This year, we had to reschedule from our normal September date to October 19th. What should have been a mild Fall day, was 48 degrees and damp. The Lord heard our prayers and the rain ended about 4 PM Friday and it didn’t drop into the low 48’s.
6 patrols from AHG Troop GA-0513 and Trail Life Troops GA-0594, GA-2121, and GA-2717 competed in a test of teamwork, communication, and outdoor skills.
How quickly could they cook an egg? What about saving the lost hiker with hypothermia or poor “Cameron” and “Kimberly” who were drowning?
Throughout the night it became clear that the best way to win AND to have a good time was to work as a team and to communicate effectively. The late hour, dark, and chill puts a strain on patrol members who have to work together to complete basic outdoor skills.
In the end, the veteran girls from the Salty patrol and the Sweet patrol took 1st place in every station, 2nd place in Speed, and 1st & 2nd Overall. How did they do it?
How to win Night Ops or any outdoor competition:
Communication, Teamwork, and Preparation. AHG Troop GA-0513 has been participating for several years now, so they have several veterans who know what to expect and helped their patrol members prepare effectively.
They communicated effectively and respectfully with each other and worked as a team. They weren’t arguing with each other or trying to tell each other what to do. They had a leadership structure and respected it. They asked struggling teammates if they could assist and respected the answer.
The only thing the girls did not succeed at was # of items left behind when they left camp 😉
DON’T
The best way to make sure you don’t win – Everyone should try to talk at the same time and tell each other what to do.
This year, we had a lot of new and/or young guys competing in patrols. This leads to the question of “who is in charge”. We recommend that everyone be knowledgeable about all of the skills that will be used during the night BUT that you should have people with assigned duties.
For instance, a patrol medic. When you find a lost hiker with medical issues and natural disasters imminent, the last thing you want to do is have everyone talking. I watched a patrol that had 7 boys crowding around Luke, the “victim”. They were all talking. One patrol medic was trying to assess the situation but it didn’t look like he could think much less get a word in.
DO
Let the person who is supposed to be in charge lead. Have a method of respectful communication in place, like raising your hand or saying “excuse me”/”I have an idea”.
Be okay with not being heard. We all want our opinions to be heard and respected, but we have to learn to be okay with not have a chance. On the same note, give everyone a chance to participate. Don’t make your youngest /or/ most inexperienced patrol member be mute all night.
Get to work! We’ll see you next year.
Night Ops 2019 is scheduled for September 20-21, 2019. Continue working on your teamwork, communication, and outdoor skills – several patrols made grand claims about beating the girls… good luck 😉
Some changes for next year:
- Night Ops runs from 6:00 PM Friday until 1:00 PM Saturday, and all patrols are asked to remain for the duration of the event. Troops may choose to camp for the remainder of the weekend.
- Possible group lunch either provided by the Night Ops staff /or/ just a “hey, everyone bring hot dogs or hamburgers and let’s eat together so we can see what everyone looks like during the day”.
- And, of course, the stations will change. Have an idea for a refresh of a station? Or a new station? Let us know!
Here are some photos and videos that I was able to get while at Night Ops. It is an embedded shared google drive folder so it may open images in a new tab/window.
