https://www.fox13news.com/news...oy-scouts-of-america

Sarasota Eagle Scout has earned every possible merit badge


SARASOTA, Fla. - Eagle Scout Owen Eakle can tell you something about every merit badge he's earned.

"I've done a little bit of a lot of things. It just teaches me to broaden my horizons basically," he said.
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The 16-year-old from Out of Door Academy can think of a memory from every badge. First aid was his first. His favorites include nuclear science and sailing.

"I like to just remember one thing from each just so it kind of stays in my mind," he said.

That requires a lot of memory. Owen has earned 137 merit badges. That's every single badge offered by the Boy Scouts of America.

"For five years now, I’ve been waiting to just do the next merit badge and now there is no more. It just kind of feels like I’m waiting to do the next one after this," he said.

Last year Owen had about 60 merit badges. As COVID-19 quarantines went into place, he had the time and came up with a plan. He brought his parents along for the ride.

"I talked to my parents and scoutmaster and they were like, 'Yeah, let's go for it,'" he said.

He took trips around the Bay Area, Florida, and Tennessee, stretching his mission across the southeast until he earned his final badge: rowing.

He would become the third scout in Southwest Florida Council and the first in his troop to earn every merit badge.

"From 1912 you’re talking about fewer than 500 scouts than out of 110 million. It’s a pretty elite group. I would want you to keep your eye on this kid. There’s just no telling what he will do," said Paul Caragiulo the district chair for the Two Rivers District Boy Scouts of America.

Owen joined the Wolf Scouts in second grade. He's now a 16-year-old Eagle Scout. While he can't earn any more badges for now, he has plans on helping other scouts earn theirs.

"If there’s something you’re on the fence about in the future, maybe I’ll do this maybe I won’t. Just do the class. It’s not that hard and most of them are really fun. It pays off in the end," he said.

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i think this is really cool

great to hear something positive these days

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Bravo, Eagle Scout Owen Eakle, bravo.

Well done, well done indeed.

Very cool! I never made it past Cub Scouts

This is an achievement to be sure, but being involved currently with scouts and being an Eagle myself the ranks and badges have gotten pretty watered down even from when I earned my Eagle less than 30 years ago. And I remember my Eagle Scout grandfather saying the same about my Eagle and I remember looking through his old merit badge books and thinking yeah no way I would have earned some of these. Lots of kids are getting Eagle at 13-14 now. My group of friends, nobody earned younger than 16 and I was a week away from 18 when I got fully signed off. Frankly I just don’t think the 13-14 year old has the maturity or learned the scout craft to be an Eagle. I know there uniquely mature boys but when every damn kid in your troop has eagled out by freshman year of hi school I think there’s something else going on. Just my rant.

Still ... that's a lot of work Good on him and the other's who helped him get there.

Def a good kid but I concur with el toro. I earned my Eagle 50 years ago and it was definitely a little easier for my sons 30 years later.

quote:

Originally posted by ElToro:
...nobody earned younger than 16 and I was a week away from 18 when I got fully signed off. Frankly I just don’t think the 13-14 year old has the maturity or learned the scout craft to be an Eagle. I know there uniquely mature boys but when every damn kid in your troop has eagled out by freshman year of hi school I think there’s something else going on. Just my rant.

This was my troop as well. Nobody earned Eagle unless they were an upperclassman in high school, the view of the parents (Board of Review) and everyone else, was there was a lot more to the 'rank' than just checking-off the requirement boxes; leadership and the ability to teach/pass knowledge was held very highly. I think we only had 3 Eagles in my years in the troop.

Within the district there was troops that were simply Eagle machines, kept pumping out 13-14-15yr olds, they'd walking around with their chest puff'd out but, really they didn't know much. This became more apparent when the District Jamboree came around during the various competitive events, the Eagle couldn't do tasks or, choose the wrong options; same issues would get revealed during Summer Camp and Order of the Arrow.

Lol I got my Eagle with the minimum requirements and 30 days before my 18th birthday.

Good for him…I can definitely say I learned some stuff that still serves me earning merit badges. I didn’t get a ton, but at least ten more than required. A lot of stuff just wasn’t available or accessible for us.

I got signed off for eagle by my scoutmaster less than 2 hours before I turned 18. I had my Eagle board of review after I was 18. I might have been a bit of a procrastinator back in the day lol

Nice job, young Mr. Eakle. Nice job.

We have three sons all of which have earned Eagle and 138 Merit Badges each.

There are about 50,000 Eagle Scouts annually and about 500 Scouts that have earned all the merit badges.

Wow. As a former Scoutmaster, I'm very impressed. Good Job Owen.