Adult Competitions

[Taserdoc]

Just curious,

 

At camporee the Scouts compete against each other doing Scout skills for awards. If there were competions for adult leaders doing Scout skills for awards, how many of you would participate? What do you think the hardest/easiest/most amusing events would be?

 

This should be interesting...

[Eagle92]

One competitions I'd like to see is "Are You Smarter Than A First Class Scout" and it's everything covered by the T-2-1 requirements and IOLS. Use it as a check off to get some folks trained

 

 

[IM_Kathy]

we've had chili cook offs or just general cook offs - where they have all scouts and scouters vote. not all adults sign up to compete though - normally 1 per troop does it.

[desertrat77]

My favorite...I got to watch as a scout at the fall camporee ('70s)....

 

They told the scouters (two per troop) to show up to the competition area right after lunch. All the other scouts surrounded the field. The scouters were told to bring a pack with a tent, sleeping bags, pots and pans and some specific ingredients for food (pancakes I think).

 

At the start line, everyone finally found out what was up. The scouters had to run to a predesignated area, put up the tent, put the bags inside, take of their shoes and shirts, get in the sleeping bags, then get up, get dressed, start a fire, cook the pancakes from scratch, eat one, have a judge taste it, pack it all up, and run to a finish line. All tasks had to be okay'd by the judges to progress to the next. Best time won.

 

It was a hoot to watch! Some were very skilled. Others suffered from fallen tents, fire too high, pancakes made wrong, sleeping bags coming unravelled off the pack while running, pots and pans fall out of the pack, etc. All in good fun to see the scouters show those basic skills under pressure. Very entertaining!

 

How many would participate today? Depends on the emphasis placed on outdoor skills in each council, district, troop.

[SeattlePioneer]

Circa 1985 I took my troop to Camp as SM. I announced that one of my goals for the week was to do the mile swim, which was an activity open to Scouts and Scouters.

 

Several Scouts adopted the same goal, although I'm sure none of them had ever give it a thought until my announcement.

 

The program involved daily swims for distance and then the climactic swim at the end of the week.

Several of the Scouts completed the mile swim requirements, as did I.

 

In 2005 I attended camp with a Troop as an ASM. I again did the Mile Swim program, which attracted one or two Scouts.

 

Another adult chose to do the Camp triathlon which was open to adults. I think that attracted a couple of Scouts to participate as well.

 

Generally speaking, I don't favor pitting adults vs youth in competitions. But when adults can choose to participate in activities and inspire youth to try things they may not otherwise do, I think that's good. That's what the "adult leader" method of Scouting is about, in my view.

 

 

 

Seattle Pioneer

[Callooh! Callay!1428010939]

Adult vs. Scout? Generally, no... not a good idea.

Adult and Scout teams vs each other? Again, generally no... not a good idea.

Adult sized scouts vs. child sized scouts... same.

 

I think SP's comments above are good sense in this matter.

 

Adult vs. Adult? OK, if that helps keep you happy with your participation in scouting... but let's keep in gentlemanly and not let it upstage the centrality of events for Boy Scouts.

[desertrat77]

Concur, if adults compete it should be adult v. adult only. The competition I described above was scouter only.

 

Though it was a competition that counted towards overall points for the camporee, looking back I think it was more for the entertainment of the scouts than anything else. It only lasted 30 minutes, but the scouters were trying so hard to perform the scout skills, they were screwing more things up than doing them right. Just moving too fast, not communicating with their partner...non stop slapstick! The field was rocking with laughter. The scouters were good sports. Good memory.

[Papadaddy]

At summer camp, we had a "SCoutmaster's Chair" competition...making a chair out of natural materials (usually lashed together). Also had an "Aluminum Chef" competition modeled after the Iron Chef show. Each team was issued a propane stove and an aluminum cook kit. In our case, the secret ingredient was Spam, but use your imagination. Each troop could enter a team, and the adults were a separate category.

[Basementdweller]

while it sounds fun......It would become a spectator event........the boys would be bored.

 

Maybe a competition at resident camp instead of us just hanging out and fishing and sleeping......

 

I would enjoy an afternoon of pioneering or orienteering competition......

 

 

[Eagle92]

Adult and Scout teams vs each other? Again, generally no... not a good idea.

 

Not necessarily. I've participated in one such competitions and it was a hoot. It was the annual Chapter Chief - Chapter Advisor Egg Toss at Fall Fellowship. I missed the first year due to other duties as well as my last year as chapter adviser, again due to other duties at Fall Fellowship. But that second year was a beaut!

[DeanRx]

In general, I agree with the premise of adult vs. scout and big scout vs little scout is a bad idea.

 

The one exception I would make is in regards to a personal best measured versus a leader with an incentive award. As a leader who has on occasion had to push a group of cubbies on a hike to go farther or quicker than they thought possible....

 

We had an adult in the front and one in the back of the group. I was the "rabbit" and scouts were the "jackyls". I got a 2 minute head start up the trail (day hike, 2.5 mile and roughly 1000 ft evelation gain). Any 'jackyl' that could beat the 'rabbit' to the top of the hill got a special treat (soda instead of gatorade).

 

It is quite a surprise to see how motivated a bunch of 10 year olds can get to beat a 40 year old up a hill. It was as much about bragging rights as the prize. The bonus is many of the scouts posted better times and put out more effort than they would have had it just been a "hike".

 

Sometimes a boy needs a little motivation to push past their comfort zone in a given task. A beat the leader competition is a great way to do this and it keeps the LEADERS on their game too. So long as its done in good fun, I see no problem with it.

[Eamonn]

I'm not in favor of this sort of thing.

While the Scouts who see their adult win or do well in a competition will or might see him or her as some sort of super hero? What take home message do the Scouts who watch their adult leader lose bring home?

While of course we expect adults to act in such a way that they do set a good example, some adults when it becomes a competition forget this and winning becomes the be all and end all, everything else goes out the window. Adults behaving badly is not the example we need.

Our role as Scouter's isn't about proving how good or how fast we are. Our role is to provide a program for the youth we serve.

Eamonn

[Tampa Turtle]

We have occasionally done these things--usually when it was a silly game to show that we were willing to make complete fools of ourselves and where our physical size put us at a disadvantage. The boys seemed to enjoy it.

 

Occasionally adult vs. adult with knot tying...one old ASM has has the Troop record for 30 years. Boys seem to enjoy that and try to beat his time.

 

Otherwise we are not man-scouts.

[Crew21_Adv]

Taser,

 

Greetings!

 

You've received mixed advice. I agree, it is not appropriate for adults to compete against the youth. But for only a few minutes, the youth do like to see which Scoutmaster (or adult) has some hidden talents, with a lot of show and cheering. I have seen, participated in and hosted a few Summer Camp Friday afternoon (after all the MB are completed and before closing campfire) Scoutmasters' Belly Flop Contest. The Scouts love the show.

 

Some adult leaders are real characters, but never get to entertain. Some Scouts want to see their leader out-perform other Scout leaders (in friendly compeitition). During recent camporees, my district has held Scoutmasters Got Talent or District(name)IDOL as an intro to the campfire, they tell Jay Leno/David Letterman monologue jokes, play the guitar or perform quick simple skit. All the performances together total maybe 5-6 minutes. Then the winner is identified by the loudest cheer, and given a wooden cane as a prize. The Scouts do seem to enjoy cheering on all the leaders.

 

But like your other advice. Make it appropriate, make it brief, and don't compete adults against youth.

 

Scouting Forever and Venture On!

Crew21 Adv

[Austinole]

It's a great idea and I would participate; all-in-fun of course. I think it's important to make events FUN for all involved. I agree with not upstaging the events for Boy Scouts.