Trophies for all; What are we rewarding?

As a former gymnast and now a coach, I find myself reflecting back to many of my days of hard work in the gym to empathize with my gymnasts. Yes, I do know the pain of the rip. I know that fear in the back of your head every time you mount the balance beam and I do know that disappointment when things just don’t go your way in that big competition. I’m always evaluating my actions as a coach and trying to better myself as a role model. Recently, I’ve taken into consideration an ethical question brought on by competition awards.  

In completion of our first competition all of our gymnasts were given medals regardless of their place. Of course, it was fun for each child to stand up and get recognition for their routines but I feel these rewards came at a high price. Not only was this very costly for our organization but also a step back in the mental development of a competitive gymnast as well as misguiding young impressionable minds. Here’s why.

1.       Diminishing achievement value. In the reward of each child for each routine, we are simply dampening the child’s interest, their pleasure and also interfering with how good they actually do. In this instance, X received 3^rd place for a performance with 2 falls. In the following competition, X has no falls but does not place.  Reassuring X had a great routine and improved greatly in the 2^nd competition is a harder job and brings up skepticism for X and quite possibly X’s parents.

2.       Manipulating children. Children are always looking for approval whether it comes from their teachers, parents or their peers. But we as adults have the responsibility to not exploit this dependence for our own convenience. I feel that maybe medals for all was an evasion for the adults involved. Are we only going to avoid disappointment? In that case, why should we expect anything from anyone? As the adults we have to give our children the skills to develop great character, not avoid life lessons that grow from such disappointments in fear of a teary face.

3.       Tumbling interest.  For many of the young minds getting a 1^st place means they do not need to work on that particular event, skill or level. Most coaches will agree that gold doesn’t mean they were the best they are capable of doing or the best they will ever do. The gold medal proves they were the best in that event, age group, level and at that competition. Training after a gold medal performance is very often very lazy and the gymnast losses interest in training those routines and or skills with their false sense. In addition, any encouragement that is sent their way is disregarded. Is this what we want to do, stop encouragement and only give praise?

4.       Looking for approval. Yes as a coach, we give corrections always looking for perfection but I do not wish to push children to do something they do not want to do for themselves. I was fortunate enough to have a family and coach that supported my gymnastics and growth rather than pushing me to win as a requisite for approval. I’m always excited when I hear “I did it!” over “How did I do?” when a gymnast finishes performing. It shows great confidence and it’s a sign that she is genuinely involved in this sport for herself, not looking for approval.

When we come to award planning, we need to consider the emotional consequences and not cop-out where we need to step up showing unconditional love and support. We need to keep in mind our long-term goals for our children and watch the effects of what we say and do.

I really like to have our “fu n awards” after the competition where our girls pick the recipients. They are playful yet give recognition to those who demonstrate their merit. I.e. Best Hair Award, Awesome Attitude, Most Improved, Best Save on Balance Beam Award, Best Fall Award, etc. An outside motivator helps them become more excited about what they are doing in their own right, not to get approval or a pat on the back by me.