This award is given to a girl that the captains deem “tough” for one reason or another.  Many times, it is given to a girl who might have fallen during a race and still finished despite cuts and bruises.  It’s been given to girls who’ve gotten stung by bees during races, etc.  It’s a special award to get because the girl’s strength is highlighted and recognized by the team, which is really important since it’s pretty easy to get lost in the shuffle with a team of our size.  Each year we start off with an old trophy and the captains put nails all over it and we give it to the first girl.  Each time we give it to a runner, we ask them to add a little something on to the trophy that signified the obstacle they encounter, or a symbol that means a lot to them.  When they return it to us before we hand it out after the next race, we ask them to explain what they’ve added and what it means to them.  At the end of the year, we’ve got a pretty colorful trophy and the team votes for one of the recipients to keep the Tough As Nails Trophy, pretty much saying that that person is the “toughest”.

The Catherine shirt started off as the Amy Shirt in 1999.  Amy Hatfield was a captain on the team at that time, and Coach Smith really thought she embodied what it meant to be a good captain, teammate, runner, etc.  He asked her to find a shirt that meant a lot to her that he could use the following year for the award.  So, each year the shirt is given out to runners who possess certain qualities that are valued on the team.  These can be great leadership, passion, compassion, heart, perseverance, etc.  So, after each race the senior who is in charge of the “shirt”, awards it to a girl who exemplifies a certain quality that is admirable.  They are asked to write their name somewhere on the shirt, and at the end of the year, everyone votes for the person whom they think is the most admirable…and that person keeps the shirt, and are asked to find a shirt that means something to them, for the next year’s team to use as their “shirt”.  For example, if Jane Doe was chosen as the runner who should keep the shirt, next year’s team “shirt” would be called the “Jane Shirt”.  Catherine Noble was the senior to who last year’s team awarded the shirt.