Awarding the Bobcat Badge

[DanKroh]

I'm about to Cubmaster my first awarding of the Bobcat badge to our graduating Tigers (including my younger son). When planning this meeting with our committee, the CC says that she has heard of a tradition of pinning the badge on the boys upside-down until they perform a good deed, at which point, they can turn it rightside-up.

 

It sounds like a cool tradition, but I don't remember doing it for my older son when he got his Bobcat. Has anyone else heard of this tradition, and if so, do you know of any history or basis for this practice?

 

Does anyone else have any other "local" traditions about the awarding of rank badges that might be of interest?

[Cheerful Eagle]

Hooray Tigers!!

 

Yes, Dan, we do that very thing in our pack, for all rank badges. It's very traditional. I'm in California now, but when we first started scouting,in Alaska, my son had his wolf rank badge pinned on upside down. I turned it up after our first earthquake -- he was calm, helpful with his younger sibs, and even prayed for our safety. I'll always remember THAT good turn!

[TodBryant]

When I was a Cub Scout, the tradition was to turn the BOY upside down and pin the Bobcat on him rightside up. He had to wear the pin (because Bobcat was a pin back then) upside down until doing a good turn. It was a simpler time.

 

Today, turning the boy upside down is expressly forbidden in the Cub Scout Leader book. I guess too many got dropped on their heads.

 

In our pack, we award the Bobcat in a nice, candlelit ceremony. Everything rightside up...

[ScoutNut]

There are all sorts of cool Bobcat & other rank ceremonies. Any of the magic ceremonies always go over big.

 

Turning the pin is an interesting tradition that came from, I believe, the Boy Scout Slogan of "Do A Good Turn Daily". If you plan on doing this, you might consider changing the terminology somewhat to better reflect Cub Scouting. You could say "Do your best to help another person or give goodwill".

 

 

[msnowman]

We do the Glowing Bobcat Ceremony w/ "Bobcat essence" and "magic dew" (glow stick juice and activator). This has been an immensely popular ceremony - enough so that the boys talk about it and as each earns his Bobcat this is the ceremony he is looking forward to. We don't do the "upside down Bobcat" because technically that would be adding to the requirements. They already earned their Bobcat, there is nothing saying they have to do a good deed. Not that there is anything wrong w/ them doing a good deed, but the "do a good turn daily" is the Boy Scout Slogan, not a Cub Scout one.

 

Good luck w/ whatever you decide for a ceremony. I'm sure it will be a hit.

 

YiS

Michelle

[Cheerful Eagle]

Michelle,

 

Can you post a website that has the Glowing Bobcat Ceremony on it?

 

Thanks

 

[wiscouter]

In our pack when we give any badge of rank we give it to the parent to give it to the boy when he does a good turn at home. It also gets the parent's involed in the cermony.

[msnowman]

Cheerful, I wrote the Glowing Bobcat ceremony that we use. I got the idea from another mailing list that I belong to.

 

PM me and I'd be happy to share it.

 

YiS

Michelle

[ScoutsForLife]

Our pack also has the "Do a good turn" tradition for their badges of rank. For the little guys that usually means helping to clean up and stack chairs at the end of the pack meeting!

 

Chris

[Lisabob]

Just to clarify, everybody knows that you are not supposed to turn the BOY upside down, right??? THis is considered hazing and is frequently referenced as a no-no at leader training.

 

(I've always kind of wondered where that idea came from, to start with!)

 

Lisa'bob

 

 

[OR Pioneer]

Anyone tried turning the CUBMASTER upside down? We did it once. I'm 6'4" and 200+ pounds. It was difficult but that is why you have ACMs, right?

 

Berk Moss, Newberg Oregon

Assistant District Commissioner

Pioneer District

Cascade Pacific Council