Tiger Foot

Thanks, I'll start stretching out and warming up my writing hand...

Meyerc13, That sounds great. I had suggested that we actually hold an informational meeting with graduating kindergarten boys and their parents last spring, before school shut down for summer. Ideally, I had hoped we could have identified willing parents then, before fall recruitment, and used the summer to train new den leaders and have them ready to go. I thought it was a good idea, but I never got the okay from our CM to go ahead and do it. I'm starting to feel like I need to work around him...still no response from him on my plan for the Tigers this week, though all the other den leaders are on board and will be helping. Shifting gears... Did you say I need to fill out a new volunteer application to get my position in the pack updated? Thanks

Stosh, are you in my head? I brought up very similar concerns when our CM told us his grand plan for this huge recruitment. Namely, who is going to lead them, and what is step 2 if he has great success. Its very frustrating. Anyway, another den leader and myself have asked parents to run our meetings next week. So we'll meet with the big tiger den. I'm hoping we can get our other leaders to help as well, but so far she's the only one who responded. We'll split parents and scouts, and I'll talk to the parents using the ideas you all have given. And see what they want to do I guess. Hopefully, we can turn this around and get 3-4 dens up and running with their own leaders and parents chipping in. Hopefully we won't waste snymore of their time, or mine. But given the lack of response from my fellow leaders, and the parents I reached out to, I'm not holding my breath. Anyway, thanks again. In addition to the ideas to try next week, I've got a list of things to try and implement going forward.

And just to be clear... I'm not the cubmaster, just the assistant. I'm not even sure that's official, in myscouting.org it looks like I'm still just a den leader.

Thanks everyone so much for the ideas and advice. I've got two wolf parents who will take over my next den meeting. I plan to spend that meeting with the Tigers, talking with the parents, incorporating the ideas you've shared. I feel a bit like I'm jumping the chain of command here, but I will contact the old scoutmaster and ask for his help, because the current cubmaster doesn't seem inclined to do much to rectify this,despite my efforts to address this with him. Hopefully I can turn this into something positive. I really appreciate all the supportive comments and ideas!

Thanks!

Hello, all thoughts appreciated, I'll try and keep the backstory brief. We have very few leaders... 5 including the cubmaster. We don't really have a committee to speak of, we all wear multiple hats. We had a very (overwhelmingly IMO) successful recruitment, and we are piloting Lion. We now have a lion den with about 15 scouts, and a tiger den with 23 scouts, plus a few additions in the older dens. Our pack has more than doubled in size, but we have not yet been able to add any new leaders. We do not have a leader for the Tigers, but do have a few parents who have agreed to run the first few meetings, the first of which happened tonight. It was a near disaster, leaving me with a few shell shocked moms. Ideally, this monster tiger Den would be split into 2-3 dens, but I'd still be short leaders. Adding to the chaos, most of these parents (excepting the few willing to run the initial meetings) dont seem to be willing to do anything. After I finished with my wolf den tonight, I checked on these new moms, and they told me the rest of the parents sat in a corner, talking even louder than the kids, made no effort to assist their scouts with the activities, or help manage their scouts inappropriate behavior. Adding to the mess, I guess a few of these understandably frustrated parents approached the old cubmaster about starting a new pack in another town. I'm not sure why they wouldn't just volunteer here, and he made that suggestion, but I don't know what, if anything, will come from that. I **think** the best thing I can do for now is to try and set some expectations with the uninvolved tiger parents... Shared parent/leader roles, working alongside their scouts at the meetings, scout like behaviors from their sons, that sort of thing. I have two wolf parents who will run my wolf den next week, so I'm free to devote that night to the new tigers. I'm hoping that will help the couple of parents who have stepped up so far have a better experience next week. I don't know. Last year was my first year in scouts, and this seems an overwhelming mess. I'm doing the lions on one night, the wolves the next. I guess I don't really know where to go from here, and any advice would be appreciated. I think if I can just get the majority of the patents to actively participate with their own sons at meetings, I can quickly develop three or four into den leaders.

I started it about halfway through the year as I got more comfortable in my role as a den leader, and began to get a better understanding of the program in general. I just rotated it once a month or so among all my tigers, but to be honest, they weren't really into it. The first scout I picked, and mostly because he was usually very well behaved, had already memorized all the bobcat requirements, and had taken the initiative to do some optional adventures on his own at home. After him, I didn't really see much in the way of leadership skills exhibited by any of the scouts, but figured maybe they would rise to the occasion when given the chance... Most of the time they forgot to wear it. I'm not sure how much to expect as far as leadership goes, but I did try and impress on the denner each month that he should be leading by setting a good example vis a vis oath/law/uniform. I always made them 'in charge' of keeping track of our snack rotation and clean up jobs. We were the only den that did it. I just bought the cords, my pack is pretty poor. I just keep receipts and try to remember to claim anything I'm allowed to and try not to worry about the rest, LOL.

I've never heard of seasoning cast iron with bees wax!

I was just speaking hypothetically, sorry. I am waaaaaaay to new at this to be arguing changes I've read a lot of comments saying that the uniform is optional, don't be the uniform police, don't punish scouts who can't afford a uniform, and that sort of thing. In this thread lots of folks have made very good critiques of the official (but optional) uniform, so I wondered why not just pick your own uniform that meets the criteria agreed upon by your troop. I understand the benefits of being uniform, your answer explains (at least some of the reasons) why the official uniform is important despite being optional. Thanks!

That's really cool. Looks like he's over the halfway mark on his fundraising.

Well, if it was up to me, I'd pick a BDU style pattern sewn up in a modern wicking type/microfiber cloth. My BDUs were about the most comfortable and practice uniform I ever wore. Or maybe I would eschew bifurcated pants all together. My kilt is pretty comfortable too...

I'll admit I love crocs. Most comfortable things I've ever worn. I get a lot of good natured grief, but I don't care. I started out life in special shoes and a Dennis brown bar. I'm not sure my feet have ever been right. My latest foot related expense was very fancy orthotics custom made for my feet. They seem to be helping, but they are so bulky and big none of my footwear fits correctly anymore. Just bought new hiking boots yesterday as a result. Comparatively, the crocs I have are decidedly less expensive, very comfortable, and relieve much of the pain I experience. Luckily, I'm pretty goofy looking to start with, so no one expects me to appear fashionable.

So, this may be a silly question stemming from my lack of experience... I've read this thread completely and a variety of other threads concerning uniform rules and standards. What's stopping a troop from adopting/purchasing its own uniform? If there are no real 'uniform police', if troops can vote on certain parts already (like neckerchiefs), if wearing and meeting current uniform guidelines is encouraged, but not actually enforced, etc. Could a troop decide... Hey, we want American made, and we found this company that can provide similar pants, shirts, socks, whatever at a price and quality level we feel is a good value, made right here. We are going to buy those instead and sew on official emblems and patches rather than buying the overly expensive, inferior quality (insert your criticism here), made in China official uniform from the scout shop.

tnmule20, Nice purchase, I'm sure you'll enjoy,it. Despite being 'old school' and maybe not as glamorous as internal frames, externals still have a lot going for them. I was a salesman in a high end mountaineering and climbing shop for quite a few years, but despite being 'high end', I moved quite a few Kelly tiogas and trekkers, and jansports. Scouts, their troops, college outing clubs, and beginner backpackers. Lots of people still find externals more comfortable, and the price difference is easy on the checkbook. A few tips that might be of use... -Play around with the weight distribution. In an external, many people find it more comfortable to pack heavy items up high at the top as this helps transfer the weight to the hip belt a little better, making the pack lighter on your shoulders and enabling a more upright stance. Can't say I never noticed a huge difference, but it did seem better, especially on longer walks. YMMV. -Add some clevis pins to your repair kit. And some bailing wire. Another nice thing about externals is that you can improvise some decent field repairs. I'm assuming you already have duct tape, LOL. Internals aren't always so easy. -The 'Big' pack problem. As others have mentioned, it can be a real thing and a real temptation. One easy way to fill up that extra space and lessen the temptation is to NOT use the compression stuff sack for your sleeping bag. Just put it in a heavy duty trash bag and let it take up some of that extra room for you. -General tip for any pack... Keep a list of what you packed. When you get home and unload, highlight on the list any items you packed but didn't use. When you pack got the next trip, look closely at those highlighted items. Anything you can try and leave behind? This habit will also help you overcome the temptation of the big pack. As far as coffee goes, I'm staying out of that side debate. I'm pretty new here and I know opinions can get hot on this topic, and I'd hate to say something that leads to any simmering resentment that could percolate up and boil over later... So I'll stick to safe grounds. Enjoy your new purchase, I hope it brings you many happy miles!

I got the principal at our local elementary school to let me gather up the scouts from our pack at that school and do a few skits for an assembly recently. We drew some laughs, applause, and lots of compliments. Going forward, we'll be doing a flag ceremony at least once a month in the morning at school. I'm hoping that having scouts in uniform in school will help generate interest. The 'invite a friend' cards are a good idea as well, thanks!

And I love the 'Back To The Pack' idea. I'm totally going to use that. Maybe I can figure out what happened to the 4 boys I lost!

Great advice, thanks. So, I'm filled with chagrin... Add me to your list of people who didn't know that Beascout existed. I checked our pin and it does appear to be out of date so I fired off a few emails to see if I can get that corrected. There are a few other packs around us, but are really church specific. We seem to be the catch all pack. Our school district is geographically huge... Made up of seven towns. But we're rural, do the populations are actually pretty small. Other than the few church specific packs, there isn't anyone else around. In fact, my towns old pack folded into the pack I'm in now before my boys and I joined. The person I talked to at district was supportive. And sadly, there aren't many toes left to step on. As far as planning meetings go, I think things have been catch as catch can. Unless there is a lot going on behind the scenes I haven't seen, I think the former cubmaster (now committee chair) and the current cubmaster have been carrying the bulk of the load. Nice guys, and the pack does a lot of fun stuff, but things always seem to come together at the last minute. I guess it could be because they are a well oiled machine... Anyway, I'm hoping if I can get to kids and parents just a bit earlier I can change both of those things... Maybe grow the pack enough that we can resurrect the packs that have folded. And get enough parents involved to plan and execute a little better. Trained leaders would be ideal, but even if it's just getting a list of people you can delegate a task to, that would help... Sheila, can you please handle decorations for blue and gold... That sort of thing. Again, thanks for the advice, I appreciate it.

I don't understand why it's so difficult. I also coach a little tykes lacrosse team. US Lacrosse is doing it much better IMO. The online training is easy to access. Signing up for clinics is simple. Maintaining my certifications, checks, membership, etc. is all done on the same site. My league has visibility as does USLax. Parents can sign up their kids online through our league website, check my credentials while doing so, and I can make sure everyone on the field is registered and insured at the USLax site or our team site. And if I ever get an assistant coach, I an even share my practice plans on the mobile coaching app. Easy peasy. I hope the BSA figures it out. I dont think any of us has gobs of time to waste on glitchy, confusing sites.

Our scouting year roughly follows the school year, and that means I'm beginning to wrap up. My first scouting experience has been a fun one. Despite my late start as den leader, I think I've done an okay job. We lost 4 boys, but gained 2 new ones, and I'm just waiting on good weather to complete our last two outings. We also changed Cubmasters during the year and I was 'voluntold' I'm now the assistant Cubmaster, LOL. So, absent other feedback, I think I'm delivering the program the way it should be. Now that the year is winding down (We'll do some pack activities over the summer, but not weekly meetings), I'm trying to plan ahead. I've picked up the the next rank Den Leader guide to start planning adventures on the assumption that I'll be moving up AND serving as ACM. I've taken all the online training I can find. I'm taking BALOO this weekend, and I told my wife that I wanted to go to wood badge as a birthday present. I'm planning on holding meetings with kindergarten age parents before the end of the school year at each of the elementary schools in our district. My hope is to get the word out before the kids start school in the fall so that parents are actively looking to join when their boys start first grade. And I'm hoping to identify parents to step up and take over as the Tiger Den Leader. Ideally, I'd love to find 2-3 who can take YPT and do the online classes over the summer so they can hit the ground running in the fall. What else should I be doing? Is there other training I should be doing. What do you do to recruit the next group of boys and parents into your packs?

I find it very confusing. I'm not a computer guy, and am still pretty new to cub scouts, so that's probably some of the issue. But completing the online training was pretty frustrating.

So, here's a newbie question... What is an ISA and why does it seem to generate some controversy?

I'll keep pestering the cubmaster and other leaders to be sure... They are all experienced and have been very helpful. But the old cubmaster is moving on now that his son had transitioned to Boy Scouts. The new cubmaster is settling in, but has his hands full with our winter challenge, Blue &Gold, and all the rest of his new duties. After this weekend I should be able to get together with him. In the meantime, both are aware of the drop outs and have my plan/agenda for completing all the remaining adventures. I think I'm in good shape, I just want to make sure none of the scouts fall through the cracks. Tomorrow night's meeting... Cyber Chip Jeopardy!

Great advice! Thanks.

Hi Ranman, I'm a new Den Leader, new to scouting, and my sons are as well. I can't speak for the whole pack, just my own experience with the Tigers. We are a little behind, but I think that's because my boys and I joined late, and because I really didn't understand the requirements. So, we wasted some time before I was onboard and up to speed. That said, I think we are doing well now, and unless the cubmaster springs some other events on me that use up a den meeting, we should meet all the requirements and advance everyone by the end of our pack's year. We are making progress and the boys are having fun! And without any pencil whipping... So far. But if I lose any more den meetings to wether or other events... Well. Drastic measures may be needed, LOL. Kidding aside, I like the program, despite the challenges I've had. My wife and I were the only parents to step up, and the pack is transitioning, so our questions don't always get quick, clear answers. The biggest help has been the den leaders guide. Once my wife and I sat down with that and got our bearings, we were able to map out the rest of our year pretty quickly. We've had to make a few adjustments based on seasons, and pack events we didn't know about. But the guide makes it very easy to plan and deliver. On the downside... We've lost about half of the den since I started. I'm not sure why, I haven't been able to get any parents to respond to me by phone or email. I'm hoping it's not the program changes, or worse, me! But I really don't know. So, from a fresh set of eyes, with no nostalgia about 'the good old days', I can say I like the program, and the remaining tigers and adult partners I have seem to as well. On the other hand, I have nothing to compare it to, am not getting much oversight, and have lost half the scouts, so it's very possible I don't even know what I don't know. Not sure how useful that is, but feel free to ask if you want more details about our experience so far!