World Wide Champ
Do you read the stories about the athletes preparing for Beijing and secretly wish it was about you? Stop dreaming - now anyone can compete on a world stage. World Wide Champ...you vs. the globe, hosts international sports competitions open to anyone. Competitors simply upload videos of their performances any time they wish.
The website holds weekly competitions in sports such as gymnastics, martial arts, dance, bodybuilding, figure skating, and BMX. There are various skill levels and age groups to choose from.
Expert judges from all over the world sign up on the website, and - if they are approved - they are then paid to conduct the scoring of the videos. Founder and CEO Jared Rosenthal, who also owns and runs a private karate school in New York City, feels that this is one of the most crucial aspects of the site. "These are sporting events. Athletes don't want the audience to determine the winners - they want qualified judges."
Judges - who can work or reside anywhere - score video entries from their own computers. Already, many former national and world champion athletes - including a salsa champion from California, a figure skating champion from Europe, and a martial arts champion from South Africa - have signed on to judge.
If you want to compete, there is one caveat: your video must be of continuous footage. There is no splicing and dicing pieces of various performances and stringing them together to make a highlight film. Of course, competitors can tape as many "takes" as they want, and just submit the one they like the best.
According to Rosenthal, "The power of competition to motivate athletes is undisputed. It brings out the best in training, preparation, and focus. But only a small fraction of people actually do it. Maybe they can't afford the time or expense or travel of attending competitions. Or maybe there is a fear of the unknown. World Wide Champ removes all of those barriers."
It's time to start training.
For an introduction to WORLD WIDE CHAMP, go to http://www.worldwidechamp.com/
Photo:
http://www.prlog.org/
