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

[Schnabel]

Originally Posted by EricH

Nothing says that you can't a) do the same thing with pins or b) make your own participation awards (medals, trophies, etc).

This gives me a great idea! I should start a Pat-yourself-on-the-back club. All we would do is make plaques, medals, and awards for, you guessed it, Ourselves!!!! Then we can be ungracious about it and go around and brag about how we have a medal for Most Steps taken form a single door while eating a hot pocket.

Now that above is really overstated, but, that is essentially what you are saying we should do if we want medals. At KHS, the robotics team gets very little recognition compared to any other sports team, but it always is very nice to see when a bunch of TechnoKats would wear their medals around the school right after a competition because the people around them ask what it's for. The medals in my opinion are a very good marketing item for a team.

[Chris is me]

Some more food for thought: Why not eliminate winning medals in addition to participation medals? What reasons for eliminating participation medals don't apply to winner medals, and why? (I'm not trying to "trick" people or anything or imply anything, I'm just posing ideas)

[Kristian Calhoun]

Originally Posted by Chris is me

Some more food for thought: Why not eliminate winning medals in addition to participation medals? What reasons for eliminating participation medals don't apply to winner medals, and why? (I'm not trying to "trick" people or anything or imply anything, I'm just posing ideas)

FIRST has already changed the design of the Regional Champion, Finalist, and Chairman's Award medals in addition to shrinking the sizes of certain trophies (the subject of one of Bill's blog entries last year). My conjecture is that FIRST has already "cut costs" with respect to the competition's "winners" and is now looking to extend their savings to other areas of the program (AKA the rest of the participants).

[EricH]

Originally Posted by Schnabel

This gives me a great idea! I should start a Pat-yourself-on-the-back club. All we would do is make plaques, medals, and awards for, you guessed it, Ourselves!!!! Then we can be ungracious about it and go around and brag about how we have a medal for Most Steps taken form a single door while eating a hot pocket.

That could happen... BUT, don't get me started on how this very thing seems to be happening all over the place, especially in the school system...

...or wherever participation medals/trophies are given out. Just seems like you're giving an award for doing nothing.

[GaryVoshol]

Originally Posted by Libby K

... WHAT IF: FIRST gave each team the option, as they were doing their event registration in TIMS, to choose what they wanted. They could then pick their choice (medal or pin) ... The choice is marked in FIRST's system, and it's sent to their regional.

Yes, FIRST is still ordering medals, but at least they're not ordering so many extras that go to waste. From the looks of the way it's played out on ChiefDelphi and Bill's Blog, FIRST would order roughly half of what they used to (cutting costs for medals in -you guessed it- roughly half!).

It wouldn't be half the savings, because there are fixed costs associated with production that are there whether you produce 100 medals or 100,000. In addition, there would be additional packing costs as they ensure that each team's individual package was shipped to the correct regional.

Originally Posted by EricH

...or wherever participation medals/trophies are given out. Just seems like you're giving an award for doing nothing.

For nothing except participating. And presumably gaining something from that participation, or else why would we have FIRST at all? If we had some survey that said 80% of the kids wouldn't participate without a medal, we might be on to something. But I don't think that's the case. The award - whether it be medal, pin or certificate - is to recognize the work that it took to be a team member. If it can also be a visual item to increase awareness of FIRST and the individual teams, all the better. The question then becomes, what is better, medal or pin? Which will be used more, which will be noticed more? (I leave out certificates because no one goes around carrying their certificates, and students don't have cubicle walls to pin them on.)

[EricH]

Originally Posted by GaryVoshol

For nothing except participating. And presumably gaining something from that participation, or else why would we have FIRST at all? If we had some survey that said 80% of the kids wouldn't participate without a medal, we might be on to something. But I don't think that's the case. The award - whether it be medal, pin or certificate - is to recognize the work that it took to be a team member.

Gary, I wasn't specifically referring to participation in FIRST. Back when I started as a competitor, we didn't get none of these-here participation medals, and we didn't need 'em, and we liked it that way!

[Chris is me]

Originally Posted by Kristian Calhoun

FIRST has already changed the design of the Regional Champion, Finalist, and Chairman's Award medals in addition to shrinking the sizes of certain trophies (the subject of one of Bill's blog entries last year). My conjecture is that FIRST has already "cut costs" with respect to the competition's "winners" and is now looking to extend their savings to other areas of the program (AKA the rest of the participants).

Just for the record, the weight and cost of the Participation Medals was cut at the same time as the Chairman's and Winner medals.

[Joe Ross]

Originally Posted by EricH

Gary, I wasn't specifically referring to participation in FIRST. Back when I started as a competitor, we didn't get none of these-here participation medals, and we didn't need 'em, and we liked it that way!

I have a 1998 participation medal, so I don't think your old man routine is very accurate.

[Cory]

When I was in high school I couldn't care less about the participation medals. I wanted to win gold medals, not be handed a bronze one for showing up, and like others, I have no idea where mine even are.

I still don't care about the medals, but this brings up other issues that Madison and Stephen alluded to.

If they cut costs by not giving us medals, how does the experience my $6,000 currently buys me improve elsewhere? Are they going to pass the savings on to us? I don't buy the argument that any cost savings are passed on to us in the form of registration fees not being increased. When FIRST is adding $1M every year to their spendable cash assets, they have no reason to be charging us more.

If getting rid of metals saves $100,000 (random number...just tossing that out there) and nothing happens with that $100,000 other than FIRST's cash assets in the FY2010 report increasing, we didn't benefit at all by moving to a cheaper memento.

[Tetraman]

Originally Posted by Cory

If getting rid of metals saves $100,000 (random number...just tossing that out there) and nothing happens with that $100,000 other than FIRST's cash assets in the FY2010 report increasing, we didn't benefit at all by moving to a cheaper memento.

This and This.

There should be a benefit to losing the medals. I don't like the idea of getting rid of the medals, but if the money saved will provide a new kind of part for the kit or a more advanced Game/Field, I'd be fine with the loss.

[Alan Anderson]

Originally Posted by Schnabel

At KHS, the robotics team gets very little recognition compared to any other sports team, but it always is very nice to see when a bunch of TechnoKats would wear their medals around the school right after a competition because the people around them ask what it's for. The medals in my opinion are a very good marketing item for a team.

To be fair, the TechnoKats have had some winning seasons lately. The bronze participation medals are essentially superfluous as marketing when you've got gold or silver to show off.

(We do also get official recognition from the school board, with small medals to go along with the whereas/therefore proclamation of our goodness.)

[EricH]

Originally Posted by Joe Ross

I have a 1998 participation medal, so I don't think your old man routine is very accurate.

They weren't distributed in 2003 and 2004, that I know about. (admittedly wasn't eligible either year) I don't remember any showing up from 2002, though I can't remember if we were eligible that year. Ditto in 2001, and I'm fairly sure we were then. So either we didn't pick them up and/or I just didn't know about them, or they were not distributed.

Also note that none from those years are in any of our storage cabinets to my knowledge.

[Cory]

Originally Posted by EricH

They weren't distributed in 2003 and 2004, that I know about. (admittedly wasn't eligible either year) I don't remember any showing up from 2002, though I can't remember if we were eligible that year. Ditto in 2001, and I'm fairly sure we were then. So either we didn't pick them up and/or I just didn't know about them, or they were not distributed.

Also note that none from those years are in any of our storage cabinets to my knowledge.

I'm fairly certain they had them from 2001 to 2004. I've only gotten bronze medals as a high school student, and I think I got one all four years.

[GaryVoshol]

Originally Posted by Cory

If they cut costs by not giving us medals, how does the experience my $6,000 currently buys me improve elsewhere? Are they going to pass the savings on to us?

Perhaps you get to retain your $6000 experience, rather than having a $6100 experience.

[Joe J.]

Originally Posted by EricH

They weren't distributed in 2003 and 2004, that I know about.

They were given out, they are hanging on my wall right now. I've got a 2001 too.

I'm really torn on this I like the medals but those pins are cool too.