That Amazing Moment When Your Friend Does Something Really Awesome Like Win

Let's face it: trophies can be pretty darn pretty. Like at the Go Light Your World tournament in February. They had these amazing little things. They were glass and had globes on the top of these pillars and it was really cool and I really wanted one. Like, I really wanted one. They were like, the coolest trophies ever.

Anyways. The other day I was looking at pictures of my siblings on Facebook (because I finally got one of those things). There was one picture I saw with me and them, right after a debate tournament. They were all holding trophies. And I wasn't. Despite the fact that the picture was from like, three years ago, I grew a little bit jealous. Yes, even after all I've been through this year, I started wondering, 'why don't I have any trophies? How come I only have eighth place medals and a couple over-glittered check-marks?'

Then I was like, 'Hadley, you're an idiot.' 'No I'm not.' 'Don't be ridiculous. Of course you are! Thinking you need trophies after all you've been through. WOW. Just... WOW.' 'You're right!' "Of course I'm right. I'm always right.' 'You're never right.' 'True...' And that's a conversation I regularly have with myself. ANYWAYS. I still wanted trophies. But I remembered something I learned last year.

One of my favourite parts of a tournament is the awards ceremony. Usually by the end of it, my hands hurt, my throat hurts, my head hurts, my feet hurt and I'm in tears. Sounds like fun, right? Well, the pain and the tears aren't what I like about awards. I also don't like the super long speeches that sometimes come with them. What I do like is my friends pwning faces. It took me awhile to realize this, but it's just as exciting when your friends win something as when you do. *Gasp!*

Seriously. There are few awards ceremonies I have left with dry eyes, and that's because I have amazing friends. I have three friends who have gotten first place in persuasive at a tournament. I have amazing friends who have pwned at impromptu and apologetics and extemp. And debate. And duo. And other events. I scream really loudly at awards. If you know me, then you know that. And I often go home on Sunday without much of a voice. And my hands are sore from a great amount of forensic clapping. And I'm crying because I'm so proud of my friends. And my feet are sore from a great amount of tournamenting. I just made tournamenting a word, in case you were wondering. Tournament is now a verb. So ha ha to you, grammar.

Having awesome friends who do awesome things is awesome. I hope you have awesome friends like I do. And if you don't have awesome friends, I can be your awesome friend. (Yes, I did just call myself awesome, in case you were wondering.) And then you can meet my awesome friends, and I have a lot.

But you don't have to pwn faces at speech and debate to be amazing. While pwning is one way to be amazing, true amazingness comes from other things. Like if a friend wants to pray with you before the round, that's amazing. If a friend congratulates you on winning even when they didn't, that's amazing. If your friend practically tackles you when they see you after going even a little while without you, that's amazing. If a friend is willing to talk about serious stuff, like their faith and their testimony, that's amazing. If a friend talks about stupid stuff like how cute some boy/girl is with you, that's amazing. If a friend helps you laugh at yourself, that's amazing. There are a lot of ways for friends to be amazing, and I'm so blessed to have a lot of friends who are.

Last year (among other things) I learned that as nice as trophies are, and as nice as if feels to break to finals, and as much as I want to win, it's really, really, really awesome when my friends win stuff - maybe even better than winning stuff myself.

So here's to all my awesome friends out there. To those I've had for years, and those I've known for less than one. To the friends who have won first place, and the friends who have only ever gotten 5th and Belows. To the friends I haven't even met yet. You guys are awesome. Don't stop being awesome, okay?

And vote affirmative, because the trophies are really pretty this tournament. ;)

Medals are shiny

Trophies are cool

My friends are awesome

Just like you!