Your Patrol Yell & Cheer

Okay, we've covered your patrol name, and your patrol emblems. Your patrol needs two more things to identify themselves and to keep your patrol spirit alive. You'll need a patrol yell, and a patrol cheer.

Patrol yells are a special signal the members agree on and it's used pretty much whenever you want. Some patrols use their yell to call the patrol together, some use their yell during patrol competitions to encourage the members, and some use their yell just to let everyone know they're around. They're pretty easy to come up with because they're usually an imitation of an animal noise or some sound that identifies the name of the patrol. The Lone Pine Patrol's "yell" is to make the sound of wind blowing through a pine tree. That doesn't sound like much noise, but once you get nine Scouts whistling like the wind you'll think you were stuck in a hurricane!

Patrol cheers, on the other hand, are used to cheer on the patrol whenever it needs it, or to celebrate the finish of a competition. They're also used to identify the patrol, but they tend to give a bigger voice to the patrol's spirit. In Troop 901, for instance, they use patrol cheers at the beginning of the meeting to show they're ready to start. In fact, all it takes is for the SPL to ask "Who's the best patrol?" and the whole meeting room erupts with four patrols cheering, each trying to be louder than the next. The Lone Pine Patrol's cheer is: "CAN'T CUT DOWN THE LONE PINE!" And the Sloppy Viking's cheer is: "SLOPPY VIKINGS, OH WHAT A MESS!"

Yells and cheers are another way the patrol can identify themselves to themselves and others. They give a voice to your patrol spirit and keep it alive whether you come in first, or come in last; whether the sun is shining, or the rain is falling. So, don't forget to come up with a yell and cheer together and use them as often as you can.