Team clogging awards!

Does your clogging team do awards? Fancy Free Cloggers had our Christmas party/awards banquet this week! The banquet is a lovely time to look back on the year and appreciate the progress and contributions of each team member.

Every Fancy Free Clogger receives a medal and is recognized for something special he/she brought to the team during the previous year. We also give special awards which vary from year to year, depending on the circumstances. Everyone, however, waits anxiously to see who will win the two highest honors: the Larry Pummel Award and Clogger of the Year!

Larry Pummel Award

Larry Pummel was a team grandfather who supported the cloggers 100%! His grandkids are grown and no longer clog, but the family maintains close ties to Fancy Free Cloggers. They sponsor an award in Larry's memory to recognize someone who has gone above and beyond to help the team. We take this award very seriously, and the presentation never fails to produce happy tears. Typically, Larry's family attends the banquet to present this award, but they were unable to do so this year because of illness. Evie gave the award to this year's winner:

Molly is a talented clogger who keeps us supplied with tasty baked goods! She really stepped up when the team prepared for our AGT audition. Due to various factors, including a professional program she is taking in school, Molly was unable to commit to being part of the audition team. However, she continued to attend practices to give feedback and help improve the routine. (Yep, this teenager voluntarily got up early on weekends to help her teammates!) THANK YOU, MOLLY! You absolutely deserve this award!

Clogger Of The Year

This award has ALWAYS been a big deal, but it has expanded over the past few years. The winner now receives a jacket, which makes him/her more visible all year long. The Clogger of the Year is expected to set a good example for the rest of the team. The winner is sometimes chosen by a panel, sometimes by studio vote. Since this is an election year, the team voted to determine which clogger should receive this high honor. The Clogger of the Year for 2017 is...

Elysia! This young lady became one of the Red Barn dancers this year. She brings a positive attitude to the dance studio every class! She has the ability to both give and receive clogging instruction in a classy way. She recently spent time helping one of our adult cloggers with the beginner step drill after class. If Elysia is struggling to learn a new step herself, she listens carefully and works hard to implement the teacher's instructions. Congrats, Elysia! We chose an excellent role model for 2017!

Elysia joins the line of jacket winners. Cloggers of the Year for 2015, 2016, 2017!

Smile Awards

These fun bobblehead trophies are a special addition this year, presented to dancers who make us smile every Tuesday night at clogging class!

Jennifer certainly makes us smile and chuckle each week. She has WAY more to say than your average four-year-old! Feeling blue? Sit down and chat with Jennifer for a few minutes. You'll be in a dancing mood shortly!

Jim is the other Smile Award recipient. He makes us smile, he makes the audience smile, and he's been bringing smiles to the world longer than most folks have been alive! Thanks, Jim!

AGT Audition Team

The AGT dancers were recognized for the hard work they put in and the incredible experience of clogging in Chicago! (Minus one dancer who couldn't attend the banquet.)

Individual Clogging Medals

The individual medal presentations can lead to fun moments. It's fun to hear what the presenters have to say about each clogger! Sometimes, the clogger has an interesting rebuttal! Here are a few highlights from our individual awards:

Joel will forever be known as the clogger who kicked a hole in the wall while practicing at home! Mom was less than thrilled at the time, but it sure makes for a good story!