From Bill's Blog: Merits of replacing bronze participation medals

[dtengineering]

I'd like to echo Madison's comments that the medals aren't meant for her, but for the students.

While there are many people here on CD who have participated in many FRC seasons, for most of the students on my teams, two years is pretty standard, three is quite unusual (maybe six students over six years), and next year... for the first time ever, we'll have two students in their fourth year on the team.

I don't think too many students, at least on my team, are building up such massive collections of FRC medallions that they begin to lose meaning.

Jason

[smurfgirl]

I think replacing the bronze medals with pins is a good idea and it will be embraced by most teams and individuals if it is the decision that FIRST makes. Logistically, it makes more sense- pins are smaller, weigh less, use fewer materials, easier to ship, cost less, etc. In terms of having a memory from the season, pins are also a great idea- it's cool to have a memento of each game and season that varies from year to year instead of the same medal each year. Pins are fun to collect and easier to wear and store than medals. Since the bronze medal at the end of your regional event isn't the reason why people are involved in the program, I don't think most people would have a problem making the adjustment to pins instead of medals.