Best time for W-2 to bridge to a BS Troop

[WestCoastScouter]

When is the best time for a W2 to bridge to a BS Troop?

 

I know you can bridge after six months after completing fourth grade. (About December for most boys) This might be a tad early for most boys...but I know that boys are not all the same.

 

What would be ideal? Feb. or March? Is April too soon??

 

 

[kbandit]

What do the troop(s) your W2's are crossing over to think a good time is?

 

Our troop likes to get W2's in Feb. because that gives the new scouts time to camp, get funding for summer camp, get to know the troop, parents comfortable with leadership, troop gets to know the scout before they go with the troop to summer camp.

 

Our troop would think April as a late cross-over.

 

My 2 cents

[Eagle92]

it depends upon the pack and the troop.

I know of one pack that as soon as the cub gets AOL, they cross over. So I've seen those with a late b-day, i.e Oct., who are 4th grade Webelos who get AOL by 10.5 yo and move up in April of their 4th grade year. We got one 5th grader who will be crossing over next month as he will be 10.5 and earned the AOL.

 

Then I know of another pack that's been around for about 80 years that does the traditinal crossover ceremony in MAY and

that's it, no other time.

 

IMHO, the key thing is to prep the incoming Scout a year in advance about summer camp so that he can save his money to go. In addition to summer camp prep, the scout and his parents also need to become familiar with the troop I know I stayed about 6 months with my first troop, I didn't have the opportunity to look around as a Web, and eventually ended up in my cousin's troop.

 

Good luck

[artjrk]

Our District OA conducts a district wide Crossover Ceremony the first week of March. The ceremony teams were getting pulled too thin trying to perform at each individual Pack. This works fine for the Troop we are in now because it does allow the new scouts to participate in our fundraiser (mulch sales and delivery) and get a few camping trips in before Summer Camp. Before this Crossover in mass most of the packs that I knew would have the boys Crossover during their Blue and Gold Banquet in February.

[Stosh]

Two of the packs in our town cross over the Webelos boys right after their Blue/Gold banquets (Feb/March). The boys are thus in Webelos for 1 1/2 years. The other pack waits until the year finishes out and the boys are getting ready to start school in the fall (now, Sept). These boys are in Webelos for a full two years. It makes it difficult for the troop to make adjustments for the differential, but it's for the boys after all.

 

As far as which is better? The Feb/Mar boys get an opportunity at summer camp, but the Sept boys have a lead time on the Webelos boys coming in the following Feb/Mar. Although they are the same ages, they are not in sync with each other until they all reach the higher ranks. It would be better if it was either/or rather than both.

 

Stosh

[SMT224]

Our feeder Cub Pack does it's AOL (W-2) Ceremony in mid-April, and a Crossover to the Troop in late April.

 

This seems to work great. We have a Troop/AOL camping trip in early April, which allows the Weebs & parents to meet the Troop and have a fun camp out in what is usually fairly comfortable weather.

 

The full crossover is at the end of April. The new Scouts can go camping with the Troop in May and June - two easy and comfortable camp outs, and then go to summer camp with the Troop in July. By July they are ready and psyched for summer camp and can fully participate in the First Year Camper Program.

[gcnphkr]

This year we started getting Webelos in February with the district cross over in April, which was later than usual. Having the scouts coming in over the two months presented some challenges, and I'd have preferred them all at once in March.

[BeaverIII]

I was with a troop that uses dual registration starting in December. The Weebs and Leaders join as members of the Troop (all age requirements are met). The Weebs and leaders attended one Troop meeting per month and the Troop program was geared towards any AOL requirements still needed. At the Blue and Gold in February the AOL was presented and in April/ May the crossover happened. By the time we got to summer camp the new Scouts were familiar and comfortable with the SM and ASMs and the boys in the Troop. It worked well for us. It takes planning and cooperation from both programs but it can and has worked successfully.

[resqman]

November we hold a Webelos Invitational campout. We invite Weebs from surrounding Packs since we do not have a designated feeder Pack.

 

Different Packs bridge at differnet times but generally late Feb and early March. One pack holds its AOL ceremony in Feb but holds its Pack bridging ceremony in April. Weebs from that troop may attend Troop activites in Feb/Mar and then go back for the bridging ceremony in April.

 

We prefer they bridge March so that we can get them on several campouts before June summer camp. This year we had two boys new to scouting join the week before summer camp and still go to summer camp.

[Buffalo Skipper]

I support what kbandit says. That is pretty much the way many packs in my area operate. Some will crossover at Blue & Gold; others will wait and do a campout-crossover, inviting all receiving troops to attend. Very few packs/dens around here wait past March.

 

As kbandit wrote, this gives allows 4 months or so from the crossover until summer camp, giving the scouts and parents time and experience to adjust to the troop atmostphere.

 

The downside of going this early is that with new 5th graders joining Webelols at school night, the Webelos badge and the Arrow of Light must each be earned in the minimun 3 month time frame in order to meet this schedule. Scouts who are 10.5 and not yet out of the 5th grade who have not completed the AOL requirements will have to wait to cross. If the Webelos DL was a parent of an experienced Cub Scout (as is most often the case), they are usually uninterested in hanging out as a Webelos leader for the remaining scout if their son has crossed over.

 

Just a little perspective.

[John-in-KC]

I'm old fashioned. I think a boy should only move across after his 11th birthday.

 

Seriously, it depends on the maturity of the boys. That's a DL and parent call. Scoutmasters need to understand that moving up from Cubs to Boys is not for their convenience. We are there for the boys.

[Beavah]

Yah, I reckon there also might be some regional-type differences, eh?

 

If yeh live in da southern states, yeh can take a crossover in January or February and the new lads will be introduced to camping in reasonably nice weather. That's important - first experiences in the troop are tough enough dealin' with the new expectations and social stuff without also fightin' weather. In the great white north yeh aren't goin' to be takin' new lads out on the -20 February polar bear or da cold sleet & mud March hike . Summer camp times are different, too, with more July campers in da north compared to Junes in the south.

 

John-in-KC's point is right... da maturity of the young lads varies quite a bit. Thing is, most dens cross as a group, eh? And if you're runnin' a NSP-style program it helps to get the NSP set up and runnin' as a group, rather than plugging kids into over the course of 4-5 months. So I tend to like later crossovers, since it makes it more likely that most of the lads will have grown up a bit more and be ready when they come as a group. But I'm a northerner, eh?

 

Practically speakin', though, da troops and packs in every council I know are all over the place on this. Better packs tend to plan a year program that the boys want to continue in and be "big dog" leaders in. They hold 'em longer, eh? But dat's only a trend, not a rule.

 

Beavah

 

[Gunny2862]

We will take them any time they want to come, but for their own convenience, and to some degree for ours, I would discourage May/June Crossovers unless they are willing to run into summer camp w/o knowing anyone except their crossover friends going into camp - They WILL know people coming out of camp . April is getting a little late, but we try to stay flexible and will intake at any time of year. I really like February Crossovers.

[nolesrule]

"If yeh live in da southern states, yeh can take a crossover in January or February and the new lads will be introduced to camping in reasonably nice weather."

 

Now Beavah, it is inevitable that the cold front will come through the weekend of the camping trip in those months. Course you people up north might consider that early autumn weather, but us thin-bloods in central Florida aren't used to those near-freezing overnight lows. :-)

[Beavah]

Near freezin'?

 

Why, that's shorts and T-shirt weather!

 

B