Don't let your club awards night fall flat

My triathlon club’s dinner and awards night was at the weekend. A great night was had. No shortage of drink, food and dancing. Where the evening fell a bit flat was when the awards were announced. The club has always awarded its best male and best female triathlete awards based on points earned in the National Series. This year, although the club has only a couple of Category 1 triathletes, an award was also introduced for the highest earning Category 1. This sounds ok in principle, but this is a club with few members who compete for National Series points and one that had only a single Category 1 eligible for the male award and no females, so three awards were issued. On the night therefore the awards were effectively handed out to those who had actually taken the time to compete in the necessary races to earn points. What’s the problem? 

There’s no problem if the club’s best triathletes are each doing National Series and Category 1 races, but what If they are not? Gerry Duffy would not have won my club’s best triathlete award for his Deca Ironman exploits, Bryan McCrystal would not have won despite breaking the Irish Ironman record twice in one year and winning the Lost Sheep along the way and no club member who is an aquathon or duathlon specialist and consistently wins those races can win. In fact, no club member who consistently achieves excellent performances in non Triathlon Ireland point scoring events (of which there are many inside and outside Ireland) can ever win. This folks is bullshit. 

Had these awards gone to a popular vote prior to the event, as Triathlon Ireland does with its awards, the resulting awards winners would have been very different. Clubs across the country are having their awards nights around this time of year. My advice is to avoid the obviously bogus way my club sets out eligibility for its awards and to instead give the awards for the most outstanding triathletes of the year in a given season. Ideally have a single award such that the club can honour the most outstanding season achieved by a club member. 

Using points or races won or similar criteria for giving out the awards simply reduces the pool of those capable of winning the awards to such a small number that the rest of the club members have no reason to believe, not matter how well they do, their club’s annual awards are available for them to win. I genuinely think any club member should have a chance of winning if their performances across a season in any triathlon races merit it. Those unhappy with how their club’s awards are dished out should raise the issue at their next club AGM.