[GaryVoshol]

I'm reminded of watching our local version of Bozo the Clown long ago. He always had prizes for Winners and "Almost Winners". Even way back then, we knew the latter category was really "Losers", or at least, "Not Winners".

Regarding Jane's FLL experience, it could be that the coach was simply trying to buck up morale. Or it could be that his statement was factual - if they were at a state-level tournament that everyone had to qualify for at local events, they had already demonstrated that they were winners. In that sense, every team at the Michigan State Championships this year were already winners, at least qualifiers. Maybe not #1 position, but within the top X teams in the state. (And I know there's some who say that particular "X" is too large in MI, but that's another argument.) Another example of winners are those who qualified to the Championship through regionals.

In the broader sense though, everyone who participates in any meaningful way has won something. Many others have given examples of that in this thread. It may be trite to call everyone who has achieved something a winner. But we need to recognize all the achievements, not just the top winners. I think that's the purpose of the participation awards, whether they be medals or pins. It's not to say, "We're giving you this bronze award because you're in third place behind gold and silver." Rather, it is to recognize teams that have had some achievement and success in the build and competition season, no matter what scale that is measured with.