bridges for Webelos Crossovers..

[SueM]

Ok WB'ers and all you other dedicated scouters out there...my local Wood Badge Association has decided that as a project, we'd like to build a bridge for each District within our council so that when Webelos graduation time comes that they don't have to scramble for a bridge. (it'll also come in handy for the new modifications to the WB course too!!) Anyway..what we're looking for is bridge plans..especially for the kind that can be broken down into sections for easier transportation and storage. If anyone has plans for such a bridge, would you please contact me!!

 

Sue M.

I used to be a Beaver...

 

[ManassasEagle]

I just stuck a picture of the one my guys built at http://users.comtekbroadband.com/kusterer/Scouts/CrossoverBridge.html

 

It disassembles into five pieces for easy transport/storage and the assembly/disassembly process requires no tools. Not sure if it's what you're looking for but it works for our Pack. Also, I see you're in Virgina - so am I

[ScoutNut]

Here are a couple of plans. One is from Scouting Magazine.

 

http://members.aol.com/standcmr/99bridge.html

 

http://www.scoutingmagazine.org/about/download/bridge.pdf

 

 

[SueM]

Thanks for your responses..I'll pass the links on to the WBA chairman. We are thinking of making one bridge for each district within our council and we wanted something that could be disassembled and transported easily..so these are a good start at gathering ideas..

 

...that's a good looking group of Webelos!..and bridge, ManassasEagle Yes..I'm in SE VA.

 

Sue M.

 

[FScouter]

Our troop builds a crossover brigde based on plans for a single trestle bridge in the Pioneering merit badge book. Since our crossover ceremonies are indoors with a relatively low ceiling, we modify the trestle so it is not so tall, and add outriggers on the sides for stability. The walkways are straight from the book. There is no storage issue since the bridge is disassembled after the event. The best part of this bridge is that the Scouts build it themselves.

[kenk]

Quite a few years back someone made the bridge our Pack uses. The local Girl Scout troops also use our bridge for their "bridging" ceremonies (turned around so the

BSA emblems don't show).

 

They built it with pretty bold arc about 1-1/2 feet high and about 4 feet long, and the railing are purely for asthetics. The kids do fine going up the bridge, but they can slip when coming off - especially the young ladies wearing dress shoes. The arc is just too steep.

 

I like the flat bridge plan from Scouting magazine. I could see using wider 2x8 "trusses" and then setting it on four wooden blocks 6" high or so (to make it more "bridge-like"). You'd need to make sure it is narrow enough to fit into a typical SUV or minivan. Maybe even make it so the slats rotate and the whole thing can be folded by pulling forward on one side and back on the other. I'd probably use wood & natural rope rail system that could be removed.

 

I tend to like natural wood color rather than bright pain jobs, but that is just me.

[tcherven]

We have been borrowing a bridge from another pack for several years. This year, our Webelos2 group (actually 2 dads) built a bridge for our own pack, based on the design of the one we've been borrowing. It doesn't collapse, but it stores small.

 

I don't have a digital image, so I'll have to draw and describe it.

 

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These pieces are the supports - really just 2x4's on end. We actually took the end pieces and put them on a slant. One side is red and the other is blue. The red side has the Boy Scout insignia, the blue side has the Cub Scout insignia.

 

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Now we've added the bridge portion. There are 12 cross pieces representing the 12 points of the Scout law. On the top of each piece is a single word representing a particular Scout Law. The reverse side has the entire law printed on it. Our Webelos 2 den builds the bridge. They hold a cross piece so the word faces out and they read that portion of the Scout Law. When they have finished reading, they put the cross piece onto the bridge. (There are pegs on the supports and holes in the cross pieces). When the scout law is finished, the bridge is built, by those who will be using it. Before each scout steps onto the bridge, the cubmaster (me) and the den leader remove the blue shoulder loops from the uniform. The scout crosses the bridge, and the parents add the red shoulder loops to their uniform. (This year, I'm going to see about getting a scoutmaster or some boy scouts to help with that part.)

 

Hope this makes sense.

 

[SueM]

tcherven,

 

I really like the idea of your bridge...especially incorporating the Scout Law into the design and having them build the bridge! Very inventive!!

 

The way crossovers have been done in the Pack that we generally pull from is the Cubmaster generally removes the the neckerchief, & shoulder loops first (and gives the boy a personal "goodbye" then sends him across the bridge and then he'll be met on the other side by boys from the troop, who will put his red shoulder loops on, and present him with a troop numeral patch and his scout handbook. At the end of that then I will welcome him and give the troop informational folder to his parents.

 

Sue M.

[tcherven]

I wish I could take credit for the bridge design, but I can't. I really like the idea of creating the scout law with the bridge, so I made sure our bridge incorporates that idea.

[Fishsqueezer]

The best crossover bridge we ever did was one the boys lashed together during the ceremony. It consisted of 4 tripods connected by a crossbar for each pair then poles laid from crossbar to crossbar. The boy scout troop lashed one set of tripods while the webelos lashed the other set. This was done while I was talking about the scout law's 12 points (it so happens that there are 12 lashing on the tripods). Then as I talked about the 3 points of the oath, they placed the poles on the crossbars to make the bridge (3 sections of the bridge). They then walked across the bridge they built to transition to the troop. This bridge takes 14 poles and 14 ropes to complete but with practice it is done fairly quickly.

[Knight]

I dredged up this old topic becuase I'm sure many folks are having crossovers soon. We built the very nice, and easily transportable bridge (it breaks down into pieces) shown in the link below. We have a crossover ceremony that is based, in part, upon the script in that link. Look for the sketch about 2/3 the way down the page. The ceremony is above the sketch. Thank you York Adama area council - we used your idea!

 

http://usscouts.org/bbugle/bb0301/bbad.html

 

Building the bridge was partly Webelos Craftsman projects.

[joeleaux]

Here's what i came up with:

 

http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/215/bridge1.jpg/

 

http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/710/bridge2d.jpg/

 

 

[thriftyscout]

We just received 10 Webelos from their AoL/Bridging ceremony which was held during one of our weekend campouts at the local Scout Reservation. They used a real footbridge across a small ravine at the camp. Parents/Pack on one side, Troop on the other. This is the second year we have done this format and have been very pleased with it. It really puts the emphasis in scOUTING!