RIDGEFIELD — In the society of Scouting, there’s a long-standing tradition of little siblings tagging along while bigger siblings earn badges. Those little siblings are often girls.
“They’ve been unofficial Scouts for years,” said Niah Henry. “This has been a whole-family activity all along, but the girls haven’t been able to earn the badges and wear the uniforms.”
In the society of Ridgefield veterans, there’s a long-standing tradition of American Legion Post 44 supporting local Boy Scout and younger Cub Scout groups. The local branch of the American Legion has maintained a post on Pioneer Street for the past decade, according to commander Brian Laycoe, a retired physician who said he “got sidetracked for 40 years” before getting back to what’s really important.
“We are focused on veterans support but also patriotism and Americanism,” he said. “The Boy Scouts are what Americanism is all about.”
That’s a permanent and even timeless value, he said, but time marches on. “Lo and behold, kids grow up and packs change,” he said. “The national Boy Scout organization has been changing too.” Spurred partially by shrinking membership, the Boy Scouts of America have tried to widen their base and boost their numbers in recent years. They’ve ended bans on gay and transgender Scouts and gay troop leaders; they even took the radical step of opening membership to girl Cub Scouts.
Is that really so radical? Laycoe said there’s nothing but support here in Ridgefield. “Our American Legion group is incredibly supportive of anything the Scout organization does,” Laycoe said. “We recognize that there’s a difference of opinion among some Boy Scouts, but it really doesn’t come down to the Cub Scout level. We recognize that there are some sensitivities at the older age. It’s as simple as having women in the football locker room. It’s that kind of issue.”
Beginning in February 2019, local girls will be welcome to join any and all Scouting programs, including the opportunity to become Eagle Scouts, through the Portland-based Cascade Pacific Council. Meanwhile, Laycoe said, “Everything is running incredibly smoothly at the Cub Scout level in little downtown Ridgefield.”
Steering the canoe
The creation of new Cub Scout Pack 303 is an indicator of how strong Scouting has remained in Ridgefield, despite the national trend.
Until her son moved up into Boy Scouts, Henry was master of his pack — and her daughter, Lorelai, always took part too. “It was a very family-friendly pack,” she said. “It was all ages and really there were very few activities girls couldn’t participate in. Girls were always a part of it.”
The same goes for Erin Rippee and daughter Paige. “I was my son’s den leader till fifth grade,” Rippee said. “The little sibs have always gone along with the hikes and activities, but they were just tagging along. They weren’t working toward something specific.”
That Cub Scout Pack, No. 310, was so successful it grew to an unwieldy 40 families, according to pack mom Crystal Finley. Finley, Rippee and Henry agreed the time was right to launch a new pack — and they knew just where to go for chartering support. “When we approached the post, Bryan jumped to support us,” Finley said.
“They were bursting at the seams with members,” Laycoe said, “and when the national organization made the decision … Niah’s new pack quickly evolved to include her daughter and a few other daughters. All of a sudden we had a new pack chartered, and it was all girls. We couldn’t be more pleased.”
The group is the first all-girl Cub Scout pack in the Cascade Pacific Council’s region. “It’s the next step for Scouting. Nobody is that surprised,” Henry said.
They’re still getting organized, Henry added. At the moment just five girls are signed up, but this is a busy time with soccer season and the end of the school year approaching; Henry is looking forward to welcoming lots of new faces at a big campout this summer. To get involved, contact the Cascade Pacific Council at www.cpcbsa.org/familyscouting.
Meanwhile, when the top American Legion official in Washington stopped by the post on a recent Friday for a meet and greet, a handful of the organizers — and one single kid, Lorelai Henry — showed up for the occasion.
The visitor was Gary Roach, whose American Legion title is department commander, and whose other favorite title remains Boy Scout. “I’m an old Eagle Scout,” he said. “I didn’t grow up with a dad, so this really helped me. The values … are something I still believe in and practice every day.”
Roach, who traveled all the way from Valley, a teeny town north of Spokane, seemed perfectly glad to meet and cheer on the small Ridgefield group, and to recall his own early struggles and successes as a Scout. He sounded like an excited boy while describing the skills, camaraderie and direction he gained from Scouting. His non-Scouting friends were amazed at his canoe-steering and wood-carving talent, he remembered; those are the sorts of skills — and joyful life moments — he wants to see passed along.
Fun with friends
Lorelai Henry may be a fledgling Cub Scout now, but she’s been a Girl Scout for a while — just like her mom.
“I stayed in that program all the way through, and we had a lot of fun,” Niah Henry said. Lorelai “doesn’t have any intention of leaving the Girl Scouts,” Niah Henry said. “She enjoys both programs for what they are. She went to both summer camps last year.”
Between her two Scouting experiences, Lorelei has been camping and horseback riding; she also built her own pinewood derby car that looked like a sparkly pink puppy with big ears, she said. (Mom added that the car was entirely her daughter’s project. You can always tell which projects were actually built by the parents, not the kids, she chuckled.)
The car may not have come out perfect, but a chief value taught by Boy and Cub Scouts is “Do your best,” Rippee said. “Some things take a lot of practice. Some of these skills are brand new to the girls. Keep doing your best and you gain confidence.”
Is there any essential difference between the Boy Scouts and the Girl Scouts? It appears to depend on whom you ask. A common answer is that Boy and Cub Scouts emphasize outdoor skills and experiences — building fires, going camping, steering canoes — while Girl Scouts are more about professional leadership development. But opinions vary widely, and much seems to depend on the individual leader of your group.
There may be a turf struggle underway at the national level, but at the local level, as far as Niah Henry is concerned, “There’s no competition. They offer different opportunities. Right now my daughter is 8, so it’s all about camping and animals and just having fun with friends.”
Rippee used to be one of those tag-along siblings. “My brother was a Boy Scout, and I did a lot of things with him, a lot of camping, a lot of hiking. It was pretty natural when I became a parent to promote Scouting for my kids.”
Now, she said, her 8-year-old daughter, Paige, is busy practicing skills like knot-tying, while her little brother watches with admiration. The new pack may set up a formal group for those little boy siblings, she said.
“We do have a couple of 3- and 4-year-old brothers who are tagging along,” she said.
