Leaders of the Pack

Leaders of the Packs:

High Country Cub Scouts Going Strong

By Elizabeth Baird Hardy

Every week, in community centers, schools, and churches across the country, Cub Scouts come together to learn skills, have fun, and develop friendships that can last a lifetime. Many Cub Scouts continue in Scouting until they age out, with some even achieving the rare distinction of Eagle Scout, and some remain involved as adult volunteers. Yet, Cub Scouting is much more than a stepping stone to later opportunities; it is an amazing and fun adventure for Cub Scouts and their families. Over the past two years, many organizations have struggled to connect to members and maintain momentum, with limited or cancelled meetings and fewer activities, but the Cub Scouts of Avery County have come roaring back, with growing numbers and exciting opportunities for boys and girls in Kindergarten through fifth grade.

Cub Scouts advance from Lions (Kindergarten) to Tigers (First Grade), Wolves (Second Grade), Bears (Third Grade), and Webelos (Fourth Grade) before completing their Arrow of Light achievement and crossing over from a Cub Pack into a Scout troop. Each Cub Scout den, with scouts of a specific level, focuses on age-appropriate activities and goals that will help Cubs understand and demonstrate the skills and values that are central to Scouting. In addition, the Pack takes part in adventures and opportunities that help the Cubs learn while having fun.

After a wonderful fall campout, Pack 807 of Banner Elk is eagerly anticipating a spring campout as well as the alwayspopular Pinewood Derby. On March 19, 2022, Pack 807 and Crossnore’s Pack 800 will hold a joint Pinewood Derby to race the cars each Cub Scout will construct and customize. To make sure every Scout can participate in this exciting and fun event, each Scout received a Pinewood Derby Car Kit as a Christmas gift from local business supporter Carolina Swaybar. The Cub Scouts will craft the cars into individualized racing machines that will be tested on Pack 807’s impressive track. “Our goal is to make sure every scout has the opportunity for the Pinewood Derby,” says Alice Courtland, the Cubmaster for Pack 807, who notes that the Pinewood Derby, a flagship event for the entire Cub Scout program since 1953, continued even during the challenges of 2020, with the Pack 807 Cubs still holding the Pinewood Derby last March, even with only seven active members during the challenges of the pandemic.

Now, membership in Pack 807 is growing strong. According to Cubmaster Courtland, the Banner Elk Pack currently has 27 registered members, more than in the last ten years, many of them from families new to the area who understand what a valuable community Cub Scouting provides. Of course, there is always room for another Scout, and Pack members and their families are eager to recruit and welcome new members.

Since 1930, the Cub Scouts have helped to instill the positive values that will help children and their communities. Like the Boy Scouts of America, founded twenty years earlier for older boys, the Cub Scouts have always promoted opportunities for adventure, fellowship, and growth. Now, both Cub Packs and Scouts BSA Troops are welcoming girls as members. Currently, Pack 807 of Banner Elk has a number of girls as members, with female Cub Scouts making up about 30 percent of the pack. Since two of the six Cubs who will be crossing over into a Scout Troop later this year are girls, they are hoping for three more girl members to form their own girl troop. Girl and boy Cub Scouts participate together in activities, including archery, which Cubmaster Courtland describes as illustrating one of her favorite parts of working with Cub Scouts, “seeing them light up when they learn something new.” As the shooting sports range officer, Courtland loves seeing Cub Scouts go from struggling to even hit the target to doing well and becoming adept at a new skill.

In addition to providing opportunities for children, Cub Scouting is an incredible opportunity for adults to gain skills and build relationships. Courtland, who has worked as both a Scouting professional with the BSA and as a volunteer in a variety of leadership roles with Cubs and Scouts, thinks she has actually benefitted from Scouting as much as her son did, crediting the organization with introducing her to lifelong friends and a supportive community. The values that Scouting encourages for children are also reinforced for adults and allow lifelong learning for volunteers at every level, whether or not they have children currently active in the program.

Since Pack 807 presently has an excellent leadership team, new volunteers needn’t fear being thrust into an unfamiliar and daunting leadership role. Instead, they will have opportunities to build relationships while being involved with a tremendous organization.

To learn more about the fantastic opportunities offered by Cub Scouting, to learn more about registering a boy or girl for a local Cub Scout Den, or to volunteer with Pack 807, contact Alice Courtland at abcourtland@gmail.com. More information about Cub Scouting, about Scouts BSA, and about Packs and Troops across the country can be found at https://beascout.scouting.org/.