Trophies

[john e. holliday]

I set at the Navy Carrier banquet and was disappointed in that all of the top three in events did not get an award even with three or more entries because of the pre entry requirement.  You look at the results of the RC and some control line events with sometimes over ten to twenty trophies being handed out.  Now we have someone that placed third in an event and because there was not 4 pre entries there is no third place.  What happened to the day when trophies were made on site?  I can now see why so many people are not bringing their Jr/Sr competitors to the NATS.  As much fun as I have at the NATS,  I think this is my last one as I think I will stay home and concentrate on getting the local flying going.  Still having fun,  DOC Holliday

[Bob Reeves]

Hi Doc,

Going to let the cat out of the bag.. I am putting the final touches on a computer program that will generate awards, (trophies if you will) right at the field almost instantaneously. The cost per award is about 50 cents plus the cost of whatever 5 X 7 photo frame the CD would like to have the awards presented in. We found some very nice frames at Dollar General for less than a buck.

We set up a laptop in the club house, with a photo printer to test it out for our Triathlon/Mirror Meet contest. Bottom line it worked like a charm and the contestants loved the awards. This is the intro I wrote for the help file.

Award Generator by Somethin'Xtra Inc. is a graphics utility for creating an alternate form of the proverbial Trophy by automatically inserting a contestant photo into a background or border image and printing the resulting photo. A simple step by step process results in a framed photo that is less expensive, personalized and easier for the participant to display. Awards can easily be created on-site using a digital camera and laptop computer running any version of Windows with card reader and inkjet photo printer. Award Generator can be used for any event or contest that normally awards trophies. Car Clubs, Bowling leagues, Model Airplane Clubs, Schools, Sports events, Company picnics, etc, the list is endless.

The background image can be just about anything anyone can dream up with the help of PhotoShop. I did the ones for our contest starting with a couple photos I had on my computer. The software will also print a small photo that will fit in a key chain photo holder should the organization choose to provide a novelty item. Haven't determined the selling price yet, going to depend on how many background images will be supplied and if I have to go to an outside source. I am not the most artistic person in the world and will probably have to pay a graphics artest friend of mine to generate some knock out backgrounds to include with the software.

The following images show a screen shot of the software and a couple samples of the end result. I am planning on marketing this and the reason I am spending so much time making sure it's bug free and has an extensive help file. Hoping I can keep it at or under a hundred bucks. At that price it will pay for itself during the first event the organization holds compaired to what they would have spent on even the cheapest plaques or trophies.

 
Oh ya, the images presented here have been reduced in size to keep the file size withen reason...

[john e. holliday]

That looks great.  I still have awards from various contests in which a Polaroid was taken and attached to a certificate.  Then it was put in a frame.  I cherish them more as it showed what I was flying and I could remove them from the frame and put them in a book.  Have fun,  DOC Holliday

[Mike Spiess]

SWEET
I run a BMX track and the kids would love them a plaque with their photo and race info would be a boon to the parents too.

[EddyR]

Doc  I also have a Polaroid picture trophy from Coxsakie NY from many many years ago. It is one of the few I kept. As the grand kids came over I gave them all away. It is a shame to not get anything for ones effort at the nats. I placed very low at the 57 Nat's and still got a small trophy and a acknowledge paper.
Ed

[Alan Hahn]

Bob,
That's a really nice setup.
Not that I win that many trophies  , but the few I have with basically a photo of me and the plane do provide memory points in time that are fun to look at years later. Also keeping the costs (and labor in the case of "homemade trophies) reasonable in this era of uncertain contest attendance will help a make putting on a contest easier.

[Will Hinton]

Bob,
I think your program is fantastic.  The second most expense thing for our FCM weekend every year is the trophy cost, so I'll surely keep you in mind.  In fact, please keep me posted on your progress via pm and I'll see what equipment I need to have on hand for the job at the field!!  This is great!
Blessings,
Will
personal email is wilhint@henry-net.com

[Andrew Hathaway]

Trophies are really overrated.  Mine usually come home from the contest and go in the stack at the end of my cluttered workbench.  I know there are at least two boxes of old trophies in storage, and I put the pile from my bench in a box and moved them to the basement last week.  Most of the time I can't remember who won them, or what contest they came from, etc.  Considering how every contest I've attended in the last several years has had unclaimed trophies and how they just sit around and collect dust, maybe we could do away with them completely?

The printed certificates are a lot easier to deal with and just as meaningful to me.  I put them in a three ring binder with protector sleeves.  They take up a lot less space that way.

[Bob Reeves]

Thanks for the great input guys, all the reasons mentioned are why I started developing this software and the fact that Polaroid film is no longer being manufactured. The original idea was a quick and dirty app for the Gluedobbers but after I dove in I started realizing that I might just have a marketable idea here.

The Event and Place wording are stored in simple text files that the software reads when it starts. Both files can be edited from withen the software. They can be placed on one line or separated into two lines, centered horizontally in the image or located anywhere on the background. Any Font on the host computer can be used and the text can be any of the basic Windows colors.

I have been creating photo/imaging software for the amusement industry for over 10 years, the hard part is to make it flexable enough to fit all needs but simple enough that anyone can operate it without needing to study the manual for hours. The only difficult part of this (for the user) would be creating background and mask images and why I would like to supply as many samples as practical.

Part of what I'm trying to decide is how far to go with providing custom background services and if it would be beneficial to partner up with a graphics artist.

[Paul Smith]

Combat had the same problem.

Considering LATE entires, there were enough to justify three awards per event, but there typically aren't enough ADVANCE entries.  MACA stepped up and agreed to cover the difference if the late entries didn't show.

So Carrier can do the same.  Just have the Carrier SIG guarantee payment if the trophies are made the entries don't show. 

I think AMA is just using good business practice to scale the investment to the participation.

[Bob Reeves]

You guys are doing wonderful, almost every post gives a reason this software hits the target. With easily borrowed equipment an organization can produce however many awards as needed right on the spot. Even if you buy more photo frames than needed they can always be used for the next event.

Ink jet photo printers can be bought for $50 - $100.00 but bet someone in your club already has one. Any laptop that can talk to the printer will run the software, even that old Windows 98 derelict you are no longer using. Any digital camera can be used, the contestant photos can and should be shot on the lowest resolution setting. and USB memory card readers are really cheap.

Sorry Doc, didn't mean to hijack your thread but couldn't resest the opening you gave me 

[john e. holliday]

Bob, no harm done.  Hope it takes off as I like the idea.  Hope it is simple enough for a computor illiterate like me.  thanks,  DOC Holliday

[Joejust]

Doc, Did the NCS  give out the "Rookie of the Year" award this year?  If so, who did it go to, and if not, Why Not?

Joe

[Wayne Foster]

Combat had the same problem.

Considering LATE entires, there were enough to justify three awards per event, but there typically aren't enough ADVANCE entries.  MACA stepped up and agreed to cover the difference if the late entries didn't show.

So Carrier can do the same.  Just have the Carrier SIG guarantee payment if the trophies are made the entries don't show. 

I think AMA is just using good business practice to scale the investment to the participation.

Paul,

That is a great idea for MACA to cover the cost so trophies can be awarded thru 3rd place.  Like Doc, I think if you come to the NATS and place 1-3, you should have a NATS Trophy.  Bob has a good idea for local contests, but at the NATS I think the Official NATS Trophy is what should be awarded.  Like Andrew, I have done away with most of the trophies I have won over the years, except for the NATS Trophies.  These I keep and I can remember most of the flights that took place to get them.

I think it is especially important for the Junior/Senior NATS Trophies to be awarded thru 3rd place.

Wayne

[john e. holliday]

Doc, Did the NCS  give out the "Rookie of the Year" award this year?  If so, who did it go to, and if not, Why Not?

Joe

Hi Joe,  Burt Brokaw(hope I spelled it right) is Rookie of the Year in Navy Carrier.  He says this was his first NATS.  He won second in all three classes of Navy Carrier.  Pete Mazur got first in all three plus the Ely Award.  That is the ones I can remember, you  know CRS is kicking in again.   Having fun,  DOC Holliday