Arrow of Light and Bridging

[mudman2003]

In our pack, we award Arrow of Light and Bridge into Boy Scouts on the same day.

Usually the cubmaster reads the ceremony for both ceremonies.

How do you guys handle when the cubmasters son is the one crossing over. Do you have the asistant CM read the ceremony while the CM stands with his son?

Just curious? Our last CM read the ceremony while the mom stood with the son.

Thanks,

Mudman.

[Eagle92]

We lucked out in that we have the local Order of the Arrow chapter does our AOL/Cross Over Ceremonies.

 

I've seen it where one of the other leaders reads the AOL script while dad with the son for the AOL Ceremony. Never really seen parents do Crossover.

[Baseballfan]

When I was CM, I read the ceremony. I tried to get someone else to do it but they all insisted it would mean more from me... although TBH I was sobbing and it would have been a relief.

[rjscout]

When my son received his AOL and crossed over, my wife stood with our son and I read the Cubmaster role (my position at the time). It was very special to me when I saluted my son as he stood on the crossover bridge before getting to the Boy Scout side. I can be done many ways.

[Basementdweller]

Sobbing????

 

Why? It is a simple aging out ceremony. The boy moves on to boy scouting.

 

I read it like I did the previous few years. I was also his webelo den leader so I did get to remove all the cub stuff and send him on his way.

 

Of course I don't get kindergarten, elementary school or middle school graduations either.

[moosetracker]

Some guys do get emotional with this if it means that much to them. My husband is fine with cub scout crossovers, but he sobs at each and every Eagle ceremony be it his son or some other kid, and he goes to plenty of them both in our troop and just by being invited from boys in other troops being the District Advancement Chair. Many boys have asked if he would do something at the ceremonies also, be it the MC or just a reading or whatever, he respectfully declines because he knows he would get emotional and not make it through whatever he was asked to do.

 

He doesn't cry at weddings though, ECOH is his weak spot.

[Troop185]

I had a lump in my throat when my son (my youngest) cross over to Boy Scouts. I thought, "Well he is not a little guy anymore!"

 

Three years later, when he had his Eagle Ceremony, I was happy but not emotional. His grandfather had come up from Florida to talk at the ceremony. His wife, my mother had died, and listening to my dad, I felt like she was still there with us. But Eagle was just another step into my son development as a fine, young man.

[Eagle92]

Base,

 

 

I admit when thinking about my old den crossing over in 14 days, I do get a little sentimental. I There was once talk about everyone going to the same troop, but now that the troop is imploding, my son and another are going to a different troop, and a 3rd may go to the troop that relocated to his church. So If I am lucky, I may see the guys at camporees. But with the troop imploding, I feel as if some may lose interest. The troop has already had a few transfer and drop out altogether. And one Scout, becasue no one listens to him and treats him as a little kid, is only "active," i.e. regsitered, so that A) he can remain in the OA and B) remain a den chief for his cousin's den.

[Eagle92]

Base,

 

 

I admit when thinking about my old den crossing over in 14 days, I do get a little sentimental. I There was once talk about everyone going to the same troop, but now that the troop is imploding, my son and another are going to a different troop, and a 3rd may go to the troop that relocated to his church. So If I am lucky, I may see the guys at camporees. But with the troop imploding, I feel as if some may lose interest. The troop has already had a few transfer and drop out altogether. And one Scout, becasue no one listens to him and treats him as a little kid, is only "active," i.e. regsitered, so that A) he can remain in the OA and B) remain a den chief for his cousin's den.

Forgot to add, the scout who none of the adult leaders and parents are listening to and are treating like a little kid is an Eagle who works summer camp staff and has served on ITOLS staff. He won't transfer to another troop b/c his dad founded the troop.

[Stosh]

I have a boy 11 years old that has been AOL for a number of months now. He is being held back from going into Boy Scouts because his pack refuses to do a cross-over until the Blue-Gold banquet. This boy is in the sixth grade and won't "cross-over" until he is almost finished with the grade. I suspect this "tradition" is so that the boys will "stay together" when they go into a Boy Scout troop. It is unique this year because the Webelos II's are divided between a traditional troop they have been feeding and a new local one just starting up. The Webelos leader wants all the boys to go to the traditional troop and the boys and their parents want to go with the new local troop.

 

But all this got me thinking... Since when is the cross-over a Cub Scout ceremony? I have never viewed cross-over as a Cub Scout exit ceremony, but led by Boy Scouts (i.e. OA teams) as the Boy Scout welcome ceremony. And how can packs hold such boys back from Boy Scouts just so their Webelos II boys keep their den together throughout the year, even when the boys qualify for Boy Scouts and want to go into the program? As a matter of fact, our council always holds a cross-over ceremony at the spring camporee for all boys that didn't get a ceremony, but still need to be welcomed by the Boy Scout program.

 

I told the parents of this and offered the boy, at his discretion, a Boy Scout cross-over any time he wants it. Hopefully this will end the political ping-pong game going on, or at least direct the political rhetoric at me instead of the boys.

 

Stosh

[Eagle92]

We are only holding back out Webelos from receiving their AOL and Crossing Over Ceremony by 13 days, and it is by the request of the CO's troop that the bulk are joining. The troop wants it done on a camp out weekend. Ok fine with me, but if you want them to cross over on one of your camp outs, why not have the Webelos spend the entire weekend with you, and not just one night.

 

Me personally I say get them into the troop ASAP!

 

In regards to the pack preventing folks from moving up, I think part of the problem is that most troops today do not have an Investiture, or Induction Ceremony for new scouts, instead using the AOL and Crossover as the ceremony joining Scouts. Me personally, if it was recorded in SCOUTNET, and the scouts, ok scout's parents since is "council," can verify that it is recorded by the council, then I would sya "SEEE YAAAA!" to the pack.

[dedkad]

I have a boy 11 years old that has been AOL for a number of months now. He is being held back from going into Boy Scouts because his pack refuses to do a cross-over until the Blue-Gold banquet. This boy is in the sixth grade and won't "cross-over" until he is almost finished with the grade. I suspect this "tradition" is so that the boys will "stay together" when they go into a Boy Scout troop. It is unique this year because the Webelos II's are divided between a traditional troop they have been feeding and a new local one just starting up. The Webelos leader wants all the boys to go to the traditional troop and the boys and their parents want to go with the new local troop.

 

But all this got me thinking... Since when is the cross-over a Cub Scout ceremony? I have never viewed cross-over as a Cub Scout exit ceremony, but led by Boy Scouts (i.e. OA teams) as the Boy Scout welcome ceremony. And how can packs hold such boys back from Boy Scouts just so their Webelos II boys keep their den together throughout the year, even when the boys qualify for Boy Scouts and want to go into the program? As a matter of fact, our council always holds a cross-over ceremony at the spring camporee for all boys that didn't get a ceremony, but still need to be welcomed by the Boy Scout program.

 

I told the parents of this and offered the boy, at his discretion, a Boy Scout cross-over any time he wants it. Hopefully this will end the political ping-pong game going on, or at least direct the political rhetoric at me instead of the boys.

 

Stosh

An 11-year old 6th grader? I don't think he's even allowed to be in Cub Scouts anymore, regardless of whether or not he's done a cross-over ceremony.

[Eagle92]

I have a boy 11 years old that has been AOL for a number of months now. He is being held back from going into Boy Scouts because his pack refuses to do a cross-over until the Blue-Gold banquet. This boy is in the sixth grade and won't "cross-over" until he is almost finished with the grade. I suspect this "tradition" is so that the boys will "stay together" when they go into a Boy Scout troop. It is unique this year because the Webelos II's are divided between a traditional troop they have been feeding and a new local one just starting up. The Webelos leader wants all the boys to go to the traditional troop and the boys and their parents want to go with the new local troop.

 

But all this got me thinking... Since when is the cross-over a Cub Scout ceremony? I have never viewed cross-over as a Cub Scout exit ceremony, but led by Boy Scouts (i.e. OA teams) as the Boy Scout welcome ceremony. And how can packs hold such boys back from Boy Scouts just so their Webelos II boys keep their den together throughout the year, even when the boys qualify for Boy Scouts and want to go into the program? As a matter of fact, our council always holds a cross-over ceremony at the spring camporee for all boys that didn't get a ceremony, but still need to be welcomed by the Boy Scout program.

 

I told the parents of this and offered the boy, at his discretion, a Boy Scout cross-over any time he wants it. Hopefully this will end the political ping-pong game going on, or at least direct the political rhetoric at me instead of the boys.

 

Stosh

dedkad,

 

You'd be surprised what SCOUTNET will allow. I just found out one of my Scouts had his Bear and Webelos Badges, but not his Bobcat.

[Stosh]

I have a boy 11 years old that has been AOL for a number of months now. He is being held back from going into Boy Scouts because his pack refuses to do a cross-over until the Blue-Gold banquet. This boy is in the sixth grade and won't "cross-over" until he is almost finished with the grade. I suspect this "tradition" is so that the boys will "stay together" when they go into a Boy Scout troop. It is unique this year because the Webelos II's are divided between a traditional troop they have been feeding and a new local one just starting up. The Webelos leader wants all the boys to go to the traditional troop and the boys and their parents want to go with the new local troop.

 

But all this got me thinking... Since when is the cross-over a Cub Scout ceremony? I have never viewed cross-over as a Cub Scout exit ceremony, but led by Boy Scouts (i.e. OA teams) as the Boy Scout welcome ceremony. And how can packs hold such boys back from Boy Scouts just so their Webelos II boys keep their den together throughout the year, even when the boys qualify for Boy Scouts and want to go into the program? As a matter of fact, our council always holds a cross-over ceremony at the spring camporee for all boys that didn't get a ceremony, but still need to be welcomed by the Boy Scout program.

 

I told the parents of this and offered the boy, at his discretion, a Boy Scout cross-over any time he wants it. Hopefully this will end the political ping-pong game going on, or at least direct the political rhetoric at me instead of the boys.

 

Stosh

After a flurry of emails between parents, Web leaders, Cubmaster and myself, the Cubmaster pulled rank and made an "executive decision". The boy would get his AOL and crossover into scouts last night... end of discussion. She did a great job of pulling it off and the boy is now in Boy Scouts and happier than a pet clam. I thanked her at the end of the evening for her decision and she gave me a frown and said, "Well, it isn't over yet!". Then smiled, she added, you have boys here tonight who's parents weren't in on the discussion and would have wanted to crossover as well. She said I was to get my butt back to the pack in January because there's more boys wanting to join the new troop and the boys from the troop need to be there.

 

I sure hope her boy gets through Cubbing quickly, she seems like the kind of person that would make an excellent ASM or better yet CC.

 

Stosh

[Stosh]

We are only holding back out Webelos from receiving their AOL and Crossing Over Ceremony by 13 days, and it is by the request of the CO's troop that the bulk are joining. The troop wants it done on a camp out weekend. Ok fine with me, but if you want them to cross over on one of your camp outs, why not have the Webelos spend the entire weekend with you, and not just one night.

 

Me personally I say get them into the troop ASAP!

 

In regards to the pack preventing folks from moving up, I think part of the problem is that most troops today do not have an Investiture, or Induction Ceremony for new scouts, instead using the AOL and Crossover as the ceremony joining Scouts. Me personally, if it was recorded in SCOUTNET, and the scouts, ok scout's parents since is "council," can verify that it is recorded by the council, then I would sya "SEEE YAAAA!" to the pack.

I don't think the transitions are always something for the boys, but more for the adults and leaders. The crossover I did last night was fun. I have one boy in my new troop at the present time and has been a scout for only 6 months and he's responsible for the crossover. I had a book and necker for the new boy and gave them to him and asked if he thought he needed some help. He said yes. It was a pretty daunting expectation so the two of us went over to the Boy Scout end of the bridge and waited. The CM did a really nice job with an official ceremony.

 

So when the boy got to the end of the bridge, my boy presented him with his book, shook his hand and welcomed him to the troop. I leaned over and said, what's the second rule of scouting for the troop? He said, "Look and act like a Scout." Then I looked back at the new boy and said, "Kinda close, but not quite, don't cha think?" "Yep", and then he took off the blue epaulets and stuffed them in the boy's pocket. Took off the Webelos pin ribbons stuffed them in another pocket, pulled the slide put that in his pants pocket and took the scarf and told him put it in his hip pocket. Then he put the BS necker on him and tied a nice looking slip knot and told him he's going to have to learn how to tie a Turk's Head knot so he has a new slide.

 

Then he stepped back, looked at me and asked, if that looked better.

 

For a totally unrehearsed first go at it, I think the boy just started the new troop's first "tradition". Both boys thought it was really fun, and really? that's all that counts.

 

Stosh