I remember many years ago we all received a 59 cent hoof pick as a completion award and still another time a 30 cent comb. I gave mine to my brother-in-law for his beard. We all laughed in fun. To me, the award was just a bonus. Sometimes they could be used, but normally not. As someone said a few e-mails back, the true award was the meeting up with friends and having a BLAST! Ginger
From: marlene@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx To: ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: [RC] Awards Date: Fri, 2 Oct 2009 15:09:40 -0600
1.Do awards make a difference as to whether you'd go to a ride or not? If so, what's the minimum type of award that makes the difference?
The type of awards would not make a difference whether I went to a ride in general. I suppose if it was a ride where I had to trailer a long ways for a fairly boring ride (no scenery, lots of repeat trail) I might not go out of my way to make it though, since I condition on some pretty amazing trails. I really like something usable! The other thing I like about awards, probably more than even the awards, is the individual recognition. And not that I need to get the recognition, I want to see other people and put a name to a face! I went to a ride this spring and there wasn’t a real award so no names were listed and I found out that people where at the ride that I would have liked to have met, but I didn’t even know they were there and since I’d never seen them in person, didn’t get the opportunity.
2.Rides used to give out buckles for awards, but don't any more. Is it because they're too expensive and add a cost to the ride that riders won't bear? Or is it because riders don't care about buckles?
I’ve never done anything worth getting a buckle, so wouldn’t expect one. I don’t wear a belt, so if I got one, it would be displayed in the house. I’d like one someday for a ride like Tevis, but wouldn’t expect one for anything much less than that level of work.
3.What about T-shirts? Jackets?
I love T-shirts! They are able to make a statement to the rest of the world that I did an endurance ride! It gets people talking, and maybe I can recruit someone else. I think jackets should be for multidays or really big rides, or year end awards. I got one for 3 days of LD at Moab which I thought was way more than necessary, but I sure love it. I got amazing awards every day at that ride too.
4.What's the best completion or other award you've ever gotten? And would you want to always be able to get an award like that?
I think the best awards have been buckets, ditty pouches, crew bags, hay bags and t-shirts. Something useful and if it’s possible, I really like when it has the ride name on it since I have a poor memory, but it’s hardly necessary.
5.What's the lousiest completion award you've ever gotten? And if you feel it was lousy, why?
Well, don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings, because in general I have no problem with someone doing what is doable since being able to ride in a great place is more important. But my first 50, I got a plastic bot knife. I don’t live where we’ve had bots, so it wasn’t useful, it didn’t have the ride’s name on it and dang it, it was my first 50 and I ACHED and I wanted to be able to wear a T-shirt when I went to work that said I’d actually done a real endurance ride. I really don’t think that a certificate counts as an award since I’m not into displaying ribbons or certificates though. That seems kind of like a thing that works for kids, not adults. But other than a first ride, or a first 50 or 100, I don’t really worry about whether an award will be anything in particular or anything at all.
6.What's your recommendation for a perfect completion award?
If a T-shirt is doable, that’s what I’d like the best. Otherwise, either something with the ride name on it, or something useful, both it possible. I think a ride pic is an awesome idea (got one of those at Moab too!) I guess if someone wants to know how to get good awards, talk to Sherri Griffith (Moab) or Susie Schomburg (Shamrock) – both are amazing. They also have great rides in general, so they could quit giving awards completely and I’d still go.
Marlene
Marlene Moss
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