meyerc13

I'm a Lutheran, attended Lutheran schools from K-12.  Growing up my Pack and Troop were chartered by our church, and most members of the Pack and Troop were members of the church.  Back then, it never felt awkward asking everyone to join in a prayer.

However, religion was something we studied in our Lutheran High School, and not just our own religion.  I think this was the first time that I became sensitive to those with a differing religious viewpoint.  Our school felt that we should be Lutherans not because our parents or pastor told us to, but because we chose to be - and we couldn't make an informed choice without understanding that there are other options out there, and understanding how what they believed differs from what we believed.

As a Scouter, my Pack was charted by the Kiwanis, but pulled from Public Schools.  I've seen Lutherans, Catholics, Methodists, Universal Unitarians, even Wiccans.  I don't think my old Pack and Troop were doing anything wrong - if you are chartered by a Church, and the majority of your members come from that Church, I don't think anyone who joins the unit should be offended if the prayers are centered around the faith of that church.

With that said, I struggled with how to inoffensively incorporate reverence into my public school Pack.  In an effort not to offend anyone, it was often easier to incorporate a moment of silent reflection than it was to say a prayer that could offend one of our members.

Thinking this through now, and with the understanding that Boy Scouts are the age I was when my Lutheran High School had me learning more about other faiths, I wonder if mixed faith units couldn't incorporate peer sharing about one's own faith and customs with the other Scouts as their means of being reverent.  Rather than attending a Christian chapel service, have a boy share what it means to him to be a Universal Unitarian, or a Wiccan, or a Catholic.  Have a frank discussion amongst the boys on whether they would be offended if someone from a different religion led the prayer?  I personally can witness someone practicing their religion without feeling like I am pressured to join in or be part of it.  I find it educational.  Maybe that's the way we can handle this?  I think we might all learn that we have more in common than we think, and also learn how to be respectful of other's beliefs and viewpoints. 

Good luck.  While I haven't been involved in Venturing yet, I know some day I will be because my daughter wants to join very badly (she's only 8 right now).  An interesting book by a Scoutmaster who ran a co-ed program involving his Troop (and later a pre-venturing outdoor Exploring post) is Rocks in my Backpack.  It would seem that Scoutstuff has it on clearance now:  http://www.scoutstuff.org/rocks-in-my-backpack.html

It really opened my eyes to what a co-ed Scouting program could be (plus it's a darn good read for anyone who loves Scouting).

To take this back on subject, this link is to a message from the Troop Committee Chair, and shows how awesome the community around Bonduel is and how other Scouts and Scouters jumped into action to help this Troop out over the weekend:  http://racineuncovered.org/2016/07/boy-scout-troop-225-involved-in-accident-thanks-the-bonduel-community-everyone/

Thanks for the document @@RichardB.  Too bad this stuff is so hard to find on the Scouting.org website.  I have to agree with Stosh though, while it is good that the document talks about trailers, it barely scratches the surface.  In fact, some of the information given might actually make towing the trailer more dangerous.  While it is generally good to load the heaviest items over the axles, blindly following that advice isn't a good idea.  Too much tongue weight is bad, but too little can be just as bad.  With the load shifted too far to the rear of the trailer, the tongue weight can be too low resulting in the trailer actually lifting up the back of the tow vehicle.  Generally this isn't enough lift for the rear tires to leave the ground, but it can be enough lift to impact the handling of the tow vehicle.

I tow a pop-up camper, and without the battery and propane tanks on the tongue I'll experience a bit of porpoising, with the back end of the truck bouncing up and down due to trailer weight being unbalanced.  On a clear dry day, that isn't necessarily a huge problem, but if it is a rear wheel drive vehicle (like most trucks and SUVs are when they're aren't in four wheel drive) on a day with slippery road conditions this could be enough to cause a problem.

Also, as Stosh pointed out the weight of the trailer, its contents, the passengers, and the tow vehicle contents can be a problem many don't fully understand.  I wouldn't be surprised if most Troop trailers are exceeding their weight capacity.  When you add in lumber for shelves, cast iron dutch ovens, heavy tarps, water... the weight can go up very quickly.  As for the tow vehicles, while a full size SUV or Truck can probably handle the weight of the trailer, passengers, and cargo - most Small and Mid size SUVs and vans can't.  Many people don't understand the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating, the Gross Combined Vehicle Weight Rating, the maximum capacity of their receiver, ball, etc.  My wife's mini-van has plenty of horse power to tow a trailer, but if you do the math it can't pull much of one.  Why not?  Because the transmission, suspension, and brakes aren't up to the task.  People focus on the pulling power, and forget that even though the engine might be able to accelerate while pulling the load, it doesn't mean the rest of the vehicle's systems are up to the task.  The 'towing package' for a vehicles isn't just the hitch and wiring, it usually includes a transmission cooler, beefier suspension, and better brakes.

I think this gives me a great idea for a roundtable big rock topic.  I suspect a lot of Scouters could learn a bit from an experienced tower.

I think it is a good idea to do this as soon as the boys complete 3rd grade/start 4th grade.  We hear a lot of griping about the Cub Scout program being too long at 5 years (now 6 years with Lion), well... this is a way to set the older Webelos age boys apart.  Let them know that Webelos isn't just another year of Cub Scouts, its a special thing, pre-Boy Scouts really.  Sure, they'll do some things with the Pack, but now they can have a Patrol name, they can go camping as a den (Tiger-Bear can't do that), and they can be more active in planning what they will do as a den/patrol.

This summer I drove from Wisconsin to Philmont, and then on to Mesa Verde and back.  It's interesting how different the speed limits are from state to state.  In Wisconsin we have 65-70mph on four lane rural and Interstate highways, and 55 mph on two lane highways.  It wasn't uncommon to find 75-80 mph in some states, but the scariest to me was US-169S between Kansas City and Independence KS.  I was driving that stretch at night, and its a two lane highway with no shoulder to speak of.  Brush comes right up to the pavement.  Speed limit is 65mph - a speed that in Wisconsin is only allowed on four lane roads with a wide, cleared, right of way on the sides of the highway.

This trip really did a lot to convince me that speed limits in our country are not based on any science - if they were there is no way that we could have such discrepancies caused only by crossing imaginary lines on a map.

That may have also been a microburst.  I drove through one in a snow storm once - went from flurries to blizzard back to flurries within the course of minutes... thankfully nobody rear ended me since I had to stop and try to pull over but was going from the 'feel' of the wheels on the pavement since I couldn't see 2 feet outside the windshield.  We also had a microburst hit our neighborhood several years ago.  Massive trees knocked down all facing in one direction in a 3 block wide by mile or so long section of the neighborhood.  Lost a Maple in my backyard during that storm.  Just as damaging as a tornado, but without the circulation - just straight on sudden super strong winds.

After reading about two SUVs full of Scouts crashing on a clear day (my family was camping nearby at a private campground so I am familiar with the weather conditions), one of which was pulling the Troop trailer, my wife and I had a discussion about how our Troop handles transportation to camp.

I tow a camper when my family camps, and find it more challenging when my two kids (Ages 8 & 10) are riding in the back.  As many of you know, towing is serious business, and requires more concentration than just driving.  Towing impacts your acceleration, braking, handling... and that's assuming nothing goes wrong with the trailer.  If you throw in high winds, poor roads, equipment failure (blown tire, bearing failure, problem with receiver/ball/hitch, etc.), and other drivers... there is a lot of opportunity for something to go seriously wrong - and when it does for things to be much worse than if you weren't towing a trailer.

I don't know the details of the accident I linked above, but a few assumptions based on the articles are:

1. The vehicle doing the towing was also carrying Scouts (since over a dozen people were injured in the accident, and the largest SUVs only carry 8 people).
2. The vehicle following the trailer was probably either too close or not paying sufficient attention since it was unable to avoid the collision.

I thought back to my son's Troop's outings, and I know that I've seen both things happen.  We allow the towing vehicle to carry Scouts.  We often convoy, and I've seen Troops in a convoy following each other more closely than they should.  Add to that the distraction of having a group of Scouts in your vehicle, and both the vehicle pulling the trailer and the vehicle(s) following are probably more likely to be distracted at critical moments.

I don't know about you, but I think this incident needs to be discussed at our next Troop Committee/Parent meeting.  I think we should institute a rule that a towing vehicle should only carry the driver's children - no other Scouts.  That reduces the level of distractions for the driver of the towing vehicle.  I wouldn't have a problem with an extra Scouter in the vehicle - to keep the kids in check so the driver can focus on driving.

Secondly, I think we need to remind all drivers that when convoying to camp - we all need to have the directions down so that we can allow sufficient space between vehicles.  If some drivers don't know where they are going, it increase the chance that all drivers will bunch up so that nobody cuts in between the convoy.  While I understand why we do it, I think we need to make an effort to avoid this.

What do you think?  Am I being overly paranoid?  I don't think this needs a new entry in the G2SS, but I think incidents like this should be a reminder to all of us that towing is serious business and we need to treat it with as much or more caution as we treat the shooting ranges.  This incident had the potential to be much more deadly (12+ people) than an accident at the range (unlikely to endanger more than one individual), yet I think it is an area of Scouting that we all take for granted and rarely include in our safety planning.

This has been an unfortunate week for those attending BSA summer camp.  This accident involved an out of Council unit that was returning from one of our Council camps:

http://www.nbc26.com/news/boy-scout-troop-involved-in-rollover-crash

http://www.wearegreenbay.com/news/local-news/suvs-carrying-boy-scouts-crash-near-bonduel

http://racinecountyeye.com/racine-boy-scouts-leader-injured-accident/

Let's all say an extra prayer for the Scout leader seriously injured, and say a prayer of thanks that the boys suffered only minor injuries.  I saw a post from someone who passed by the accident scene and they were amazed that anyone survived.

It's really sad reading all of these threads about dysfunctional Packs (Stosh's example above) and Troops (as being discussed in this thread).  The saddest thing is that many of these units don't see a need to change, or simply don't want to change.  Yet, our professional staff are measured on numbers - numbers of units, numbers of youth... so there is no repercussion to a unit no matter how far off the tracks it goes.  We all know that the BSA will pretty much never yank a charter for a unit, and the units know that, so while we can ask the Commissioner service to intervene, when it comes down to it the Commissioners can't help a unit that doesn't want help, and the BSA won't take action as long as what the unit is doing stays out of the news.

I wonder how many boys we lose to these dysfunctional units... boys that we'll never get back... and future generations that we'll never interest in Scouting because of the dad's poor experience as a youth?  I wonder if we focused more on quality of program and less on numbers if the numbers problem wouldn't work itself out?

Yikes... some of the older Scouts from my son's Troop are up there this week.

Edit - found another article that these folks were from Texas:  https://www.mprnews.org/story/2016/07/21/severe-weather-minnesota

SM of the pack's CO's troop and I are not on speaking terms because I "betrayed" the troop by going to another troop, and then Scouts not happy with that troop transferring into mine. Try to not let it bother you.

When I hear things like this it really bothers me.  From what I've heard, in most cases we lose over half of our Cub Scouts - they never crossover into a Troop.  Instead of fighting over the boys who are crossing over, it should be the goal of every Scouter to retain as many of the Cub Scouts as we can.  We should all be happy when a boy crosses over to some Troop, even if our own Troops weren't the best fit for that boy.  Sometimes it comes down to the meeting day and time being a better fit for the boy.  Sometimes it is the culture of the Troop. 

In any case, as Cub Scout leaders if we aren't making sure that our Webelos visit as many Troops as possible during their 4th-5th grade years, we haven't 'done our best' to make sure that the boys are finding a Troop that is a good fit. As Boy Scout leaders, if we have that attitude when a boy chooses a different Troop, perhaps we should go back to the Scout law and ponder what it means.  If you have a good program, and are helpful, friendly, cheerful, and kind to Webelos, there is a good chance they'll pick your Troop (unless it's a day/time conflict, in which case they may wish they could join your Troop, but can't through no fault of any of the parties).

To bring this back on topic and add to my previous post - it is helpful if your Troop has a Webelos liaison to keep in touch with the various Packs in the area.  As a Cub Scout leader, it was helpful for me when Troops reached out, because Cub Scout leaders are busy folks who don't have a lot of time to track down contacts for Boy Scout Troops.

One thing our District did which I think really helps is to host an annual "Meet the Troops" night (I hate that name because it makes me think it is a night to honor the military, but I digress...).  All Troops were invited to man a table.  All Cub Scouts and leaders were invited to come and circle the room visiting the tables. 

It's interesting to see how different Troops approach this.  Sometimes we have Scoutmasters, ASMs, and Committee Members manning the tables.  Since Boy Scouts should be boy led, I tended to give bonus points to the tables where Boy Scouts represented the  units. 

As for what each table was like, some units had slide shows running on a laptop, some had tri-fold boards,  some just had fliers.  One suggestion I made as a Commissioner last year was that each unit should have a 1-2 page flier about their Troop.  If we collected those fliers, we could put them together into a booklet that each Pack in the District could receive.  By having each flier be 1-2 sides of a page, it is easy to photocopy 50 times and hole punch and put into a folder or binder - no electronic editing required.

If you have such a flier, it can be another way to get info about your Troop out to the Webelos who visit.  I'd also suggest that your District look into something like we are doing... it's a great way to meet a bunch of Troops in 1-2 hours, and give you an idea of which Troops might be good ones to visit.

I just finished 3 years as a Cubmaster for a Pack that didn't have a Troop to feed into.  My son was the first crossover we've had in those three years because we hadn't had a 5th grade den in several years due to problems in the Pack before I became Cubmaster.  You're already doing one of the things that can help strengthen the bonds between a Troop and Pack(s) - supplying Den Chiefs.

My son visited a lot of Troops, but ultimately joined the one that he went on his first joint campout with upon becoming a Webelos Scout.  So I'd highly recommend that you invite Webelos Dens from across your town/City on your Troop Campouts.  If they enjoy themselves on a campout, the odds are good that they'll consider your Troop.

Quite a few Troops extended invitations to our Pack for various events.  Some were 'pin nights' where each of their patrols taught a certain pin.  Some were fun activities - bowling, trampoline places, lock-ins, etc.  Some were just 'meet the Troop nights' where the Patrols demonstrated and involved the Webelos in some Scout skills, while the adult leaders talked to the Webelos parents'.  I don't know which of these methods is more successful, but I think they are all worth a try.

I thought I'd share this with the group here.  I don't know this person, but I was reading the article and noticed that she was involved with a Venture Crew for a nearby Council prior to this accident: 

http://www.postcrescent.com/story/news/2016/07/18/crash-aftermath-ongoing-woman-family/87073560/

It would seem that a GoFundMe campaign to help her stalled out.  It's a shame any time that happens, but especially sad when I hear that she was a volunteer Scouter, knowing how we all love to help other people.  I'm sure it's just a matter of getting the word out, hence my share here.  If we all pass this along to our fellow Scouters, I'm sure we can help her a bit financially, but even more important through our prayers.  It sounds like she has made some small improvement since the accident, but that's not much considering how devastating this accident was to her physically.

each person was responsible for their own food, the "big" cost of the trip, other than gear which he was borrowing.

I don't know the boy or the situation, but maybe even the cost of the food is too much?  I have two younger sisters-in-law who were adopted into my wife's family as children.  To make a long story short, they've made some very poor life choices, and find themselves in situations that aren't so different from their birth family.  They receive government assistance.  At one point, one of them, despite receiving food stamps, had gone a week with nothing to feed herself or her child.  Looking into how this could happen, I discovered that she, like so many receiving welfare, had no concept of shopping on a budget.  I tried to teach her how to buy inexpensive but sustaining foods (not so different than what I would teach a group of Boy Scouts shopping for a weekend campout).

I guess my point is this - if a family is struggling to feed themselves at home, coming up with backpacking meals may be out of their budget, especially if they don't understand what is possible.  You or I know that rice or pasta is inexpensive and could be used as a base for a backpacking meal.  However, not everyone understands that, and the cost of freeze-dried meals or MREs can get up there.

I think one advantage here is the dad being a Unit Commissioner.  Now, I understand that could be in any of the branches of Scouting, but at the very least he should know other UCs and be able to get a recommendation on a good troop from them (or conversely, which Troops might be best to avoid).  Also, the other Troops may already know (or know of) dad.

Late to the party on this, but in terms of "mixed den" ideas, I put together ideas for how to do a mix of dens, and put together a "Tiger/Wolf" plan to cover the required Adventures.  

 

See http://www.southfultonscouting.com/node/3164 for that plan  

Thanks for sharing this!  I'm definitely going to bookmark this for future reference.  As a Roundtable Commissioner, I hear over and over from small Packs that they need something like the old Alternative Delivery Manuals that combined advancement for multiple ranks. 

Quick question for you, has this been tested to make sure that the objectives can be completed in a typical 1 hour Den Meeting?  I know that some of our Dens struggled with some of the Meeting Plans in the new Den Leader Guides, hence the question.  Either way, I suspect I know some units who will be using this material this year.

As Scoutldr pointed out, the Doctor of Osteopathy, or DO, is probably the best bet for someone who doesn't wish to seek services from the traditional medical field.  They have received the same training as a Medical Doctor plus the additional training of a chiropractor.  In many cases, a DO will work in the same clinic as a Chiropractor.

Also, let's put this in perspective.  The BSA isn't asking anyone to be treated by an MD, Nurse Practitioner, etc.  They're simply asking that the patient have a physical exam completed by one.  Many Troops bring in a medical practitioner to a pre-camp meeting to make sure all of the boys have their paperwork completed prior to camp.  I think the practitioner that our son's Troop uses charges $25 for this service.

I just finished three years as a Cubmaster for a Pack that serves the two schools in our District with the highest percentage of economically disadvantaged students (one includes the local homeless shelter in its jurisdiction).  One of them also houses a bilingual charter school (which my children attend), so we have a number of Hispanic families. 

Working with Cub Scouts, the opportunities for youth to 'earn their own way' without parental support/assistance are obviously limited.  I know that Boy Scouts covers a wider age range, if this was a recent crossover it is unlikely the boy is old enough to earn money on his own.  A 10-11 year old should not be going door to door to solicit lawn mowing jobs (or sell popcorn, for that matter) without a parent or buddy along.  If this is a high school aged boy, then perhaps he is old enough to work, but understand that in many cases like this the money goes to help support the family.

Probably the biggest thing you can do as a unit is to be thrifty.  I can't tell you how many times I've seen Packs and Troops operating with extravagant budgets.  Instead of a Blue and Gold pot luck, they have a catered meal.  When I hear about $40 weekend campouts I cringe.  If our Cub Scout Pack can do it for less than $20 (for a five meal, two night campout), I can't comprehend why a Boy Scout Troop should need $40 to do the same thing.

As others have said, check with your Council.  You may need to ask more than one person to get the right answer.  There are often funds available to support the economically disadvantaged Scout, especially for minority Scouts.  Unfortunately these funds aren't always available to units.  Our Council has a Scoutreach program that they run, but the funds can't be tapped by units.  But they do at least offer camperships and sometimes 'experienced' uniforms (but often not enough to go around). 

Honestly, the best thing might be to find a generous sponsor for this Scout.  Check if there are any Hispanic civic or business organizations in your area (there usually are).  Reach out to one of them and explain the situation.  If you explain what your unit is doing to help the boy, and what the boy's family can, or can't, contribute and why, then perhaps someone would be willing to help out.  You may also try reaching out to your District Committee... I know that a number of members on our District Committee are willing to dip into their own pockets to help fund Scouting when the need is great.  As a last resort, look into other civic organizations.  Our Pack is sponsored by the Kiwanis club, and they are very focused on helping youth.  Every year our Chartered Org Rep let us know that we could come to them as a last resort if all other options failed.  Thankfully it never came to that, but it was a close thing on more than one occasion.

I'll tell you this - I believe this is a unit problem to solve, not a problem that should be shouldered by the boy and his mother.  I tell every new member of my Pack this - I never want financial need to be the reason why a Boy doesn't participate in Scouting.  As a Pack, we can sell a few extra cases of popcorn if it means that a Scout from a low income family can go to summer camp.  We buy every $5-7 used Scout shirt we can find, and buy the right patches for them so that every boy in our Pack can have a uniform shirt.  As Scouts, it is our duty to help other Scouts.  It's one thing to expect *all* Scouts to pay their own way (through fundraising as a Patrol/unit) - but if you let one boy's parents write a check to pay for his dues/camp/whatever, then in my opinion it isn't fair to expect this other boy to entirely earn his own way just because his mom can't afford to cover him.  If you are letting one family have the 'buy out' option, then as a unit you need to figure out how you are going to handle cases where not all families can afford to do that.  Otherwise you are undermining all of the lessons in teamwork and helpfulness that Scouting is trying to teach.

Yeah, it's nice that the Philmont Training courses may be heading east, but it doesn't sound like it.   What sort of accommodations do the Philmont attendees have?  I've not heard from anyone who has attended. 

I attended Commissioner Week at the Philmont Training Center last month.  Attendees live in 'Tent City,' two occupants to a tent.  The tents are on concrete slabs or wooden platforms, I'd estimate about 9 ft. by 11 ft., with about an 8 foot height at the center.  Each tent has two metal cots/beds, a folding chair, a shop light zip tied to the back pole, and a plywood box with a dowel to serve as a closet.  Not quite hotel living, but downright luxurious compared to many tent camping experiences I've had.

Also, someone mentioned young men and women teaching the courses.  Not quite.  The instructors for PTC are Scouter volunteers just like you and me who actually pay for the privilege to teach at PTC (although I heard they do at least get a discounted rate).  Still, having been there I can see why someone would be happy to pay to go back, even if they do have to put in a lot of work to prep and present their class.  I'd do it in a heartbeat.

As for the topic of this thread, having a lodge/cabins is nice because it is year round, but I'm glad that I was able to enjoy Philmont in a tent because the best part of Philmont is what's outside, the time we spend there inside is the necessary evil we endure to enjoy what's outside.

I wouldn't worry too much about it.  By the time a boy is a Star Scout, he's been in Scouts for at least a couple of years.  By then he should know that Tim or Kevin or Scott or whoever is his Patrol Leader.  As for his Patrol, hopefully he can look at his right sleeve for a reminder (that's where the patrol patch goes).

Heck, to this day I can still name most of the Scouts who were in my Troop, including those who were much older than me when I joined, and those who joined when I was the older Scout in my late teens.  As I mentioned earlier, I was very quiet and shy, but your fellow Scouts are your buddies and you get to know them.  It's part of the fun.

Congratulations!  It sounds like we've gained a worthy Eagle into our brotherhood.

with few collisions

This made me laugh out loud. 

Like I said, personally I was sure the kids could handle taking the flag to the left or right without issue, they're not dumb, just young.  I also had never heard of the idea of moving the flag from the podium down into the audience thus making it okay to move it from the left to the right, but when I researched it I found out the other member of my class was correct - it isn't necessarily wrong (and their is some logic behind it being part of the audience - I like to think of it as troops on parade marching up to the podium... the flag would be on the right in a parade) but now I know why they say they don't recommend doing this.  Most people will think it is wrong, so to avoid confusion (and complaints) it is best to stick with what is more familiar.

To circle back to this topic, while we might be able to argue that pirate bandanas were part of the uniform for this camp, I think the common interpretation is that the hats need to be official BSA hats to be considered part of the uniform when it comes to flag ceremonies.  To do less could go beyond offending the uniform police to disrespecting our flag and all of those who have given so much to defend it.

I do have one other question though is the time to be a Webelos and Arrow of Light if he works on them together then would he still be able to cross over with the others in January or would he have to spend additional time? Or can that time be concurrent? 

If he is at least 10 years old and has earned the Arrow of Light, he is eligible to crossover into Boy Scouts.  Requirements for both can be completed concurrently.

As I said, my son did this because he skipped a grade.  He crossed over in April, a couple of months before completing the fifth grade, aged 10.  Once he earned his AoL, he was eligible to crossover.  Completing both can be done in one year, but it isn't easy.  Starting this summer at camp is great.  Also, take advantage of any Pin Days or other opportunities in your area to complete extra Adventures that the Webelos or Arrow of Light Den Leader doesn't have on the calendar for next year (depending on which of the two dens he will be in).

As others have stated, you've found the loophole in the new program requirements.  The intention is for fourth graders to work on Webelos, and fifth graders to work on Arrow of Light.  From the Guide to Advancement (bolding added by me):

 

Boys who join Cub Scouting for the first time as a member of an Arrow of Light den, or boys who were previously members of a Webelos den but did not earn the Webelos rank, shall work on Arrow of Light requirements during their fifth-grade year. They can earn the Arrow of Light Award without earning the Webelos rank.

also:

 

For the Arrow of Light rank (earned by boys who have completed the fourth grade), seven adventures are required

However, the Boy Scout joining requirements are:

 

Be a boy who is 11 years old, or one who has completed the fifth grade or earned the Arrow of Light Award and is at least 10 years old

In the past this wasn't a problem, because you couldn't earn Arrow of Light without first earning Webelos.  Technically, that requirement is no longer there.

With that said, I think we as parents and leaders shouldn't encourage boys to do this.  While Boy Scouting is fun, the reality is that boys are going from being the Seniors in the Pack, to the Freshmen in the Troop.  Think about when you went from High School to College.  That Freshman year at College is very intimidating for the former High School Seniors who thought they knew everything.

Probably a good compromise is to tell the boy he is free to work on both Webelos and Arrow of Light as fast as he wants, but as a parent make him finish both before he crosses over.  LDS units do this - they complete both Webelos and Arrow of Light in 12 months.  My son did this because he skipped a grade in school.  It isn't easy, but it is possible.

Also, food for thought... but why does he want to leave the Pack?  If the Webelos program is being well run, there shouldn't be a huge difference between Webelos and Boy Scouts... if boys are saying things like this, I think the challenge to the adults is to make the Webelos program more Boy Scout-like to challenge the boys and keep them engaged.