The beginning…

Established June 23, 1931, Troop 163 has a long history of scouts and families coming together to form life lasting memories and friendships!

Our Polar Bear Logo

A core moment for the troop was the Hickey Field camping trip under Sunrise Highway in Rockville Center. However, Rockville Center was not how we know it now. Back then it was basically just a field in the woods, so it was freezing cold! No one understood what cold weather was like because it was Long Island, not somewhere with normally cold temperatures. All they had was their sleeping bags and whatever else they brought. And that's where the polar bear motto began.  It seemed like a great bear to put on the neckerchiefs and was a piece of continuity for 163.

A couple years ago nobody went on the February camping trip to Onteora that year because of how cold the camping trip was going to be. The scout master at the time, Mr. Koppinger, challenged the scouts to start swimming the polar bear swim in the morning again, and asked “are you guys really polar bears?” because of how cold it was, and they plunged right in. They were nothing like the Long Beach polar bears, but were still very inept to the tradition.

Our Famous Christmas Wreaths

Another piece of continuity is the scouts selling Christmas wreaths! One year, 1700 wreaths were sold, and it was a wonderful scout networking opportunity and community between the four RVC troops, 40, 163, 214, and 517! 517 is disbanded because of covid, but the other three, especially 163 seem to thrive. 163 hit their high watermark around 40 or 50 scouts in 2016 with 14 assistant scoutmasters.

Girls join Scouts BSA

Girls came into the troop in 2019. Technically a separate but linked troop. This made lots more adventures possible because many adults were available and who doesn't want to go on a fun trip?

The best camp meals

A big tradition of adults having fine cooking came up on camping trips and the scouts toughed it out, trying to make many elaborate meals full of success and failures. Troop 163 always seemed to do the best gathering the most intelligent, easy-going scouts who are looking for a seriously fun time separate from school work!

Join us and make new stories

Scouting is an opportunity to see the world around you from a safe vantage point and this troop does just that!