Bridging over and Webelos uniform

[ScoutingMom2]

My son will be bridging over in two weeks. My question is: After he bridges, does he remove his Webelos badge since he is no longer a Cub Scout? My son does not want to be out of place when he goes to his first troop meting.

[Sentinel947]

Your son will remove should remove his webelos badge and den strip. Replace his pack number with his new Troop numbers if the two units don't share numbers.

[gsdad]

Your son will remove should remove his webelos badge and den strip. Replace his pack number with his new Troop numbers if the two units don't share numbers.

 

 

And change the shoulder loops from blue to green.

[Eagle94-A1]

SM2,

 

1) WELCOME TO DA FORUMS!

 

2) I provided links to two uniform links, the Inspection Sheets and current uniform price guide below.

 

3) I am going to assume that he went with the current issue, tan and green Webelos uniform option. What needs to be done is the following

A) He will need a new, green Boy Scout hat.

B) He will need new green shoulder loops

C) He will need a new Boy Scout green belt.

D) He will need a Boy Scout Handbook

E) He will need new green on tan numbers

F) Depending upon the troop, he will either be issued or need to purchase a troop neckerchief.

 

4) Webelos Badge is removed as it is Cub Scout rank. However the Arrow of Light Award can be worn.

 

5) The links below only show the current uniform, not any previous issued uniforms. They are still valid, but your SON (emphasis) may need to talk to some "old fogeys" to get the info.

 

6) As I mentioned above, your son should now start taking responsiblity for his uniform, advancement, etc. It can be hard on parents, even those of us who know better , but we need to start letting go.

 

7. Hope this helps.

 

 

http://www.scoutstuff.org/retail/docs/uniform-inspection-sheets

 

http://www.scoutstuff.org/media/content/docs/pdfs/6590UnifTowerPrcChgesFNL.pdf

[perdidochas]

My son will be bridging over in two weeks. My question is: After he bridges' date=' does he remove his Webelos badge since he is no longer a Cub Scout? My son does not want to be out of place when he goes to his first troop meting.[/quote']

 

If he's getting his Arrow of Light, that can stay on his Khaki shirt. My son the Eagle still has his AOL on his shirt.

[T2Eagle]

Yes, he should remove his Webelos badge, but regarding the list of things E94A1 gave, first ask the troop what if anything they provide and what their expectations are.

 

Our troop provides the shoulder loops, book, numbers, and troop neckerchief as part of our crossover or bridging ceremony. We don't wear a uniform hat except for the ball cap issued by summer camp, and many of the scout pants have a web belting sewn in.

[Stosh]

When boys cross over into my troop, they generally come wearing their Webelos uniform. During orientation, the boys go over what goes and what stays. The necker belongs to the unit so he doesn't need to buy one and the book is his crossover gift. The boys still go with the red/white numerals with red loops, the new boy has red loops and bought a green/tan numeral. No one said a thing. He may notice some day and make the change.

 

As picky as I am about the uniform, I still run a boy-led program. I get invited to do a full uniform inspection from time to time and I critique each boy and offer up suggestions as to what he might wish to consider to be more in line with the BSA standard. Within a few weeks things slowly change.

 

Stosh

[LeCastor]

When boys cross over into my troop, they generally come wearing their Webelos uniform. During orientation, the boys go over what goes and what stays. The necker belongs to the unit so he doesn't need to buy one and the book is his crossover gift. The boys still go with the red/white numerals with red loops, the new boy has red loops and bought a green/tan numeral. No one said a thing. He may notice some day and make the change.

 

As picky as I am about the uniform, I still run a boy-led program. I get invited to do a full uniform inspection from time to time and I critique each boy and offer up suggestions as to what he might wish to consider to be more in line with the BSA standard. Within a few weeks things slowly change.

 

Stosh

 

 

We also give each new Scout a handbook as they crossover into our Troop. The parent(s) is/are paired with veteran parents to learn the differences between the Pack and Troop.

 

ScoutingMom,

 

As for the uni, your son should remove the Cub Scout insignia and ask his patrol leader or senior patrol leader what the proper placement is for the Troop.

 

 

Stosh, I sent you a private message.

[NJCubScouter]

ScoutingMom2, first of all, welcome to the forums!

 

Second of all, you are to be commended for caring that your son be properly uniformed when he shows up for his first troop meeting. In my experience, a lot of parents don't really care. I personally think that the sons of the parents who DO care about things like this end up having a better Scouting experience.

 

I also think it is largely a matter of "local custom" whether a new Scout is expected to show up for his first meeting with the Webelos patch removed, den patch removed, unit numerals updated, and the other things mentioned in some of the earlier posts. In our troop most of the boys who just crossed over show up with their "Webelos uniform" intact, and generally over the next few weeks the patches are changed over. (Not to mention almost all the boys show up in jeans, because very few of the Cub Scouts (or Cub Scout leaders) in my area wear the uniform pants. Sometime during the Scout's first few troop meetings, the parents go through the "uniform closet" to see if there are any pants of the right size, and if not they go out and buy them.)

 

There is also the possibility that the troop your son is joining has its own hat and/or neckerchief and/or customized unit numeral patch, which you should find out before you buy anything. As far as removing the Webelos badge, as I said, in my area nobody would say anything if it is still there. But you can't go wrong by removing it, since it is not a Boy Scout award.

[Stosh]

Gotta keep it in mind that not all parents really know the difference between what is Cub and what is Scout when it comes to the uniform.

 

Den number or patrol patch will need to go. The right sleeve should only have the US flag.

 

If it has obviously Cub scout patches on the right pocket or anything related to Cub scouts on the right side of the shirt, they go too. The temporary patch on the pocket can stay for as long as the scout thinks it's cool.

 

Left side of the shirt, the purple/white universal scouting emblem stays. The religious knot he might have earned stays, his service stars stay, the rank patch (Webelos) is gone and if they have all the ranks and arrow points, they all go as well, and the AOL below the pocket stays. Keep the service stars, just the last one and it keeps the backing. If your boy was in the whole Cub Scout program he will have a service star #1 with an orange backing,for his year as a Tiger, a service start #4 with a yellow backing for the 4 years in Cubbing. The years he puts into Scouting will be a third star with # of years and a green backing.

 

Loops will change from Blue to muted Green.

 

On the left sleeve, the Council Patch stays, replace the numerals with tan/green numbers, but as mentioned make sure the troop doesn't use a custom patch for that. Everything else on that sleeve goes.

 

When your son gets his BSA Handbook, the inside front and back covers show what is needed for sleeves/pockets and the correct measurements to get them in the right spot on the shirt/sleeve.

 

Stosh

[SSScout]

In the best "Bridging" ceremonies I have seen, (aside from the OA brou haha), the receiving Troop has a representative (the SPL and ASPLs preferably, but maybe the SM or ASM) who "welcomes" the Scout into the new Troop. The "old" CM has taken off the Cub necker, hat, the blue loops and shaken the Cubs hand goodbye. The nascent Boy Scout crosses the bridge. The receiving Scout(er) puts on the new necker, the new green loops and the new hat. He shakes the hand (BS handshake?) of the new BScout in welcome. I have even seen the welcoming PL there from the new Scout's assigned Patrol, with Patrol patch. I have seen this happen with multiple Troops represented. Sometimes the new BScout even gets a new BSHB from the Troop. Of course, this means the Troop needs to have a good budget and an understanding about the collection of dues, either before or after joining. All that is a fair amount of "bling" for a new Scout, but it is a very meaningful welcoming gesture.

Then, the Troop rep can speak to the new Scout and parents about what is expected at the Troop meeting. Patrol assignment? Uniform? Upcoming schedule?

Takes some planning and an appreciation of what such niceties can mean to the Scout and his parents. What's a new Scout mean to your Troop?

 

[blw2]

I was just looking at the bryan on scouting page re. service stars to refresh my memory about which color is which.... and it hit me. I thought about this thread!

 

They posted what looks to be an excerpt from the uniform inspection sheet, I noticed that the OVAL version of the WEBELOS badge is shaped and placed to resemble a Boy Scout rank patch. As a Cub Scouter, I haven't dwelled much on this to date.....

 

I can almost buy an argument, if one were made, that the intention was for this to crossover as an early rank badge in scouts, maybe to differentiate between a WEBELOS scout who has already studied things like the motto, promise, etc..., and a new and "green" scout that knows nothing.

 

I don't have handbooks handy. Is it written anywhere officially in the Uniform guide or elsewhere, that the oval WEB badge should be removed and not considered an entry level rank to be replaced by the Scout badge or maybe even Tenderfoot when earned?

 

Why else would national even have this oval badge option, and not just have the diamond Cub Scout version?

 

[qwazse]

Why else? To distinguish the boy who still is a Webelos and earned his AoL from the boy who is working on that Scout rank and earned his AoL once upon a time. It's not all about the epaulets! Bottom line: the only insignia a cub can carry over to his hour scout uniform is the AoL. (Okay, and service stars.)

[Stosh]

I guess the orange for Tigers has been dropped.

 

Qwazse - If the boy earned the religious knot that carries over too!!!

 

That includes any other knots he might have. I had a boy cross over with the life saving knot along with his religious knot.

 

Stosh

[krypton_son]

You can always buy a whole new uniform if you can afford it.  It will save the time of taking off the old patches plus it will be a cool keepsake.  I still have my old Cub Scout uniform from 30 years ago.