The Recognition Minute

Trophies for Djokovic - Commitment and Hard Work Pays Off February 22 2017, 0 Comments

How often does a starry-eyed child sit at the sidelines of a champion playing a great game of tennis and dream of being a champion one day? It has been said before that if you don’t have a dream, how can you make a dream come true?  So, I suppose dreaming about trohpy’s, medals and badges of honour are a good start.

In the tennis world, currently we have the Big Four – Djokovic, Murray, Nadal and Federer.  No one has won more men’s singles grand slam tournaments than Federer’s seventeen and amongst is awards you will find four Indian Wells trophies.

Nadal claimed the French open nine times, a record so far unbeaten.  Djokovic captured the Australian Open for the fifth time in February, matching Federer’s Open Era haul.  And Murray?  No more need be said.  He's a champion and his mantelpiece is cluttered with all sorts of medals and trophies. 

Each of these men were little dreamers once and they dreamed big.  But what were the realities that they faced in order to reach such heights and raise so many trophies?    

I suppose one could say that Djokovic did not just dream.   "Talent, hard work, commitment to the sport and having Federer, Nadal and Murray around," was his answer when asked by a CNN reported recently.  Earning trophies all starts with the individual.  “You have to be able to put in the hours of practice and make many sacrifices,” said Djokovic. 

Clearly, the promise competing in the final, of having a record marked against your name and magnificent trophy or golden medal is part of the incentive.  Without trohphies and awards, perhaps tennis would have remained a family game for the back garden.

What is interesting is that Djokovic attributes his success partly to having excellent competition along the way.  All said and done, he emphasized that hard work is what did it in the end.

Any worthwhile trophy will attract talent. The winner will raise his award and think back on months of thankless training, interrupted social life and dogged commitment to the sport, all for the sake of a win.  And in the case of Novak Djokovic, what a winner!

Super trophies for winners are found here:  http://www.prestigeawards.co.za/collections/types?q=Trophies%20-%20Premium

 Leave nothing to chance.  Dream, practice, play hard, commit, learn from your rivals and WIN, with Prestige Awards at your side.  http://www.prestigeawards.co.za/


WHAT DO LOVE AND TENNIS HAVE IN COMMON? February 08 2017, 0 Comments

Ever wondered about how tennis is scored? Unlike most other sports, where point is worth one point and no more, tennis is different. You could be excused for being confused because it has a scoring system all of its own.

At the beginning of the game, when both sides have no score, the game is love-love meaning nil-nil. To win a game, you need to score above 40. That sounds like it could take a long time but not to worry. Your first point will score you 15, your next, 30 and the next point will give you the 40. One more point and you’ve won that game. But no one asks the value of that one more point. It is just a win. Don’t ask why but no one ever scores 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 in tennis.

In professional tennis, there may be no love lost between the competing players. Trophies are won through hard work. They are never won with love. This is because love actually means nothing in tennis. Literally nil. So, if the score is 40-love, someone has scored nothing and is not likely to see an award. One more point to top 40 and the game is won and medals and trophies can be awarded. It is a love match.

There are a number of suggestions as to where the affectionate name of the love score came from. One such theory is that it is derived from the French word l’oeuf, meaning an egg. I guess it is because of the shape of the egg which is broadly oval, and looks like a zero on the scoreboard. If that is so, we could find ourselves calling 40-egg! Rather not, let’s just stick to love, which is particularly appropriate in February.

But, if you are not offering love in a game of tennis, perhaps you would like to pick a Valentine’s gift from our range at http://www.prestigeawards.co.za/pages/valentines-gifts   Buy on line or mail us directly from the website. It could make you a winner in someone’s eyes. Game, set, match!


In a Tennis Dream February 05 2017, 0 Comments

"It feels like I'm in a dream," said Peers, who is coming off a title run at the Australian Open with Henri Kontinen.  And his partner, Groth was feeling in equally great form when he said “We came up to do a job and I thought we played great today. I’ve played as good a match as I’ve played all year.” 

Such was the ecstasy of the Australian doubles winners who triumphed over Czech pair, Jan Satral and Jiri Vesely 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 in one hour and 30 minutes, which include 11 aces. 

The 28-time champion Aussie squad has not dropped a set through three matches, including singles routs by Jordan Thompson and Nick Kyrgios on Friday.   Played at the Kooyong Lawn Tennis Club, former venue of the Australian Open, Groth and Peers powered their nation into its second World Group quarter-final in three years. They will face either Switzerland or the United States next. 

While the world watches this global tour, every day in SA, children are earning their trophies and medals on the tennis courts around the country. They are inspired by the professionals powering ahead, earning their awards.  They are also inspired by the many who teach them, so painstakingly, to hit the ball over the net and not give up!  So, remember, when you win an award or are presented with a trophy, somewhere along the line of your success, you will need to thank a teacher.    Tennis trophies to be seen here:
http://www.prestigeawards.co.za/products/tennis-ball-miniature-trophy

 

 


Williams, Federer and Nadal January 29 2017, 0 Comments

Yesterday was a family affair, where two blood sister fought to win the ladies Australian Open championships.  It is not the first time they have faced off in professional tennis.  This was a record-breaking event, with Serena taking full honours.  She was heard to have said, "Its a win for the family".  Such was the spirit of her achievement, shared with the whole family, and no less with Venus and their fans.

Today, two more champions battle it out, providing enthralling tennis at it's best.  What is it within a man when two games down, fights to win back his position and a whole lot of respect to boot.  Such stamina, character, fortitude and grit is supported by the prospect of winning, raising trophies, wearing medals and many people from teachers, coaches and family giving their all for the reward, alongside.  The duce!  And now, 14:15 SA time - Federer wins the men's singles, Australian open, 2017.  What champions!


TENNIS RACQUETS: EVOLUTION OR REVOLUTION January 25 2017, 0 Comments

THE TENNIS RACQUET

The man known as Slew was asked in the late 1970s about the changes in the equipment used to play tennis. He didn't hesitate.  "You can play with a tomato can on a broomstick if you think you can win with it," he quipped.  As the then-chairman of the US Tennis Association, his opinion carried.

But oh, how times have changed.

In 1993, Hester Slew died at the age of 80. During his lifetime he saw a game that evolved immensely.  Wooden racquets became steel.  (Jimmy Connors won at Wimbledon with a Wilson T2000 steel racquet).  Steel became carbon.  Carbon will - sooner rather than later become graphene. 

Not all players used steel racquets, some being more comfortable with the wooden-frame models. Administrators were worried about the direction the sport was taking and questioned whether tennis drifting in a similar direction to motor sport where the game would be won or lost because of the technology and not the player?

Although Connors used metal until the mid-1980s, he soon found he was being left behind in the technology stakes.  His rivals had shifted to more advanced designs and manufacturing techniques.  Steel began to lose it’s shine but instead of returning to wood, other alternative were being explored.  The result of all this innovation would herald a sport that was on its way to changing beyond all recognition.

Unlike Slew Hester, those responsible for tennis regulations today - the International Tennis Federation (ITF) - were bothered about technology. They keep tabs on everything - squishing every ball, for example, to ensure it makes the grade - bouncy, but not too much.

When the ITF looks at racquets its principal concern is whether they offer too much power. Given a free rein, a manufacturer could make a racquet so good at smacking the life out of a ball that the game of tennis would quickly descend into being little more than a serving competition.  In other words, bone-dry boring.  The awards and medals would then be highly predictable and spectators would dwindle.

The ITF tests racquet power using machines that move faster than the eye can follow. A computer calculates the speed of each ball.  At 120 mph capability, the steel racquets fell well within the stated limits.  However, to give some perspective of the power of players, Andy Murray delivered his fastest shot at a speed of 145 mph!  A mind-blowing 233 km/h!

In the small Austrian town called Kennilbach, Head Inc., innovators of top racquets, set up shop. It is here that the champions Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray and Maria Sharapova’s raquets are manufactured to their precise specifications.  Innovation for improvement is ongoing and there are many more materials in the wings, waiting to add to the exhilaration for the crowds, watching tennis balls flying at speeds previously thought impossible.

Awards are part of the drive to be great. See http://www.prestigeawards.co.za/search?q=tennis&x=0&y=0 for the trophies and awards available to you, for all your champions!  And there is much more to come.


TENNIS AND TROPHIES January 19 2017, 0 Comments

TENNIS TROPHIES

It is Australian Open time again, the first on the annual calendar of four grand slam tournaments.  Each year, about this time, tennis fans gather to watch the drama of hard-won tennis matches.  Who will lift the final trophy is always top of mind but that is only a small part of this major competition.  It is also who will get the medals along the way to victory and who might upset the cart by stealing a match from a favourite, right under their noses. 

Lifting the winning trophy, a weighty, silver, perpetual cup is a dream most of us won’t realise in a lifetime but we can be part of the glory of victory it all when these awards are presented. 

The Men’s Singles trophy, called the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup after a former Australian tennis champion, has a history.  It bears hallmarks of London, dated 1906, making it 111 years old this year.  Standing proudly at 43cm high, including the plinth, it bulges to an overall width of 39cm, including the impressive handles.  The design was based on a large marble vase, dated second century AD, found in 1770 in what was the gardens of Emperor Hadrian’s villa.  The original vase would have been of the best that Rome had to offer to satisfy the emperor and, therefore, represents the excellence that is dished up on the court today! 

The trophy is what we see and applaud.  What else awaits the winner?  This year, the singles winners (both mens’ and women’s) can look forward to a cool $3.7 million, which translates into a neat 50 Million Rand. If you feel that a win is out of reach, you could bow out with 5 Million at the Quarter finals, which would at least buy you a new pair of shoes and a ticket home with a suite case full of change. 

If you play tennis, coach tennis or are in charge of selecting the trophies for you club or school, have a look here:

http://www.prestigeawards.co.za/search?q=tennis&x=0&y=0  for a wide variety of options, and make your event a grand slam to remember.