Troop 1844 to lead spirited Charger Nation

Home Sports Troop 1844 to lead spirited Charger Nation

Hillsdale College’s spirit group has a new name and a new plan. Now called Troop 1844, it aims to increase campus turnout at athletic events and raise school spirit.

Five students- sophomores Sydney Delp and Lincoln Reed, juniors Cooper Dunlap and Abby Lovat, and senior Nick Landry- decided to revamp the formerly nameless and loosely organized spirit group into Troop 1844 as a project at the College’s Student Leadership Workshop in May.

Previously, a handful of friends would choose the theme for each home game and announce it using Twitter, Landry said. These friends could only hope their theme would be retweeted enough to get the message out and that the administration wouldn’t inadvertently announce a conflicting one, as often happened.

By working with the administration and using an official Troop 1844 Twitter handle and Facebook page, the group hopes to avoid these problems, Landry said.

The group will use Twitter to advertise games and will recap on Facebook using pictures and video, said Amanda Bigney, director of student activities for the College.

The group name refers specifically to the leadership group organizing spirit activities, and these leaders call the broader fan-base Charger Nation.

The militaristic connotations of “Otter’s Army”—the name of the football student section—inspired the leaders to choose the moniker “Troop 1844,” Delp said.

“I guess we want a name that other schools will fear.”

Follow @troop1844 on Twitter and like the Troop 1844 Facebook page.