Every now and then in the forum, someone raises a question about one of the badges. Badges have been there in SUF already. It took years since I even realized they were there. Since the migration to SYSTM, some users seem to be keen to preserve their existing badges.
What I wonder: why is anyone so obsessed with these badges? I actually never give a s*** about them. I would never make any attempt to collect any of the badges (well, of course, that does not apply to the Knighthood badge 
) I even wonder if that is an American thing. Several years ago, during a stay in the US, a teacher told me that Americans are obsessed with diplomas and certificates. 
Donât get me wrong; I like stereotypes only for personal entertainment. 
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In other words, âWhy do some people like things I donât like? Whatâs wrong with them?â
I think some people are completionists. I think some people use the app for general fitness, as opposed to event prep, and hunting badges helps them explore every corner of SYSTM. I think some people like bright, shiny objects. Whatever keeps them going is, in my opinion, a good thing.
What keeps you going?
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Now you make it sound as hilarious as it is. 
Yes, you are totally right. Itâs just that to me, the badges are not appealing at all. If I complete them along with my scheduled training plan, then itâs okay. If not, itâs fine too. To me, they just donât feel like an achievement at all, and I was (and still am) wondering why others hunt these badges. Doing all necessary workouts for a single badge may not take me closer to a goal like raising my FTP or doing a 100-mile ride in a certain time. But of course you are right - if itâs a working tool to keep making progress, then thatâs fine.
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#willrideforbadges
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âIâm not like other girls.â
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But the others do it too! 
In my travels throughout the world teaching and giving talks, I have found quite a few other cultures that are very much into credentials, diplomas, etc.
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@Holger1980 It works for me especially during the beginning of the offseason. It is something to keep my head in the game especially in this weird pandemic fog that we all seem to be in.
I started chasing badges last year around the same time in the offseason and this year with the new platform have been doing the same. Frankly I have found it a good way to check out the other content which I have found to be very good. I like how the calendar allows for deleting and replacing workouts and have been mapping things on my plan to videos that I havenât done.
No one sees the badges so for me it is just a game to play to stay focused.
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Any Austrians here? 
Do you mean?
One Badge to rule them all,
One Badge to find them,
One Badge to bring them all
and in Grunter von Agony bind them.
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How can you complete all badges if you need the âcompleted all badgesâ badge to achieve that?
But on a more serious note, thereâs a group/book called Nerd Fitness, and itâs based on gamifying fitness - leveling up from fitness level âXâ to level âX+1â, rewards after certain achievements (âIâm going to buy that new piece of kit once I get my FTP above this numberâ), and so on. Some people like having quantifiable goals that are reachable in some finite time instead of a vague âI want to improveâ. The badges provide that in a kind of low-stress, achievable way that helps keep people going.
I opened up my achievements a few months ago and was surprised that I had some badges. I hadnât been trying for them, but it still felt nice to âachieveâ something. I lost my climbing badge on the transition to SYSTM, but that made sense - they added more rides to the climbing category. âOooh, more of that suffering I enjoyâ I say as I add some more rides to my to-do list for days when my plan allows for it. So you can look at the badges as a set of standard goals to pick-and-choose from if you need a little extra push some days.
I see their benefit, as Iâve got the KoS badge as a goal over the winter 
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Ooooh, paradox! 
#philosophy_major
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Badges completed:
- Knighthood
- Several ToS
- AWW (both IB and NH)
- All The Sufferfest
and others.
Do I care about them? Only the first one.
Iâll be working on ProRides next, unless something newer comes along. Just fun to try a new workout. For the time being Iâm just trying to stay active with no particular goals in mind.
Picking up a badge along the way brings that sense of completion, which I enjoy.
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Who shaves the barber?
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#slowclap
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Maybe there will be a swap meet sometimes in the future. I guess one could easily trade two original SUF badges for two SYTM badges. But selling a KOS badge will lead to expulsion to Couchlandria.
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âBadges? We donât need no stinkingâ badgesâ
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Having completed my âall the badgesâ quest today, I went looking for badge threads and found this one. Rereading it, I found a point Iâd like to address.
Holger, this point really stands out for me. If your goals are to do things like raise your FTP or do a 100-mile ride in a certain time, I understand why badges arenât interesting to you. My goals are different: I donât particularly care about my FTP (except in the context of getting appropriately challenging SYSTM rides) or my times on various routes. As a general fitness guy, hunting badges motivated me to spend time on the bike. Thatâs an end in itself.
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Seriously impressive!
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