Do you want a medal or what?

[SeanC]

I've been to a few running races in the past few weeks. It's interesting to note the similarities and differences with Orienteering. One of the differences is that the running races (other than the ParkRun's) gave out medals and goody bags to everyone for competing, not just for the few winners.

Do you think we should give out medals and goody bags just for competing in orienteering?

Plus points
- Medals are quite cheap to buy now, under £1 each from a quick google search.
- It gives a chance for someone to say well done and be friendly.
- The goody bags could include marketing material to get people to participate more, or generate money from advertising (eg adverts for running shops, CompassSport etc).
- Newcomers and juniors might show it off to their friends/put a picture on Facebook etc. = more advertising.

Minus points
- Waste/environmental issues.
- More work for the organisers.
- Something else to complain about on Nopesport.

I can definitely see the attraction for junior and newcomer courses, and also for all courses particularly challenging events - Harvester, British Champs/JK etc.

Comments?

[Spookster]

Be interesting to know how many of those £1 medals given to running race finishers just end up in the bin. Along with all the other tat like them.

Medals should be reserved for the major championship competitions only. Other prizes are good at some events, but not all of them. And useful prizes are better than cheap trophies, certificates, and other things that just end up getting binned or hidden away.

Prize for the best prize in my opinion goes to:
Buffs (but there's only so many you need...!)
Mugs (but there's only so many you need)
JOK flying pig shoe bag
JOK flying pig water bottle
S6D coasters

As for goody bags, they seem like a good idea for newcomers (if packed with info about local events, clubs, permanent courses, etc), but not for giving to everyone at every event.

[Mrs H]

When I started the Malvern Initiative I gave every finisher a pen with the web address on - these were much prized. Cheap, useful and promotional!

[Big Jon]

How about lots of medals, certificates etc for juniors, especially newcomers? Keep the youngsters happy and shows the parents that the club has an interest in juniors. How many clubs log all juniors' performances and present them with colour badges, age class badges, participation badges etc at an annual presentation ceremony?

[andypat]

If you are going down that road I'd like a nice quality T shirt for every event!

I think one of the key differences with orienteering and running is that most running races are annual "events" whereas most orienteering races are adhoc with no apppreciable history to the average competitor.

Whereas I might look back and see I have a medal from the Glasgow half marathon from 1996 and remember my time etc, I dont think finding a medal from a colour coded event at Tentsmuir would necessary mean anything?

I do think that big events such as the JK, S6D , BOC etc could provide more in the way of this. The S6D coaster is a tradition but for what we pay for all these events - the equivalent running race would definitely include a T shirt!

[Mrs H]

When you say T shirts AP, what do you mean? An orienteering top like those nice ones the French give away or a t shirt that very quickly becomes the sort of baggy shapeless embarrassment that I have berated people for running urban events in. I'm not even sure how many 'technical' t shirts a person needs.

.....and the problem with medals is that most orienteering ones seem to be generic so you don't know what you won them for. My children had drawers full in a tangled mess until they grew up and threw them away.

For smaller events I don't think you can beat a promotional pen, but for big events you need to change it about a bit or you end up with too much of one thing.

[denbydale]

Medals given for just turning out are a definite 'no,no'
Medals should be earned!

[buzz]

How about lots of medals, certificates etc for juniors, especially newcomers? Keep the youngsters happy and shows the parents that the club has an interest in juniors. How many clubs log all juniors' performances and present them with colour badges, age class badges, participation badges etc at an annual presentation ceremony?

Medals given for just turning out are a definite 'no,no'
Medals should be earned!

Agree with both. Badges and certificates for as many as possible at junior level - decent quality medals and trophies for the lucky few winners of a limited number if events (local and national) - something to aim for if you try hard.

As for us oldsters - I certainly enjoy the rare occasions I manage to get on a podium, but its shaking the hands of the other winners that means most to me - plus my kids think its a blast!

[madmike]

Here in Italy medals/trophies tend to be reserved for larger championships; however, at lower level events they still tend to give prizes to the first 3 in every class. Prizes are things like sweets/chocolates for kids wine, olive oil, biscuits and pasta for adults.

[eddie]

Fell Race t'other day had a free pint after the race included in £5 entry. Delete pint and add soup/cake/coffee/tea etc if you so wish.

[JK]

How about lots of medals, certificates etc for juniors, especially newcomers? Keep the youngsters happy and shows the parents that the club has an interest in juniors. How many clubs log all juniors' performances and present them with colour badges, age class badges, participation badges etc at an annual presentation ceremony?

This sounds like a good idea to me. Whatever established orienteers think of the BOF participation awards and the various badge schemes (and there are a few) they can certainly be an incentive for the younger ones or beginners.

[PhilJ]

On last years WJS tour to Sweden http://www.woa.org.uk/yddraig.htm - April 2014 Y Ddraig edition, Kris Jones won a BBQ, lots of juniors cleaned up with clocks and Mark S really cleaned up with a green bucket!!!

Think Kris also won a bag of cement one year think he left it behind as might have tipped his luggage allowance over.

And the video the juniors made really epitomised what great fun squad life and training can be like http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rz_nBifNtFg&feature=youtu.be

[Tatty]

One year some of the juniors won axes at the O -Ringen. Had to think hard about how to get them back through customs

[JK]

In recent years I've won a road map of part of Croatia (at a Czech event) and a walking guidebook for the local Pyrannean (sp?) hills in Catalan! For proper prizes though local produce is often the best thing to get from sponsors and is fairly popular (I handed out Anglesey Salt at BTOC 2012).

But we were talking about participation rewards, not prizes so I think we are getting off-topic a bit.

But since we are off topic, take a look at these O medals I saw recently:
https://fbcdn-sphotos-d-a.akamaihd.net/ ... 2762_n.jpg

[Glucosamine]

Binning medals after running events is my norm - I just don't have the heart to say 'no thankyou' when it is an earnest youngster handing them out. But I do keep those rare few where I value the achievement which they denote (e.g. SUSF Champs from years back). Participation awards are not generally free, whatever the event publicity might say - we usually pay for them from entry fees. And while juniors might be a special case, I'm not sure that I'm keen on paying for prizes for those who happen to have been born with longer legs or longer-lasting eyesight. If organisers want to chase sponsorship for prizes (as often seems to happen in fell races) then good luck to them, but please don't load the entry fees.

In any case, a prize-giving seems to make more sense in a mass-start event than when starts (and hence finishes) are spread over a long time. Nothing worse than getting a local VIP to give out prizes, then finding many have not stayed on to receive them. And with unmanned finishes, when would medals be given out - a download queue doesn't perhaps have quite the same appeal.