<p>We’re planning on using a two step process. Step one, around 11 or 12, when the “Trophy Shelf” first fills up we have a discussion about participation trophies versus earned trophies and after this discussion each kid has done some serious weeding of their trophies … each with their own unique choices … one kept their first trophy from each sport, one didn’t count trophies “earned” at a country fair. (We do try to donate them to a local boys club or YMCA that might use them). Step two, when they are older I’ll suggest removing the little plates and keeping them (which is what I did as a kid). </p>
<p>PS - trophies are a quest for my wife and I … at this point each sports season we suggest the team get something that will be used more … a team t-shirt or sweatshirt for example … sometimes we are looked at like we are from Mars but it has worked the majority of the time.</p>
<p>I have my HS piano/band trophies in a box under the bed, after my parents made me take them out of THEIR house.</p>
<p>I really need to do something…maybe make a list for posterity, and then donate them for the wood & marble. (The figurines are just too tacky for reuse–that awful fake metal that chips & tarnishes after a while.)</p>
<p>I would have LOVED sweatshirts instead of trophies. And I must say, when I go into a home and see some adult’s old high school trophies around I just sigh. Sometimes my husband does get windbreakers or a hat, and I steal those to wear when I walk the dogs. </p>
<p>My friend is currently dealing with this right now with her 20 year old son. His room is taken over by old trophies, starting from 1st grade. Its time. I would be you if she boxed a 1/3rd of them he wouldn’t even notice. </p>
<p>When we moved into our new home somehow a box of old dart and soccer plagues and such got lost. Darn. My husband asked about them once. THen shrugged. I think he figured out how they got “lost”. He doesn’t miss them one bit, but he himself couldn’t let go, so I did it for him.</p>
<p>Now the new golf “art”…that is going to be tougher, he thought hanging them over the toliet didn’t do them the honor they deserved. I thought if they were hung there he could look at them several times a day.</p>
<p>My kids got rid of their old pre-high school sports awards, but the high school cross-country/running trophies & plaques are boxed up and ready to hand over when the kids have their own permanent homes. The ribbons/medals are in their memorabilia binders. </p>
<p>I still cherish the few ribbons/medals I got back in the iron age.</p>
<p>I think the idea of taking pictures of items that you would like to get rid of, but are sentimentally attached to, is a good solution. A picture of an item is much easier to store than the item itself. I’ll try that someday myself – when the house just gets too full.</p>
<p>Well, I have not crossed this bridge. My kids’ bedrooms are exactly as they left them (one left four years ago and one left three years ago). Their rooms are filled with trophies, medals and ribbons. I can’t imagine ever disposing of them. I can imagine some day that these childhood bedrooms may be packed up if they move permanently some place. I would expect all the awards to be saved in boxes or something. We also have all their artwork and schoolwork saved.</p>
<p>Donating trophies is a good way to recycle them. There is probably a local program for sports for kids with special needs. Often times they take the engraved plates and have them changed so it saves them a lot of money and each kid gets a trophy. There is a karate school here for special needs kids that recycles them At every meet each kid gets one and it keeps their costs down.</p>
<p>I have also heard of teachers who look for them on garage sales and in thrift shops for math competitions etc. </p>
<p>You can always take pictures of the mementos and put them in an album or on your hard drive before getting rid of them for the sake of the memories.</p>
<p>Now I just have to talk DDs into doing this at my house:)</p>