Varsity Scouting was a program of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA). It was an alternative available to boys ages fourteen to eighteen until the end of 2017. It used the basic Boy Scouting program and added high adventure, sporting, and other elements that were more appealing to older youth to accomplish the aims of character development, citizenship training, and personal fitness. Varsity Scouts were organized into teams; separate chartered units from a Boy Scout troop.
Varsity Scouts participated in the BSA advancement system for troops but also had their own recognition. Their uniform was slightly different. Rather than using the dark green shoulder loops on the epaulets, orange loops were used and the position patches followed a sports team theme (Coach was used rather than Scoutmaster).
Ideals The Varsity Scout ideals were those spelled out in the Scout Law, the Scout Oath, the Scout Motto, and the Scout Slogan. The Varsity Scout learned to use these ideals as a measure of personal growth and continually tries to improve.
Varsity Scouting had five fields of emphasis. A well-planned Varsity Scout program included elements from all of the fields of emphasis:
Advancement Varsity Scouts used the same advancement program as Boy Scouts. They could also receive the recognition offered through such programs as the Fifty-Miler Award; Mile Swim, BSA; etc.
High Adventure and Sports. The basic framework for Varsity Scout activities revolved around high adventure and sports. Resource materials were available for 27 program features. The intent of this emphasis was to encourage a coherently planned set of activities that led to occasional "ultimate adventures" or sports seasons. Following the original model, teams were encouraged to plan a set of activities quarterly that culminate in some type of big event.
Personal Development. "Varsity Scouting promotes growth through spirituality, leadership abilities, citizenship, social and cultural attributes, and physical fitness." The personal development side of Varsity encouraged boys to focus on character development within the framework of their personal and religious beliefs. A particular focus on leadership skills was evident in many teams.
Service is an essential element of all Scouting, as emphasized in the Boy Scout slogan: "Do a good turn daily." An element of service should be present in all Varsity Scout activities. For example, a sports unit could include a clinic for a nearby Cub Scout pack. It was important that the boys were to be the ones that plan, manage, and conduct the service activities.
Special Programs and Events. As part of their programs, Varsity Scouts were encouraged to incorporate special programs and events on a regular basis. These could include district, council, regional, and national events as well as joint activities with neighboring teams or other groups, including activities involving girls of similar age.
Varsity Scouting shared the Aims and Methods of Scouting.
History
Origins Varsity Scouting was the brainchild of Dr. J. D. Mortensen, a prominent thoracic and cardiovascular surgeon in Salt Lake City, Utah, and an influential member of the Boy Scouts of America. He served for 13 years on the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' Young Men Mutual Improvement Association (YMMIA) General Board and for several years as chairman of its General Scout Committee. He wrote numerous manuals and supplements for the YMMIA. He served on the faculty at the Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico, as advancement chairman for the Great Salt Lake Council, and as a chaplain at four national Scout jamborees, and was a recipient of the Silver Beaver Award, Silver Antelope Award, and the Silver Beehive Award for his work in Scouting.
Program development Dr. Mortensen formed a Task Force to develop a Scouting program for 14- to 15-year-old young men in 1975. He asked five other men to assist him in his effort, namely: Alva D. Greene, President of Area 2 in the BSA's Western Region Ross J. Taylor, Executive Director of Area 2 Boyd R. Ivie, Scout Executive of the Great Salt Lake Council Burton F. Brasher, Former member of the YMMIA General Board Verl L. Stark, Area 2 Wood Badge Coordinator
The Task Force labored to identify a program theme that would appeal to the young men in the targeted age group. They wanted a program that would encourage the young man to continue along the trail to Eagle, but one that would also encourage "bigger" and more challenging activities. They wanted it to be Scouting, but a version that would be viewed to be different from traditional Scouting. They wanted it to be more advanced, one that would hold the interest of a young man entering High School, a more "Senior" version of Scouting.
While driving together on their way to a Scouting function in Pocatello, Idaho, Dr. Mortensen proposed they call their program "Varsity Scouting". The name fit. Everyone in the car knew that it satisfied their requirements perfectly and the name was adopted on the spot. The unit would be called a "Team", the adult leader a "Coach", and the principal youth leader a "Captain". An award, the Varsity Scout Letter, was designated as the top award for Varsity Scouts.
The Task Force divided responsibility for developing various sections of the program among themselves. Over the course of about a month, each section was completed and brought back to the group for review. Comments were made and a common vision emerged. Once the initial program design was finished, they began putting a plan together for moving forward.
The Task Force selected the colors [orange and brown], designed the uniforms [a tan polo shirt with a brown collar], and began the work of developing literature. No financial support was available from the National Council. None was offered from the Church. Dr. Mortensen paid the bulk of the costs that were required to get the program off of the ground. The total sum he paid is unknown, but it is generally accepted to have been tens of thousands of dollars.
Under the original program, Varsity Scouts were not allowed to wear the field uniform of tradition Boy Scouting. Lynn Larsen, wife of Professional Scouter Doug Larsen, and June Weise sewed the first Varsity Scout uniforms. Despite the name, Varsity Scouting was never intended to be a strictly sports-oriented program. The organizers wanted to include athletics as a part of the program, but they also wanted to include outdoor high-adventure and ample opportunities for service.
The Program Manager position was created to provide leadership opportunities to the young men and to allow a means of providing administrative oversight to various aspects of Team management. Serving at the pleasure of the Team Captain, each Program Manager was made responsible for one of five fields of emphasis. The Team Committee structure was designed to parallel that of the Team itself. An adult serving on the Team Committee was expected to serve alongside each of the individual Program Managers in a supporting role.
Operation On-Target Operation On-Target events were now synonymous with Varsity Scouting. In the spring of 1973, the Great Salt Lake Council held a "Merit Badge Expo" at the University of Utah. Commissioner Glen Oliver had the idea to send a Boy Scout Troop to the top of nearby Mount Olympus with a signaling mirror. At a predetermined time, the Scouts would signal the Expo as a demonstration to go along with the Signaling merit badge being offered. Doug Brewer was Scoutmaster of Boy Scout Troop 502, the unit that conducted this first mirror signaling activity that would later be adopted by Varsity Scouting and known as "Operation On Target" (to help Scouts "get on target with Varsity Scouting and on target in life)". Brewer later became the first Varsity Scouting commissioner in the Great Salt Lake Council.
Piloting The Task Force sought the endorsement of both the LDS Church and the BSA. The Church's General Scouting Committee decided to recommend the Varsity Scouting program "with some reservations". However, the Presidency of the Young Men grew increasingly uneasy and asked for a delay in implementation. New materials developed by the Church to support the Aaronic Priesthood Quorums had been developed and were about to be released. They felt that a simultaneous introduction of the Varsity Scouting program and the Aaronic Priesthood materials would "muscle the quorum program into the background" and that "the expectations made of the local leaders will become complicated beyond their capacity". They went on to put forth an alternative plan that did not involve Varsity Scouting.Internal memorandum, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Young Men General Presidency to Elder Marion D. Hanks, dated October 3, 1977
Eventually, approval was obtained from the Church to move forward with the program on a trial basis. The BSA was unwilling to embrace the program and offered no support of any kind for it, but they agreed to allow it to be piloted on a limited basis and approved the program design. Materials to support the program, the first Varsity Scout Handbook for the boys and a Leader Guidebook for the adults, were released.
The pre-pilot program was conducted from January 1978 to January 1980 within Area 2 of the Western Region. The participating Councils were Cache Valley, Logan, UT; Great Salt Lake, Salt Lake City, UT; Lake Bonneville, Ogden, UT; Snake River, Twin Falls, ID; Tendoy Area, Pocatello, ID; Teton Peaks, Idaho Falls, ID; and Utah National Parks, Provo, UT.
After a successful pre-pilot program, both the Varsity Scout Handbook for the boys and the Leader Guidebook were revised, creating second editions of each volume.Varsity Scout Handbook, Boy Scouts of America, , 2nd Edition, 1984Varsity Scout Leader Guidebook, Boy Scouts of America, , 2nd Edition, 1984
Piloting brought with it change to the uniform. The original polo shirt with the brown collar was modified, changing the shirt to a single-color, all-tan version. The Varsity Scout Emblem originally used was changed to a stitched logo using orange thread. Later still, when the new Boy Scout uniform designed by Oscar De La Renta was introduced, Varsity Scouting adopted the new uniform design, substituting the red shoulder loops designated for Boy Scouting with blaze orange shoulder loops for Varsity Scouting.
The National Council was persuaded to begin piloting the program on a broader scale. Twenty-eight councils were selected for this round of testing and National piloted the program from January 1980 to January 1984. The participating councils in this round were: Aloha, Honolulu, HI; Anthony Wayne Area, Fort Wayne, IN; Baltimore Area, Baltimore, MD; Bay-Lakes, Menasha, WI; Cache Valley, Logan, UT; Chief Seattle, Seattle, WA; Del-Mar-Va, Wilmington, DE; Evergreen, Everett, WA; Great Salt Lake, Salt Lake City, UT; Great Western, Van Nuys, CA; Jim Bridger, Rock Springs, WY; Lake Bonneville, Ogden, UT; Longhorn, Fort Worth, TX; Los Angeles Area, Los Angeles, CA; Minsi Trails, Lehigh Valley, PA; Mount Rainier, Tacoma, WA; National Capital Area, Washington, D.C.; Ore-Ida, Boise, ID; Otetiana, Rochester, NY; Quivira, Wichita, KS; San Gabriel Valley, Pasadena, CA; Snake River Area, Twin Falls, ID; Tendoy Area, Pocatello, ID; Teton Peaks, Idaho Falls, ID; Utah National Parks, Provo, UT; Verdugo Hills, Glendale, CA; and Winnebago, Waterloo, IA.
During the piloting phase, a study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of Varsity Scouting.Catherall, Thomas S. (1980), Varsity Scouting: An Evaluation Of Its Potential As An Alternative For 14- and 15-Year-Old Boys, Brigham Young University