Sports Awards

Presenting Cups as Symbols of Accomplishment

Loving cup trophies are timeless and classic awards. This one is my favorite that we offer.

How did this iconic trophy come to be? It’s hard to accurately pinpoint when loving cups became trophies, and the history around the origin of these awards is unclear. But what is known is rather interesting.

Traditionally, loving cups are used in wedding ceremonies. Made of silver, these types of cups have two handles for passing from person to person. They date back to the 15th century, including the Celtic Quaich, and the French coupe de marriage. In ancient times, these cups were passed around banquets and used for toasts, and they are still used for this purpose at weddings today. Many couples share their first drink together as husband and wife from an engraved loving cup, symbolizing the joining of two families into one.

But how did these glamorized drinking cups morph into the ideal trophy? The answer is unknown. Traditionally a “trophy” was something taken from one’s enemy – a piece of armor, a weapon, or sometimes a body part (ick!) – as a symbol of victory in battle. Cups as trophies don’t show up until the mid-18th century, but how did they raise to become the iconic symbol of achievement?

One theory is that John Wesley (1703-1781), founder of the Methodist church, hosted ‘loving feasts’, where a cup of water was shared with everyone present. His cup had two handles making it easier to pass from person to person, hence the name ‘loving cup’. Maybe he went to a wedding for his inspiration? Who knows! But how did that loving cup become a trophy? The answer is a mystery.

Famous Loving Cups

Since then, a cup as a trophy is the standard of excellence.

Check out Wikipedia for more history of the Stanley Cup.

One of the most famous cup trophies is the NHL’s Stanley Cup; it’s also the oldest professional sports trophy in North America. It was donated in 1892 by then Governor General of Canada, Lord Stanley of Preston. Awarded to the champion of the Stanley Cup Finals, this cup continues to be the highest honor in ice hockey.

Other notable cup trophies include the African Nation’s Cup, the FIFA World Cup, the NASCAR Sprint Cup, the Cricket World Cup, the America’s Cup and the PGA Ryder Cup. It’s interesting to note that most of these awards are team awards, as it seems the original gesture of passing the cup from person to person has evolved into a symbol of team achievement.

Our Cup Trophies

Do you want to honor your team with a loving cup? If so, we have many sizes and prices to choose between. Click here for a large selection of cup trophies. My favorite is the Brenna Loving Cup Trophy, because it is named after my daughter Brenna. It is a pretty shiny metal cup, with a black marble base; a classic and elegant choice.

No matter which cup you choose, know that this type award has a long and mysterious history, steeped in tradition and lore. It’s also one of the most prestigious awards you can give, sure to make any achievement even more meaningful.

Cheers,
Jessica

At a recent after-school Girl Scout Meeting, the topic being discussed was Sportsmanship.  The girls were earning a badge for their work that day. They were developing their own definition of Sportsmanship, listing 5 Things to Do and 5 Things Not to Do.   They had some great ideas for their things to do list like play your best, don’t argue with the referees, say ‘good game’ to your team and the opposing team.  I was surprised at how many examples of bad sportsmanship they had personally witnessed.  Some in games they were playing in and some in games they were watching. One shared how she saw two coaches yell at each other and resort to fighting.  One shared how she was at a MLS soccer game and the fans were yelling at the players ‘you suck.’  Great lesson there. One of my favorite comments came from a scout whose brother had participated well in a chess match.  Sportsmanship can happen everywhere.

The next morning, my daughter had a soccer game in her rec league.  They didn’t win, but they played real hard.  And after the game they celebrated the birthday of one of their teammates.  Our coach actually got an email from the coach of the other team. He wasn’t able to be at the game, but his daughter told him that the team they played was really ‘nice’, they played well, showed good sportsmanship and actually shared birthday doughnuts with her team.  Sweet.

Trophies2Go is a sponsor of the National Alliance for Youth Sports.  NAYS provides some great training for volunteer coaches that can help them teach sportsmanship to their players. You can check them out here www.nays.org  . In their Fall 2012 member publication they have a two-page spread titled Out Of Bounds.  This section includes stories of terrible sportsmanship including a little league mom who received  60 day jail sentence and 5 years of probation after threatening an official when her son didn’t make the travel team. Not a great teaching moment.

David McDaniels, NAYS Coach of the Year 2011

NAYS presents a ‘Coach of the Year’ award each year.  You can read about David McDaniels, the 2011 winner here:  http://www.nays.org/Coaches/Coach_Of_The_year/winners.cfm  Coach McDaniels teaches good sportsmanship and acts as a role model.

We all need to remember that the lessons learned on the field will transfer over to the real world. The kids we raise, and coach and cheer on from the sidelines will learn their sportsmanship from us.

Blessing, Anne.

Ewww!  What the heck is that?  Why it’s a Honey Badger, the most fearless animal in the animal kingdom.  A pop culture icon, the Honey Badger don’t care, he takes what he wants!  He just eats that cobra!

This crazy nasty creature is our 2013 Product of the Year!

If you don’t know about The Honey Badger, you need a YouTube education!  Check the video out (warning:  This contains R-rated language, not ok for young ears!)

Now that we have that out of the way, we love Honey Badgers, and decided that we needed a Honey Badger trophy.  We worked with our supplier JDS, and they designed a custom Honey Badger Trophy just for us!  Only available at Trophies2Go, this is our newest and most fun trophy EVER!

If you know someone who’s a real spitfire and just goes for it, consider awarding them a Honey Badger.  Or if you have a group full of spunk, perpetual-ize your Honey Badger for years of enjoyment and laughs!

That Honey Badger – what a crazy, nasty critter!  He don’t care!

Cheers,Jessica

Hey Team Moms-

Are you tired of bringing the same old granola bars and juice boxes for your kids to eat after their sports games?  Are you looking for new snack ideas that are healthy, delicious AND easy to pack to practice and games?  Below are some ideas of snack foods that will get you out of the rut!

These girls are tired from all that play! They need water and a nutritious snack to refuel!

Before buying snack for the entire team, there's a couple of things you need to know.  First, be sure to check for allergies before deciding on which snacks to bring.  Also, check for any other food restrictions, such as vegetarians, etc.  Second, you want to minimize germs, so give a quirt of hand sanitizer to each player before handing out snack.

During The Game

If you're giving out a snack during half-time or another break, you want to make sure the food is easy to digest.  Choose something mild so that the kids don’t get a stomach ache once they're up and moving again.  Fruit is always a safe choice, along with water.

After The Game

The main goal is to help the child recover and rehydrate from exercise.  I’m not a nutritionist, so if you have questions, please consult a doctor.

Food To Avoid:

Caffeine sodas.  They act like a diuretic, further dehydrating the body.

High sugar snacks, such as candy bars, cookies, donuts, cupcakes, etc.  They spike blood sugar, followed by a steep drop in blood sugar, which can cause fatigue.  These foods also lack antioxidants, which help protect the body after exercise.

Junk food, like potato chips, etc.  Serving these after exercise is not modeling a healthy lifestyle.

Foods to Consider:

All of the snacks mentioned below are finger foods, and do not require utensils to eat.  They can be packaged individually for the entire team.  I have snacks arranged by category, but of course you can combine foods from different categories if you want.  I also have some suggestions of things that go along with the food by the side.

Vegetables

Baby carrots, Red bell pepper slices, Celery sticks, Cherry tomatoes, Cucumber slices, Sweet Potato chips (these are cooked), Great to serve raw veggies with salsa, hummus or ranch dip.

Fruits

Apple Slices - can go with almond butter or peanut butter, Applesauce, Bananas  - can go with animal crackers, in sandwiches with peanut or almond butter, Blueberries, Clementine tangerines, Grapes, Melon cubes, Oranges – can go with mild cheese (like Bonnie Bell), Pears, Raspberries, Watermelon

Fruits, especially berries, and be mixed together in small plastic bags for a nutritious snack high in antioxidants.  Another idea is to make fruit kabobs, with 3 different pieces of fruit on a skewer.

Dried Fruits and Nuts

Raisins, Dried Cranberries, Almonds, Cashews, Trail Mix (low salt), Plain Popcorn, Sunflower Seeds, Pumpkin seeds, Soy nuts

A fun idea:  Have each player bring their favorite dried fruit, nut, popcorn or whole grain cereal to the game.  Mix them all together to make a ‘team trail mix’.  Divide out the resulting mixture among the kids!

Dairy

Cheese cubes, Cheese sticks, Cheese slices cut into shapes using a cookie cutter, Yogurt sticks, Frozen Yogurt, Hard Boiled Eggs

Whole Grains

Healthy Muffins – zucchini, carrot, pumpkin, banana, Corn bread, Cereal Bars (watch for sugar though), Whole grain cereals in baggies -  Cheerios, granola, Whole grain crackers with fruit spread or nut butters, Bagels – with peanut butter, cream cheese, almond butter, Oatmeal cookies (low fat, low sugar recipe with dried fruit)

Other

Tortilla chips with bean dip and salsa, Tofu cubes, Tofu dogs, Mini rice cakes with peanut butter, Turkey cubes

Cold Stuff

Frozen Yogurt, Frozen Fruit Bars, Frozen Grapes

Drinks

Water (the best to rehydrate hot, sweaty kids), 100% fruit juice (can be high in sugar, but better than soda), Soymilk, Chocolate Milk, Sports Drinks (only after 1 full hour of exercise)

Other sources for Healthy Snacks

Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine

Center for Science in the Public Interest

I hope this helps you choose some healthy and easy snacks for your kids on game day.  By choosing healthy foods, you are setting a great example of wellness for your child!

Cheers!
Jessica

Kids love participation trophies! They've earned them!

If, as the team parent, you have chosen participation trophies for your child’s sports team, you may find that not all parents agree.  Another parent may say to you, “When I was a kid, I had to EARN my trophies. They weren’t just handed to us at the end of the season.” So why do we give our children trophies for participating in sports?

Celebration Trophies

Show your team they did a great job and put in an effort worthy of a celebration!  Participation trophies are celebration trophies.  We should not be giving trophies for showing up and breathing and staying upright.  We should be rewarding and celebrating the accomplishments of each player.  Even if they didn't score the most goals, did they learn new skills?  Or improve their sportsmanship?  Or focus more on teamwork?  Award them with a Celebration Trophy.

Recognition: Kids care about recognition. They want validation from their coach and parents for a job well done.  They deserve kuddos even if they didn't win every game of the season or out-perform the rest of the league. Over the course of a season, each child on the team has done something that they feel proud of.  They've improved their game. Awarding them a trophy gives them the praise that they deserve, and is a tangible item to remind them of that accomplishment.  The best way to do this is to have the coach present the trophy to each player individually.  He or she should take the time to prepare some words of praise for each player, being specific on what new skills they learned or how their game has improved or how valuable they were to the team.

Commitment: Most of all, participation trophies are a way to reinforce commitment. If a child signs up to play a sport and stays with it until the end of the season, that accomplishment deserves recognition. He or she made a commitment to join the team and stuck it out until the end. This is a life skill.  In the future, they won't get a trophy for showing up everyday for a job.  No one would expect that.  But rewarding commitment at a young age will reinforce the importance of sticking with a task or job until completed in the future.

The children on your team have accomplished the goals of trying something new, learning about a new sport, working together, making new friends, and more. If you feel like this is your definition of success, then your players deserve meaningful recognition.

Participation trophies are a symbol of this accomplishment – and they’ll love them now and for years to come!

Cheers! Jessica