Bob Dancer
Trophies are specially-design rewards given to show achievement or recognition. They are symbols or tokens of victory. The word “trophy” is derived from the French word ‘trophee,’ which means ‘a spoil of war and prize.’ In the 1550’s, the English adopted the term to highlight the victory of the 15th century English War.
Sports Trophies
Sports trophies are generally symbolized in some form of miniature statues. They are typically gold in color or genuinely made of gold, depending on the prominence of the event. Basically, all sports trophies are a souvenir of personal achievement.
During ancient times, trophies have marked triumphs. A soldier may take a portion of his enemy’s armor or even a part of his enemy’s body after winning a battle– and that serves as his trophy. They’re hung on a tree to symbolize the warrior’s victory. Meanwhile, the Ancient Romans adorned the creation of their trophies for home and memorial purposes. In Spain, a successful bullfighter would receive either one or two ears of the bull, depending on how good he performed or how clean it was killed.
Trophy cups
The oldest forms of man-made sports trophies are in the form of cups. During the mid 18th century, these trophy cups were made for the specific purpose of commemorating an event. The “Loving cup” was used in the early days of the church during the “loving feasts,” which included passing around a “cup” from person to person in the spiritual community. Loving cups usually have two handles on each side for the purpose of easy passing.
It has also become legendary the use of some trophy cups as awards for outstanding and prestigious events, such as the Stanley Cup, which is given to the winning hockey team every year.
Trophy medals
These also have a great and notable history. The oldest ones were perhaps Victoria Cross of Great Britain or those of the Olympics. During ancient Greece, victorious Olympians were crowned with laurel, whereas modern athletes were festooned with medals of gold, silver, and bronze. Though the history of these metals seems to be unknown, it can be concluded that the more valuable the metal, the higher the rank. In 1896 when the modern Olympics began, the first place was awarded with a silver medal. This is because silver was thought to be more precious than gold. However, this ended after eight years at the St. Louis Olympics.
Commonly used trophy design types specially created in terms of quality, motif, and purpose:
- Resin Trophy, also known as Resin Awards, varies in quality, styling, and overall surface. This is usually used in academic recognition events, like commencement exercises, and can be customized or molded, depending on the theme.
- Loving Cup Trophy is a type of trophy made with two silver plate handles, forming a pedestal-like appearance.
- Hunting Trophy emphasizes the head of an animal mounted on a solid exterior. This is usually given to recognize accomplishments in the hunting industry.
- Contemporary trophies represent an aspect of commemorated events. For instance, in ballet competitions, the trophy takes the shape of a ballerina or pointe shoes. These custom awards and trophies can be statues of people, things, animals, or architecture and may or may not display words, or numbers,
