The AVDD Challenge Coin
The Meaning of the AVDD Challenge Coin
Significance of the AVDD coin design:
Front: Shows our beginning, we were established in 1970 with the values we still hold true 50 years later.
Back: The rope signifies our strength. As the rope grows stronger with every fiber added, so does our club with each of you, our members, and supporters.
Outer ring: Lists our “Core Values”:
· Support- is at the top. It represents our commitment to support each other, our local and dive community, and our affiliates.
· Educate- we have always strived to educate people about the wonderful world underwater. We do this by annual scholarships, online certifications, in person training, and sometimes just when standing in line at the store when someone sees our dive shirt and starts to ask us about scuba diving!
· Conserve- we have a proud and long-standing commitment to conserve our underwater world. We support underwater clean ups, Heal the Bay, and beach clean ups.
On either side of Support, you will find a Star. The one on the left is solid. This reminds us that we are a Buddy Sport, and it is important to look out for each other. We always make sure to do our buddy check before jumping into the deep blue and helping when we see a need. The empty Star on the right symbolizes the loss we have suffered in the sport. A tragic dive accident or the loss of a member of the club.
The AVDD shark is our newest logo and shows that as we move forward, we still stand on a solid base (our Core Values) that has kept our club going strong for over 50 years.
Behind the shark is a wave. This represents our affiliation with the WAVES Project through our Core Values to Support and Educate our community, in this case it is our Veterans.
At the bottom we have a banner with the Latin phrase “Cura Personalis” that simply means Care of People. This is the heart of our club, to always look out for each other and make everyone who visits us feels welcome and part of our family.
With this in mind, the AVDD Board is pleased to present you this coin for your contribution to the safety, education, and awareness of scuba diving. And for your support of our club’s mission.
Sincerely,
AVDD Board President, Jeff Carlon
Challenge Coin “Rules”
It’s an honor to receive a challenge coin. That’s why it’s important to know the etiquette surrounding these important mementos. When you use challenge coins the right way, you’re contributing to a time-tested tradition that inspires camaraderie and membership. Here are the twelve essential rules you’ve got to follow if you want to play the challenge coin game.
1. The rules of the game should be given or explained to everyone given a coin. It’s rude to call out a challenge if you haven’t broken down the way it works ahead of time.
2. A challenge is initiated by tapping on any surface, Tapping is joined until all who participates produces a coin or buys the round
3. Coins must be carried at all times, and challenges can be called out anywhere and at any time, even underwater. You can only take four steps, or fin kicks in order to reach your coin.
4. The challenger must clearly state whether the challenge is for one drink or a round of drinks.
5. If the person challenged fails to produce the coin, the challenge must be honored, and drinks must be purchased. Each person can only be challenged once.
6. If everyone who is challenged manages to produce a coin, the challenger is on the hook to buy the drinks. Be careful of who you challenge.
7. Never hand someone else a coin in response to a challenge. Doing so is the same as giving the person the coin. The coin can be placed on the table, and anyone who wants to examine it is honor-bound to return it to its original location.
8. If you lose your coin, you’re responsible to replace it as soon as you possibly can. Losing your coin doesn’t absolve you from responsibility to follow the rules of the game. In other words, you’re buying a lot of drinks if you lose it.
There are zero exceptions to these rules. They apply whether you’re wearing clothes or not, so think ahead. Remember, you’ve got four steps or fin kicks to get within arm’s reach of your coin.
9. A challenge coin is a coin. It’s not a belt buckle or bracelet or necklace, so don’t use it like one. The exception is for coins that are carried in a pouch around the neck.
10. You must control your coin at all times. It indicates honor, so you shouldn’t give it too just anyone.
11. You may not drill holes in your coin.
These rules apply to anyone worthy to be given a coin, anyone who’s known to own a coin, and anyone who buys a coin.
The bottom line is that you have earn your challenge coin. It is a symbol of honor, and should be treated like one.
