Post Game Awards

[KevinC]

Last spring I started giving out those stickers the girls can put on their batting helmet to our 12U rec ball team. I was giving out one or two per game and was keeping track to make sure everyone got at least one or two over the season. The idea was to give it out when a player did something exceptional for them - not always to the "best" player. For example the player with the best batting average on the team probably won't get one for hitting a double but if a player who is struggling at the plate hits a double she would get a sticker.

On two occasions I heard from parents letting me know their DD was upset because they felt they had been passed over when they deserved one. In one case they were right - it's was sometimes hard to remember this while I'm also trying to manage the game. The parents weren't mad at me or asking me to change what I was doing but wanted me to know their DD was upset.

So to avoid any more complaints I started giving out stickers to every player every game - making sure to identify what they did well during our post game talk. I had one type of sticker for a "hard hit ball" and another for some other type of good play.

So is an award special if everyone gets one? Does it still mean anything to the all-star player if the average player gets the same recognition?

I'm trying to decide whether to continue doing anything like this for the fall season and would like to get some feedback from other rec ball coaches & parents.

 

[chinamigarden]

"The road to hell is paved in good intentions". Or "No good deed goes unpunished" or "if you try to please everyone you end up pleasing no one"

I have found it becomes a big problem to give recognition to a player or two, because people feel insulted when they are not the one getting the compliment.

 

[Amy in AZ.]

"So is an award special if everyone gets one?" No.

I like what you were doing. People should have told their kid to get over it. Now, a couple of whiners, ruined it for everyone.

 

[quincy]

I am not good at this and quite honestly it annoys me a little bit, our Team does it.

Our Player’s like it, they cheer for everyone who receives an award. The top Players do not care, the middle player’s care until they get one, the lower player’s know they need to work for one.

Takes a lot of work to do it.

 

[Momo'sDad]

I did it during spring rec season and it worked wonderfully. I keep a pretty detailed book for each game and during the course of a game, certain items will be starred, whether it was a great play or a great HUSTLE play. Every award was earned, but I made a bigger deal about the hustle award - and gave out a lot fewer of those - because that was the one thing every player had the ability to demonstrate. That was the one my girls really coveted.

Your method was ideal, Coach. You rated and awarded each player based on her skill level. The fact that there were a few upset kids (parents) over the course of a long season means you did your job right and you did it well. I'll stick with my same 'Hustle' awards, but thanks for reminding me that I need to order new great play stickers for the current team. We're the 'Riptide', so I guess I'll go with a little tidal wave design.

Edited to add: Also, I do a post-game report by email after each game where EVERY kid gets a game ball, because of something I noted during the game. Maybe our superstar got dirty stopping a ground ball or maybe a weaker hitter merely got deep in a count, but I identify something each player did well during the game. To a person, the parents LOVED this, and I am told that the players always enjoyed reading these at home with their families.

 

[Coach-n-Dad]

This is one thing that's wrong with youth sports today. When I coached Little League Softball a few years ago I got in trouble with the Board for giving individual awards at our awards dinner; "It wasn't fair to the kids that didn't get one". REALLY?

I applaud you for acknowledging exceptional players. It isn't a easy thing to stick to.

 

[howellhandmade]

"So is an award special if everyone gets one?" No.

I like what you were doing. People should have told their kid to get over it. Now, a couple of whiners, ruined it for everyone.

I agree. My younger dd's U10 rec team coach did something similar, gave out a game ball every game. Tried to spread it out, big emphasis on attitude and hustle. I think the team clued in that not everybody could get recognition every game, but everybody who put in the effort would get some.

 

[Bucketrider]

You have become a victim of this society. I think your wanting to show appreciation for those that put in extra hustle is awesome. I understand that not everyone can hit a home run or throw out a girl at the plate from left field, but EVERYONE can hustle and put in exceptional effort that can be rewarded. In life there are few prizes for fourth place, but effort is recognized. Get used to it.

 

[Lozza]

*rolls eyes*

How will their precious little egos cope with not being rewarded every game!

Seriously, it's an issue here. We give everyone a trophy at the end of the year, but each week we give our one or two fast food awards (all the fast food places in Australia do them. You get a 'Good Job' certificate and a voucher for a meal there. They've been doing that since I was a little kid and probably before) and we get enough for two each. We do try and give siblings in the same week (just to help the parents) but that's it.

 

[CycloneSoftball22]

This past year , I gave out helmet stickers and it worked great. All the girls wanted to "earn" their stickers. I gave out RBI stickers for each RBI earned during the weekend tournament. They could also earn stickers if they reached our goals for hitting (.300 BA , .400 OBP) , could also earn a "HUSTLE" sticker for any play that required extra effort , then finally , I named a tournament MVP that got a special sticker. Not everyone got a sticker every week , but the girls were very proud when they did get them