Frequently Asked Questions

Absolutely! Boys are encouraged to visit a meeting before joining a troop. You are welcome to attend any Tuesday meeting at 7:00 PM. Webelos dens are welcome to attend as a group — contact us and we'll line up a good week for a den visit.

Any boy who is eleven (11) years old or is in the sixth grade is welcome to join. A boy can also join if he is at least 10 years old and has completed the Arrow of Light requirements as a Webelos Scout.

A program dedicated to helping new scouts earn the first four ranks — Scout, Tenderfoot, Second Class, and First Class — in about 12 to 18 months. It is organized and run by several adult leaders and Troop Guides (older scouts). There are 2 to 3 FCE patrols with 8–10 scouts each; each patrol has 2–3 Troop Guides and an Adult Advisor (ASM) assigned to it. During campouts there is always a Troop Guide and an ASM there to teach the boys how to cook, clean up, and the other scouting skills. Effort is made to keep friends together in patrols.

Elections are held for a Senior Patrol Leader, who picks a staff of boys to run everything from what happens at meetings to the campouts. Patrols also elect their own Patrol Leaders. This gives the boys the opportunity to be true leaders, with many leadership roles (positions of responsibility) during their years in scouting. We hold an annual planning and team-building retreat each August where the youth leadership plans the calendar of outings and weekly meetings for the coming year. Patrol Leaders' Council (PLC) meetings throughout the year then adjust and plan the near-term activities.

Our troop has an outing every month during the school year. Typical outings include shooting sports, rappelling & climbing, backpacking & hiking, skills, iron-chef cooking, mountain biking, fishing, canoeing, rafting, beach and aquatics outings, patrol outings, orienteering, and camporee. A large number of parents attend the campouts. The troop offers multiple choices of high-adventure trips for scouts 14 and older, and summer camp is a big event with 60+ boys and 15+ adults attending. See the Outings page for more.

The troop keeps a large inventory of camping and outing equipment: tents, patrol boxes, Dutch ovens, lanterns, dining flys, rope, and other supplies. Scout pairs are issued troop tents for use during the year. We also have our own rappelling equipment, ropes and harnesses, canoes with paddles, and training gear — so you don't need to buy gear to get started.

Scouts wear the Field Uniform (Class A) shirt to meetings, with our distinctive troop cap. Shirts don't have to be tucked in, closed-toe shoes are required, and there are no uniform inspections.

Unlike Cub Scouts, there are plenty of opportunities to fulfill requirements that might have been covered during a missed meeting. The Scout Handbook lists the requirements for each rank; as they are completed, an Assistant Scoutmaster signs off (parents cannot sign off requirements in Scouts BSA). Your scout can make up a missed requirement during a campout or at a later meeting.

All scouts pay an annual registration fee of $100/year. Unlike many troops, most of our expenses — including most campouts — are paid for by the troop. We have a single fundraiser: at the beginning of the school year the boys sell $300 worth of Christmas/holiday greenery. Greenery is easier to sell than popcorn — most boys sell $300 worth in under three hours — and they earn commission on sales over $300. This money provides most of the camping fees for our monthly outings and the other costs of operating the troop. Campouts typically need about $10 each for food.

Uniforms are sold at the Cockrell Scout Center (2225 North Loop West). The people there are helpful and can tell you what you need. The troop provides: a name badge, a troop hat, a Class B t-shirt, a troop notebook, and the troop number patches for your Class A uniform. You'll need to purchase: a tan Scouts BSA Class A shirt, shorts or pants, the World Crest emblem, council shoulder insignia, shoulder loops, a belt, and a Scout Handbook. Used uniforms are often available free from our troop uniform exchange.

Scouting America requires a number of forms, and the troop has a few of its own (medical treatment release, transportation commitment, etc.). You can download all of the troop forms from our Forms & Documents page, complete the one-page registration form — or just come to a meeting and we'll get you started.