Share-ables and Wearables: Fun Ways to Reward Athletes
It’s a memorable moment at the Oregon Dream Teams gym, as an athlete throws a round-off/back handspring/tuck three times in a row. Mastering this new skill qualifies her for a special honor—she gets to ring the gym’s dinner bell. Practice halts as everyone in the gym gathers round to watch the athlete demonstrate the skill and give her a round of applause. The bell is just one of numerous ways gym owner and coach Tori Cotton gives her athletes public recognition, whether it’s in front of cheering teammates or with a shout-out on the scrolling web banner of OregonDreamTeams.com.
Akin to an angel getting its wings, the sound of the bell signifies athletes getting their due for putting in all the hard work—and the Pavlovian response often equals them working even harder. Find out how to elicit strong performances from your athletes with these creative reward ideas.
Give Share-able, Social Rewards
Cheryl Davies, owner of Florida Triple Threat All Stars, awards “Spirit Fingers” to athletes who’ve learned a new skill and can perform it consistently. The gym’s newsletter includes a Spirit Fingers column that lists the name of everyone who learned a new skill (and what skill it was). Explains Davies, “I even list the people that come to our tumbling classes who aren’t on a team. They get put in the newsletter and they get so excited. ‘I’m in Spirit Fingers!’”
At Cheer Force One in Mobile, Alabama, athletes are honored through their “Got Skills” program. If an athlete throws a skill three times consecutively without a spot, they get to put their name in the gym’s “Got Skills” box; those names are then compiled into a list that’s spotlighted via social media. “Every Monday, we post a list on our Facebook page of all the kids and what skill they got. They can share it with their friends, and it gives an extra little push for the gym,” says gym owner and director Sean Sutton.
Sarah Macrow of Cheer Extreme Allstars also highlights athletes on social media when they learn something new. When shooting video of an athlete trying a skill for the first time, she recommends, “Instead of stopping it just after they finish their tumbling pass or their first back handspring, record their reaction. Ask ‘How did that make you feel?’ or ‘How was that?’ and get that moment of celebration.”
At Cheer Extreme, Macrow acknowledges the achievements of kids who are too young for social media by inviting them to pick the theme for their next practice. If an athlete asks everyone to come in Halloween costumes or wear knee socks and pigtails, teammates show their support by dressing as requested.
Earlier this year, Macrow created a simple but memorable award for her athletes by bringing a ball of red yarn to the gym. She cut it into pieces that athletes could tie onto their wrist, ankle or shoe. When an athlete got the skill of the week (which might be something like “landing with your feet together in a jump”), they earned a piece of yarn. Each week, she handed out segments of a different color yarn. “[Even though the reward was given in] June, some people still have them tied onto their shoes or backpack,” she marvels.
Cheer Force One uses silicone wristbands to reward athletes for more abstract achievements, like paying close attention or overcoming a fear. “It’s something that doesn’t have to go to the best kid in the class, or the most talented kid. It’s an opportunity for anybody, regardless of skill set,” says Sutton. “That way, even if Sally Sue will be working on this back handspring for the next three years, she can still earn a band in class, and that’s a little bit of praise and recognition.”
What Doesn’t Work?
An old program at Oregon Dream Teams rewarded athletes with fake dollars that they could save up to spend at the pro shop. Cotton says, “Nobody ever got into it, and I think it was because it was such a delayed gratification. It’s like, ‘Oh, I have to save up 20 of these bucks to get anything,’ and for some kids, that could be three years of tumbling.” If you’re proud of your athletes’ accomplishments, find a way to let them feel appreciated right away—and the rewards are likely to come back to you as well.
–Lisa Beebe