Patrol Competition Ideas

[Beavah]

Yah, in da parent thread Buffalo Skipper mentions some patrol competitions and asks for additional ideas. That sounds like great material for a new thread, eh? Here's his parameters:

 

Anyone who can offer any new ideas is welcome to do so. This is becoming a popular challenge for the patrols, and I would like to foster it. My real intent is to make it scout skill related, measurable, and easily repeatable (under the same conditions).

 

Here were his first three, which were all done as timed competitions:

 

Scout Knot Challenge. A relay with the patrol members tying the following knots: reef (square) knot, bowline, sheet bend, clove hitch, two-half hitches, and taut-line hitch.

 

Fire Building. Standard build a fire, light it and burn through the twine. We have standard pegs we use (14" height of the twine). As the scouts improve and master these skills, I intend to introduce a new variant, "fire starting" with either flint and steel (not magnesium) or bow (friction).

 

Tent Pitching. This is simply a patrol timed event for pitching (including stakes) a troop issued tent. It is the standard tent that all scouts use, so it is one in which they are familiar.

is to make it scout skill related, measurable, and easily repeatable (under the same conditions).

 

Nuthin' spurs patrol spirit quite like competitions which are fun and fair. What other things can we suggest?

 

[ElyriaLeader]

I seem to remember a competition for patrol campsite entryways, all the patrols had identical wood beams issued to them, you were judged on 2 parameters, speed it was erected and the quality of the lashings.

[CA_Scouter]

Ideas from our district Klondike:

 

Spaghetti Tie - Similar to fire building but you also have to boil water, cook the spaghetti so its flexible enough to tie into a knot around a stick. Eliminates the 'build the base of the fire 13 inches high to burn thru the 14 inch high string' part...

 

Blind Tent - One scout gives instructions to blindfolded scouts to put the tent up.

 

Hot Rock - a 3 foot diameter piece of plywood with three ropes attached. Place a semi-round rock in the middle and the scouts must hold the ropes, balance the rock and negotiate thru an obstacle course. No one can touch the rock, if it falls off the plywood, you can push it back up with a stick/stave. Real challenging with snow/ice as it gets slippery... good patrol cooperation and communication.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Stosh]

Cooking is also a good competition.

 

Orienteering works.

 

You missed the obvious First Aid

 

If you're near water, canoe races work as well as swimming competitions.

 

Whittling competitions work as do lumberjack type of activities.

 

Hanging a bear bag is a good ropes thingy.

 

Canoe portaging races. Pick up a canoe, portage it 100 yards and put it back down. Could make it a patrol activity by having the others unpack the canoe, one/two pick it up and everyone carries all the items 100 yards where they repack the canoe.

 

Chuckbox competition - (Kim's game) Look at a chuck box and have the boys make a list of what's missing. Could do the same for a First Aid kit or a hiker's pack.

 

Stosh

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[BrentAllen]

Lashing competition.

 

Each patrol has to lash together a ladder (6' tall, 4 rungs). Scouts in a patrol run up to station in pairs and each Scout has to lash one side of a rung. When they finish, run back to patrol and tag next pair, who run to station and lash. All Scouts must lash at least once. Once completed, a member of the patrol has to climb it to reach something taped to a wall or tree (bandana, pop a balloon, etc.) First patrol to do so wins.

 

 

[Buffalo Skipper]

Stosh, You mentioned First Aid. Great one, but if you follow my original perimaters, as Beavah suggested, what can you do to turn this into a measurable, repeatable competition? I am not looking for "random ideas" which can be used at troop meetings. Those should be directly about the skills focus which the scouts are running with the meeting's (or month's) theme.

I am talking about "bragging rights" which can be lost when bested. The events I described are posted on a big white board for all to see. They can be challenged on any campout (or other appropriate setting) by any patrol. The conditions can be repeated easily and the event does not take so long that it becomes a burden to run. 6 knots? easy. Set up a troop tent? simple. Make a fire? nothing to it.

For the patrols which hold these "current" records, this is a significant matter of pride (patrol spirit!). That is the real goal, even more so thanthe actual skill.

[shortridge]

Burning through a string doesn't really test anything except the speed of the fire. A far better test of both firebuilding and cooking skills would be to give the patrols an egg and hardboil it. If it's runny inside, you're DQ'd.

[Venividi]

First Aid: any of the first class skills, such as FA for a sprained ankle, and transport; or FA for broken collar bone; etc. - first patrol done wins.

 

I used these two at a first aid scenario at our district's winter-all last month. It was apparent that the scouts were getting their skills signed off without becoming profficient at them. I think including these skills in patrol competitions would help them remember them so they can be recalled when they are really needed.

[Kudu]

Best individual tarp shelter on a campout (to sleep under instead of a tent).

 

Some of our Scouts started practicing at home, sleeping under a tarp in the backyard whenever the weather forecast predicted rain.

 

http://inquiry.net/patrol/competition.htm

 

Kudu(This message has been edited by kudu)

[Stosh]

Buffalo,

 

Sure First Aid is a simple competition, but why go for speed for the only measurable matrix? Did the boys tie a square knot in the sling? Did they pad the splints before they applied them? Did they check for circulation after they put the splint on? Did they send two for help before beginning? QUALITY is a measurable matrix, too. Then there are those that think outside the box for extra measurable points. Instead of scarves for the splint, someone pops up with duct tape and/or collects up everyone's belts. Did anyone record all the injuries before they started treating so the medical people will know what happened before they arrived? If the boy is showing a head injury, did the boys check him out for a possible neck injury as well? Check his ears for fluid? Maybe do an eye dialation check to see if it's more than just a cut. Did they ask him his name and check his consciousness, thought processes, or did they just tie a bandage on his head in 13 seconds? If one needs competitions with higher limits to the measurable matrix, even the simple skills we start out with in Scouting can be expanded to a greater degree for raising the bar for these competitions. Maybe a head bandage should also include a C-collar made from a towel as well.

 

13 seconds might be great bragging rights, but there's a lot more bragging for quality because it shows the scouts really know their stuff. That's worth bragging about.

 

Stosh(This message has been edited by jblake47)

[Buffalo Skipper]

Stosh, Thanks for the detailed reply. I agree with you about quality over speed. I also intend to work the troop (via the SPL) to encourage this type of competition between patrols. Especially First Aid, which is near the top of the list of scout skills. Prehaps, however, I have not done a good job of explaining what I am trying to do (and maybe it is what I am trying to do which is can be done better).

We are setting up a competition which is measured and competed over the long-term, not a real head-to-head competition. Let me explain further with an example. This week, the Shark patrol says they want to take the patrol Scout Knot Challenge. The patrol ties the knots in 0:27 seconds, shattering the Mustang patrol's time of 1:42. They go on the board with the new time of 0:27. Two weeks later, the Pelicans take on the challenge and finish it in 0:25 seconds. Their time replaces that of the Sharks. You get the idea.

So what if the Mustang hold the First Aid challenge record for "setting the broken leg." A month later, the Sharks want to challenge. How do you really tell that the Sharks did a better job than the Mustangs did last month? The mustangs got all the square knots right and in much better time, but the Sharks had a better splint? How do you keep this competition both repeatable and measurable?

These competitions are not scheduled as part of the meetings by the SPL, but the patrols must take the initiative to challenge the record. A record can only be held for one year before it is dropped and must be re-earned. And just like betting, you cannot out-bid yourself.

We really think "knots" isgood, as is "tent-pitching" and "fire building." And we want to add one more (too many would not be practical to manage), and I like the idea of it being a first aid competition. It is a matter of making a quantifiable event. Does that help?

[Eagledad]

>>I am talking about "bragging rights" which can be lost when bested. The events I described are posted on a big white board for all to see.

[Stosh]

Why not add the measurable matrix to be repeated next time, i.e. Patrol 1 ties on a head bandage in 15 seconds.

 

Patrol 2 challenges and they've been reading up on making it better so they tie the head bandage in 16 seconds, but they also check for skull depression before applying. Total time 20 seconds.

 

Patrol 1 sees the game and they do the same in 19 seconds.

 

Patrol 2 then checks the skull and neck placing a C-collar and head bandage, 30 seconds.

 

Patrol 1 sees the game and they do the same in 29 seconds.

 

Patrol 2 then does all the rest but also checks for level of consciousness before starting and sends off two scouts for added help. 40 Seconds.

 

Patrol 1 sees the game and they do the same in 39 seconds.

 

Patrol 2 covers all the bases and then writes a record of all they have done and seen for the "patient". 60 seconds.

 

Patrol 1 Yep, 59 seconds.

 

What's happening here. Patrol 1 is learning and gaining bragging rights, but Patrol 2 is trumping the others every time with more and more quality in the program. They are writing the rules, expanding the knowledge base, changing the focus, raising the bar, and getting really good at first aid. Is it all that beneficial for Patrol 1 to tie a square knot in 3.7 seconds and nobody can ever beat it? Bragging rights forever, but the learning stops forever too.

 

There's no end for Patrol 1's bragging rights, but there's no end for Patrol 2's bragging rights too. They are improving the quality of each challenge and doing actual leadership for the other patrols. They set the measurable standard and maybe only hold it for a day or two, but they always have the chance to raise the bar and challenge the others once again. I see both patrols gaining from this process of competition. Just think of the bragging rights for Patrol 1 if they did what Patrol 2 did, added more quality AND still beat their time!? Now the competition is in full swing!

 

Stosh