How to get more armwrestlers to Nationals

[Mr. Espey]

I know that some felt slighted when they were given a crappy award at Nationals and yes, this may have caused some to pass the next year.

[dsteff]

Timmons had cash for 1st and 2nd place plus the Medals . I think they got around the no money awards by saying it a sponsored donation to cover travel costs. That didn't seem to bring out any more pullers , even guys that wanted Cash prizes .
The best awards i can remember were Ryans Statue , Charlies hand carved trophies , and Anthony's Medallions.

[Mr. Espey]

How about $900 flights... that keeps me away. PEI is beautiful but WOW...

[Rick Pinkney]

Airline costs will always be our Achilles heel. Some of this can be alleviated by starting your search for fares several months ahead of time and using several different sources such as Expedia, Red Tag, Cheap O Air. Fares fluctuate on a daily basis so you should check daily.

[Rick Pinkney]

National awards this year will be medallions that are 4" in diameter and 1/2" thick.

[cpshuffle]

I really find it hard to believe that the quality of awards would be a big deterrent.

For me the cost of travel plus the perceived lack of prestige (ie no guarantee enough people or the best people will show up... making a win less meaningful) are more likely bigger factors.

[PinArm]

Agree ^^

I don't think I'll hear someone say, "training has been great lately, wife says I can go, I have holidays to use up at work, flight is on my sponsor's points, sharing a great hotel room is possible, and so-and-so says he's going (and i will finally beat him), BUT those $15 medals just don't cut it as I want a $35 trophy, so I'll pass on Nationals this year."

However, what I take from this aspect of this thread is that there is a certain level of expectation in the awards. I think that the same can be said for the venue, production, photo and video ops, banquet, etc.

I'm waiting to see if others post potential causes of poor attendance then I'll combine these factors into groups for separate threads of possible solutions.

[Eric Roussin]

I agree that the awards are unlikely to be a significant deterrent, especially because sometimes you don't know what they'll be until you get to the event.

However, if you place at a National championship, you tend to expect the award to be representative of the accomplishment. If you receive an award at Nationals that you deem to be crappier than the one you can win at the local fair, it can leave a bad taste in your mouth.

Many pullers who lack experience in running events tend to compare entry fees with the awards given out. They don't see all of the other costs associated with running a large event. They think "I'm paying $60 an arm to compete, and they're only giving out ________ as prizes? What gives?"

[PinArm]

I agree, Eric. I am getting a flavour for this ... the standardized medals concept had not taken off and likely won't ... so that is not a viable cost-cutting strategy. IMO, the first place award could be different from the others. If someone wins a Canadian title, they may keep that award on their coffee table (and it should look good to guests for the sake of the winner and the CAWF in general); but, a second or third place award is likely going into a box. I could see a promoter offering nice trophies that are sculptures of arms for first and offering standard trophies for second and third. IMO, I also like medals which are easy to take home and to keep.

[Eric Roussin]

I think there are many different types of awards that could be acceptable, as long as they don't look too cheap. They should also specify weight class and division details.

I don't have an issue with the first place awards being different from the second and third place awards.