I saw a post on social media that read, “In the old days you had to win to get an award. Today you just have to participate.” It made me think about the “old days” when I competed in sports. Most of my sports were in school settings but the competitive spirit kept me going until I was in my 70s and still competing in some form of competition. Eventually all that competing and age caught up with me and I had to back off a bit.
The idea of getting an award is usually a recognition of an outstanding achievement that the person had accomplished. It was not always sports but could be in community service, business, achieving goals that were set before you, or any outstanding accomplishment in a recognized field. The recognition could range from a fancy certificate, money or a big trophy or medal. When a person graduates from high school they can buy a class ring for recognition of achievement. If they went to college and graduated, they could buy a bigger class ring.
I have a sock in my dresser drawer that had some of my medals from competition. I mainly focused on track, wrestling and weight lifting. I was somewhat amazed at the changes that have occurred over the years. I looked at my medals for winning the state in wrestling, the New England YMCA area wrestling championships, the low hurdles state third place, and the weight lifting titles in AAU meets. The medals were the exact same size as a quarter. I admit it was better than the colored ribbons we got for school field day competitions.
I noticed some of the wooden plaques I have from serving on committees or performing a service of some kind. Some of them were noteworthy enough to hang on a wall. A National Masters Champion Powerlifting trophy of an eagle sits on the floor in a spare bedroom. Some awards are more valuable in prestige than others. I won first place overall at a small local race. There were maybe 30 other runners in the race so it wasn’t a major victory. I received a belt buckle in the Houston Marathon for finishing in the top 100 runners. Finishing in 100th place in a big race meant more than first place in a small race competition.
A question arises as to where are you going to put these awards in your home. Big trophies are not necessarily fitted for a living room setting. Some people have a ‘trophy room’ where these awards are displayed. My wife in her younger years was in the Doc Toler Family Band with her husband and daughters and won a Grammy Award back in 1992. That sits on the mantel of our fireplace as it is a coveted award. Most of my big trophies from lifting are on a shelf out in my shop area as they do not fit in a living room setting. My son entered a karate tournament when he was 8 years old. He came home with a trophy that was as tall as he was. I often wonder where that trophy is today, as it was over 4 feet tall. Where do you put something like that in a house? And after you die who will want those plaques, trophies, or medals you earned? If it was an Olympic Medal, that is one to hang on the wall as a reminder of how good your mom or dad was in their youth. But local race trophies won’t find future stature in a home.
The participation awards are popular now. Running a marathon or half marathon represents a lot of hard work to run that far. For my Better Half Marathon, we first gave out finisher’s medals. We tried ballpoint pens and runner’s caps. We gave out 15 oz. coffee mugs the last 10 years or so and thought that they would use that mug everyday with morning coffee. I still use those mugs every day. The one participation award that I remember is when I coached Little League Baseball. The idea was that if we won, the players would get a free snow cone. After the game players asked, “Did we win?” They played for the fun of playing and win or lose that snow cone was more important. Cherish your awards but keep them in proper perspective.
