Like units all around the country during the global pandemic, Pack 170 had to adapt to new social norms and some of our Scouts stopped attending meetings. Combined with having the largest graduating class of Arrow of Light Scouts in recent memory (14), we knew that we had to focus on recruiting this spring so we got to work.
Every year, Pack 170 has two derbies; Pinewood Derby in January and Raingutter Regatta in April. With the pandemic still threatening the safety of our Scouts and their families, blowing into the sails of a regatta boat was not a good idea so we considered other options for our Spring derby. We looked at Space Derby, a fun but underutilized Cub Scout derby, but we didn’t have the launchers/tracks for it and little time to build them. There also wasn’t enough time to build the cars for a Boxcar Derby. Although it doesn’t have “derby” in its name, a bicycle rodeo is a derby-style event and it was a perfect fit. Our Scouts had never done a bicycle rodeo so it would be fresh. Cub Scout aged children are learning to ride a bike and it is critically important to emphasize safety early in the process. Besides, what kid doesn’t love an onstacle course?!
I mentioned that we needed to focus on recruiting, and we did that by opening our bicycle rodeo to members of the community. Our Scouts were encouraged to share it with their friends and our families shared it on social media including community Facebook and pages.
Safety is a top concern. of course. COVID precautions were in place and enforced for all participants. It helped that our Derby Chair, Nicolas Rietsch, is also our Pack Health & Safety Officer. We followed our pack’s written COVID safety guidelines which incorporate all BSA and government requirements. We did temperature checks on arrival and recorded the results. Masks were worn at all times, especially when social distancing could not be achieved, which was most of the time. The whole event was designed to teach and practice bicycle safety and that takes a lot of adult supervision so we enlisted parents and leaders alike thoughout the rodeo.
Luckily for us we weren’t the first Pack to do a bicycle rodeo, Scouting Magazine has a great article on it. We settled on four parts for our bicycle rodeo. First was a bicycle safety briefing by the Cedar Park Police Department, Officer . Following that we had three choices for each kid to cycle through (pun intended); An obstacle course, a “Turtle Drag Race”, and supervised, open riding.
The obstacle course was very popular with kids lining up and coming back again. The course was laid out requiring the riders to demonstrate both safety and proficiency. For just $20, we got a set of 50 markers/cones to layout the course that required riders to execute both wide and tight turns to the left and the right, including an intersection. We added instructions that required them to come to a complete stop and look both ways before proceding. Riders were also directed to wave with their left hand and then their right to demonstrate control of the bike while steering with only one hand.
Our Lion Leader, Patricia Cruz, made sure that the Lion’s had a great time too. Of course, they could bring their bikes or trikes to ride the course, but they also ran the obstacle course in their own version of a Boxcar Derby. They really did a fantastic job building their cars. It made me wish I had my own boxcar to run with.
The Turtle Drag Race is my favorite because it requires an exceptional degree of control and balance to ride a bicycle at nearly a dead stop. That’s right, it is the slowest time that wins in this event. Participants on trikes or with training wheels could still run the race but the difficulty is eliminated by the extra wheels so they could not win awards for the event
Open riding was just as much fun as the other rodeo events. Riders were able to practice riding together in a group, watching each other and the road ahead for clues as to where the group was going. They tested their own skills like quick braking and avoiding road hazards. A lot of them just wanted to feel the breeze on their faces. The best part is that it all happened naturally without adults directing the actions. We were just there to ensure it was all safe but the kids created the program on their own.
Of course, we recognized the top finishers in the two judged events, obstacle course and Turtle Drag Race. Because it was a community event, we awarded certificates for first, second, and third at the event itself. Certificate blanks are inexpensive at less than $15 for 100 of them. You can also get certificate folders for a song to add a little more prestige to the award. Combine those with a home printer and you have a great way to create meaningful awards for your Scouts on very short notice.
So, the bicycle rodeo was a recruiting event too and you are wondering how we did. Well, 11 families filled out their info on our contact sheet and our membership Chair, Lacy Putnam, is following up with each family now. It is safe to say that it was at least as good as a traditional “Join Scouting Night”.
