Lutz Man Breaks Gender Barrier With 1st All-Girls Cub Scout Pack

LAND O’ LAKES, FL – They may be full of sugar and spice, but these girls also don’t mind frogs, snails and puppy dog tails.

They are members of Cub Scout Pack 537 of Lutz and Land O’ Lakes, the area’s first all-girl Cub Scout Pack and one of only 50 girls-only Cub Scout Packs in the country.

The pack was founded Eric Cupps, 37, a newscast director for Fox 13 who began his own Scouting career 30 years ago as a Tiger Cub. He went on to become an Eagle Scout, Boy Scouting's highest honor. Even after he aged out of Scouts, he continued to be involved as an adult volunteer and assistant Scout leader.

Now that Cupps has two children of his own -- a daughter, Avery, age 8, and a 3-year-old son -- Cupp said he was ready to take on the challenge of becoming a Cubmaster.

His timing couldn’t have been better.

Last October, the Boy Scouts of America announced that it was allowing girls into the Cub Scout program, which was previously restricted to boys age 7 to 10.

“I thought, what a great opportunity to get my daughter and other girls in our area involved in Scouts,” said Cupps. “I think every girl and boy deserves the opportunity to participate in Scouting.”

With the Imagine School, a charter school in Land O’ Lakes, agreeing to become the pack’s sponsor, Cupps proceed to organize the pack in April. Cub Scout Pack 537 became official two weeks ago under a conditional charter.

Currently, the pack consists of seven girls ages 7 to 10 but Cupp expects that number to swell in the fall when he begins actively recruiting new members.

“It’s very popular and the girls are really excited about it,” he said. “I imagine the number in the pack increasing to 20, 30 or more.”

The girls wear the same uniforms as their male counterparts and use the same Cub Scout handbook. The only exception is the girls have the option of wearing a skort with their uniform, an option that all of Cupp’s Cubs have declined.

Right now, the pack meets every other week. It will begin meeting weekly when school starts.

Cupps said the pack will focus on learning citizenship, outdoor skills, emergency preparedness and participating in community service.

Already, the girls participated in the Lutz Fourth of July parade and took on a service project making bag lunches for underprivileged children in the community.

Cupp also took some of the girls on their first camping trip to a Scout camp in Georgia.

“They had the best time ever,” said Cupps. “They went hiking, did archery, shot BB guns, made handicrafts, went swimming and had campfires. They didn’t want to leave.”

He said the girls did receive a few strange looks from boys at the camp who had never encountered girls in Cub Scouts.

“But they didn’t seem to mind,” he said. “In fact, I think they found it empowering to be among the first to break this gender barrier.”

Currently, the pack is only accepting girls although Cupps said he may open it up to boys in the future.

For more information, contact Cupps at (813) 546-4252 or visit the pack’s Facebook page.

Images via Cub Scout Pack 537

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