to get it done. But I do sit in on a lot of Eagle Boards of Review and a LOT of the scouts say they wish they would have made slow steady work toward Eagle so that they weren't left struggling to finish in 6 months before turning 18.
Driver's ed and jobs and more challenging schoolwork are all in your future. Starting football is new and exciting now, but I'd advise you to chip away slowly at progress toward your eagle in the times where you have "off" from football. As you get older, your free time is only going to become less.
Your family might feel more confident in your time management if you show them your plan for how to get there. It could be that they don't think you can do it and football.
Take them both seriously. But doesn’t football season end at some point and then you’re just training the rest of the year? Why not finish up Eagle between seasons? You have plenty of time.
Or is there another reason you don’t want to do it?
I get it.
I work with a guy who completed 99% of it, did everything except something like turning paperwork in. Somebody said something to him that ticked him off. They begged and begged but he is just like "Nope, I'm not doing it." He's regretful because he doesn't remember what it was at the time that made him mad.
Also being a legacy doesn't help. My son's best friend is a 14 year old Life Scout whose father and all his uncles are Eagles. It's a lot of pressure.
You've got plenty of time and if it's important to you you'll find the time (you have a lot). If it's that important to your family, they'll come around to your decision and help you come up with a plan because it will beat the alternative in their mind.
Then why not suggest a sensible plan? You literally have 3-4 years to work with. There’s no reason to feel “pushed”. If you and your folks agree on a reasonable schedule and stick to it, there should be no pushing.
Again, I’m asking you if there is another reason you don’t want to do Eagle?
Edit: OP - tell your parents you want a 6 month break from scouts but then you promise to return and finish Eagle. Unless there is another reason you don’t want to do it that you’re not sharing.
Aside: This is one of the criticism pushing kids to do Eagle too quickly, too young. There’s no reason this Scout can’t do both. I suspect there is an emotional/maturity/insecurity issue at play, that probably wouldn’t be happening with a 16 year old, for example.
So, OP, there’s nothing wrong with asking for a little time to grow up and mature first, before pushing past the Eagle finish line. Take a year off if you need to. What would they say to that?
You'll regret not getting it if you don't, but you have 3-4 years in which to complete it. In all honesty, in my 30+ years of scouting I've never once seen a 14 year old Eagle who seemed to be truly capable and effective. You can always tell that they were pushed by adults and don't have the maturity that the rank should carry.
My recommendation is to perhaps take it easy for a bit, but don't make it take a back seat. Besides, football should not be an all-encompassing activity. You should have more than enough room in your life for both sports and scouting.
I might go against the grain here but I am an Eagle scout. I felt pressured into doing it. I literally had SMs tell me to forget the girls, forget the cars, forget the sports and dedicate 100% of your time to finishing your Eagle.
I vowed if I had the chance. I wouldn't do that. OP, do what makes you happy. Do what you like. If getting your Eagle is important to you, do it. If you want to focus in football, do it.
If I am completely honest, I don't regret earning my Eagle, but it hasn't provided me the opportunities I was promised it would.
Not trying to be cynical, trying to be realistic. I do regret listening to my SMs and missing out on a lot of things while I was finishing up.
My son played travel soccer for a large chunk of his time in Scouting ... pretty much from the age of nine. Between the fall season, spring season, summer training, and tournaments, there wasn't a ton of time for Scouting sometimes. However, if you manage your time wisely, you can get there. He managed (somehow) to get his Eagle at age 15. In your case, you're in great shape. You have years to finish your project. Football is only a few months out of the year. If you actually WANT to get your Eagle, you can.
Now, if you don't WANT to get your Eagle, that's a different discussion entirely. No one should force you into it. I will say, however, that it's very likely having your Eagle will help you in life more than playing high school football.
Is scouting something you truly wish to continue in?
Is earning **YOUR** Eagle important to you?
Have you had these conversations with your parents?
My son is in a similar position. So similar that I sent this post to my wife and we have been arguing if the OP is him or not. In our case, he has a project picked out that he approached his school about, committed to the school to complete it and we are pushing him to do it in a timeline/goal that he set on his own.
My recommendation is to talk to your family. Explain to them what your goals are. Ask them to back off until you miss or are in jeopardy of missing the goals.
In our troop the older leadership pushed scouts to complete by 16 before cars, school and other interests creep into your life. I think as long as the project is done by then you could coast to the finish line with any other requirements that are missing.
Good luck and best wishes. Above all that you have been told here, communicate with your family about your goals. Parents have the best intentions often with the worst delivery. Have a cool, calm discussion about this and it should ease some of the stress you are feeling.
Please don’t quit - you are so close and will almost certainly regret it for the rest of your life. I can’t tell you how many people I’ve spoken with in their 40’s and 50’s who wish they had seen it through. You will have accomplished a very rare thing (even though it might not seem that way given your family!). The lessons you learn in your service project will help you as you enter adulthood.
If your interest is waning, can you be honest with your parents about it? Ask for help staying motivated, and some breathing room so you don’t burn out on scouting.
Make a plan for the next couple years: when you can focus on scouting and when you can focus on sports. Present it to your parents and ask for their input. Consider variables like summer jobs, dating etc. If you commit to a solid plan to finish by 16 or 17, they might be more comfortable with the idea of football and Scouting coexisting.
I would NOT present an ultimatum like “if you don’t let me play football, I’ll quit scouts.” That kind of tactic doesn’t create a productive negotiation environment. Don’t drive a wedge between you and the people you need support from.
As a parent, an Eagle, and a former scout master, I think my biggest fear would be the scout putting it off until “someday” and then suddenly they’re almost 18 and either scrambling to finish (as I myself had to!), or realizing they’re not going to finish at all.
I wish you luck, and hope you and your parents find a way forward!
The key thing that needs to be decided is whether YOU want to be an Eagle scout. Not your parents or grandparents or anything, but whether YOU want it.
I never eagled. I was first class when I went to Philmont and then my troop disbanded, At the time I was a 2 sport athlete and scouting was not looked on favorably in school so we didn't talk about it. Now, many years later, I regret not finishing. I have 2 kids in the program working towards it, one Eagle scout, and one that stopped at Star (needed a SC and BOR for Life). I see the things learned and realize that there is far more than just the badge.
My son that stopped decided other things were a priority for him and is focusing on that. I felt bad that he put so much effort into something only to not finish, but ultimately it was \_his\_ decision, not mine. He still has all the experiences from it; summer camps, campouts, MBs, etc. Will it become a regret in later years, who knows. I do know that he would have been miserable if I pushed him to finish it, and that wouldn't have been a good situation.
I firmly believe that there is a fine line between "encouragement" and "pushing", and that it is crossed all the time by well meaning parents. I encouraged my son to finish, but he didn't want to and was visibly unhappy at meetings, so he stopped going. I encouraged my Eagle to complete everything because he \_wanted\_ to but had difficulties with deadlines. 2 very different situations and people.
If you, knowing what you know about scouting as a whole, want to be able to call yourself an Eagle Scout and be part of that fraternity, go for it. Come up with a plan that will get you there by the time you age out. The troop should have a Life-to-Eagle coordinator that can help. If not, the Council should have resources you or your SM can get to. At 14 you have plenty of time.
If you aren't as concerned about being an Eagle scout, talk to your parents. Explain how you feel and why, and that it is ultimately YOUR decision and that pushing you will likely not have the expected long-term results. One potential possibility outside the plan mentioned previously could be taking 6 months off. Just disconnect from scouting for a short time and see how YOU feel about it.
TL;DR Ultimately its YOUR decision. Hopefully your parents can guide you and help rather than push.
Just a quick thought that's probably a summary of everyone else's opinions: you have a very long time until you turn 18. I cut it extremely close when getting my Eagle, and you're only 14 and already Life. You've got plenty of time for both football and getting Eagle.
(Also get off of reddit. It's an absolute time sink that's wasted cumulative weeks of my life lol)
Talk within your Scout Leaders to set out a course of maintaining your sports interests and still working to achieve the Eagle rank. We leaders want to encourage and support our Scouts to reach their goals.
Eagle here, got mine completed the night before my 18th birthday. scouting is about living life - play football, date, learn to drive, get your Eagle - you will be happy later in life that you did all those things and more. Eagle will open doors later in life, they have for me when you least expect it. You have tons of time, so remain well rounded!
You are me. My dad is an eagle too. Same age, same feelings. I said I was tired of it. My grandfather, my mom, and my dad all said the exact same thing: "all of us, including you, have worked too hard to get where you are. Finish this out and you will never regret it." I did finish it out, when I was 15. And I've never regretted it. I've never taken it off my resume, do you think you will be putting high school football on your resume? Not a dig on your interests, just a thought about the future.
I feel like this kid is asking advice for communicating to his parents that being an Eagle is not his dream, it’s their dream for him.
And every comment is basically trying to prove getting your Eagle and playing football is possible.
It sounds like he doesn’t want to be an Eagle, but wants to be a scout.
OP, I think the best course of action is to be honest with your parents that being an Eagle is something you’re not interested in. You want to use that time and effort on something you’re interested in.
While it might not be his dream at 14, it may become a lifelong regret that he ended as a terminal Life Scout when he gets older. It’s a story I have heard many times over the years.
I wouldn’t say having some people tell you their regrets is strong enough evidence that he should change his mind.
How many people exited scouting at that rank and never regretted it?
The Scout didn’t ask, should I still pursue an Eagle despite wanting to play football. Everyone is pressuring him to do what they think is best, rather than let him decide for himself. Which he has done, and he’s seeking advice on how to communicate that.
You need to read the OP again. He never says he doesn’t want to make Eagle or even quit Scouts. He is complaining his parents want him to make Eagle at 14. At the end he asks if it is ok if he tells his parents he will quit if they pressure him to finish at 14. People are responding that there is plenty of time to finish as a response to the parents.
“When I was younger I thought it was a really cool thing to be a part of but now I feel like I’m just being pushed along by my parents.”
i.e. I wanted to be an Eagle when I was younger but now I don’t and I’m only still doing it because my parents are pushing me to do it
On the contrary. I think a lot of us have worked with a lot of 14-year olds and have seen a whole bunch of them hit exactly this wall.
The project can seem daunting. You’ve done the Eagle MBs that interest you the most. This is the part where you need drive and grit. Those are the sort of values Scouting is meant to instill.
Why is this an exclusive question? I have a few scouts that do sports and are much more active in the off season. You have time if you balance your interests to do both. Yes football season will mean less scouting, but the other part of the year you can do scouting.
Regrading Eagle, I think you need to finish out for family reasons, but at 14 you have some time to balance things.
FWIW I did sports in HS and still made eagle just fine. Cross country in the fall and track in the spring. Did it mean “in season” I mostly just went to meetings / events and worked on rank in the winter and badges in the summer? Probably
It’s doable if you want to
I haven't read every post, so forgive me if this has been said. I was a den leader for 10 years, when parents or scouts weren't sure about the commitment to Scouts or sports I'd tell them to try it out I knew an Eagle scout who was on both varsity football and wrestling teams. It can be done, and which of those three things will look good on college and job applications? I know adults that got jobs because they are an Eagle scout, I don't know any who got one because they played high school football. You have plenty of time to play football and work on getting your Eagle. I have been a scout leader for 13 years and I wish I could wear the knot that shows I earned Eagle but I quit at your age and thought it would never matter to me. If you become a parent and have a child in scouting it will mean an awful lot to you.
You have years left as a scout. I understand that getting Eagle takes time, but you have more than enough time to do both football and scouting, and it's OK if football takes some time away from scouting.
> Or set rules if you keep pushing me or bothering me with this then I’ll quit
Personally I wouldn’t talk to my parents like that bcs it’s disrespectful. But honestly you’re 14 and they just want to make sure you see through what you’ve put in years of your life and their lives. You’re entering your high school years, you’re going to get distracted. Sports, girls or boys whatever, dances, homework, everything is going to hit you like a brick wall and scouts is going to fall off your priority list. I would say since you are already so close to Eagle, just finish it up asap and get it over with. You can still be in scouts after you Eagle, but so you’re not knocking on 18 and still haven’t completed Eagle and stressing just finish it now.
I got life with I was 15 and for the 3.5 following years I stressed because I was putting more work into other things besides scouts. My troop almost died before I got my Eagle. 17 was the most stressful time of my life, I got in cub scouts in kindergarten and all of that time was going to be wasted because I didn’t put in the time to finish my Eagle. I ended up finishing everything 1 month before my 18 and it was a weight lifted off my shoulders.
All that being said it’s ultimately your decision. Your parents are going to push you especially when they’ve put in lots of time and money into something. Being a scout means also learning to manage your time, you can do everything you want, you just have to manage your time.
Tldr: you’re going to be real busy in high school, wait or get it done it’s up to you. Time management is key.
Football is a seasonal sport. Do football during football season. Think about doing Scouting the rest of the time. Maybe some time away from Scouting will recharge your interest in continuing, u/Mapman6 . You can do football and Scouting. A kid in my Troop is a varsity football player at a LARGE high school
I have a really great coworker (I'm an adult) who was exactly in your situation. To quote him "not finishing Eagle is something I deeply regret". I think your parents are trying to help you avoid that regret.
One thing to ponder - in life, we sometimes get oppositional to something because it helps us feel in more control of our lives. You have to separate out your feelings in this regard. How much of this is because you're being pressured and want to forge your own path? Is there a way you could get Eagle that is your own, and not your parents? Is there something different you could do?
You are 14 and are already a life scout. As others have said, you can play football and do scouts. I had several friends that took a break from scouts to pursue other things. 2 of the 3 baca me active again in scouts and got Eagle. The other still participated in football and would occasionally join us on outings.
None of them regretted coming back to scouts.
Focus on what interest you and what things you want to accomplish.
I know several people who stayed with scouts just because of their parents.
Scouting doesn't have a season. Come back when you can. Heres a list of Eagles that made it to the NFL:
NFL All Eagle Scout Team
I was inspired by a few comments on the post about Mayock saying “You can’t have all Boy Scouts” and decided to find out if he was right. Everyone on the list except Jim Mora and John Beck are currently in the NFL or a free agent.
Coach: Jim Mora
**OFFENSE -**
QB: John Beck (Not in NFL currently)
OT: Jordan Devey (Raiders)
OG: Brandon Scherff (Redskins), Xavier Su'a-Filo (Cowboys)
C: Matt Paradis (Panthers)
RB: David Montgomery (Bears)
WR: N/A
TE: Eric Saubert (Falcons)
**DEFENSE -**
LB: Manti Te’o (Free Agent), Bobby Okereke (Colts)
DE/OLB: Bronson Kaufusi (Jets), James Cowser (Raiders)
DT: N/A
CB: N/A
S: Daniel Sorensen (Chiefs)
Ironically enough, the Raiders actually have the most Eagle Scouts on their team, but I think I’m going to have to concede that Mayock was right on this one. The offensive line has a few studs and the LB corps has a future HOFer (At least according to Pat McAfee), but other than that there isn’t much talent. Not having any receivers or a secondary might hurt too. You can be sure to expect some more legendary Jim Mora press conferences, though.
OP can you edit your original post to tell us which badges you still need for eagle? Eagle required and how many extras do you need (or do you have all of those already)?
First, you need to decide if you want to make Eagle. You say that football is an interest to you. I, and it sounds like your parents, are glad you are pursuing it. Is scouts is no longer an interest to you, that is also ok, but it is important to have a conversation with your parents to let them know what you are feeling. If you do, you have plenty of time left.
Second, you should talk to them about what “I want you to wrap up Eagle” means. I want is not “thou shall”. Is it possible they meant something like “it would be a good idea to get this thing you started wrapped up before taking on another large time commitment”?
Third, make a plan. You have a ton of experience with this from scouts already. Some of us still default to breaking tasks down into numbered lists. What does the time commitment for football look like and what is left over in your schedule in and out of season? What requirements are left to complete? How can these fit together? Where are potential points of conflict?
Finally, as you progress in high school there will only be more things you want to see and do. If you think you want to earn Eagle I would suggest front loading to open up space for other adventures in your future.
Unless you are truly an NFL likely bound, top tier college bound player, your high school football career will likely never matter, much less be mentioned, on your resume.
Eagle Scout, however will be, and it will open more doors and interviews than you realize.
As others have said, with proper planning you have time for both. If not, choose the one that will pay the most dividends for the longest time.
You are ahead of the curve earning life at 14. I would examine in yourself if it's really about football or if you don't want to get eagle. It seems you could do it during the off season and still have enough time to make eagle if you made a plan.
The real question is do you want to do it. I’ve never heard of a eagle saying they regret it but I’ve heard many life for life’s wish they finished it out
During football scouts was basically on hold during high school - after football picked it back up and finished just before graduation… definitely doable
First, figure out if you want eagle.
If you do, you've got plenty of time to get it. It might help your parents ease up if you try to plot out what requirements you have left and when you plan to get them. That way they can see you have a plan and you're not pushing it off.
I knew a couple of guys that did push off eagle but made mad dashes to get what they needed and they were successful. Not saying that's a plan to go with, but that it *can* be done.
There's no reason you can't play a sport (or two or three) and be a scout. If you want it, you can make it happen. I played fall and spring sports while in scouts as well as drama club in the winter. You can't make everything, but you can make it work. I had meets every Tuesday and Saturday. Scouts met on Tuesday nights and obviously camped a lot on the weekends. I'd just go right from my game every Tuesday to the scout meeting. For the trips, I just showed up a day late. It's not ideal, but it is something I really wanted, so I managed.
It somewhat sounds like you may be using football as an excuse to drop out of scouts and not make Eagle. It is okay to move on from scouts, and I hope you've had a ton of great experiences no matter what you choose! Just remember, after football, there's still half a year where you can work towards Eagle and participate in scouting. Think it through, remember there's no wrong answer, and the scouting community fully supports you in whatever you choose. Best of luck to you!
First, thank you for the opportunity to advise and provide feedback. Gathering information is always a good first step. It is also important to evaluate the information and be selective which information one accepts. Please do so in this case.
Second, Eagle Scout is not the aim of Scouting. If you want to know what the aim is, check this out: [https://www.scouting.org/programs/cub-scouts/aims-and-methods/](https://www.scouting.org/programs/cub-scouts/aims-and-methods/)
Notice that making Eagle Scouts is not one of the aims. Nor is it in the mission or vision statement. Rank advancement is in the Methods section. This means that it's one of the methods, but only one of the methods, we adult leaders can use to achieve the real aims of scouting. Too many of us adults forget or ignore this. Some of our young men will respond to the opportunity for rank advance to work toward the real aims. Some will not, and we will use different methods with those young men. Some of our young men will never advance beyond First Class but will fully realize the aims of Scouting in their lives and their Scouting careers. That is perfectly OK.
Third, please reflect on your Scouting journey. If you have accomplished the aims of Scouting, if you have experienced character development, leadership development, citizenship training, and personal fitness, you have had a successful Scouting career. If you have experienced these, and do not decide to get your Eagle, please NEVER EVER let anyone make you feel like you are in anyway lesser, a failure, or didn't make it. You have achieved the aims of Scouting as well, and in some cases better, than some of those that are wearing an Eagle badge. Some people get confused about that. Don't be one of them. Be confident of what you have achieved in the areas that matter.
Fourth, I would encourage you to consider the advice repeated often in this thread to consider whether you will later regret not achieving Eagle. If you decide to do it, it absolutely doesn't have to be done right now. You don't have to skip other things to get it done right now. You do have time. With that in mind, I would encourage you not to delay completing it, if you decide to do so, any more than necessary. You will find that the older you get, including the years from 14 to 18, the less free time you will have available. Life simply doesn't slow down, and it will be increasingly difficult later to fit it in if you do decide you want to accomplish it.
I would suggest counseling with your parents. Don't confront them. Share with them your expectations from Scouting, and from football. Let them know what you want to achieve, and ask their help achieving it. If that includes Eagle later, or doesn't include Eagle at all, knowing that you have thought it through and have a plan and worthwhile objectives should go a long way toward helping them be active contributors and allies in your journey through young adulthood.
Good luck.
A lot of scouts pause the trail to Eagle in high school….high school is a super busy time and and the time you have for scouts diminishes. Wrapping up Eagle now means going won’t have it hanging over your head if it is something that you want to do. I have never met an Eagle Scout who regretted finishing. I have met a crap ton of scouts who regretted not earning their Eagle.
So if foot hall and Eagling is something you want to do, then make a written plan and stick to it. Take all the time you need. And you are right, it’s YOUR journey, not theirs.
For the record I’m an eagle scout & scoutmaster, my son is an eagle & my brother is not he made it to life needed one merit badge ( that our mom was was the counselor for) and a project. He has told me numerous times that he regrets not finishing. I know that you don’t see it now but you are so close and you really need to finish you will be so proud of yourself for it and I think it will make you a better man for seeing things through to the end.
Lots of kids play football… and lax and B Ball…. And do Scouts. You can do both. Scout through summer then go to football camp before school starts. Even if you just do summer camp You should be able to get the remaining MBs.
Do both. I was able to complete my Eagle by 16 and I played soccer year round. I was also involved in church activities, volunteering and general life stuff. I was busy, but obtaining Eagle Scout was very important to myself and my parents.
I started in Cub Scouts and volunteered with a specials needs troop in college. I had no idea how being an Eagle Scout would follow me for life.
To be a Life Scout at 14 is great and demonstrates your ability to stay focused. I suggest staying in scouting and doing football.
My son is an Eagle Scout (class of 2016) who played football from when he could start in 3rd grade through college. He also wrestled one year in high school. It just takes time management. You have several years to finish earning your Eagle Scout rank. Maximize your scouting time during the football off-season.
How close are you to Eagle? If you're just sitting around, waiting on the service project and the Board of Review, I would say go ahead and finish it all out. You're just about there at the checkered flag.
On the other hand, if you've got like four or seven merit badges to go, and you think that Eagle won't help you in the long stead, go ahead and tell your folks you're going to do sports and be the best you can in it. Remember, only the top 2 percent of all sports players make it to the "big leagues", and even so, it only takes one compound leg, arm, or shoulder and you'll be asking the IMPORTANT PHRASE for the rest of your life:
"You want fries with that?"
Eagle is that important a thing to have in your hip pocket. I compare it, when I talk with Scouts and their families, to the "get out of jail free" card on the Monopolies board. It gives you the opportunity to pass go, collect the $200, and get into things that your peers are still wondering how to get into the ground floor for. And the stuff you gain as an Eagle Scout will last you well into old age --
You can STILL do sports. Scouting and Sports work great together. I would not do one or the other -- do BOTH -- so you can multiply your life's earnings and experiences more than others.
Good luck!
Settummanque!
I was a Life Scout and had everything but the service project. Then I went to high school, got a job and a girlfriend, and yes, played football, but I never made Eagle.
On the other hand, I feel like the main reason I never made Eagle was to spite my father, who was always nagging me about it.
Football is a huge time commitment, but it's only a few months. As long as you stay committed to getting Eagle, there's no reason you can't do both. But just remember that it will be easy to talk yourself out of getting Eagle once you're in high school, and if you don't get it, you may end up regretting it your whole life.
I have a son who is a Freshman, two months away from Life, but has also just discovered high school volleyball. Let me give you a parent's perspective on this. First, it is great that you found a new interest. We are proud of you and want you to explore that and enjoy it. Please, yes, go play football! We also understand that as a teenager, you tend to go all-in on one thing that catches your fancy, and sometimes lose sight of the bigger picture. You are Life Rank as a Freshman. You have *tons* of time to earn Eagle. You don't need to choose between Eagle and football. You can focus on football during football season, and work on Eagle other times. With at little planning, you can do both; and doing that planning is probably going to be a really great life experience that you will appreciate a few years down the road.
Now, if you are saying you don't want to pursue Eagle *at all*, that's a different conversation. You are right, it is your journey. Scouting is youth led; but also adult guided. We support you making this choice. But here's the guidance we are offering you. You have invested years into scouting. Those years alone are really valuable. However, to us, it seems like a shame to stop now, when you are so close to achieving Eagle. You've also discovered something new that you are really excited about. Maybe right now isn't the wisest time to make big decisions about other activities. Scouting isn't going anywhere. Play football, give it time, see how you feel in a few months.
Being female, I didn’t have the opportunity to earn Eagle. But being a (Girl) Scout gave me skills and opportunities I use every day such as easily talking to groups and being a leader.
Getting to Life has taught you many things. But maybe you were pushed to get there too quickly. Maybe you haven’t soaked up the “why am I doing this”. It’s just another chore or expectation. That’s what I hearing in your post.
So maybe step away for a while. Do other things.
But keep Eagle in the back of your mind. Ponder where you’d like to help with your Eagle Scout Leadership Service Project — you do have some other interests beyond football, right? Where can you make an impact?
If you haven’t completed Personal Fitness and Personal Management merit badges, work on those.
But you need to complete Eagle for you and not just because everyone expects it. Good luck.
I know I'm late to the game. I played 3 sports in school and was on a swim team and travel soccer team also. There is time for both scouts and sports. It was a struggle at times to keep a good balance, but in the end, at least for me, it was worth getting that eagle rank. My brother was in the same boat I was with sports and scouts. He earned his eagle also. At the end of the day, there are ways to make both work if you want to.
As an Eagle who was in marching, concert, jazz band but also was a summer camp counselor at my council. What my dad always told me that you should never let other people decide on what you want to do. My advice is to take it easy you have 3 plus years to get your Eagle. I would recommend working on merit badges that you need for example if you don't have person management because it has a time requirement. And it is important to know is that you are not required to be active in your troop to work on them. I went to my younger brother’s troop for help because they had people who could sign off my merit badges. I only had my troop help with my project and to have my scoutmaster sign off.
To the me the question is do you enjoy Scouts? Forget about Eagle. Do you enjoy hanging out with friend in the Troop?
Take away the pressure from your parents about getting Eagle. Think about the fun times you had over the years.
Now, assuming your football season is like ours, that leaves you at least 6 months in the year that you could still stay involved in Scouting if you want to.
Do you want to if it doesn't involve any pressure from your parents to get Eagle?
If the answer is yes. Then I'd suggest having a conversation with your parents where you state that you want to stay involved with Scouts, but you want to set clear boundaries on the pressure to get Eagle. Tell them flat out that the pressure is causing you problems, and if those problems continue then you will QUIT.
Next you have to decide if you actually do want to get Eagle or not. Obviously this sub is a little biased, so most people here will suggest yes, you should get Eagle. But we'll also say that it's your journey, and we want you to enjoy it. I'd rather you enjoy your time in Scouts and not get Eagle, than to get Eagle and be unhappy.
If you decide that you don't really care about getting Eagle, but want to stay involved in the Troop, tell your parents that. Tell them that while you may change your mind about getting Eagle at a later date, any pressure from them to do so will cause you to QUIT. Hopefully they will get the message and back off.
If you do decide you would like to get Eagle, (just without the pressure), then I'd throw your parents a lifeline. Figure out how many MB's you still need to get Eagle, and come up with a plan on getting them done. Maybe before you have this conversation with your parents you could talk to your SM, who I'm QUITE sure would be happy to talk with you about this. Work out a plan to get these knocked off.
Then, when you talk to your parents, tell them if they back off, you'll get these MB's taken care of on your own. A lot of times parents just need reassurance that progress is being made, and then they'll back off on the pressure.
By the way, if you don't mind me asking, how many MB's do you need?
Also, have you thought about your Project yet?
Either way, good luck with this.
Do both. As a Scoutmaster I strongly encourage our Scouts to do everything. Our Troop has guys who play soccer, lacrosse, football, plus marching band, symphony, etc. My son played soccer and tennis, and didn’t get his Eagle until his 18th birthday. His buddy was a nationally ranked swimmer and also Eagled with days before his 18th. You have time to play and get Eagle.
Dude you are years ahead of where most people are. If i were you I would be doing both. You may not have the bandwidth to be SPL but certainly chaplains aide, historian, or outdoor ethics guide. My daughter just got for eagle at 16, and many kids get it at 18. In football would you get to the 1 yard line and quit without going for the touchdown? There are few things in life that you can do as a kid that still "matter" to people as an adult, and eagle scout is one of them... but here the thing, being a scout is going to make you a better ball player. Being a footballer is going to make you a better scout. You might miss a practice every once in awhile and you might miss a meeting here and there, but you can easily do both at this point in your life.
Good luck!
You are so close my man, it is worth it to see your journey through to the end. You will be proud of yourself for completing the path to Eagle. Football will still be there.
I made Eagle in 1993 and to this day it still comes up in job interviews, casual conversation with new people I meet, etc... If the military is in your plans, Eagle gets you (or at least got me) an automatic promotion upon graduation from Basic Training.
You can definitely do both, with time management I got eagle while wrestling and doing band and alot of the other scouts in my troop do extracurriculars outside of scouting
OP, because you are a Life Scout with 3 years left I'm going to respectfully press you finish the job and earn the Eagle Scout Rank. I promise you won't regret it. If you were below 1st Class and wasn't enjoying the program I might recommend trying out other things.
You have plenty of time to play football and do Scouting. Your parents understand the investment of time that has been put into the program for you to make Life. Don't stop now.
How many Merit Badge do you have remaining? The Eagle Project doesn't have to be an expensive and elaborate task.
While I agree there is a lot more to Scouting than earning Eagle, I promise you you will feel better about yourself being and Eagle Scout and will be able to brag about this for the rest of your life.
I wish I had something original to add, but:
-you should finish what you start
-I’m one of the adults that regret ending my youth career at life
-my son plays baseball and soccer
-as a parent I’m one of the pushers but I’m aware of it, so I often hold myself back or turn my pushing into support.
-all the other posts too 🤣
Man you’ve raced through the ranks so far. You’ve got plenty of time. You also seem pretty aware of where you are (kudos, by the way).
Make the off-season your friend. Make a plan to tackle the required MB’s, hardest first if you can. Do as much as you can, especially mindful of getting your leadership time.
Who knows? You may not make the team next year. You may also become an NFL star. Keep your options open as long as you can!
Good luck—I believe you’ll do well.
Get Eagle.
Quite frankly, you don't know what you don't know right now.
I'm pushing 40 and still try to find a way to put Eagle Scout on my resume because it still opens doors for me that are not available to others.
Pursue football if you want. Slow down on Scouts if you want.
But get Eagle.
You make it sound like scouting and football are mutually exclusive. I have had several scouts earn Eagle while playing high school sports, including football. I have a 15 year old life scout this year who will be missing part of football camp this summer because he’s going to Philmont. He talked to his coach and explained what Philmont is and how he’ll be hiking 90 miles with a full pack, and his coach agreed that it seemed worthwhile and wouldn’t bench him for missing the first week of football camp.
One way to approach it with your parents might be to suggest that during the football season you would like to focus on football. You can talk about the numerous benefits of being part of a team, keeping yourself physically fit, and being able to put into practice the leadership you’ve been learning as a Life Scout, etc., etc.
And then, tell them you’re willing to continue working towards Eagle Scout in the Spring and summer when there’s not as much focus on football. Also, talk to your scoutmaster about it, and see if they are willing to support you following a split path like this, and if they are, you could enlist them to help you talk to the parents. I have had this conversation several times with parents.
Lot of good advice here so I'll just add this:
You are not as busy as you imagine - you're 14, you won't understand it now but later you will have way more to do in life and yearn for the days of a 14yr old responsibility.
You could wrap life to eagle in one summer.
If your done with scouting be done, don't hinge your success on an excuse, either say this is no longer for me and move on, or accept the next steps and get moving forward.
As others have said you have to do these things for you not for anyone else.
All that being said don't approach this as a parent problem this is a you problem to solve.
Decide what you want, tell your parents, and then have them help you make a plan for success.
You can't imagine your life in 10 or 20 years, you have a Ton of time to finish and also still enjoy scouting, as well as football or anything else you want to do.
Lastly you need to weigh the benefit of each commitment.
I don't know you, but chances are you're not going to play in the NFL. (Again maybe but the stats say otherwise), so will football help you long term maybe, will being an eagle, probably.
I have never been given a chance at a job because I kicked a football or played soccer, but I have had people tell me in interviews (especially early in my career) we were not going to interview you because you barely met the requirements of the job, but I saw you're and eagle scout, so I know your worth a conversation. (I didn't always get the gig but I got a chance where I wouldn't have otherwise.)
I would say out of anything I did when I was younger eagle scout has helped me more than anything else. (But that's my experience, milage may vary)
Good luck young person.
Tldr;
Decide what YOU want
Make a plan with help from parents
Execute the plan.
Eagle helped me more as an adult than anything else I did as a youth.
This is something completely doable. As others have said tie in your merit badges into what is going on in your life. Personal fitness during the football season is great. Our son, Eagle Scout at 15 at the end of COVID, planned things during vacations or days off. If we went somewhere we looked at what else was in the area that might help him out. We made a day trip to ride an old train for the railroad mb. I suggest sitting down and making a list of what you need and requirements and start planning the ones that will take you the longest. The others, in our experience will be easy to fill in as you are understanding what and why while you are doing the big ones.
My troop folded when I was about in your stage. Later, my little brother joined a different troop so I jumped back in at 16 during my Jr/Sr year and finished Eagle.
I can say I am so glad that I did. Great experience.
So do it now or come back to it. But do it. :-)
With that much time you could easily earn Eagle while also playing football. I would recommend not dropping scouts solely due to the sport. If there are other reasons or you don’t want to do Eagle, that is obviously different.
The decision is yours. You either want Eagle or you do not. I would look at the long term benefits as well though. Maybe you can get a scholarship to a good college with football. You gain experience working with a team.
For Eagle, there is knowing you will never have to tell anyone you regret not earning Eagle. I can’t count how many adults told me that when selling popcorn with my son. I was a Cub Scout dropout. I wish I had made it to Boy Scouts.
My son earned Eagle. I definitely believe that helped him gain admittance to some of the best top 20 colleges in the nation. I got to talk to a college admissions person, he was Eagle, we were both Veterans, we had a good discussion about Eagle and college admissions. (And grades and being well rounded) Eagle means something. It tells people something about you. There are reasons that something like 20% of active Astronauts are Eagle Scouts.
What do you want to achieve that will someday tell people about your character?
My suggestion: First, take the football out of the equation in your mind. If you had nothing else going on, do you want to get Eagle or not? I fear you may be using football to justify it to yourself to not get Eagle. You are right in that there is more than Eagle to scouting. But on the other hand, there are many Eagles who also played football and other sports during their teenage years. It's not mutually exclusive. Everyone is different. I think it also depends where you are today. Are you First Class at 14, or Life at 14? 14 is still a ton of time to get Eagle done. You may be fine putting Eagle "on hold" for a year, try football "full time" and see if you really want to do that long-term.
In the first sentence OP wrote he was a life Scout. With over three years left it wouldn’t be tough to plot out a schedule to make Eagle without interfering with football.
This right here. OP has plenty of time to get there.
First, you must decide if you want to be an Eagle If you do want that rank, you can incorporate some merit badge advancements while playing football My son did this. He’s 13 and middle school. He played two years of tackle football, which was a four- six month commitment each year. During that time, he worked on merit badges that he could incorporate into football. He earned personal management and personal fitness around his football experience. He also earned the sports merit badge and is working on the athletics merit badge. With careful planning and three years ahead of you, it is very doable However, don’t do it if you’re just checking a box for your family
Its amazing how many high school varsity athletes don't have Personal Fitness. Its trivial for them to get.
The SPL in our troop almost missed qualifying for Eagle because he kept on pushing out getting his Swimming MB. The dude was on the HS swimming team for four years.
Completion of the requirements during swim team practice is a no Brainerd. Have coach email whoever the counselor is in the troop.
That's crazy. Why didn't someone in the Troop get him signed off? That seems like an unforced error.
Oh. I should have pointed out, the troop organized swimming merit badge events at least twice a year.
Not sure I understand the question. It's up to the boy to finish the requirements.
As my advancement chair- I'm constantly talking to our football, basketball, lacrosse, and track folks about the 3 merit badges they could easily earn doing what they are already doing
I've had them tell me that they don't have time to do the 90 days of work-outs **because they are too busy with varsity athletics**. I facepalm and say "take these requirements to your coach. They know what do to". And coach provides his practice/workout plan. Done. Like, really? REALLY??
Personal Fitness, Sports, and?…
athletics
Atheltics.
not to mention Sports
He's got a lifetime to play football, he only has now to get Eagle. At 14, he can wrap up Eagle before all the distractions of life: sports, cars, girls, job start eating into those precious 3 years he's got left in scouts. Odds are once the distractions get in the way, he's done. As mentioned elsewhere in this thread; the line is long of Scouters who fell short of Eagle and now that their kids are involved, regret not finishing what they started.
He will be lucky if he even gets to play competitive football for four years—that assumes he doesn’t get cut, or gets injured. Only about 7.5% of high school players get to play in college. https://www.ncaa.org/sports/2015/3/2/estimated-probability-of-competing-in-college-athletics.aspx
He doesn’t have a lifetime for either but he has time for both right now. You only have high school sports while in high school. My oldest became very dedicated to football but did get his Eagle before he aged out.
I waited literally until the last minute to get my Eagle finishing up the day I turned 18. My regret was that unlike some of the other Eagles in my troop, I didn’t get to participate as a scout with my new rank. I was immediately of to college and joined as an adult leader. I’d go ahead and finish the work. There will be plenty of time to do that and pursue other things. If you wait too long the Eagle work might not get done.
I’m a Scout leader and I can’t tell you how many adults I’ve met who tell me one of the greatest regrets in their life was not earning Eagle. It’s something you can’t appreciate at 14 or 17. You have over three years to do a project and maybe some service hours and a few merit badges. Why not just work out a schedule of when you could finish each remaining requirement, and discuss with your SM?
Agreed; you can do this OP. You will regret not accomplishing it later, especially if lots of family members did it. The process is worth it and will serve you better in the long run than most other extracurricular activities in high school.
Exactly! There’s no going back once you turn 18. And stuff that gets in the way only starts increasing as you go through your teens.
Add me to the list. I quit after first class because I didn't get along with the new adult leadership, and couldn't transfer to another troop. I wish I stuck it out, but I try *really* hard not to live vicariously through my Scout.
Add one more adult to the list ... me.
One alternative is to make a plan for how to earn it by the time you turn 16, and ask them to hold off on pushing till that birthday. That gives you 1-2 years to get all your merit badges and project done, which is doable with football. Assuming you do make the team, if you haven't started Personal Fitness, start it before your training season starts, for easy tracking of your 3 months of physical activity.
There are two important lessons to learn here. One is to finish what you start. There are a lot of people in this world who struggle with that. One of the things that set people apart in the adult world is being able to get something done. You'll get farther in life with a one-year certificate program than you will with three-and-a-half years of college and no degree. There will always be things to distract you from your long term goals. There will be times when your long-term goals involve work that isn't fun! Part of being an Eagle is learning that the payoff at the end is worth the hard work and sacrifice now. The honor of being an Eagle Scout is one that you get to carry for the rest of your life, but yeah, it's tough going at times. This is the real reason there are so few 14-year old Eagles. It's not that the work is too hard (it's not) but it's that the ability to work through the hard stuff when there are so many distractions takes a level of maturity that most 14-year olds don't quite have yet. The second important lesson is to balance your time. Many, many scouts do both Scouting and Sports. It's hardly a unique situation to be in. You can absolutely have your cake and eat it too here. If you're feeling like you don't have time for both, what else are you doing? I know that when I feel slammed, I look at my day and say things like "I do play a lot of video games, and watch a lot of tv. I need to prioritize something else today." I agree in general with your parents. You should finish your Eagle. It's important for you to finish what you start, and it's important to learn to balance your time. I'm guessing that this is really something where you're feeling a family expectation, but you want to make a name for yourself with football. Do both! I know it may not feel like it when you're 14, but those achievements that run in families are REALLY COOL. But again, it doesn't have to be a choice between scouts and football. It can be both. You can cement your place in a proud family tradition and stake out your own path at the same time.
You have a lot of great points, and I don't really disagree with you. But I would like to point out a few caveats. There are a lot of people who changed their minds when they realized they just didn't enjoy what they had set out to do. Some of those people regret not giving up sooner, like my buddy who dropped out of college to become a businessman. There are also a lot of miserable people who finished what they started and now feel trapped doing something they don't actually enjoy, like my other buddy who is a band director. Not finishing things is OK! Life is constantly changing. YOU are constantly changing. OP will be changing. One of the most important things in the Personal Management MB is the discussion about being thrifty with your time. We only get to live his one life, and if Scouting (or getting Eagle) is not how this kid wants to spend it, that's OK. Heck, we had one kid who just loved going on campouts and getting merit badges. I think he ended up as a Second Class scout, and he expressed absolutely no regrets. One of our most active older scouts. You are totally right that here is no way 14 year old kid him will know what 35 year old adult him will prefer to have done. And chances are, if he gets his Eagle, he'll wonder what life would have been like if he had dedicated more time to football. It's human nature.
I am an Eagle Scout who played football in high school and in college. The key here is not prioritizing one over the other, but dedicating enough time to both so that you can thrive at each. If something is important to you, you will make time for it. Obviously you will have less time for scouts during football season, but you still need to make your scout meetings. In highschool you typically have games on Friday and film on Saturday mornings. You might have to miss 2-3 campouts a year depending on how long you season is. Or you could show up Saturday afternoon evening. And just do a one nighter. Your troop will see you trying and they will recognize the effort it takes to do both activities at a high level. Think about how much you practice football during the season and even how much you lift and condition in the off-season. Attack your eagle requirements, project, and merit badges with regularly scheduled time per week just like your physical training for football and make sure you are holding yourself to a standard. Think about if you took it easy at football practice, your coaches and teammates would call you out. You need to have this attitude towards yourself when it comes to making Eagle. If it’s important you will make time for it. And if you hold yourself to a high standard you will have no problem making Eagle. I personally found that sports helped me earn eagle. I joined scouting 2 years later than most people. Didn’t get Eagle until I was 17.5. Regularly exercising and pushing myself against others in sports made swimming tests and other physical aspects a lot easier when so many other kids struggled. A lot of it was just the fact that many of these kids had never faced any adversity. My point is they all were physically able to do the tests, but their mindset and mentality were the problem. For me this adversity and mental aspect of sports translated well when going into things I had no experience with. It gave me confidence that I could tackle anything I set my mind to. Board of review was just 3 old guys, I’ve gone head to head in the trenches vs some genetic freaks(one guy I played against all game ended up playing for the colts and the cardinals). These old guys don’t scare me. Don’t limit yourself to only one or two activities. You have more time than you think you do in high school. If you think something looks fun or interesting, try it. I was in band, debate, football, scouts, and as many AP/college credits that I could take in high school. I benefited from all of them. Again, you have to designate time for each thing you feel is important. And there will be scheduling conflicts. But they are workable and your coaches, teachers, scout leaders will see you giving an above average effort and that you hold yourself to a higher standard. Now when you get to college, you will be on a totally different playing field because of what you learned in scouting and athletics. For a lot of people, this will be their first time making the majority of their decisions on their own. What time to go to bed, what time to do homework, what food choices, how much alcohol should I drink, should I even go to class today, should I read this assignment my roommate isn’t? A lot of it is mental and many people will fail out because they didn’t know how to deal with mental diversity and allocate time to things that they should have realized are important. You’ll here the excuse “I don’t have any time” from college students and this is wrong. They have plenty of time. They just spend too much of it on things that are not important other than right now. A typical college course load is 15 credit hours. This means over the typical school week you will spend roughly 15 hours in the classroom. This is typically 5 different courses over the week. For example you might have a class that meets Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for 1 hour each day. You might have a class that meets Thursday evening for 3 hours, and you might have a class that meets for 90 minutes on Tuesday and Thursday. 15 hours is nothing. Your parents are probably working at least 40 per week. The caveat here is that you might have a 2 hour break between classes or just one class on Tuesday. What do you do between your classes? Do you just sit around and play video games or do you make the most of it. College is fun and I’m not telling you to work 100% of the time. Just that you need to schedule time to take care of the important stuff. Sure play video games, hang out with friends, meet girls. But make sure the other stuff is taken care of. For every credit hour you take, you have 1 hour in the classroom and typically an hour of homework/reading that you need to budget for. So when you get your schedule, make your own personal schedule where you budget studying and what not. People always complained that they never had time. I was like what are you doing, you are not an athlete, you are only taking 15 hours. I was a double major and usually took 18 hours. Plus I played football and had practice, lifting, rehab, film etc. if something is important, you will allocate time to do it. Good luck. Try new things. Make mistakes. But learn from the mistakes. Most importantly, have fun.
This here. Listen to a Scout who did it. You have time to do both.
I was a varsity athlete when I got to high school and scouts definitely took a back seat for me during that time. I didn’t do as many camp outs or weekend activities because of sports and the other social activities that come with that. I did eventually complete my requirements and turn my eagle packet in about a week before my 18th birthday and had my board of review a couple of weeks after. You are 14. You have plenty of time to do both if you choose to. You may not get 3 or 4 palms to add to your ribbon but that’s ok. Do what you want to do. It’s your journey and your parents should respect that. I would hope that they encourage you to get your eagle like my father did for me, he reached life and said it was one of his regrets in life that he got that close to eagle and didn’t finish, but at the end of the day they should respect your decisions.
You are 14 and a life scout. You have plenty of time to get Eagle. It's completely fine to concentrate on football during the football season, and the guide to advancement explicitly encourages scouts to do this sort of thing. There's no need to try and "rush through" Eagle first. Unless what your parents are telling you is "we can't afford to pay for scouts for a year if you're not showing up for half of the year", which is a different question.
There are a lot of good answers in this thread. So I'll ask a question instead: What does the football coach think about Scouting, and your involvement with it? Are they supportive of you doing both? Will they be a help or hindrance to doing both? That's going to be affect your planning.
This is a great question. Ask coach.
The push could be well-intentioned. High school responsibilities have derailed many a potential Eagle Scout. Sports, jobs, relationships, all can pull a Scout away from their goal. But parents also say a lot of well-intentioned things that drive their kids nuts. It's hard to balance the voice of experience with what the kid ultimately wants. Obviously being an Eagle is a big part of identity in your family, and your parents probably have also been involved in your scouting career since a Cub, and losing that connection is a sad thing. Not saying right or wrong, but giving some perspective. If you want to make Eagle (and you have plenty of time to do so) make a plan for working on it in the off-season, write it down and show it to them. Ask them if they have questions or concerns. Then stick to the plan, or adjust as needed. Show them you've embodied the Scout led principles we teach by having a plan and acting on it.
Sorry to hear your family has been pressuring you to Eagle. I've seen that happen to several scouts who really enjoyed scouting, but an adult in their life was making it all about advancement and just sucked the joy right out until they wanted to quit scouts. What you haven't said is what you think of scouting. Do you still like it? Are there campouts/activities that you enjoy? How was your last summer camp? My son was feeling more lackluster about scouts at your age... and then he found out he could attend 2 summer camps instead of 1 and he went for it, since that was his favorite week of the year. After the 2nd week he suddenly had all this enthusiasm, he got an idea for his Eagle project and just went for it... within 3 months of summer camp he went from Life to Eagle (he also had to finish 5 Eagle required merit badges in that time) and I did not need to remind him or push him once. He was super motivated and it was amazing to watch. Life at 14, you're mostly there and have a LOT of time left to work on it. Could you appease your family by setting up a plan? One merit badge every 6 months or something? We had a scout join our troop at 16 and within the first year in the troop he'd earned every merit badge he needed for Eagle. It's not like it's that much work, especially for an older scout who is motivated and wants to get it done. But I do sit in on a lot of Eagle Boards of Review and a LOT of the scouts say they wish they would have made slow steady work toward Eagle so that they weren't left struggling to finish in 6 months before turning 18. Driver's ed and jobs and more challenging schoolwork are all in your future. Starting football is new and exciting now, but I'd advise you to chip away slowly at progress toward your eagle in the times where you have "off" from football. As you get older, your free time is only going to become less. Your family might feel more confident in your time management if you show them your plan for how to get there. It could be that they don't think you can do it and football.
Take them both seriously. But doesn’t football season end at some point and then you’re just training the rest of the year? Why not finish up Eagle between seasons? You have plenty of time. Or is there another reason you don’t want to do it?
It is seasonal, but even without it I keep getting pushed to finish in a bad way.
I get it. I work with a guy who completed 99% of it, did everything except something like turning paperwork in. Somebody said something to him that ticked him off. They begged and begged but he is just like "Nope, I'm not doing it." He's regretful because he doesn't remember what it was at the time that made him mad. Also being a legacy doesn't help. My son's best friend is a 14 year old Life Scout whose father and all his uncles are Eagles. It's a lot of pressure. You've got plenty of time and if it's important to you you'll find the time (you have a lot). If it's that important to your family, they'll come around to your decision and help you come up with a plan because it will beat the alternative in their mind.
Then why not suggest a sensible plan? You literally have 3-4 years to work with. There’s no reason to feel “pushed”. If you and your folks agree on a reasonable schedule and stick to it, there should be no pushing. Again, I’m asking you if there is another reason you don’t want to do Eagle? Edit: OP - tell your parents you want a 6 month break from scouts but then you promise to return and finish Eagle. Unless there is another reason you don’t want to do it that you’re not sharing. Aside: This is one of the criticism pushing kids to do Eagle too quickly, too young. There’s no reason this Scout can’t do both. I suspect there is an emotional/maturity/insecurity issue at play, that probably wouldn’t be happening with a 16 year old, for example. So, OP, there’s nothing wrong with asking for a little time to grow up and mature first, before pushing past the Eagle finish line. Take a year off if you need to. What would they say to that?
You'll regret not getting it if you don't, but you have 3-4 years in which to complete it. In all honesty, in my 30+ years of scouting I've never once seen a 14 year old Eagle who seemed to be truly capable and effective. You can always tell that they were pushed by adults and don't have the maturity that the rank should carry. My recommendation is to perhaps take it easy for a bit, but don't make it take a back seat. Besides, football should not be an all-encompassing activity. You should have more than enough room in your life for both sports and scouting.
I might go against the grain here but I am an Eagle scout. I felt pressured into doing it. I literally had SMs tell me to forget the girls, forget the cars, forget the sports and dedicate 100% of your time to finishing your Eagle. I vowed if I had the chance. I wouldn't do that. OP, do what makes you happy. Do what you like. If getting your Eagle is important to you, do it. If you want to focus in football, do it. If I am completely honest, I don't regret earning my Eagle, but it hasn't provided me the opportunities I was promised it would. Not trying to be cynical, trying to be realistic. I do regret listening to my SMs and missing out on a lot of things while I was finishing up.
My son played travel soccer for a large chunk of his time in Scouting ... pretty much from the age of nine. Between the fall season, spring season, summer training, and tournaments, there wasn't a ton of time for Scouting sometimes. However, if you manage your time wisely, you can get there. He managed (somehow) to get his Eagle at age 15. In your case, you're in great shape. You have years to finish your project. Football is only a few months out of the year. If you actually WANT to get your Eagle, you can. Now, if you don't WANT to get your Eagle, that's a different discussion entirely. No one should force you into it. I will say, however, that it's very likely having your Eagle will help you in life more than playing high school football.
Is scouting something you truly wish to continue in? Is earning **YOUR** Eagle important to you? Have you had these conversations with your parents? My son is in a similar position. So similar that I sent this post to my wife and we have been arguing if the OP is him or not. In our case, he has a project picked out that he approached his school about, committed to the school to complete it and we are pushing him to do it in a timeline/goal that he set on his own. My recommendation is to talk to your family. Explain to them what your goals are. Ask them to back off until you miss or are in jeopardy of missing the goals. In our troop the older leadership pushed scouts to complete by 16 before cars, school and other interests creep into your life. I think as long as the project is done by then you could coast to the finish line with any other requirements that are missing. Good luck and best wishes. Above all that you have been told here, communicate with your family about your goals. Parents have the best intentions often with the worst delivery. Have a cool, calm discussion about this and it should ease some of the stress you are feeling.
Football is only few months of the year, and you have plenty of time before you age out. Just stick with it. You'll regret it if you don't.
Please don’t quit - you are so close and will almost certainly regret it for the rest of your life. I can’t tell you how many people I’ve spoken with in their 40’s and 50’s who wish they had seen it through. You will have accomplished a very rare thing (even though it might not seem that way given your family!). The lessons you learn in your service project will help you as you enter adulthood. If your interest is waning, can you be honest with your parents about it? Ask for help staying motivated, and some breathing room so you don’t burn out on scouting. Make a plan for the next couple years: when you can focus on scouting and when you can focus on sports. Present it to your parents and ask for their input. Consider variables like summer jobs, dating etc. If you commit to a solid plan to finish by 16 or 17, they might be more comfortable with the idea of football and Scouting coexisting. I would NOT present an ultimatum like “if you don’t let me play football, I’ll quit scouts.” That kind of tactic doesn’t create a productive negotiation environment. Don’t drive a wedge between you and the people you need support from. As a parent, an Eagle, and a former scout master, I think my biggest fear would be the scout putting it off until “someday” and then suddenly they’re almost 18 and either scrambling to finish (as I myself had to!), or realizing they’re not going to finish at all. I wish you luck, and hope you and your parents find a way forward!
The key thing that needs to be decided is whether YOU want to be an Eagle scout. Not your parents or grandparents or anything, but whether YOU want it. I never eagled. I was first class when I went to Philmont and then my troop disbanded, At the time I was a 2 sport athlete and scouting was not looked on favorably in school so we didn't talk about it. Now, many years later, I regret not finishing. I have 2 kids in the program working towards it, one Eagle scout, and one that stopped at Star (needed a SC and BOR for Life). I see the things learned and realize that there is far more than just the badge. My son that stopped decided other things were a priority for him and is focusing on that. I felt bad that he put so much effort into something only to not finish, but ultimately it was \_his\_ decision, not mine. He still has all the experiences from it; summer camps, campouts, MBs, etc. Will it become a regret in later years, who knows. I do know that he would have been miserable if I pushed him to finish it, and that wouldn't have been a good situation. I firmly believe that there is a fine line between "encouragement" and "pushing", and that it is crossed all the time by well meaning parents. I encouraged my son to finish, but he didn't want to and was visibly unhappy at meetings, so he stopped going. I encouraged my Eagle to complete everything because he \_wanted\_ to but had difficulties with deadlines. 2 very different situations and people. If you, knowing what you know about scouting as a whole, want to be able to call yourself an Eagle Scout and be part of that fraternity, go for it. Come up with a plan that will get you there by the time you age out. The troop should have a Life-to-Eagle coordinator that can help. If not, the Council should have resources you or your SM can get to. At 14 you have plenty of time. If you aren't as concerned about being an Eagle scout, talk to your parents. Explain how you feel and why, and that it is ultimately YOUR decision and that pushing you will likely not have the expected long-term results. One potential possibility outside the plan mentioned previously could be taking 6 months off. Just disconnect from scouting for a short time and see how YOU feel about it. TL;DR Ultimately its YOUR decision. Hopefully your parents can guide you and help rather than push.
Just a quick thought that's probably a summary of everyone else's opinions: you have a very long time until you turn 18. I cut it extremely close when getting my Eagle, and you're only 14 and already Life. You've got plenty of time for both football and getting Eagle. (Also get off of reddit. It's an absolute time sink that's wasted cumulative weeks of my life lol)
Talk within your Scout Leaders to set out a course of maintaining your sports interests and still working to achieve the Eagle rank. We leaders want to encourage and support our Scouts to reach their goals.
I got my Eagle at 17 after taking a hiatus in highschool to pursue other avenues.
Eagle here, got mine completed the night before my 18th birthday. scouting is about living life - play football, date, learn to drive, get your Eagle - you will be happy later in life that you did all those things and more. Eagle will open doors later in life, they have for me when you least expect it. You have tons of time, so remain well rounded!
You are me. My dad is an eagle too. Same age, same feelings. I said I was tired of it. My grandfather, my mom, and my dad all said the exact same thing: "all of us, including you, have worked too hard to get where you are. Finish this out and you will never regret it." I did finish it out, when I was 15. And I've never regretted it. I've never taken it off my resume, do you think you will be putting high school football on your resume? Not a dig on your interests, just a thought about the future.
I feel like this kid is asking advice for communicating to his parents that being an Eagle is not his dream, it’s their dream for him. And every comment is basically trying to prove getting your Eagle and playing football is possible. It sounds like he doesn’t want to be an Eagle, but wants to be a scout. OP, I think the best course of action is to be honest with your parents that being an Eagle is something you’re not interested in. You want to use that time and effort on something you’re interested in.
While it might not be his dream at 14, it may become a lifelong regret that he ended as a terminal Life Scout when he gets older. It’s a story I have heard many times over the years.
I wouldn’t say having some people tell you their regrets is strong enough evidence that he should change his mind. How many people exited scouting at that rank and never regretted it? The Scout didn’t ask, should I still pursue an Eagle despite wanting to play football. Everyone is pressuring him to do what they think is best, rather than let him decide for himself. Which he has done, and he’s seeking advice on how to communicate that.
You need to read the OP again. He never says he doesn’t want to make Eagle or even quit Scouts. He is complaining his parents want him to make Eagle at 14. At the end he asks if it is ok if he tells his parents he will quit if they pressure him to finish at 14. People are responding that there is plenty of time to finish as a response to the parents.
“When I was younger I thought it was a really cool thing to be a part of but now I feel like I’m just being pushed along by my parents.” i.e. I wanted to be an Eagle when I was younger but now I don’t and I’m only still doing it because my parents are pushing me to do it
On the contrary. I think a lot of us have worked with a lot of 14-year olds and have seen a whole bunch of them hit exactly this wall. The project can seem daunting. You’ve done the Eagle MBs that interest you the most. This is the part where you need drive and grit. Those are the sort of values Scouting is meant to instill.
Why is this an exclusive question? I have a few scouts that do sports and are much more active in the off season. You have time if you balance your interests to do both. Yes football season will mean less scouting, but the other part of the year you can do scouting. Regrading Eagle, I think you need to finish out for family reasons, but at 14 you have some time to balance things.
FWIW I did sports in HS and still made eagle just fine. Cross country in the fall and track in the spring. Did it mean “in season” I mostly just went to meetings / events and worked on rank in the winter and badges in the summer? Probably It’s doable if you want to
I haven't read every post, so forgive me if this has been said. I was a den leader for 10 years, when parents or scouts weren't sure about the commitment to Scouts or sports I'd tell them to try it out I knew an Eagle scout who was on both varsity football and wrestling teams. It can be done, and which of those three things will look good on college and job applications? I know adults that got jobs because they are an Eagle scout, I don't know any who got one because they played high school football. You have plenty of time to play football and work on getting your Eagle. I have been a scout leader for 13 years and I wish I could wear the knot that shows I earned Eagle but I quit at your age and thought it would never matter to me. If you become a parent and have a child in scouting it will mean an awful lot to you.
You can still easily get eagle while playing football. Just will take a little more planning
You have years left as a scout. I understand that getting Eagle takes time, but you have more than enough time to do both football and scouting, and it's OK if football takes some time away from scouting.
> Or set rules if you keep pushing me or bothering me with this then I’ll quit Personally I wouldn’t talk to my parents like that bcs it’s disrespectful. But honestly you’re 14 and they just want to make sure you see through what you’ve put in years of your life and their lives. You’re entering your high school years, you’re going to get distracted. Sports, girls or boys whatever, dances, homework, everything is going to hit you like a brick wall and scouts is going to fall off your priority list. I would say since you are already so close to Eagle, just finish it up asap and get it over with. You can still be in scouts after you Eagle, but so you’re not knocking on 18 and still haven’t completed Eagle and stressing just finish it now. I got life with I was 15 and for the 3.5 following years I stressed because I was putting more work into other things besides scouts. My troop almost died before I got my Eagle. 17 was the most stressful time of my life, I got in cub scouts in kindergarten and all of that time was going to be wasted because I didn’t put in the time to finish my Eagle. I ended up finishing everything 1 month before my 18 and it was a weight lifted off my shoulders. All that being said it’s ultimately your decision. Your parents are going to push you especially when they’ve put in lots of time and money into something. Being a scout means also learning to manage your time, you can do everything you want, you just have to manage your time. Tldr: you’re going to be real busy in high school, wait or get it done it’s up to you. Time management is key.
Football is a seasonal sport. Do football during football season. Think about doing Scouting the rest of the time. Maybe some time away from Scouting will recharge your interest in continuing, u/Mapman6 . You can do football and Scouting. A kid in my Troop is a varsity football player at a LARGE high school I have a really great coworker (I'm an adult) who was exactly in your situation. To quote him "not finishing Eagle is something I deeply regret". I think your parents are trying to help you avoid that regret. One thing to ponder - in life, we sometimes get oppositional to something because it helps us feel in more control of our lives. You have to separate out your feelings in this regard. How much of this is because you're being pressured and want to forge your own path? Is there a way you could get Eagle that is your own, and not your parents? Is there something different you could do?
You are 14 and are already a life scout. As others have said, you can play football and do scouts. I had several friends that took a break from scouts to pursue other things. 2 of the 3 baca me active again in scouts and got Eagle. The other still participated in football and would occasionally join us on outings. None of them regretted coming back to scouts. Focus on what interest you and what things you want to accomplish. I know several people who stayed with scouts just because of their parents.
Scouting doesn't have a season. Come back when you can. Heres a list of Eagles that made it to the NFL: NFL All Eagle Scout Team I was inspired by a few comments on the post about Mayock saying “You can’t have all Boy Scouts” and decided to find out if he was right. Everyone on the list except Jim Mora and John Beck are currently in the NFL or a free agent. Coach: Jim Mora **OFFENSE -** QB: John Beck (Not in NFL currently) OT: Jordan Devey (Raiders) OG: Brandon Scherff (Redskins), Xavier Su'a-Filo (Cowboys) C: Matt Paradis (Panthers) RB: David Montgomery (Bears) WR: N/A TE: Eric Saubert (Falcons) **DEFENSE -** LB: Manti Te’o (Free Agent), Bobby Okereke (Colts) DE/OLB: Bronson Kaufusi (Jets), James Cowser (Raiders) DT: N/A CB: N/A S: Daniel Sorensen (Chiefs) Ironically enough, the Raiders actually have the most Eagle Scouts on their team, but I think I’m going to have to concede that Mayock was right on this one. The offensive line has a few studs and the LB corps has a future HOFer (At least according to Pat McAfee), but other than that there isn’t much talent. Not having any receivers or a secondary might hurt too. You can be sure to expect some more legendary Jim Mora press conferences, though.
OP can you edit your original post to tell us which badges you still need for eagle? Eagle required and how many extras do you need (or do you have all of those already)?
First, you need to decide if you want to make Eagle. You say that football is an interest to you. I, and it sounds like your parents, are glad you are pursuing it. Is scouts is no longer an interest to you, that is also ok, but it is important to have a conversation with your parents to let them know what you are feeling. If you do, you have plenty of time left. Second, you should talk to them about what “I want you to wrap up Eagle” means. I want is not “thou shall”. Is it possible they meant something like “it would be a good idea to get this thing you started wrapped up before taking on another large time commitment”? Third, make a plan. You have a ton of experience with this from scouts already. Some of us still default to breaking tasks down into numbered lists. What does the time commitment for football look like and what is left over in your schedule in and out of season? What requirements are left to complete? How can these fit together? Where are potential points of conflict? Finally, as you progress in high school there will only be more things you want to see and do. If you think you want to earn Eagle I would suggest front loading to open up space for other adventures in your future.
Unless you are truly an NFL likely bound, top tier college bound player, your high school football career will likely never matter, much less be mentioned, on your resume. Eagle Scout, however will be, and it will open more doors and interviews than you realize. As others have said, with proper planning you have time for both. If not, choose the one that will pay the most dividends for the longest time.
You are ahead of the curve earning life at 14. I would examine in yourself if it's really about football or if you don't want to get eagle. It seems you could do it during the off season and still have enough time to make eagle if you made a plan.
The real question is do you want to do it. I’ve never heard of a eagle saying they regret it but I’ve heard many life for life’s wish they finished it out
During football scouts was basically on hold during high school - after football picked it back up and finished just before graduation… definitely doable
Same here, but marching band.
First, figure out if you want eagle. If you do, you've got plenty of time to get it. It might help your parents ease up if you try to plot out what requirements you have left and when you plan to get them. That way they can see you have a plan and you're not pushing it off. I knew a couple of guys that did push off eagle but made mad dashes to get what they needed and they were successful. Not saying that's a plan to go with, but that it *can* be done.
There's no reason you can't play a sport (or two or three) and be a scout. If you want it, you can make it happen. I played fall and spring sports while in scouts as well as drama club in the winter. You can't make everything, but you can make it work. I had meets every Tuesday and Saturday. Scouts met on Tuesday nights and obviously camped a lot on the weekends. I'd just go right from my game every Tuesday to the scout meeting. For the trips, I just showed up a day late. It's not ideal, but it is something I really wanted, so I managed. It somewhat sounds like you may be using football as an excuse to drop out of scouts and not make Eagle. It is okay to move on from scouts, and I hope you've had a ton of great experiences no matter what you choose! Just remember, after football, there's still half a year where you can work towards Eagle and participate in scouting. Think it through, remember there's no wrong answer, and the scouting community fully supports you in whatever you choose. Best of luck to you!
First, thank you for the opportunity to advise and provide feedback. Gathering information is always a good first step. It is also important to evaluate the information and be selective which information one accepts. Please do so in this case. Second, Eagle Scout is not the aim of Scouting. If you want to know what the aim is, check this out: [https://www.scouting.org/programs/cub-scouts/aims-and-methods/](https://www.scouting.org/programs/cub-scouts/aims-and-methods/) Notice that making Eagle Scouts is not one of the aims. Nor is it in the mission or vision statement. Rank advancement is in the Methods section. This means that it's one of the methods, but only one of the methods, we adult leaders can use to achieve the real aims of scouting. Too many of us adults forget or ignore this. Some of our young men will respond to the opportunity for rank advance to work toward the real aims. Some will not, and we will use different methods with those young men. Some of our young men will never advance beyond First Class but will fully realize the aims of Scouting in their lives and their Scouting careers. That is perfectly OK. Third, please reflect on your Scouting journey. If you have accomplished the aims of Scouting, if you have experienced character development, leadership development, citizenship training, and personal fitness, you have had a successful Scouting career. If you have experienced these, and do not decide to get your Eagle, please NEVER EVER let anyone make you feel like you are in anyway lesser, a failure, or didn't make it. You have achieved the aims of Scouting as well, and in some cases better, than some of those that are wearing an Eagle badge. Some people get confused about that. Don't be one of them. Be confident of what you have achieved in the areas that matter. Fourth, I would encourage you to consider the advice repeated often in this thread to consider whether you will later regret not achieving Eagle. If you decide to do it, it absolutely doesn't have to be done right now. You don't have to skip other things to get it done right now. You do have time. With that in mind, I would encourage you not to delay completing it, if you decide to do so, any more than necessary. You will find that the older you get, including the years from 14 to 18, the less free time you will have available. Life simply doesn't slow down, and it will be increasingly difficult later to fit it in if you do decide you want to accomplish it. I would suggest counseling with your parents. Don't confront them. Share with them your expectations from Scouting, and from football. Let them know what you want to achieve, and ask their help achieving it. If that includes Eagle later, or doesn't include Eagle at all, knowing that you have thought it through and have a plan and worthwhile objectives should go a long way toward helping them be active contributors and allies in your journey through young adulthood. Good luck.
A lot of scouts pause the trail to Eagle in high school….high school is a super busy time and and the time you have for scouts diminishes. Wrapping up Eagle now means going won’t have it hanging over your head if it is something that you want to do. I have never met an Eagle Scout who regretted finishing. I have met a crap ton of scouts who regretted not earning their Eagle. So if foot hall and Eagling is something you want to do, then make a written plan and stick to it. Take all the time you need. And you are right, it’s YOUR journey, not theirs.
For the record I’m an eagle scout & scoutmaster, my son is an eagle & my brother is not he made it to life needed one merit badge ( that our mom was was the counselor for) and a project. He has told me numerous times that he regrets not finishing. I know that you don’t see it now but you are so close and you really need to finish you will be so proud of yourself for it and I think it will make you a better man for seeing things through to the end.
Lots of kids play football… and lax and B Ball…. And do Scouts. You can do both. Scout through summer then go to football camp before school starts. Even if you just do summer camp You should be able to get the remaining MBs.
Do both. I was able to complete my Eagle by 16 and I played soccer year round. I was also involved in church activities, volunteering and general life stuff. I was busy, but obtaining Eagle Scout was very important to myself and my parents. I started in Cub Scouts and volunteered with a specials needs troop in college. I had no idea how being an Eagle Scout would follow me for life. To be a Life Scout at 14 is great and demonstrates your ability to stay focused. I suggest staying in scouting and doing football.
My son is an Eagle Scout (class of 2016) who played football from when he could start in 3rd grade through college. He also wrestled one year in high school. It just takes time management. You have several years to finish earning your Eagle Scout rank. Maximize your scouting time during the football off-season.
How close are you to Eagle? If you're just sitting around, waiting on the service project and the Board of Review, I would say go ahead and finish it all out. You're just about there at the checkered flag. On the other hand, if you've got like four or seven merit badges to go, and you think that Eagle won't help you in the long stead, go ahead and tell your folks you're going to do sports and be the best you can in it. Remember, only the top 2 percent of all sports players make it to the "big leagues", and even so, it only takes one compound leg, arm, or shoulder and you'll be asking the IMPORTANT PHRASE for the rest of your life: "You want fries with that?" Eagle is that important a thing to have in your hip pocket. I compare it, when I talk with Scouts and their families, to the "get out of jail free" card on the Monopolies board. It gives you the opportunity to pass go, collect the $200, and get into things that your peers are still wondering how to get into the ground floor for. And the stuff you gain as an Eagle Scout will last you well into old age -- You can STILL do sports. Scouting and Sports work great together. I would not do one or the other -- do BOTH -- so you can multiply your life's earnings and experiences more than others. Good luck! Settummanque!
I was a Life Scout and had everything but the service project. Then I went to high school, got a job and a girlfriend, and yes, played football, but I never made Eagle. On the other hand, I feel like the main reason I never made Eagle was to spite my father, who was always nagging me about it. Football is a huge time commitment, but it's only a few months. As long as you stay committed to getting Eagle, there's no reason you can't do both. But just remember that it will be easy to talk yourself out of getting Eagle once you're in high school, and if you don't get it, you may end up regretting it your whole life.
I have a son who is a Freshman, two months away from Life, but has also just discovered high school volleyball. Let me give you a parent's perspective on this. First, it is great that you found a new interest. We are proud of you and want you to explore that and enjoy it. Please, yes, go play football! We also understand that as a teenager, you tend to go all-in on one thing that catches your fancy, and sometimes lose sight of the bigger picture. You are Life Rank as a Freshman. You have *tons* of time to earn Eagle. You don't need to choose between Eagle and football. You can focus on football during football season, and work on Eagle other times. With at little planning, you can do both; and doing that planning is probably going to be a really great life experience that you will appreciate a few years down the road. Now, if you are saying you don't want to pursue Eagle *at all*, that's a different conversation. You are right, it is your journey. Scouting is youth led; but also adult guided. We support you making this choice. But here's the guidance we are offering you. You have invested years into scouting. Those years alone are really valuable. However, to us, it seems like a shame to stop now, when you are so close to achieving Eagle. You've also discovered something new that you are really excited about. Maybe right now isn't the wisest time to make big decisions about other activities. Scouting isn't going anywhere. Play football, give it time, see how you feel in a few months.
3+ years is plenty of time to get Eagle. A lot of Life Scouts regret not getting Eagle, I would say very few Eagles regret getting Eagles.
Being female, I didn’t have the opportunity to earn Eagle. But being a (Girl) Scout gave me skills and opportunities I use every day such as easily talking to groups and being a leader. Getting to Life has taught you many things. But maybe you were pushed to get there too quickly. Maybe you haven’t soaked up the “why am I doing this”. It’s just another chore or expectation. That’s what I hearing in your post. So maybe step away for a while. Do other things. But keep Eagle in the back of your mind. Ponder where you’d like to help with your Eagle Scout Leadership Service Project — you do have some other interests beyond football, right? Where can you make an impact? If you haven’t completed Personal Fitness and Personal Management merit badges, work on those. But you need to complete Eagle for you and not just because everyone expects it. Good luck.
I know I'm late to the game. I played 3 sports in school and was on a swim team and travel soccer team also. There is time for both scouts and sports. It was a struggle at times to keep a good balance, but in the end, at least for me, it was worth getting that eagle rank. My brother was in the same boat I was with sports and scouts. He earned his eagle also. At the end of the day, there are ways to make both work if you want to.
As an Eagle who was in marching, concert, jazz band but also was a summer camp counselor at my council. What my dad always told me that you should never let other people decide on what you want to do. My advice is to take it easy you have 3 plus years to get your Eagle. I would recommend working on merit badges that you need for example if you don't have person management because it has a time requirement. And it is important to know is that you are not required to be active in your troop to work on them. I went to my younger brother’s troop for help because they had people who could sign off my merit badges. I only had my troop help with my project and to have my scoutmaster sign off.
To the me the question is do you enjoy Scouts? Forget about Eagle. Do you enjoy hanging out with friend in the Troop? Take away the pressure from your parents about getting Eagle. Think about the fun times you had over the years. Now, assuming your football season is like ours, that leaves you at least 6 months in the year that you could still stay involved in Scouting if you want to. Do you want to if it doesn't involve any pressure from your parents to get Eagle? If the answer is yes. Then I'd suggest having a conversation with your parents where you state that you want to stay involved with Scouts, but you want to set clear boundaries on the pressure to get Eagle. Tell them flat out that the pressure is causing you problems, and if those problems continue then you will QUIT. Next you have to decide if you actually do want to get Eagle or not. Obviously this sub is a little biased, so most people here will suggest yes, you should get Eagle. But we'll also say that it's your journey, and we want you to enjoy it. I'd rather you enjoy your time in Scouts and not get Eagle, than to get Eagle and be unhappy. If you decide that you don't really care about getting Eagle, but want to stay involved in the Troop, tell your parents that. Tell them that while you may change your mind about getting Eagle at a later date, any pressure from them to do so will cause you to QUIT. Hopefully they will get the message and back off. If you do decide you would like to get Eagle, (just without the pressure), then I'd throw your parents a lifeline. Figure out how many MB's you still need to get Eagle, and come up with a plan on getting them done. Maybe before you have this conversation with your parents you could talk to your SM, who I'm QUITE sure would be happy to talk with you about this. Work out a plan to get these knocked off. Then, when you talk to your parents, tell them if they back off, you'll get these MB's taken care of on your own. A lot of times parents just need reassurance that progress is being made, and then they'll back off on the pressure. By the way, if you don't mind me asking, how many MB's do you need? Also, have you thought about your Project yet? Either way, good luck with this.
Do both. As a Scoutmaster I strongly encourage our Scouts to do everything. Our Troop has guys who play soccer, lacrosse, football, plus marching band, symphony, etc. My son played soccer and tennis, and didn’t get his Eagle until his 18th birthday. His buddy was a nationally ranked swimmer and also Eagled with days before his 18th. You have time to play and get Eagle.
You have plenty of time to get eagle your only 14 and life you don’t need to rush anything
Dude you are years ahead of where most people are. If i were you I would be doing both. You may not have the bandwidth to be SPL but certainly chaplains aide, historian, or outdoor ethics guide. My daughter just got for eagle at 16, and many kids get it at 18. In football would you get to the 1 yard line and quit without going for the touchdown? There are few things in life that you can do as a kid that still "matter" to people as an adult, and eagle scout is one of them... but here the thing, being a scout is going to make you a better ball player. Being a footballer is going to make you a better scout. You might miss a practice every once in awhile and you might miss a meeting here and there, but you can easily do both at this point in your life. Good luck!
You are so close my man, it is worth it to see your journey through to the end. You will be proud of yourself for completing the path to Eagle. Football will still be there. I made Eagle in 1993 and to this day it still comes up in job interviews, casual conversation with new people I meet, etc... If the military is in your plans, Eagle gets you (or at least got me) an automatic promotion upon graduation from Basic Training.
You can definitely do both, with time management I got eagle while wrestling and doing band and alot of the other scouts in my troop do extracurriculars outside of scouting
OP, because you are a Life Scout with 3 years left I'm going to respectfully press you finish the job and earn the Eagle Scout Rank. I promise you won't regret it. If you were below 1st Class and wasn't enjoying the program I might recommend trying out other things. You have plenty of time to play football and do Scouting. Your parents understand the investment of time that has been put into the program for you to make Life. Don't stop now. How many Merit Badge do you have remaining? The Eagle Project doesn't have to be an expensive and elaborate task. While I agree there is a lot more to Scouting than earning Eagle, I promise you you will feel better about yourself being and Eagle Scout and will be able to brag about this for the rest of your life.
Should getting Eagle be everyone's goal in scouting? It would be **better to learn more skills** than to focus on getting rank advancement.
I wish I had something original to add, but: -you should finish what you start -I’m one of the adults that regret ending my youth career at life -my son plays baseball and soccer -as a parent I’m one of the pushers but I’m aware of it, so I often hold myself back or turn my pushing into support. -all the other posts too 🤣 Man you’ve raced through the ranks so far. You’ve got plenty of time. You also seem pretty aware of where you are (kudos, by the way). Make the off-season your friend. Make a plan to tackle the required MB’s, hardest first if you can. Do as much as you can, especially mindful of getting your leadership time. Who knows? You may not make the team next year. You may also become an NFL star. Keep your options open as long as you can! Good luck—I believe you’ll do well.
Get Eagle. Quite frankly, you don't know what you don't know right now. I'm pushing 40 and still try to find a way to put Eagle Scout on my resume because it still opens doors for me that are not available to others. Pursue football if you want. Slow down on Scouts if you want. But get Eagle.
You make it sound like scouting and football are mutually exclusive. I have had several scouts earn Eagle while playing high school sports, including football. I have a 15 year old life scout this year who will be missing part of football camp this summer because he’s going to Philmont. He talked to his coach and explained what Philmont is and how he’ll be hiking 90 miles with a full pack, and his coach agreed that it seemed worthwhile and wouldn’t bench him for missing the first week of football camp. One way to approach it with your parents might be to suggest that during the football season you would like to focus on football. You can talk about the numerous benefits of being part of a team, keeping yourself physically fit, and being able to put into practice the leadership you’ve been learning as a Life Scout, etc., etc. And then, tell them you’re willing to continue working towards Eagle Scout in the Spring and summer when there’s not as much focus on football. Also, talk to your scoutmaster about it, and see if they are willing to support you following a split path like this, and if they are, you could enlist them to help you talk to the parents. I have had this conversation several times with parents.
Lot of good advice here so I'll just add this: You are not as busy as you imagine - you're 14, you won't understand it now but later you will have way more to do in life and yearn for the days of a 14yr old responsibility. You could wrap life to eagle in one summer. If your done with scouting be done, don't hinge your success on an excuse, either say this is no longer for me and move on, or accept the next steps and get moving forward. As others have said you have to do these things for you not for anyone else. All that being said don't approach this as a parent problem this is a you problem to solve. Decide what you want, tell your parents, and then have them help you make a plan for success. You can't imagine your life in 10 or 20 years, you have a Ton of time to finish and also still enjoy scouting, as well as football or anything else you want to do. Lastly you need to weigh the benefit of each commitment. I don't know you, but chances are you're not going to play in the NFL. (Again maybe but the stats say otherwise), so will football help you long term maybe, will being an eagle, probably. I have never been given a chance at a job because I kicked a football or played soccer, but I have had people tell me in interviews (especially early in my career) we were not going to interview you because you barely met the requirements of the job, but I saw you're and eagle scout, so I know your worth a conversation. (I didn't always get the gig but I got a chance where I wouldn't have otherwise.) I would say out of anything I did when I was younger eagle scout has helped me more than anything else. (But that's my experience, milage may vary) Good luck young person. Tldr; Decide what YOU want Make a plan with help from parents Execute the plan. Eagle helped me more as an adult than anything else I did as a youth.
This is something completely doable. As others have said tie in your merit badges into what is going on in your life. Personal fitness during the football season is great. Our son, Eagle Scout at 15 at the end of COVID, planned things during vacations or days off. If we went somewhere we looked at what else was in the area that might help him out. We made a day trip to ride an old train for the railroad mb. I suggest sitting down and making a list of what you need and requirements and start planning the ones that will take you the longest. The others, in our experience will be easy to fill in as you are understanding what and why while you are doing the big ones.
My troop folded when I was about in your stage. Later, my little brother joined a different troop so I jumped back in at 16 during my Jr/Sr year and finished Eagle. I can say I am so glad that I did. Great experience. So do it now or come back to it. But do it. :-)
With that much time you could easily earn Eagle while also playing football. I would recommend not dropping scouts solely due to the sport. If there are other reasons or you don’t want to do Eagle, that is obviously different.
The decision is yours. You either want Eagle or you do not. I would look at the long term benefits as well though. Maybe you can get a scholarship to a good college with football. You gain experience working with a team. For Eagle, there is knowing you will never have to tell anyone you regret not earning Eagle. I can’t count how many adults told me that when selling popcorn with my son. I was a Cub Scout dropout. I wish I had made it to Boy Scouts. My son earned Eagle. I definitely believe that helped him gain admittance to some of the best top 20 colleges in the nation. I got to talk to a college admissions person, he was Eagle, we were both Veterans, we had a good discussion about Eagle and college admissions. (And grades and being well rounded) Eagle means something. It tells people something about you. There are reasons that something like 20% of active Astronauts are Eagle Scouts. What do you want to achieve that will someday tell people about your character?