Aquatics Merit Badge Days

Allatoona Aquatics Base Merit Badge Saturdays | June 3 – August 12, 2023

Welcome to Allatoona Aquatics Base Merit Badge Weekends. Classes are held each Saturday starting June 3 through August 12, 2023, a total of 9 weekends. There will not be classes on Saturday, July 1st, or July 29th.

The street address of the Allatoona Aquatics Base is 200 Lovingood Drive, Woodstock, GA 30189. When you enter the camp’s gate, continue driving, you will pass the Ranger’s house on the left then the equipment sheds also on the left. Then you will see the main pavilion on the right. Please park in the main pavilion parking lot. Any overflow will park on the left across from the main pavilion parking lot entrance.

Speed Limit in camp is 12 MPH, please do not exceed this speed as there are many people in camp, especially Scouts, walking around and darting across the roads, so we must be cautious driving through the Allatoona Aquatics Base.

Everyone, including Parents, children and visitors are required to always wear closed-toed shoes while at Allatoona Aquatics Base. Flipflops or Sandals are not allowed. Scouts will not be allowed to do MBs if not wearing the proper shoes. Pets are not allowed at Allatoona Aquatics Base, even on leashes.


Scouts and parents are required to read through the information under each heading below before proceeding with registration.

The registration for classes will open in Tentaroo 6 weeks prior to the Saturday the class is being offered, and registration will close 2 ½ weeks prior to class Saturday. You MUST check out and PAY to complete the registration. Failure to do so could cause your Scout to miss available slots.

When the class reaches full capacity, it will be closed in Tentaroo. However, if there are cancellations Tentaroo will open again until class is full again or reach 2 ½ weeks prior to class.

There will be no waitlist for classes. Check Tentaroo up to 2 1/2 weeks prior to Saturday class for any openings.

Refund cutoff is 2 and a half weeks prior to Saturday class. If you must cancel please do so before this date for a full refund. There will be no refunds or credit if cancel less than 2 weeks prior to the Saturday class.

Please check your calendar and requirements before signing up your scout for classes.

You will receive an email when you register confirming you are signed up your class. Please review and read carefully the items required to have with them when the Scout checks-in on Saturday morning.

You will receive a second email 2 weeks before class from the counselor listing the prerequisites for the class and other important information. Please come prepared.

A third email will be sent out 3 days prior to class with a reminder of the items needed for check-in and the prerequisites.

ADULTS

Adults (parents, drivers, scout leaders, etc.) are most welcome to stay on the Base for the duration of the class.  In fact, many of our MB Counselors would welcome extra help (from simply an extra pair of eyes on the waterfront, to assistance with equipment and instruction).  If you plan to stay for the day, please register in Tentaroo (no fee) and on class day check-in and show proof of YPT compliance.

There are two categories for Adults (18 Years and older):

  1. Participant: If you are planning to get in the water to assist with the Merit Badge, ride in boats, or wade in the water, please sign up as a participant. You will be required to take the BSA Swim Classification test before classes start.
  2. Observers: As an observer you will stay on the aquatics base for the day but not help or participate in any water activities, including wading in the water. If you bring siblings they must be registered as an observer and stay out of the water.

Check-in starts at 8:00 AM at the main pavilion. Please be on time to check-in.

Scouts MUST have the items below at check- in in order to take the aquatics Merit Badges.

Scouts are required to bring the following items at check-in.

  • BSA Medical Forms A & B completely filled out and signed by parent or guardian. Incomplete forms will be returned to the Parent/Scout to fully complete before starting class. Incomplete forms will delay the starting of class. A Scout cannot take the Merit Badge without a completed form.
  • Merit Badge Blue Card signed by Scoutmaster. Make sure all three parts are filled in with the required information, including your personal information.
  • Closed Toed Shoes are required while walking in Camp. No flip flops or sandals allowed. Closed Toed Water Shoes are suggested.

The below items are strongly recommend for all participants during the day.

  • Water Bottle
  • Sun Screen
  • Lunch (no food items are offered for sale at the base). Also it is too far to travel to pick up food so suggest bringing a good lunch.
  • Hat
  • Sun Glasses
  • Towel
  • Merit Badge Book for class being taken

All participants, Scouts and Adults, who will be in the water or near the water and in boats will be required to take the BSA Swim Classification test for each Merit Badge they take each week. You must past the BSA Swim test and be classified as a “Swimmer” to participate in water activities, etc.

Please make sure your Scout is ok with jumping into the lake to take the BSA Swim Classification test. We have had Scouts afraid to jump in the lake water due to not seeing the bottom etc. Also please make sure they can do swim strokes for BSA Swim Classification test, doggie paddling is not an acceptable stroke.

BSA’s National Aquatics Subcommittee recommends: Swimsuits should be comfortable, functional and modest. For males, swim trunks or board shorts are appropriate. Modest tankinis or one-piece swimsuits for females. Inappropriate swimwear includes swim briefs or swim bottoms short enough to allow exposure and bikinis.

YPT principals must be observed at all times on the Aquatics base. All Merit Badges must have two deep leadership. If a Merit Badge class has only one Merit Badge counselor, an adult with YPT training must be present to cover two deep leadership. If Scouts are landside while other Scouts are in the water, two adults must be present on shore for YPT. When Scouts walk around in camp they must have a buddy, no walking alone.

If there are any female Scouts taking a Merit Badge class, an adult female must be present at the class to cover YPT guidelines. We ask if your daughter is taking a Merit Badge class to please stay for the day to cover YPT. If a female Merit Badge counselor is present teaching the class, no additional female adult is required.

Get Youth Protection Training

You will need to check with the Merit Badge counselors leading the classes for the approximately finishing time for the Merit Badge. Different Merit Badges will be completed at different times depending on the progress during the day of covering all requirements. Scouts will be released by the Merit Badge counselors after all equipment is returned and the class area is cleaned of trash. Please be on time or close to the Aquatics Base so counselors don’t have to wait around after class for Scouts to be picked up.

In the event of severe, inclement weather, the Merit Badge classes will need to be canceled if cannot continue during the day. In this case the Scouts will notify their parents for pickup. Parents should therefore plan to be near the base in order to pick up their Scout promptly.


Registration will open on April 21, 2023 for the first weekend course

Each course: $25
Motorboating: an additional $5

If you need to cancel for any reason, please email us. Cancellations made 17 days or more prior to the event will receive a full refund. Registration will close 15 days prior to the event. See refund policy at the bottom of the page. Click below to see a full class schedule.

REGISTER FOR AQUATICS MERIT BADGE DAYS


Date of Event Courses Offered Registration
Opens
Saturday, June 3
8AM-5PM
Canoeing, Fishing, Kayaking, Small-Boat Sailing, Swimming April 21 at 9AM
Saturday, June 10
8AM-5PM
Canoeing, Fly Fishing, Kayaking, Lifesaving, Rowing, SUP Award April 28 at 9AM
Saturday, June 17
8AM-5PM
Canoeing, Fishing, Kayaking, Small-Boat Sailing, Swimming May 5 at 9AM
Saturday, June 24
8AM-5PM
Canoeing, Fly Fishing, Kayaking, Lifesaving, Rowing May 12 at 9AM
Saturday, July 8
8AM-5PM
Canoeing, Fishing, Kayaking, Small-Boat Sailing, Swimming May 26 at 9AM
Saturday, July 15
8AM-5PM
Canoeing, Fly Fishing, Kayaking, Lifesaving, Rowing, SUP Award June 2 at 9AM
Saturday, July 22
8AM-5PM
Canoeing, Fishing, Kayaking, Small-Boat Sailing, Swimming June 9 at 9AM
Saturday, August 5
8AM-5PM
Canoeing, Fly Fishing, Kayaking, Lifesaving, Rowing June 23 at 9AM
Saturday, August 12
8AM-5PM
Canoeing, Fishing, Kayaking, Motorboating, Small-Boat Sailing,
Swimming
June 30 at 9AM

DOWNLOAD FULL COURSE SCHEDULE


Courses Offered (Click to Review All Course Requirements)



 
 

Class Withdrawal and Refund Policy

Due to the limited number of scouts that we can accommodate in each class, we kindly ask that you contact us as early as possible if a scout cannot attend a class. Requests to withdraw from a class (cancel), change a class (drop/add), and/or receive a refund must be done in writing, preferably by sending an Email Chris DeRose, Administrative Professional of Programs.

Refunds will be made when the withdrawal (cancellation) is at least 2 and a half weeks before the class date.


Completion Reports and Blue Cards

The instructor of each class will log all completions and submit them to the Council office. Please allow at least a week after the course for the data to be entered into our system.

Scouts may come out of the event with a “partial” meaning there are requirements remaining to be completed. This could be due to requirements that are unable to be addressed during the merit badge session, there are requirements that can’t be completed on site, or due to the Scout failing to meet the requirement standard during the session. After the event, the Scout will need to keep in touch with the counselor from that class or find a merit badge counselor to work with to complete the merit badge either within their troop or in their area. Reminder when Scouts are contacting counselors that they follow the 2-deep leadership by having an adult cc’d to the email or on speaker phone with that counselor.

After two weeks from the event, we will not be putting in additional completed requirements to the event due to the fact that the report will state completed on the event date.

To pull past reports please log in to your AtlantaBSA.org account, same account you registered for the event, then follow these steps.

  • Select “Events” on the far left of the screen
  • Select "My Past Events"
  • Select "Merit Badge Summit"
  • Select "Past"
  • Select the date you attended
  • Scroll down to "Registration"
  • Click on "Reports" button
  • Select "Completion Report, PDF" or you can download the front/back of a blue card

File Name Description
Allatoona Aquatics Base Driving Directions Download
Allatoona Aquatics Base Map Download
BSA Annual Health and Medical Record (Parts A&B) Download
CAAB MB Class Schedule Download