Quail Forever!

March 19th & 20th were the beadings of Ken and Andy. They are my Peeps of the Bobwhite Patrol of the Woodbadge Course W1-492-11 in Cascade Pacific Council.  I am very proud of these Bobwhites for many different reasons.  There are a total of 6 Bobwhites within the Patrol.  Russ is slated for June and Barry is slated for April Beading Ceremonies.  The other two Bobwhites are close behind.

Every participant has their own story to write.  I am proud that I got to follow their story.  One great thing is with all the beadings that I get to go to, is to see how other Scout Units hold Arrow of Light and Court of Honor ceremony.  It’s the reflection of how each unit honors their Scouts and Leaders.  Scouting is very fun.  I look forward to having the whole Covey beaded!

Quail Forever!

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One year later: XLIX of C of #100DaysofScouting

Today is my one year anniversary of getting my Wood Badge Beads.  My fellow Beaver Kent also got his Beads a the same time.  He invited me to his Troop’s Court of Honor to have the Ceremony.  All but one us got their Beads.  Kent and I went to all but one of our Patrol mates Beading ceremony.  Not a bad track record overall.

Here is a blog about the Beading event.  To me, it is pretty amazing that it happened.  I am very grateful to all who were there and helped me accomplish the goals within my ticket.

I started my journey in September 2009 and I am now on staff for W1-492-11 as a Troop Guide.  I have grown and learned a lot.  Am I smarter?  I could be.  I just understand more about Scouting and understand more about the game. I am very excited when I hear and see other friends who are going to, signing up, coming back from Wood Badge and working their ticket.  I have had the pleasure in helping one person complete a ticket item.  I know that when the Patrol starts theirs, I get to see them accomplish their dreams and affect the lives of those who they serve.

Here’s to eight more beadings in the next 18 months!

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What is a Cubmaster?

A Cubmaster is the head of state, royal poohbah of the pack and person who should know all.
Is the Cubmaster a Scoutmaster in training?  Maybe.  I do not know, I am still a Cubmaster.

Every pack is different and special as is it’s leaders and Cubmaster.  Who makes the pack, who keeps it running, who do the parents and cubs look towards?  Some would say the Cubmaster.  I do not.

To me, the Cubmaster is the Master of Ceremonies.  The person who really puts them self out there at the Pack Meetings to be there for the boys.  The Cubmaster is not there for the parents enjoyment.

Forget the whole politics of the pack committee and parents….for a moment.

The Cubmaster is there to convey knowledge via entertainment.  To incorporate the message and tools of the Boy Scouts of America and make it FUN!

This message that is being instilled in the boys encompasses everything that the cubs are working towards in their Dens.  All the badges, awards, segments and honors.

So, how do I do it?   Honestly……I wing it.  I do a lot of day dreaming and thinking of what gets me going and excited about the boys are supposed to do in the Den and what badges & awards they can earn.  After that, I try to figure out how I am going to pull it off.

At the beginning of the year I had help.  I went to Wood Badge WE1-492-09 that was put on by the Cascade Pacific Council.  I created a ticket that I was to complete.  The ticket was five seperate items that directly benefited the pack and myself.

Simplified my ticket was:
1)Become a better Cubmaster by going to Pow-Wow.
2)Create a record system and promote training within the Pack Den Leaders/Committe
3)Earn the BSA 100 Year of Celebration Patch
4)Earn Leave No Trace (LNT)
5) Bring a Native American Themed presentation to the Pack.

I shared this with the Den Leaders and Committee and started in on it. #1 & #2 was generally easy.  Going to P

#5 was a tad harder, but my Troop Guide helped and saved cross-over with his use of Native American Flute.  He was able to create a program using myself, his friend, the retiring Cubmaster and his seven years as a Cubmaster as well.  The great thing was after the crossover, he and his friend gave a concert/talk/presentation about the Native American Flute.  So moving, that I now have a Key of C Native American Flute and am learning how to play it.  My hope is to use it at other pack ceremonies.

#3 & #4 were longer to accomplish.  In looking at both the LNT & BSA 100 Patch there were many items that overlapped with each other and also what the boys had to accomplish for their rank.

Armed with Wood Badge, I now think and act differently in a lot of different parts of my life.

For me, taking on any position and working at any company, I need to understand and believe in it.  For example, I work for a large Xerography Copier Company….;)  Technology is very cool. We invented it.  I generally know how all the copiers that I support not only physically work, but why they work.  In General…. I do this, because I am the face of that company.  I should know what I do and sell.  I irks me to no end when a person representing a company does not understand the product that they sell.

Back to Cubmastering……and that said:
I need to learn as much as I can.  I go to Roundtables, I twitter and facebook with other Scouters.  I also listen to as many podcasts as I can while driving.  To me, everything outside of roundtable is a virtual roundtable.  Currently I have the Intro to Outdoor Leadership Training scheduled for Nov 12th. Same weekend as Pow-Wow….  I am also looking for the CPR/AED for Adults/Kids and then the Wilderness First Aid Classes by the Red Cross.

All of this so, I can react and know what I need to do when I need to.  This is also in the non-emergency side too.  I am going to get more questions from parents, committee and kids than I will broken arms and things like that.

That is all the political stuff:

The Cubmaster really sets the tone of the Pack and what it whats to accomplish.  I gather input from the other Den Leaders as to what they want to do as a Pack.   This year, it’s earning the International Activity Badge, Hornaday, Nothing but Nets.  I also want to do more camping and use our Friend of Scouting Gold Status.   Our Pack just does not do it. It’s been awhile that we did  a lot of stuff.  Hence my direction to put more OUT in scOUTing and FUN as well.

The great thing is that now the BSA has come out with planning guides for those of us new to scouting.  I already know that all of our Den Leaders will be using them. That really really makes it a lot easier for me to plan pack meetings..

Which brings me to a great point.
I am trying to incorporate Skits, Songs, Den Chiefs, Den Flags, Denners and all the traditional stuff into our pack.  I am slowly incorporating them.  But this next year…going for it all.

Overall, the role of the Cubmaster is in essence to keep the history of scouting alive and instill it into the boys and families.  Scouting is a living and breathing history that as Cubmaster”s we are bound to pass onto others so they have a great scouting experince.

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My WoodBadge Experince

Walking into Woodbadge I have no idea what I was getting myself into.  I knew that I would learn a lot.  I only attained Wolf in Cubscouts in my whole Scouting career before rejoining in 2008.  I did not know the culture and what to do.  I had limited experince as a Tiger Den Leader.  I just had the desire to learn more about Scouting.

The session Thursday to Saturday is all book learning and coming together.  We learn how to become a team.  Forming, Norming and Storming!  We also learn how to listen and commuicate.

The bonds we formed in this session were and are strong.   The second session is where we put it all together, put on skits, make food for our patrol and guests and give a presentation.  We also did a Leave No Trace/Project at the Camp Gilwell (Camp Cooper).

In the end, I had to create a ticket consisting of five projects that would benefit my Pack directly.  It also had to include a diversity (religious) item.

1. Completion of Celebrating 100 Years – A Year of Celebration
2. Improve Cub Master Program within Pack 221.  (I went to POW-WOW and took seven classes)
3. Have Pack earn Leave No Trace.  (Since this is becoming a BSA item, it just made sense.)
4. Create awareness within the Pack of Native American Traditions.  (This was accomplished at Arrow of Light Ceremony.  My Troop Guide and friend did a Native American Flute Ceremony and presentation.)
5. Create a training and tracking opportunities within the Pack for Leaders and Cubs.  (I had the pack buy Packmaster/Pack Ledger so we can track all accomplishments.  I also promoted all training sessions at the council and district level and online.)

Currently I have only the Leave No Trace section to go and I will be getting beaded.  This should be completed in March with beading on March 29th.

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