Regarded as one of the most prestigious wine competitions in the world, the IWC attracted record entries from 46 countries this year, which are then put through a rigorous judging process to award the best wines in each category.

France topped the country tally board for the second year running with 21 trophies, followed by Japan’s sake category in second place with 14 trophies.

Among the Australian wines bringing home a trophy are the 2008 Giant Steps Sexton Vineyard Harry’s Monster for best Australian red blend, the De Bortoli Old Boys Tawny Port for best Australian Fortified, the 2008 Longview Red Bucket Shiraz Cabernet for best Adelaide Hills wine, and the 2007 Heartland Wines Director’s Cut Shiraz, which won the International Shiraz trophy along with the trophy for best Australian red, best Australian Shiraz and best South Australian Shiraz.

McGuigan Wines also continued its recent success on the show circuit at the IWC, with the 2004 Shortlist Eden Valley Riesling being awarded trophies for best South Australian white wine and best Eden Valley white wine.

Also on the international stage, Kingston Estate won a coveted double gold medal at the 2010 San Francisco International Wine Competition for its 2007 Kingston Echelon Shiraz, while, closer to home, Grant Burge Wines scooped the pool at the Queensland Wine Show in Brisbane, taking home 15 medals from 17 entries.

An American flag found at Little Bighorn after ‘General’ George Custer and nearly 270 men were wiped out by Indian warriors could fetch $12 million US (pounds 8.2 million) when it is auctioned later this year.

The battle guidon of the 7th Cavalry was recovered after Custer, 36 – who was in reality a lieutenant colonel – and his men were defeated by thousands of Lakota and Cheyenne Indians in June 1876, in what has become known as Custer’s Last Stand.

The victorious Indians stripped the corpses of trophies, but seemingly missed the bloodstained flag, which was hidden under the body of a soldier.

It was recovered by Sergeant Ferdinand Culbertson, a member of a burial party, and was sold for $54 (pounds 35) in 1895 to the Detroit Institute of Arts. Another 7th Cavalry guidon was found later in an Indian village, but is reportedly moth-eaten and in poor condition. The institute is selling its flag to pay for new acquisitions, after saying it barely saw the guidon because it was almost continually on loan to other institutions. Sotheby’s will auction the tattered piece of swallow-tailed silk, just over 32ins by 26ins in size, in October. A star and a patch of the stripes are missing, cut out of the fabric in the 19th century as souvenirs.

The auction house has estimated it will fetch between $2 million and $5 million (pounds 1.3 million to pounds 3.3 million), but hopes it could exceed the auction record for a flag – the $12.3 million (pounds 8.2 million) paid for an American flag captured by the British in 1779 during the War of Independence.

“It’s not a piece of decoration. It’s a sacred relic. People died for this flag,” said David Redden, a Sotheby’s vice-chairman.

He said Custer’s Last Stand was an “extraordinary clash between the two cultures of America”. He added: “Anything connected with that, particularly something that’s as significant as a battle flag, also has that kind of iconic stature.”

The battle was part of the Great Sioux War, which started after the U.S. government tried to drive the Indians out of the Black Hills region of Montana. The 7th Cavalry surprised the Indians in their village, but had underestimated the enemy’s strength and were annihilated.

Guidons served as battlefield beacons marking company positions.

also see: corporate awards, crystal awards and acrylic awards

March 28, 2010 2:00 AM

For a trophy store, the doldrums are in January — midway in the academic year, between sports seasons, when corporate sales gods, basking in the Bahamas, are in no rush to receive their Lucite stars.

This January, Taylor Durmer of Crown Trophy took advantage of the downtime to move the franchise store to a new space on Mirona Road in Portsmouth.

“The new shop gives us three times the space to build and display trophies,” said Durmer, who joined Crown after graduating from the University of New Hampshire and who co-owns the store with Bob Montville.

With a territory that runs east from Raymond and includes all of Maine, and an esteem-centric society that seeks to leave no student or sports participant un-lauded, Durmer sees great potential for Crown in Portsmouth.

“Organizations today usually want to award as many trophies as they can,” Durmer said. “Many like to give medals or other awards to all participants.”

The franchise model is especially effective for meeting this growing demand, Durmer said.

“One of the benefits of being part of a franchise is they’re always coming out with new stuff,” he said. “People purchasing awards always want to know what’s new and Crown is always coming up with new and exclusive lines.”

The days of a trophy being a metal figure mounted on marble are long gone, Durmer said. Trophies today are usually plastic-based, but are often bolder, featuring more color, interactivity, and moving parts, such as acrylic stars or bobble-heads.

A basketball trophy, for example, might feature a plastic ball that spins in place.

“That’s awesome for kids, who like to play with their awards,” Durmer said.

Sports, with predictable seasons and high turnover (both participant and volunteer) are still the trophy business base.

Portsmouth Little League, for example, might award trophies to the first- and second-place teams in each age division; new organizations, such as the Oyster River Youth Association, might present awards to honor teams’ inaugural seasons; some martial arts tournaments draw more outsized trophies than competitors.

“Organizers like to be better safe than sorry,” Durmer said.

Beyond sports, Durmer stresses the Crown tag line: “Much more than a trophy store,” working with a wide range of organizations. In any one week, Durmer might be creating “No Smoking” signs for a nonprofit, tip cards for corporate training events, trophies for the Seacoast Art Association or the American Legion, or 3,000 custom ribbons for the USS New Hampshire. It even provides credit for used trophies.

Crown is also known for its custom work, which might include everything from personalizing plaques with corporate logos to converting beer cans into coveted softball league trophies.

The Crown catalogue has keepsakes for all occasions, even a trophy depicting a golfer on his knees trying to blow the ball into the hole — ideal for the duffer of any office tournament.

Despite ongoing demand for awards, Durmer says marketing, at a level sophisticated for the industry, is the key to growth.

The Portsmouth store has an extensive online database and automates processes such as catalogue distribution and communication, including reminder e-mails, with current and past customers.

The main work, building trophies, engraving plaques, or special ordering crystal or acrylic components, varies in intensity throughout the year, with frenzied weeks in late spring and early fall.

“In June, all area schools present academic awards but don’t know most of the recipients until the end,” Durmer said. “So we’ll make 1,000 awards over two weeks.”

The fall marks a new academic year and the start of many sports seasons. Consistent for Durmer, however, is how the nature of recognition makes for a pleasant job.

“I enjoying working here,” he said. “Everyone who walks in is in a good mood because they’re doing something nice — and are usually rewarding someone for doing something special.”

At a glance:

Crown Trophy

Owners: Taylor Durmer and Bob Montville

Address: 131 Mirona Road, Lafayette Crossing

Phone: 431-5552

E-mail: bobm@crowntrophy128.com

Web: www.crowntrophy.com

Men in black suits open the car doors. There sit 10 cardboard boxes carrying the show’s critical stars: Oscar No. 3453 and 51 of his fellow Oscar statuettes. Steve Miessner, the Keeper of the Oscars, rides along with them.

He and the security guards load the boxes onto two dollies, and each is sent up a backstage freight elevator accompanied by an armed guard.

Miessner leads them down a winding hallway and into an office in the bowels of the Kodak. Two guards stand at the door as he dons his trademark white gloves and begins unpacking the precious cargo: 50 foam containers, each with one Oscar inside.

No. 3453 is among the first he unpacks. Miessner examines it and notices a bit of packaging glue stuck to the statue. He pulls a blue velvet cloth from his toolbox, which also includes tiny wrenches and a pen light, and gently polishes.

One by one, Miessner opens the foam containers and places the golden men on a desk.

“I usually set them all out and put little medallions on them, because backstage you can’t see the serial numbers,” he says.

Miessner, 47, officially works as an assistant to the film academy president and executive director. But he’s also the only academy person who handles the Oscar trophies.

He’s responsible for tracking all 52 statuettes reserved for Sunday’s ceremony. He’ll stand backstage as the awards are presented, noting the serial number of each Oscar and its recipient. After the show, he’ll log the information into the academy’s Statuettes Database.

But today he’s making sure each trophy is accounted for and camera ready. He writes “3453″ on a white paper tag and ties it with string around the Oscar’s neck, like a little pendant. Miessner, who has served as Keeper of the Oscars for five years, says some nights he wakes in a panic, dreaming that an Oscar sent onstage during the show was still wearing it’s numbered necklace.

“In the back of my mind I start to have all these fantasies about what could be going wrong,” he says, noting that an entire shipment of Oscars was stolen — and eventually recovered — in 2002. (Hence all the armed guards.)

Just knowing the Oscars are safely at the Kodak brings Miessner some relief.

“They’re here. I know they’re protected,” he says. “They’re stationary. They’re not going anywhere.”

Until Sunday, when No. 3453 and his brothers will be sent off to their new homes.
Originally posted by Sandy Cohen.

Some were won by former Citizen employees who now work for the Arizona Daily Star, and I eventually sorted those out, walked across the courtyard, and dropped them off at the Star’s front desk so my friends could have some keepsakes.

But I was fascinated by the mystery of an old trophy and lugged it back to my work area last Tuesday.

There was no mention of the Citizen on the engraving, and I wondered why The Diamond Bill’s Sportsmanship Award, given during the Tucson Soap Box Derby in 1950, is in our custody and why only three names are on the award.

I probably should be busy hunting for a job in my spare time, with the closure of the Citizen looming. But that part of my brain that has made me a good reporter and editor just wouldn’t let this go.

I found out the Citizen used to be one of the sponsors of the Soap Box Derby. I’m still trying to find about Diamond Bill’s, so maybe some longtime Tucsonans can enlighten me because I couldn’t find anything in our archives.

I looked at the last name on the trophy, 1955 winner Tommy Ricksecker, and told my podmate – the immensely talented page designer Jennifer Lum – that I was going to use the enormous font of information available at my fingertips (the phone book) to see if any Rickseckers were listed. I discovered two.

I got Tom’s number during the first call, and the 66-year-old Ricksecker laughed last Wednesday when I got him on the phone and told him about my discovery.

“I didn’t win the local title, so I didn’t get the chance to go race in the nationals in Ohio,” Ricksecker said.

The Citizen had the trophy, he said, because he had to give it back before the 1956 races. I couldn’t find out if the sportsmanship award was ever given out.

I was only able to give Ricksecker half of his memories. The trophy had been topped with a big Soap Box Derby insignia and mounted on a wooden base, he said.

But that’s not the end of the story. Early last Wednesday, former podmate M.J. McVay, an immensely talented page designer, mentioned that she knew some Rickseckers back in her hometown of Findlay, Ohio.

And, yep, the Tucson Rickseckers have cousins in Findlay, and, yep, M.J. went to the same church as cousin Paul.

It’s a small world after all.
Originally posted by Dave Petruska.

Just what your basketball team needs

basketball trophies

Ever wonder what will give your army of basketball-ers that extra boost to win those lovely basketball trophies & medals? Maybe it is the basketball trophies & basketball medals themselves! By designing and building your very own trophy you can cater to the needs and likings of your squad of basketball players so that every game is a victory and every award is one of their most prized possessions.

Start here: Begin with what type of award you want. You can choose from trophies: gold or silver, basketball sculptures with with hand painted colors or bronze finishes, or
basketball plaques which are offered in wood acrylic or rosewood, among others. Let us also not forget the ever ubiquitous basketball medals & basketball ribbons. You can choose from a selection of styles that include 3D medals, a really unique flip-sided design, or even choose from one of many images to easily insert.

You can also opt for a classier look for your basketball award by choosing crystal or the more affordable, acrylic. These glass basketball awards and acrylic basketball awards can feature a male or basketball female player holding a basketball or if you prefer, an engraved basketball on the award to stand alone.

Finally, don’t want to spend an exuberant amount on your basketball trophies & basketball awards? Look into some cute and simple basketball pins that can easily be uniformly donned by a proud basketball team.

trophies & awards

All of the £12,000 will go straight back into the rider’s pockets as they can pick it up in prize money throughout the season. Each race weekend will see the winner going home with £200, second place man £100, third will receive £50, fourth £30 and £20 for fifth place.

The popular Express Insurance Top Gun award in back again this year and it will give £100 to the first Orange Jacket wearing Novice licence holder to finish. This is a great incentive for new riders to push hard and progress in each race.

At the end of the season the R&G Racing Suzuki GSX-R Trophy winner will pick up a cool £3000 for his efforts all year, £2000 will go to second place and £1000 for third. The highest placed Novice licence holder in the Championship will also receive the Express Insurance Top Gun end of season award of £500.

The 10-round Championship has full Suzuki backing and takes in numerous British Superbike circuits which gives riders track knowledge for when they decide to step up to the next level as many Trophy riders have done.
Originally posted at VisorDown.com.

The United States Equestrian Team (USET) Foundation would like to recognize and honor their 2008 award winners. The following horses and riders have been awarded trophies for their excellence in competition for the 2008 show year.

Wellington, FL’s, Margie Engle took home the John H. Fritz Cup after she won the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) National Show Jumping Championship this fall. Engle rode Hidden Creek’s Quervo Gold and Hidden Creek’s Pamina L to the win in the two-phase class.

The Markham Memorial Perpetual Trophy, donated by Mr. & Mrs. Charles D. Plumb, is given every year to the top young rider under the age of 21 competing in the USEF National Eventing Championship or who places highest in the USET Spring/Fall events. The highest-placed rider in the spring and fall events this year was 18-year-old Madeline Blackman of Ringoes, NJ, with Gordonstown.

There were three other three-day eventing trophies awarded this year as well. The winner of the Pinnacle Cup was Phillip Dutton, who was the highest-placed U.S. rider at the Rolex Kentucky CCI****. Dutton, of West Grove, PA. He won the event on Connaught, owned by Bruce Duchossois. This is the second year in a row that the Pinnacle Cup has gone to Dutton.

Fellow Olympic team member Amy Tryon of Duvall, WA, was a double winner. She won the Gladstone Challenge Trophy at the National Open Spring Championship with Leyland, who is owned by the Nicholson family. She also won the Fall Three-Day Championship with Coal Creek, co-owned by Tryon and Katherine Sullivan.

The USEF Show Jumping Talent Search Finals are held every year for riders on the East Coast and West Coast. The winner of the West Coast Finals was Hannah Selleck of Thousand Oaks, CA. She was awarded the Denali Memorial Perpetual Trophy, which was donated by Mrs. Maya Z. Hamburger. Her trainer, Karen Healey, was given the Leading Trainer Award, donated by Hugh Cassidy III.

Sophie Benjamin of Rancho Santa Fe, CA, made the trip to Gladstone to win the East Coast Finals and took home the French Leave Perpetual Trophy, donated by the Gerald A. Nielsen family. Her trainer, Stacia Madden, also won the Leading Trainer Award.

The win and trophy for the National Intermediaire I Championship for dressage went to Michelle Gibson of Wellington, FL, and Don Angelo, owned by Diamante Farms. The trophy was donated by Ivan Bezugloff, Jr. Kassandra Barteau of Gilberts, IL, notched her second win in a row on Gabriella at the USEF Dressage Young Rider Championship. For her win, Barteau was awarded the Riders’ Cup/Terry Koenig Memorial Trophy.

The Moore Memorial Trophy is presented every year to the National Champion Pairs Driver. This year’s winner was Lisa Singer of Chadds Ford, PA. Fellow driver Chester C. Weber of Ocala, FL, won the USEF National Driving Championship for Four-in-Hand Teams for the sixth year in a row and took home the Reginald C. Vanderbilt Cup, which was donated by Georgiana and Noel F. Bowers.

The Margo O’Callaghan Trophy, which was originally called the Contenders’ Cup, was presented to Rebecca Hart of Erie, PA. Hart and Norteassa won the USEF National Para-Equestrian Championship this year.

Craig Schmersal of Overbrook, OK, piloted Mr. Dual Rey to the USEF National Open Reining Championship this year and took home the reining trophy to round out a year of top competition.

The USET Foundation would like to congratulate all of the equestrian athletes who competed this year and wish the best for everyone in 2009.

The United States Equestrian Team Foundation is the non-profit organization that supports the competition, training, coaching, travel and educational needs of America’s elite and developing international, high-performance horses and athletes in partnership with the United States Equestrian Federation.

Originally posted by Jennifer Wood.

“Beating 4500 contestants Payal won the Champion trophy held at Vadodara. She solved 200 sums in just seven minutes, with few seconds to go before the exam got over,” Ramesh Merja, Payal’s father said.

The All Gujarat Mental Arithmetic Champion Trophy-2008 was held recently at Vadodara, and over 4500 contestants from across the state participated in the competition.

“If we ask Payal about the sum total of three digit sums, which involves fractions, subtractions, additions and mulitiplications, she answers them very swiftly,” he added.

A class five at Bavis Gam Vidhyalaya-Vallabh Vidhyanagar, Payal is quick in solving mathematical problems, and holds the distinction of being runners up in All India UC-MAS competitions,” Merja said.

According to Payal, concentration is the key to her success. She is an intelligent and gifted child with inclination towards science and maths.

Payal loves reading autobiographies of great leaders and towering personalities during leisure time, Merja said adding, “she is an intelligent and gifted child.”

Originally posted in The Hindu.