At each leg of your journey, there was that one person who was somehow already in your corner. They recognized something in you before you knew the rules and the ways. Before you knew what a crew or troop or session really was or that there were courts and players beyond the park and local community centre.
They beat you effortlessly while building up your confidence. They made things matter without making them heavy. And the moment you got a little too good for everybody in the session, they showed you the next step.
The Fan Club badge goes to that person. This says to them: I’m in your fan club.
The Ritual
Give them the badge and a short note. Tell them where you were when you met them, what you noticed first, what you slowly learned, how you pass it on today. Add one sentence at the end: “Thank you.”
What’s even more special is you then give them a second Fan Club badge or sticker. And ask them to pass one on to the person who showed them.
What it Recognizes
Someone who taught us what a session could be. How to prepare. How to share space. How to compete without ego. How to raise everyone’s level without raising our voice. How to make things matter without making them heavy. We learned to belong by being around them.
How it’s Given
This badge is awarded with a handwritten letter. A short account of what was learned, when it was learned, and why it stayed.
Fan Club is given rarely. Given deliberately. Given to the person you were learning from before you knew you were learning.
This isn’t thanks for the rides or for teaching me how to set up an Erne or putting your paddle beside mine when nobody else would. This is thanks for showing me how this world works.
Reply to this message — let us know who has earned this badge and why.