camp names
Welcome to camp, my name is Tigger!
Yes, this is real. You are dropping your daughter off for her first day at Girl Scout overnight camp and you are introduced to a real person who says their name is Tigger. Camp Names. They appear at more than just Girl Scout Camp but traditionally they are the most likely types of camps to use them.
Why?
Why on earth would young adults insist on being called names from Fitzer to Nutella and Sunny to Pink?
The easiest explanation is, well, it’s fun. You are already escaping the real world for about 10 weeks, why not put on a new name to go with your summer gig? The campers love trying to guess the staff’s real names, and the counselors often forget each other’s real names. We don’t mind walking into Wal-Mart with hip sacks on and singing camp songs and when you lose each other a quick, “Nut Nut!!!” will always be answered with “Tiggs, I’m right here"!”
The other reasons that have surfaced over the years are those of safety. If each staff member has a unique name it’s harder to have issues during an emergency. Imagine walking into a room full of adults and you need Sarah, except there are four Sarah’s (with or without h’s) and they are all coming to you. Much easier if you just go in and ask for Rainbow, I promise only one will respond.
In the world of social media, it has also helped to have camp names so staff could have anonymity when they return to the “real” world. Most staff members are college students and while they are hopefully not posting anything that would get them into trouble, it still might be crossing that line into their private lives that campers don’t really belong in.
How do we get these names?
Some choose their names, some come buy them organically. I have had mine too long to really know how or when it started. I am outgoing, I love Tigger, and so it has stuck, for at least 25 years now. My favorite organic story happened like this:
Fitzer: Let’s introduce ourselves, real name, camp name, and one fact.
Me: I’m Melissa, my camp name is Tigger, and (to be honest, can’t remember what I said here).
Julia: I’m Julia, my camp name is pending
Me (interrupting, because I’m rude): It is now!
And so the camp name Pending was born. She just meant she hadn’t decided on one yet and I told her I had already decided. We told her to think on it for the night, she was the one who would have to be called it, after all, and in the morning, at breakfast, she confirmed that she would be forevermore, Pending.
No matter how you get your camp name, it becomes a part of who you are. An alter ego, a way to identify how people met you, and just something fun to keep in your back pocket.