Baseball Trophies – The end of the season celebration

I know, I know…as I am writing this, it baseball season hasn’t even started.  New trophies and awards haven’t been released by the manufacturers.  We are in the baseball off-season.  With that being said, I want to take the opportunity to stress the psychological importance of baseball trophies to kids.
Over the years, I get feedback from customers both for and against giving baseball trophies.  I understand that multi-sport kids start accumulating trophies and the power of recognizing their accomplishments gets diluted over time.  While the collection of trophies becomes important to these kids, the impact of receiving a trophy is felt most by beginners.  Using my two girls as an example, they are not well exposed to team sports.  This year, my youngest daughter will likely play t-ball.  Due to her interest (or lack thereof), this may be her only season of playing baseball.  To celebrate the completion of the year and success in learning a new sport and being a part of the team, it is my hope that she will get a trophy.  Even though some other teammates might have received trophies in previous years, this will be a significant symbol of success for my daughter.  To fast forward a couple of years, some kids don’t start playing baseball until they are 8 or 9.  For these kids, I feel it is imperative for them to get a trophy, even if their teammates might be getting their 4th or 5th trophy.  Because of the sense of pride and long-lasting effect of positive reinforcement, the $8-10 investment is well worth it.
Being an awards company, I would love to take a minute to show you some of the baseball trophies we have to offer.  Our main baseball trophies section has several categories to choose from including; t-ball trophies, softball trophies, baseball medals, baseball resin trophies, baseball gifts (for coaches), and baseball trophies.  We also have a niche website, cheapbaseballtrophies.com that offers our full line of baseball trophies without displaying other awards products.
Please check out our wide array of products and remember, even if your child has started to accumulate trophies, the true impact is in the importance the parents place on the symbol of recognition.  Give them an extra pat on the back and tell them how good of a job they did in learning, sportsmanship and attendance.  These attributes are a great foundation for the kids to learn for future sports and to help them grow and become vital community members.

The T-Ball Coach – Kelly Conlon

This is a real story from Lakewood, Washington.  The scenario is a t-ball team without a willing volunteer to be coach.  Stepping up to the plate: Kelly Conlon.  While Kelly has a busy work life, multiple kids and stressors that most of us face, his t-ball team was without a coach/mentor to his child and 13 other 5-6 year olds.  Instead of pointing to the other parents and asking them to take on the role, Kelly raised his hand and said, “I will do it.”  That leap of faith is inspiration for this article.  The rest of the story is typical of many t-ball teams around the county; kids not knowing the sport, not having developed skills and not having the attention span to make it through a game.

 

Well, I just attended the team’s last game, and am I impressed!  The kids knew their positions, abided by the rules and had fun, too!  Since I am in the business of recognition, I want to highlight Kelly’s delivery of the end of the year trophies.  While most of the youth trophy presentations I have seen have been a spectacle for both the parents and children, Kelly focused on just the kids.  He got down on one knee and spoke loud enough to be heard by all, yet he spoke directly to each child.  He highlighted 2-3 positive attributes each child learned or possessed throughout the season and presented them with a small trophy and certificate from the league.

While I feel the trophy and certificate are long-lasting symbols of the child’s accomplishment, the words that were spoken are perhaps more important.  Each child left with a sense of accomplishment and pride that serve as a foundation for future achievements.  They know they can finish something.  They know they can be a part of a team.  They know that as an individual, they were a significant part of a team.

 

In speaking to Kelly after the game, he felt honored to teach the kids.  He felt like he witnessed growth in their teamwork, physical skills and in their attitude.  If you ask him if he received enough recognition for teaching them, he would say that he didn’t need any because the joy he received was greater than what he put into it.

 

This story is repeated by the hundreds each sports season around the county.  My hat is off to Kelly and the rest of the parents who accept the challenge of teaching our children structure, responsibility and rules.  These people are to be commended for giving more than their share of effort.

Great Job!