The Singing Scoutmaster: Cheers, Yells And Applauses

Cheers, Yells And Applauses

Cheers, yells and applauses play a vital role in the scouting experience, serving as an excellent means to express appreciation for the accomplishments of fellow scouts. Beyond just recognition, cheers also contribute to the overall enjoyment of scout activities by fostering audience participation.

Much like the timeless tradition of shouting "Hip Hip, Hooray!" in unison, scout cheers inject a sense of fun and camaraderie into the atmosphere during campfires and gatherings.

In the context of campfire programs, which encompass a variety of elements such as songs, jokes, and skits, cheers become an integral part of creating memorable moments. These shared experiences not only bring joy and laughter but also strengthen the bonds among troop members. The collective participation in cheers and other campfire activities establishes a sense of unity, reinforcing the scouts' connection to their troop and enriching the scouting journey as a whole. It is through these lively and interactive rituals that scouts forge lasting memories, fostering a spirit of community and enhancing the overall scouting experience.

Be sure that everyone knows the cheer before you start, and then lead the group in a rousing cheer!

Patrol Yells and Patrol Flags

Patrol yells are a vibrant and essential part of scouting tradition. Every patrol is encouraged to develop their unique patrol flag and a distinctive yell. The process of designing and creating their flag and yell fosters teamwork, creativity, and a sense of belonging among patrol members. These symbols of unity and identity can be proudly displayed and used in various settings, such as during meal gatherings at campouts or during roll calls at meetings. The shared experience of coming together to create and use these elements enhances the camaraderie and spirit within the patrol, making scouting events more memorable and enjoyable for everyone involved.

For example, the Beaver patrol might have a patrol yell as simple as "Go Beavers Go!" It's a great way to answer roll call in unison when the Senior Patrol Leader checks to see who is present, patrol by patrol.

• 2000 LB Canary: Put hands on opposite shoulders, while opening and closing elbows say, "Here, kitty, kitty."
• Abe Lincoln: That was great! HONEST!!
• Alka Seltzer: Plop, Plop, Fizz, Fizz, Oh what a relief it is.
• Almost: With hands far apart, bring them rapidly together as if to clap, but miss just before your hands meet.
• Archer: Mimic shooting an arrow, then call out "Bulls Eye!"
• Avon Calling: Point a forefinger and shout "Ding, Dong!"
• Barber Shop: Make 4 razor-sharpening motions on the palm of your left hand with your right hand, turning your right over with each stroke. Touch the edge of your razor hand and say "Sharp!" Don't forget the barber's flourishes.
• Baseball Applause: Pretend to throw a baseball in the air and pretend to hit it with a bat. After you hit the ball, shout, "Home Run!!"
• Baseball Cheer: Hey, batter-batter-batter! Hey, batter, batter, batter! Swwwwiiiiinggg, batter!
• Bee: Put arms straight out and pretend to fly, while going "Buzz-z-z-z, Buzz-z-z-z."
• Bell Ringer: Pretend to hold a bell rope then get the left side of the audience to say "DING" on the downstroke and the other side of the audience to say "DONG" on the upstroke. Repeat 3 times
• Big Hand Cheer: Leader says, "Let's give them a big hand." Everybody in the audience holds up one of their hands with the palm up.
• Big Sneeze: Cup hands in front of nose and "sneeze" into hands. Having nowhere to put it, wipe your hands in your hair.
• Big Wave - Micro Wave: Say "Big Wave!" while giving an exaggerated wave with your whole arm. Then switch to just waving a tiny bit with the fingers of your hand and say "Micro Wave!"
• Big swimmer's Cheer: Swing arms all around, "splash, splash, splash!"
• Blast Off: Countdown from 5 to 1. Bend your knees a little more on each count until you are squatting, then yell "BLAST OFF" and spring up into the air.
• Bow and Arrow: Slowly draw an arrow from quiver on your back. Place arrow against string of bow, pull back, release and say "pfffft."
• Bowling Applause: Pretend to throw a bowling ball down an alley and yell, "Strike!"
• Broken Arm: Stick arm out in front of you with the lower arm and hand dangling. Swing lower arm and hand back and forth in a limp manner.
• Broken Trolley: Pull the bell rope as if ringing a bell, repeating "CLUNK! CLUNK! CLUNK!"
• Broom: Pretend to take a broom and sweep the floor saying Clean Sweep three times.
• Bull Cheer: Make bull horns with fingers while shouting "El Toro! El Toro!"
• Bull Fighter: Hold down cape and move in appropriate motion while shouting "OLE!"
• Call The Hogs: SOOOOOOOO EEEEEEEEEE, SOOOOOOOO EEEEEEEEEE!! PIG PIG PIG PIG!!
• Campfire Cheer: Divide group into three sections. Have each group say crackle right after one another: "CRACKLE, CRACKLE, CRACKLE!"
• Can Of Applause: Cheer and applaud as cover is removed from can, and become quiet as lid is replaced.
• Cantaloupe: (A variation of the Watermelon Cheer) Cup your hands for the cantaloupe and shoten time and noise for spitting out the seeds. Variation: Hold a piece of canteloupe in one hand, take a fast bite, turn head and spit out seeds.
• Cat's Meow: (to the person receiving applause) You're the cats MeeeeOOOW!!
• Centipede variation 1: Ninety-nine THUMP!! Ninety-nine THUMP!! Ninety-nine THUMP!! This wooden leg is killing me.
• Centipede variation 2: My feet are killing me!
• Centipede variation 3: My shoe bill is outrageous!!
• Chinese Bow: Stand, fold your arms, bow from the waist while saying "Ah Phooey."
• Chinese: How! How! How! Phooey, Phooey, Phooey.
• Chuckwagon Cook Cheer: Come an' git it!!
• Clean Air Applause: Take a big sniff of air, exhale and say "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
• Coo-coo Clock: Nod your head up and down and say "Coo-Coo" as if it's _what you decide_ O'Clock.
• Covered Wagon Cheer: Divide the group into two. One group shouts WESTWARD! And the other group shouts HO!
• Cow Yell: MOOOOOOO!! MOOOOOOO!! MOOOOOOO!!
• Cowboy Applause: Raise hand in air as if waving hat, saying "Yippee!!"
• Cowboy Cheer 2: Fine as Cream Gravy!! (very good, top notch)
• Cub Scout Yell: "Do Your Best! Be Prepared! Shout! Shout! Shout! Wolf Cub! Bear Cub! Webelos Scout!"
• Desert Yell: "Yucca, Yucca, Yucca!!!"
• Duck Cheer: Squat down and tuck arms into armpits, forming wings. Duck walk while saying "Quack, quack, quack."
• Earthquake Cheer: "Shake, rattle, and roll!" (Repeat three times.)
• Elephant: Let arm act as trunk, wave it brokenly in front of your face. Raise your forearm up and make an elephant trumpeting noise, then yell "Aw Peanuts!"
• Firecracker: Strike a match on the leg, Light the firecracker, Make noise like fuse "sssss", Then yell loudly "BANG!!"
• Fireman Yell: Water, Water, Water! More, More, More!
• Fisherman: Pretend to cast your line, let it sink, yank your pretend pole back and start to reel in the fish. Struggle with it for a short time and say: "I'VE GOT IT!!! I'VE GOT IT!!!"
• Flea Flip: Flick your middle fingernail with your thumbnail.
• Flintstone: Shake hands over the head and say,"Yabba-dabba-doo".
• Frankenstein Cheer: (In a maniacal voice) It's alive! It's ALIVE!
• Frankfurter Cheer: hold up your hotdog, squeeze ketchup on it and take a bite. "Hot dog! That was good!"
• Frog Applause: "Ribbit! Ribbit! Ribbit!"
• Frog Pond Cheer: Divide into three groups. Group 1, using high voices = "Tomatoes, tomatoes, tomatoes" Group 2, with medium voice = "Potatoes, potatoes, potatoes!" Group 3, with deep bass voices = "Fried bacon, fried bacon, fried bacon!" Rehearse with each group; then add one group at a time.
• Garbage Bag Cheer: In a deep voice say, "Hefty! Hefty! Hefty!"
• Garbage Disposal: Turn your face up, open mouth, make gurgling sound, swallow big.
• Genius Applause: Look surprised and say, "Look what I discovered."
• Giant Beehive Cheer: Tell the group to buzz like a bee. When you raise your hand, the volume should increase. When you lower your hand the volume should decrease. Practice this at various levels.
• Go-Team Cheer: Stand and yell, "Go, team!"
• Golf Cheer: Shout "FORE" and pretend to hit the ball, place hand over above eyes to follow where the ball went.
• Good Turn Cheer: Everyone stand up, turn around, and sit back down.
• Grand Sneeze Cheer: "A-h-h-h Chooooo! Three times, each time getting louder.
• Handkerchief Applause: Hold a handkerchief up and drop. Applause continues until the handkerchief hits the ground.
• Invention Cheer: I've made it, I've made it. Don't know what it is, but I've made it!
• Javelin Cheer: Hold hand as if close over a javelin, raise arm above shoulder and pretend to throw the javelin forward, wait a couple of seconds and say "Thud".
• John Travolta & the Mosquito Cheer: Use your disco pointer finger pointing up and down and sing, Oo AH, Oo ah, (Then slap all over) Eatin' alive, Eatin' Alive.
• John Wayne Cheer: Move it, Pilgrim. We're burnin' daylight!
• Model T Cheer: Push your nose with one finger and say, "Beep, beep!" Make a fist, push your arm out, and say, "Honk, honk!" Then push your stomach and say, "Ah-ooo-gah, Ah-ooo-gah!"
• Motor Boat Cheer: Pull on starter cord a few times while fluttering tongue on roof of mouth. Then start the sound of a motor boat.
• Mountain Climbers: Pretend climbing on mountain. A rock slips off. Put your had over your eyes, look down and yell: Look OUT BELOW!
• Olympics Cheer: Join hands, raise them over head and shout, "Go for the Gold!"
• Overeater's Applause: Looking uncomfortable, rub stomach and slowly say "I can't believe I ate the whooole thing."
• Party Cheer: Throw hands in the air and say, "Confetti, Confetti, Confetti."
• Pat on the Back Cheer: Everyone pat the back of the left shoulder with their right hand.
• Pennsylvania University Cheer: Draw right fist back to shoulder, then extend arm while yelling P U!
• Pony Express Yell: Have everyone gallop in place and shout, "YIPPEEEEEEEEEE".
• Real Big Hand Cheer: Make a fist with the thumb extended, put thumb to lips and pretend to blow and inflate your hand, open hand and extend fingers gradually with each puff. Hold up hand when fully extended.
• Relay Cheer: First person in row claps next person's hand and so on down to the end of the row.
• Reverse Applause: Move hands away from each other.
• Robot: Walk stiff legged with arms in place saying in a monotone voice, "DOES NOT COMPUTE, DOES NOT COMPUTE!"
• Rooster Cheer: Placing your thumbs in your armpits, wave the arms up and down while crowing.
• Rooster and Farmer Cheer: Divide the room into two. Half of the room yells "Cock-a-doodle-doo." The other half yells "Go back to sleep."
• Round of Applause: While clapping hands, move them around in a circle in front of you.
• Rubber Tree Cheer: Pretend to hold axe to chop tree. Every time you swing it bounces back. Make bouncing noise: "Boing, Boing"
• Sailor: Put hands up like you're holding a telescope and shout "Land Ho!"
• Sandpaper Cheer: Rub hands together as loud as you can.
• Take Five Applause: Everyone shows their open hand while saying "Take Five" three times.
• Talent Agent: Say, "You're gonna be a STAR!"
• Three Strikes Cheer: Like an umpire, raise right hand up, point to the pitcher while saying, "Stee-rike!" Repeat three times and end with, "You're out!"
• Thumbs up: Hold your hand out at arms length in a fist with the thumb up. Say "GREAT JOB!!"
• Touchdown Cheer: Quickly throw both arms up into the air with fingers close together pointing upward (as if to signal a touchdown) and yell "Touchdown".
• Trail Boss Cheer: Divide the group into two. Group one shouts "Round 'em up!" And group two shouts "Move 'em out!"
• Trucker Cheer: Pretend you are driving a big rig. Reach above your head and pull the horn cord, make a loud, deep "HONNK! HONNK!"
• VROOM Cheer: Make a sound like a car revving up and say, "Vroom, vroom!"
• Viking: Attack! Attack! Attack! Retreat! Retreat! Retreat!
• Walk Cheer: Tramp, Tramp, Tramp.
• Watermelon Cheer: Everyone holds a huge slice of watermelon in their hands. They slurrrrp it into their mouths from one end of the slice to the other. (Move slice across face making slurping sound.) Then they spit out the seeds to the side (raspberry).
• Wave: "For a SWELL job!" Rise and raise arms above head then sit back down, as done at sports events. When the wave reaches the last person, it can come back the other way.
• Way Back Applause: Make a fist but point your thumb backward like a hitchhiker does. Move your arm from front to back as you say "Way back!"
• Whale: Blubber! Blubber! Blubber!
• Yodelers: Cup hands around mouth saying, "Yoda-lay-hee-hoo."
• Zee End: Tell your group this is to be the last applause for the night, have them take a deep breath, and yell: "This is zeee end!"