The Canadian Cub Scout motto is "Do your best," and a 10-year-old West Vancouver boy certainly has.
Ethan Hippel in the First West Vancouver Cub Scout Troop has acquired each one of his 63 badges in just three years.
Hippel, that has gained badges regarding everything from snowboarding to participating in a shoreline clean-up under the Lion's Gate Bridge, was honoured with a special merit ceremony on April 19 by Scouts Canada and West Vancouver Mayor Michael Smith.
"I really feel achieved, and I believe later on in life I will look back and smile at what I've done," Hippel explained to On the Coast host Stephen Quinn.
Badges for snowboarding, space exploration
Hippel mentioned that as he began cub scouts three years ago, he knew there was badges for survival expertise, but was really happy to learn there were also badges for a variety of other activities - such as snow-boarding and even space exploration.
"I discovered the different criteria and were really exciting," he said.
"Around the start of my second year I just decided I would like to get all of them because it is so interesting to get all of the badges and also to feel so accomplished once you do them."
He explained which he weren't attempting to acquire all the badges just to keep them. He said he's gained abilities which he believes may help him throughout life.
"They want to focus on survival skills as well as outdoorsy activities, they also would like you to be an all-around person," he explained.
The most challenging feat, Hippel said, was the "climate change obstacle crest." He stated the actual crest involved 5 various badges for various activities including recycling and using an online calculator to find out his family carbon footprint.
Constructed a soap box car
He said the space exploration badge was the most enjoyable, because he need to design his own space suit and skyrocket ship.
"It needed to be lifelike," he explained. "You can't say it creates a tree emerge from your ear something like that."
Hippel also built a wooden soap box car in order to earn his badge for carpentry.
"It's about four-feet long, and even I made that with my grandpa," he explained, including that he hasn't raced it yet but he's ridden it down a big slope around his house with his brother.
"It took a few weekends [to build], and it is red, green, blue - a bunch of various colours. And it doesn't have any brakes," he laughed.
When they are not earning badges, Hippel also swims competitively, plays on a nearby soccer team and even attends Swedish school.