Your Patrol Name

What's In A Name?

There really isn't much to a name. It's just a label we give people and things so we can all identify them. If we each made up our own names for things, life sure would be confusing. Imagine what would happen if, on your next patrol hike, you pointed at a raccoon and said: "Look at that raccoon." and everyone in the patrol looked at something different.

So, human beings need to agree on the names for things so there's no confusion. That way, when you say "Look at that raccoon," everyone in the patrol knows you mean the furry little animal spying on you instead of the big, knotted, old tree. In much the same way, the patrol needs a name so everyone can identify it.

Some names, though, mean a lot more than just "what this is." Your own name does more than put a label on a specific Scout. It identifies you as an individual and, over time, other people begin to associate your name with your personality, your likes and dislikes, and your accomplishments. Your name then becomes your identity, describing "who you are" rather than just "which one you are."

The same thing will happen with your patrol's name over time, so it's important to choose a name everyone likes. A name each of you wouldn't mind being identified with. The name you choose will eventually take on the same significance as your personal name. To the other Scouts in the troop, your patrol name will identify "who the patrol is" rather than "which patrol you are."

So, if you really want to have a name that means something, that everyone likes and can be proud of, give the choice some thought. Encourage your patrol to give it some thought. And, above all, be creative. You don't have to be just "The Eagle Patrol," you could be like Mike's patrol and be "The Shining Eagle Patrol."

The Sloppy Vikings

If you can't think of a really good name at first, just pick the best name you can. As time goes by some memorable patrol moment may provide the best name for the patrol. That happens a lot in Scouting. Sometimes the name comes from the patrol itself, and sometimes the patrol has the name bestowed upon it by other Scouts.

That's what happened to the Sloppy Viking patrol. They were a good patrol of good Scouts. They knew all their skills and could hold their own in any patrol competition. The only problem was, no matter what they did, they always made a bit of a mess. When they cooked their lunch on a campout, they would somehow manage to use every pot, pan, and utensil they brought - and occasionally some they didn't.

After a while, the rest of the troop started calling then the Sloppy Viking Patrol. No matter what they did, the name would stick to them like Super Glue. Then, one day at summer camp, the troop got bad marks on their campsite inspection all because the Viking Patrol hadn't straightened up their tents. When they got back to the campsite in the evening the whole troop was talking about them and the bad marks on the inspection. The SPL had a nice long talk with the Patrol Leader, and the SM assembled the whole troop and talked for five minutes about what it meant when we said "A Scout is clean."

You'd think all that would have made the Viking Patrol feel real bad about themselves and the name they had been given. Well, it did at first, but it didn't take long for the Vikings to decide to show the rest of the troop up. They held a little meeting, decided what they were going to do, and worked together as a patrol to get the job done.

They got up early the next morning and went to work. They straightened up their patrol area, put all their personal gear away, fixed up their tents so they looked perfect, and they even cleaned the latrine! The whole campsite was spotless. The only things they didn't touch were the other patrol's personal gear.

At the end of the day the SPL announced the camp inspection results. Everyone gathered around and cheered when they heard the troop had earned a score of 90%. Then the SPL read the inspector's remarks and the only Scouts who cheered were the Viking Patrol. You see, the Vikings did such a great job cleaning up the site, and all the patrol areas, that the inspector said the other patrols could learn a thing or two from them about camp cleanliness. And the Scoutmaster agreed, congratulating the Vikings on showing the rest of the troop what it meant to "do your best."

You may be wondering why the Sloppy Viking Patrol kept the name everyone had given them. Well, it happened at their little patrol meeting. They hadn't just decided to make the campsite spotless. They decided to make the name something they could use against the other patrols. They were determined to set such a high standard for camp inspections that it would be nearly impossible for the other patrols to beat. They figured, if they couldn't be the "Neat Vikings," they'd make everyone else sloppier than the "Sloppy Vikings." Now that's patrol spirit!