I grew up in an era when awards weren’t issued simply for participation, so there was no trophy shelf in my bedroom growing up. My primary athletic skill was speed since I was small and skinny entering my teen years. I didn’t really have a growth spurt until later in high school. I fondly remember winning a grade school 50-yard dash in a track meet, establishing me as one of the fastest in the city but could not sustain this for any distance. Basketball and track were my sports, but I was only slightly better than average. At least I could outmaneuver others in flag football, and this proved beneficial in college intramurals when our freshman dorm team won the league championship. I also tried wrestling in high school but turned out to be nothing but a tackling dummy on two state championship teams. 

I played a lot of ping pong and pool in the basement of the house and became proficient in both. These skills came in handy in college, particularly at the fraternity house, with an occasional winning bet that was always more rewarding than a trophy or ribbon. I attended Junior Basketball Camp for four years, hoping to improve my basketball skills but that provided futile. However, I did manage to win several blue ribbons for free throw shooting, frisbee, ping pong, and the talent show. As I took up distance running in my twenties, I also won a blue ribbon for my age group in a 10k, but that was probably because it was held in sub-zero conditions with very few competitors. All of these ribbons must have been important to me because I still have them in what I call my “Crapbook.”

Come to think of it, I might have also received a grade school perfect attendance award, but sadly I never got selected for crossing guard duty. One summer our neighbor talked me into joining the little league baseball team that he coached. Since I had never played organized baseball before, he put me out in right field where I could do the least damage. In my mind, I made a game saving, diving catch. In later years, without much of an arm but a good bat, I continued to play right field or second base in the media softball leagues where several team trophies were earned. I don’t think I’ve ever gotten an individual sports trophy. I also tried playing golf one summer and spent a lot of time at the country club. Even though I did break 100 and got a new set of clubs from my dad for doing so, I found golf to be boring and frustrating. 

The only honor I earned through high school was an “E” for Elkhart High School in choir. I still have it with a couple of silver medals attached for solos performed in the state competition. I never got an “R” for Rice Elementary School, a “B” for Beardsley, or an “N” for North Side Junior High, although I participated on their teams but apparently was never worthy of a letter. Only starters earned the right to wear a letter sweater, while I sweated just to keep up with these “studs.”

I was a good student, making the National Honor Society, but never tried very hard or studied much. An afterschool program called Junior Achievement proved to be my forte, winning Salesperson of the Year along with other awards, including a small scholarship. Sales and business skills, along with self-confidence, learned in this 4-year program proved to be an asset throughout my career. I paid this back by serving on the Board of Directors of JA for many years. I do have a plaque for that!