I am for participation trophies… but I am only for getting a participation trophy your first full year… I also think you should get a patch you can sew on items, perhaps even a certificate as well.
Whether your first year in a program is when you are 7 or 17 I think you should get a trophy and a patch. But, you only get it if you make it to enough practices throughout the year and make an effort. I consider your first year, your welcome to the club year.
I would present them with their trophy and patch along with a bit of a speech, I would say that they showed the effort it takes to become a better athlete and team, that it takes commitment to make a team good and work. Welcome to the club! I would follow that up with… now it is time to go win some trophies.
Even being part of a team for one year made you a part of every championship team the school ever had in a way. How much do we owe people that stick through a season without winning a game to keep a program alive for the future? Being part of teams of long droughts without making it to the playoffs, hanging in there and carrying the torch. Sometimes you are part of a team with a new coach, and you are part of his or her learning curve, you may not have been super successful, but the coach may have learned a lot to make a future championship team. I would of course hope a young child would stick with a sport, but I think they should feel proud to wear the patch throughout their life, even if they only played one full year… they were part of the process…
Where are teams and champions without all of their practice partners as well?… everyone shares in even an individual’s championship win.
Short blog today, but I think you get the gist of what I am trying to say. I like the idea of getting a welcome to the club package after you complete a full first year, along with a nice motivational speech… Then you chase the trophies after that!
P.S. … so in like little league baseball you would still get a high school patch… part of the overall program…
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