Scouting, Volume 62, Number 7, October 1974 Page: 96
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Cub Olympics (from page 58)
for the benefit of the spectators in the
grandstands, who paid a quarter to get
in, and another quarter for the pro-
gram, and for the Cubs and Webelos
Scouts, in case there was confusion.
The games were then divided into
four areas: National Physical Fitness.
Track and Field. Aquatics (at the town
swimming pool). Contests, which in-
volved pass, punt, kick; baseball throw
for accuracy; Frisbee throw for dis-
tance; and many others. Without os-
tentation there was an area for the
physically handicapped with games
such as lawn bowling and driving a
nail that they could handle without
trouble, and prizes and medals for the
winners.
In the big event of the day, physical
fitness, each Cub or Webelos Scout
participated in five events: Softball
throw, one point for each throw; modi-
fied push-ups, two points for each
push-up in one minute; modified sit-
ups, two points for each sit-up in one
minute; standing broad jump, one
point for each inch of the long jump;
50-yard dash, run off on time basis,
first place 100 points, second place 90
points, third place 80 points.
There was a popular Pinewood
Derby with the boys racing the cars on
special tracks, wooden cars built by
the Cubs and their fathers. I watched
the event, with the fathers looking
more anxious than the kids, the Cubs
gathered about the cars like touts at
Belmont Park Race Track.
The boys were all serious as they
watched the car race, but they were
still boys. One little fellow suddenly
took off his Cub cap and slapped the
Cub beside him put the cap back on
and returned to serious staring.
There was surprising lack of con-
fusion in the large arena where 500
boys were running, high jumping,
throwing a broomstick javelin, making
a zip zag sprint around automobile
tires. That old fairgrounds' field had
never seen such life. It literally
jumped.
I picked a few of the contestants at
random and asked a few questions.
Christopher LeMay, eight-year-old
Cub. "What do you think of this?"
"Wow, wow, wow, wow!"
Robert Rabox, nine-year-old Cub.
He ran the zig zag sprint in 11.5
seconds. "This is big! I'm out to win!"
Christ Gray, nine-year-old Cub, win-
ning at the long jump three times.
"Winning is great. Wait 'till I throw that
broomstick javelin!"
96
His mother Joyce Gray: "This is fan-
tastic. This is the way for these boys to
see what the big Olympics on TV is all
about."
Son Chris: "This is better'n TV!"
Jeffery Horr, nine-year-old Cub. "I
ran the running long jump. Ran 50
feet. Jumped 13, really frogged it. Let's
see anyone beat that one!"
It was a long day; it was nearly dusk
when the Olympic games ended, to the
disappointment of the Cubs. Then the
assembling at the winners' racing
oval, where prizes were presented to
winners standing on a three-tiered
rostrum, each award accompanied by
an ear-shattering cheer from over
mote than 500 Cubs.
Big winners, taking impressive, tall
silver, bronze and gold trophies of an
athlete holding an Olympic wreath,
were John Hersey, eight-year-olds,
Pack 240; Mark Mallory, nine-year-
olds, Pack 186; Shawn Shea, ten-year-
olds, Pack 197. These boys will com-
pete for the State Physical Fitness title.
There were 132 other awards, ribbons
and gold, silver and bronze medals.
There were no complainers, no sour
grapes.
Cub Billy Ramsay received a rous-
ing cheer when, after receiving one
medal for winning a swimming event,
was mistakenly offered another, and
he said, "No. I haven't earned that
one."
These Cub Olympics that went off
like a fireworks display that memo-
rable June day in 1974 in the Roch-
ester, N.H., Fairgrounds didn't just
happen. It was the brainchild of a vol-
unteer, Richard C. Perry, a sturdily-
built, dark-haired, dark-eyed man who
opens doors and closes arguments
when he smiles. Any among you
considering putting on an Olympics
for the greater glory of your youth,
your pack, or your district might con-
sider the following.
It took Richard Perry well over a
year to pull this Olympics together, a
year of hard work and frustration. He
visited all 20 Cub packs in the district.
Perry is a Cubmaster, a troop Scouter,
a member of the district roundtable
staff, institutional representative for
Cub Pack 197.He has two Scout sons,
a girl in Girl Scouts, his wife is a den
mother. Although a volunteer, Scout-
ing is his life. He works at it seven
nights a week, and also drives a
charter bus for Scouting activities,
ably abetted in most activities, includ-
ing these Olympics, by his wife
Jeanne.
The key, Perry knew, when he
visited the Cub packs, was to get the
enthusiasm of the Cubs. If he could
get the boys excited, the parents
hadn't any choice but to go along. He
worked from the bottom up with each
pack, registering with each one every
day. Next step was an organizational
meeting with leaders from all packs.
This he finally broke into committees,
giving each adult a job he wanted.
Perry stayed on top of all planning
by phone and when possible, in per-
son, listening to problems and helping
solve them. Problems piled up: The
Rochester Fairground had prior com-
mitments. Perry worked out dates.
Electricity had been promised at the
fairgrounds for concessions and the
audio equipment. Perry managed to
get it the very last day. A stage was
promised. It was never delivered. The
T-shirts with the Olympic emblem and
a patch commemorating that event
was Perry's idea, and he designed
them. They arrived only the night be-
fore the Olympics — because he did
a lot of prodding.
The biggest let-down was in trying
to get a band to lead the march of the
Olympic contestants from city hall to
the fairgrounds, and then play there
for a while. Perry tried every high
school band in the area without suc-
cess. One day he saw an article in the
New Hampshire Sunday News about
the Exeter Gladiators, underlining that
they were $8,000 short for their long
trip. Perry called the band director,
said he'd pass the hat at the Olympics
if the band would come. The director
said they'd come without that. The
event merited it.
Why did Richard Perry go to such
lengths for fun and games?
His reasons: Cubs should be to-
gether on a district basis. They should
get together with boys of their own
age. They should have something
really big to look forward to each year.
Something that won't let them lose in-
terest, will perk them up. Physical
fitness programs should offer fun
rather than a mere concentration on
fitness. Cub activities also should
create community interest, show peo-
ple what Scouting is all about. The
Cub Olympics would accomplish all of
this, besides interesting Cub and
Scout recruits.
Also the adults are difficult to get
out to monthly meetings. Something
big was needed to spark them, get
them to meet one another. Perry in-
sisted that the various pack leaders
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Boy Scouts of America. Scouting, Volume 62, Number 7, October 1974, periodical, October 1974; New Brunswick, NJ. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth353587/m1/96/: accessed April 26, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Boy Scouts of America National Scouting Museum.