Popular Post Jordan aka FltAdmlWolf Posted June 30, 2019 Popular Post Posted June 30, 2019 Well that's a wrap! This year's Awards Ceremony comes to a close as we take stock of the past year's worth of writing and fellowship in our community. It's been an amazing 25 years forging these traditions and building Star Trek stories. Before taking a few moments to thank the folks who made this ceremony possible, I want to recall last year's ceremony: Like so many things we do, the end result comes off like a song – impeccably managed, orchestrated with grace and ease, tied up with a bow and looking like a commercial product put together by a team of paid professionals. But as you will often hear us staff members remind some of our newer members: Everything you see here has been done by volunteers who are putting in their personal time for a love of the game, and a love of the community. It's easy to forget that it must have taken a lot of time and effort to put all this together. The Awards Ceremony, in particular, is one of our grandest hills to climb each year. The process begins more than two months before the ceremony is presented, as the Captains Council reviews the last year's ceremony, discusses changes that need to be made to the awards, and thinks about ways we can improve what we're doing. We have a manual that details not only each step in the process, but also the roles involved, which include the Awards Facilitator, and the Awards Committee Members. And that doesn't even consider the burden of your ship's staff, who are asked to rally every crew to nominations, then review the nominations for General Awards, help compile the Length of Service Awards, and more. We have detailed templates for our news posts, forum posts, and the final, complete wiki presentation that all have to be filled-out properly – a single character mistyped can mean we end up debugging for longer than I care to admit. And then, once it's all said and done, the wiki's records must be updated accurately, otherwise feelings will be hurt, or worse, more work will be added to next year's roster as we're forced to track down and verify missing awards and determine why they weren't recorded. So you see, like an opera, there are set pieces moving in every direction, actors hurrying here and there, costume and makeup being donned, and all of it must arrive on time, correct, complete, and parseled in both a just and fair manner. It's no easy task, and I do hope – for just a moment – you'll consider all these moving pieces and spare some appreciation for everyone involved, who are putting in the work to ensure that everyone below is thanked and recognized for the creativity they've put in over the past year. It's really quite incredible how much work goes into this whole thing, so I'm hopeful that we don't take for granted any of the people who helped make it happen. Awards Facilitator Jared Thoran has these words of special recognition: Quote The Awards Committee, comprised of Rear Admiral Toni Turner, Captain Theo Whittaker and Commander Evan Delano who voted on the Duty Post and Special Awards. This is a complex process that involves reviewing all the nominations received, along with supporting links for a given award and then selecting which candidate they feel best matches the qualities the award is seeking. The Deputy Award Facilitators, Lieutenant Commanders Jocelyn Marshall and Randal Shayne who helped prep the awards nominations for review, compile materials for the awards ceremonies, along with assisting with other tasks relating to the awards. They put in a considerable amount of time and effort to help ensure everything was accurate, prepared and ready for awards day. Their help has allowed the awards ceremony to continue to run smoothly. The commanding officers of the fleet, who put in a lot of time and effort to review the nominations for their ships and ensure that the right people are selected for awards. The first officers of the fleet, for voting on the staff awards to provide recommendations to the EC about who they should choose to receive each award, for determining the recipient of general awards where their CO was nominated, and writing awards presentations where needed. All of you who submit wonderful, heartfelt nominations each year! Lastly, on this, the 25th Anniversary year of our founding, I would like to give special thanks to our community’s founder, Fleet Admiral Wolf. It is in no small part to Fleet Admiral Wolf’s tireless efforts and guiding hand over the past 25 years that we are able to enjoy such a warm, welcoming and vibrant community. Many of you may not know just how involved he is behind the scenes - from maintaining the websites, forums and other resources, ensuring new members are set up with they need, and much much more. It is these efforts that allow us to focus on the important things with little worry, and no matter how long you’ve been with the fleet, whether you’re a brand new ensign or a seasoned admiral, he has an open door policy and I know I count myself amongst many who have benefitted from the Fleet Admiral’s counsel and support. The fact that we are celebrating our 25th year in existing is a testament to Fleet Admiral Wolf’s passion, drive, tenacity and dedication. For your exemplary example and leadership over the past quarter century, on behalf of the whole community, I would like to offer Fleet Admiral Tristan Wolf a huge thank you - thank you for everything you have done and continue to do for this community. Happy 25th anniversary, everybody! In addition to what he's said above, I'd like to add my thanks to: Awards facilitator Jarred Thoran. It's no surprise he won a number of awards this year considering how well he managed to facilitate the ceremony and process. He managed to move all the set-pieces perfectly into place with quiet efficiency, and that's incredibly helpful to all the staff that relied on him to ensure they were told what was needed from them, by when, and delivered it into the proper places for presentation. Congratulations to him for a job very well done – and huge thanks to him from all of us! And once again, huge appreciation for every member of the fleet who took their time to write a nomination. Without you, it'd be impossible for us to have this kind of recognition process, because each of you helps to assemble those memories about ways that others have contributed. You're so wonderful for that – thank you! Congratulations to all the winners of awards this year! Your hard work has paid off, and you'll go down in our history books as a part of our history and community, showing that you made us what we are. 13 1
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