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The Cubs Challenge 2004
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Cubs Football 2003
The Cubs Challenge 2003

The challenge was held at Chalfont Heights on a damp Saturday in October, Thursday pack was one of twelve packs taking part. The six bases included designing and then producing a scarf (currently on display at the hut), making Ballisters, building and lighting a fire, making a cup of drinkable tea (quality variable), shelter building and retrieval of two billys from a zoned off area using a combination of poles, ropes, hooks, elastic bands and magnets.

The billy can challenge was on possibly the only muddy site at Chalfont that day, which only added to the difficulty, and fun, of it as we were the last team on that base, allowing for the equipment (and cubs) to become filthy and the mud to get churned up and spread around.

Overall the team came seventh, only 15 or so points behind the winners. Six eager, clean cubs started the day and six tired, dirty, happily exhausted cubs finished.

Cub Scouts from the Wednesday pack having a go last summer!

Sitting either side of an adult each cub had hands on an oar and gradually learned how to handle it and to pull in time with each other and the person counting the rhythm. After some practice many cubs could row by themselves. The favourite position was up front in the bow where there was only room for one oar and one cub and plenty of scope for innovation! They also took turns in steering a large rudder in the stern and resting in the cabin. We saw heron, a moorhen's nest with chicks and waved to all the passing motor cruisers. We managed to row as far as Eel Pie Island, round it and back again, the furthest a cub pack has pulled so far and all in 2 hours! Click here for more photos

The afternoon got off to a shaky start with two Cubs turning up at the last minute, one having forgotten until an alarm call was given. The easiest part, and the favourite, was the hockey challenge, in which cubs had to guide a ball between cones, the most within one minute getting ten points. Least favourite was the crisp tasting and trying to guess the flavours, such as Thai Chilli and Red pepper. The cubs had ten flavours, all picked by me, and got a point for each correct guess. Also included was naming ten cub proficiency badges, which I think the leaders found harder than the Cubs themselves and the design of a robot to do the housework for their mothers. And finally a 'safe home' word search with a spot the dangers pictures.

Whilst the scores where being worked out the Cubs were able to have a drink, a doughnut and a rest. After ten minutes or so they got called back out into the main hall for the results and the prize they all wanted - a trophy full of doughnuts - the wait seemed eternal as the scores got called out in reverse order, a long pause before announcing second, and our Cubs did themselves reasonably well by not cheering too loudly when they realised that they had won, all doing a good job of shaking the hands of some of the runners up.

[A district competition held in Richmond Park between teams of 6 cubs from each pack]

On the first challenge we were given a map to find our way to the first base where we were given a biscuit and some icing to cover the biscuit in any decoration we wanted and then chose the best one. Henry and Thomas made some tea for Akela and the leader at first base. We all went back to control for another map to find our way to the next base.

Here me and Jack collected bark rubbings and collected some leaves and Jack and Thomas found out what the different trees were (from a book). We went back to control and were given another map to the next base. We were shown pictures of 13 football kits from teams that had played in the World Cup and given the names of 12 teams. We had to match the teams to the kits. We only got one wrong thanks to Hugh who knew most of them.

At the next base there were two big squares on the ground made of rope, one inside the other, and a bucket of acorns in the middle. We weren’t allowed to step inside the squares or drop anything in them. Henry threw a stick into the squares and it was taken away. We were given wire hangars, canes, metal hooks and magnet to try and get the bucket out of the squares without dropping any acorns. We tied two canes together and a hook on the end and did it.

At the next base we were each given a mug of water to hold in our right hand, tied together in a line one behind the other and then blindfolded. There was a rope tied round several trees and we had to hold it in our left hand and start walking. When Thomas, who was in front, felt an obstacle he would tell the person behind him who would tell the person behind him until the message reached the end of the line. We had to get round the course without spilling too much water. All the water was poured into a jug at the end to see how much we had – or didn’t have!

Our last challenge was to make a bridge. We were given 5 ropes, two large logs and instructions. Two of us put the logs in the shape of a right angle and tied one end of a rope to one log and the other end to the middle of the other log. The others tied the other 4 ropes to the top of the longer log and held them out at right angles. We stood the longer log in the ditch and four cubs stood in a cross holding the end of one of the four ropes and the shorter log rested on the side of the ditch. We took in turns to get on the log and swing it round onto the other side of the ditch.

At the end we went back to control and collected our certificates and a Mars bar. We came 4/10 packs.

After 2 consecutive years when the sports day has been rained off, the day dawned bright and dry! and the district sports was held in glorious sunshine with 10 packs taking part. Great enthusiasm was shown by all the cubs and everyone enjoyed themselves immensely. Thanks to the efforts of Hugh, Ed, Oli, Jimmy, Henry, Laurence, Benjy, Hugh, Michael, Dan Max, Thomas and Tristan we came second, the highest we’ve ever been!

Some of our parents had great fun running a BBQ offering bacon and burger rolls and hot drinks, squash and cake. This was very popular and we sold out just at the finish and raised £114 for the Group.

On the 28^th February, 7 cubs took part in a district challenge that would test their hand-eye co-ordination, sight, taste, reading skills, art abilities and general knowledge. These 7 cubs were Sasha, Max, Hugh, Edmund, Molly, Thomas and Tristan. Only six cubs could represent First Richmond, so one of them, Hugh, joined a cub group who only had 4 cubs and they ended up doing very well (because of Hugh of course).

There would be six activities going on at one time, there was a whistle to start them and a whistle to stop. Each cub would compete on their own and not with their leader or their group. You would be scored for every activity and all of the people in your group’s scores would be added up to make the group’s grand total. If you had the highest score you would win the trophy full of doughnuts. A really good incentive you must admit.

The first challenge was a simple hockey slalom race. Cubs would take turns to dribble a ball using a hockey stick through a slalom course and back again, the quicker you did this the more points you scored.

The second challenge was rather unpleasant. You had to taste ten different drinks and guess what they were. Three of the drinks tasted awful and one of the drinks was green!

The third challenge tasted your art skills. We were told that an explorer had discovered a new bird species after venturing into the forest. Our job was to draw this mysterious and wonderful bird. Marks were awarded on colour and imagination.

The fourth challenge was a word search. It used several words you would encounter in your time at cubs i.e. camping, badges, fun, fires, tents and friendship.

The fifth challenge was to spot what was wrong in a picture of a modern classroom. For example, we found a dog with five legs, a growing chair leg, a Victorian girl and a poster encouraging you not to drink milk.

The final challenge was to test your general knowledge. We had to name the different parts of the British Isles i.e. England, Scotland, Wales, I.O.W. and London.

At the end all the cubs got a well deserved doughnut and drink but now it was time for the highlight of the day – the results. They started in reverse order. We were not called out up to place five. We felt great as our name hadn’t been called yet. Before we knew it we were in the top 3, then the top 2 and finally we found out we were the No. 1 cub pack. We felt brilliant and won a trophy full of doughnuts!

M: I found our trip interesting because there were lots of things to do and 130 Cubs from our district went there by coach and it was the most the centre had ever had! I discovered how to make binoculars with Lego and lenses.

L: I discovered that when you exercise your pulse gets quicker. I found this out when we did the ‘Wacky Olympics’. We were shown how to find our pulse and then told to count the number of beats in one minute. Then we did some tiring races that exhausted us and counted our pulse again. It was a lot quicker this time. This was because when you exercise your heart needs to pump more oxygen from your lungs around your body.

M: Discovery Adventure was two rooms full of ‘hands-on’ activities and a tower to climb which had 88 steps and was 22 metres high! I found the tower the most interesting. There was a telescope at the top and little square blocks attached to a rail around the tower which would say something like "Sainsbury's ...a supermarket" with an arrow so that you knew where to look for it through the telescope. There was a camera in the tower and a screen in the room below so you could watch the people in the tower.

L: I learnt that when you hit the end of pipes of different sizes with something leather, air is forced up the pipes and they make different sounds. The greatest fun was when we were doing the races – in one you had to burst a balloon by sitting on it, throwing blown-up ‘javelins’ if you got the answer right to a question, and going on a treasure hunt.

M: The best thing was trying to make a cradle for a raw egg to drop into without cracking. Each group was given one balloon, some newspaper, a box and some polystyrene. We had to place the box where we thought the egg would fall and see if it survived!

L: Finally at the end of the trip we all got a free torch. It was either purple or blue and would fit in your pocket. I got a blue one.

Here are details of some of the Activities that the Cubs were involved in during 2003.

This is the first time for a few years that First Richmond has taken part as one of the teams in the District Cub Football competition. Once a month we played two games against other packs from the district, the winner being the pack who wins the most games!

Our team was Richard, Max, Daniel, Alistair and James. The game started. We went off to a good start with Daniel doing the most terrific saves in goal and we all did a lot of good passing. Then from inside the box, Richard took a shot but hit the post, then again, but it hit the side netting. In the last minute of the second half, they shot from the edge of the box and it just went over Daniel's head into the net. We lost 1-0.

The game started with Richard in goal. In the first minute the other team scored. After their celebration, they scored again, and again and again. In the second half we did a lot better, but we still could not get any shots in. In the last minute, they managed to get another goal in against Max. We lost 5-0.

Our team this time was Richard, Max , Daniel, Alistair, James, Oliver and Ben. The game started. Max went to the edge of their box, had a shot, but it went over their crossbar. Then they scored two goals and one in the second half. We lost 3-0.

We did a lot better in the second half, hoping for a draw because we just could not score. Then the time came when Oliver took a nice shot, but the goalie saved it. We drew 0-0 and secured our first points and a clean sheet!

Our team was Richard, Daniel, Oliver, Edmund, Lawrence and Max. The game began very sadly because in the middle of the first half they scored, leaving the final score 1-0.

We did absolutely fantastic because Max scored in the first half and Daniel kneed it in in the second half. We won a game and did not let any goals in! We won 2-0.

First Richmond certainly did not disgrace us. We did not finish bottom, in fact we were the highest placed pack in the old Richmond and Barnes district!