Following is the Bobcat Ceremony I put our new Cub Scouts through last night at our Blue and Gold Banquet. It is a slightly modified version of this presentaion I found online. I think it went pretty well, including the face painting. A couple of kids abstained from the face-painting, which was fine. But in general the boys were pretty happy with themselves and the parents seemed to enjoy it as well.
For every journey, there is a beginning and an end. We’ll start the awards portion of our evening by celebrating a beginning.
In Cub Scouting, every boy begins their Scouting journey by earning the Bobcat Badge. It is the one badge that every Scout must earn, from the youngest Tiger to the most seasoned WEBELOS. Without it, they cannot receive any of the rank badges- Tiger, Wolf, Bear or WEBELOS. It is the foundation upon which a boy builds towards earning the Arrow of Light, the highest award a Cub Scout can earn.
Tonight, we have 8 boys who have satisfied all the requirements for their Bobcat Badges. Those requirements are to memorize a handshake, a sign, a motto, a salute, a secret, a promise and a law. These boys have all demonstrated to their leaders their knowledge of these requirements.
Would the following boys please come up with you parents:
(call each name of Scout who has earned their Bobcat Badge.)
Boy’s you’ve accomplished the first step in Cub Scouting. In all things there is always a first….the first stone laid in a new building, the first step across a bridge. The first is sometimes the hardest, but that’s because it lays the foundation or the strength for what follows. The Bobcat badge is your foundation. The trail of Scouting lies ahead of you, but don’t be afraid – you won’t have to do it alone. You’ll have lots of help from your Akela…Akela can be your parents, your den leader, even I your cubmaster will help you along the trail, helping you become successful.
As a symbol of your achievement and of becoming a member of this pack, I ask our Den Leaders to give you the colors of Cub Scouting…blue on the right cheek and yellow on the left.
(Asst. cm or den leader puts blue and yellow mark on each boys cheek)
Your parents stand here with you to demonstrate their pride in your accomplishment and that they are there to help you, just like they helped you earn the Bobcat badge. In recognition of the role that family plays in Cub Scouting, I will present your Bobcat Badge to your parents, who in turn will present it to you. When they afix the badge to your Scout Uniform, it will initially be upside down. It is a tradition of this Pack that the Bobcat be pinned upside down until such time that you perform a good deed, unasked. In recognition of this simple act, your parents may then permanently afix the badge to your uniform, right side up.
(Award badges to Parents, who in turn present the badge to the boys Since all of our Scouts were already lined up< I went to each one individually, alternatively you could call each boy forward but that would likely take longer.)
Parents and Scouts of Pack 26, please join me in congratulating these boys on completing their first achievement in Scouting.
One interesting thing about being up there in front of all those parents and family is how quickly things happen. I had mental notes- minor alterations to the script or additions I thought of prior to the presentation- and I missed most of them because the moment came and went so quickly. Just keep that in mind when you go live.