An Alternative to Trophies: Patches, Custom Gear and Medals

Getting a trophy for an accomplishment is a great way to memorialize the achievement. Whether it is for sports, academics, journalism, acting, etc., the trophy is a small monument to an achievement. There are times where it is nice to commemorate an event or experience without the use of trophies. For instance, in youth sports it is customary for each team to have its own award ceremony at the end of each season. At these events trophies are handed out to M.V.Ps, but what do you give the rest of the team for their dedication and hard work? Do you give all the kids trophies, or do you think of other ways to celebrate their work? For those who feel that trophies should only be handed out when a real accomplishment is achieved, there are a lot of other options to consider.

The first thing is to consider custom embroidered patched. This works great as a way to remember the team and season because patches can be specially designed. The customization options for custom embroidered patches are great compared to the options for trophies. The patches can have the team name, colors, logo, and whatever other writing is wanted; where as, a trophy can only real customize the writing.

Another options for consideration should be medals. These are substantially smaller than trophies, but yet they still have the metal that makes the item seem special. The weight of the medal in someone's hand allows for its holder to know the item is special.

You can also consider customized t-shirts or paraphernalia. If you manage a youth sports team, and you don't want to give out custom embroidered patches or medals, then you can give each player a piece of equipment they can use for next season or for practice in the off season. A hockey team might give out hockey pucks with each players name written on it. Instead of the equipment you can get the team custom shirts that have the team name, logo, players, and more. Each player can wear the shirt with pride knowing that they belong to a team.

You don't always have to give out trophies, and especially when there isn't an accomplishment worthy of a trophy. There are a lot of different ways to congratulate hard work and dedication, and some of those ways could arguably be better than any trophy.