On Nov 6, 11:57 pm, rb608 wrote:
On Nov 6, 10:01 am, Ken Fortenberry
wrote:

Are you sure you need to personalize them ? I mean if
they're all identical, why bother ? What's going to
happen to these rigs after the trip ?

Three good questions, actually. From the student side, I can see some
value in each student feeling connected or possessive of "their" rod
to the extent that ID would be worth the minor effort of labelling.
The most significant issue I can imagine is from Myron's side in
teaching them to take care of the equipment. If rods get left laying
around or broken through carelessness, it'd be good to know whose
responsibility it was.

The rods WILL belong to each kid; the price of their trip included me
purchasing beginner rods for each of them. They will need a way to
differentiate their rods specifically because there will be some kids
who are going to take care of their equipment, and others who will
probably learn a few lessons about leaving gear in the sand, stepping
on tips, etc. The kids will want to be able to distinguish their gear
from everyone elses. I have never had to 'label' 18 identical rods
before, so I don't know if there is some special paint, etc, that will
write on the shaft and not come off, or if it is unadvisable to write
on the cork, etc.

Even if the school were to retain ownership, its never a good idea
with a group of teens to leave any sort of equipment open for 'group
use', as the few who are less responsible tend to feel less
accountable and wear out all the gear. There's a reason most schools
sign out textbooks instead of having a free-for-all.

--riverman