End-of-year Awards

Our gym's year-end banquet was last night. There were "athlete's choice" awards, where everyone had been encouraged to nominate, and then vote for, our favourite athletes from the gym in a bunch of categories (jumper, flyer, dancer, etc. and overall athlete in various age categories). That was fun, although I think setting things up so that people could only vote once would have been better. I'm pretty sure the technology is out there.

Each team was recognized, and then there were awards from the coaches for the most improved, best jumper, best dancer, most spirited, leadership, etc. awards on each team. Each team's "Ultimate Athlete" gets a bright yellow T-shirt they can wear to practices next year instead of the regular practice T-shirt.

Now here's the thing. I get that this is a skill-based activity, and I appreciate the recognition given; that's really important in a sport like this. (I got "best jumper" on the parent team, got a medal that says so! who me? woo hoo!)

But maybe the other coaches could have taken a page from our parent team coaches, and come up with some more categories so that everyone on the team could get some kind of certificate: "always smiling," "best sense of humour," "best attitude," "most ready to help out" or stuff like that. These didn't need to be announced to the whole banquet (that would take forever!).

See, I went home with a very sad little girl last night because, even though her coach had told her all year she appreciated my daughter's leadership on the team, she did not receive the "leadership" award. She went home with nothing. Other kids at her table got trophies for athletes' choice awards, her mom got a medal, she got nothing.

I know how busy these coaches are. But I also know that not every kid in cheerleading is going to be a star athlete, and for those who aren't, different kinds of motivation may be needed.

The thing is, the coaches for the most part are people who always have been star athletes. They were naturally good at this when they were very young, and got better and better as they got older. My daughter's coach has been on the Canadian national team since it began. And I'm just not sure they "get" the kids who aren't ever going to be that, who participate because this is fun and who feel badly when the only qualities that are "officially" recognized are ones they may never get.

One of the coaches of our parents' team has told us several times that she was never an athlete in elementary and high school, that she did a bit of dance but that was it. And I suspect that experience is what led her to the creation of all those "extra" awards for us. She knows the experience of not being a star athlete, and understands that there are other reasons we participate in this sport.

I wonder if all the coaches really do get that, or understand how to use those other reasons to continue to motivate their young athletes to keep going.