Last July, Olympian and 5-time Pan Am medalist Jessica Phoenix took part in a new TV show, which pits young athletes against each other in unfamiliar sports with help from sports stars. Jessica coached and mentored the Equestrian episode of this new series, which is now airing on TV.
Photo by Roar Publishing.
All-Round Champion is an 11-episode, 60-minute series that features ten of North America’s most talented young athletes who compete in the sport of wakeboarding, gymnastics, BMX racing, golf, skateboarding, diving, swimming, kayaking, go-carting or equestrian. The catch? They must compete in each other’s sports. Scored on skill, sportsmanship, and improvement at the end of the series, one athlete will be crowned the All-Round Champion.
Hosted by Olympic hurdler and World Champion, Perdita Felicien, All-Round Champion is an outstanding program for school-aged children that celebrates more than just athletic capabilities: each episode is a master class in life-skills: overcoming obstacles, confidence building and team work are recurring themes.
Produced by the award-winning TV production company Marble Media and aired in Canada on TVOkids and Knowledge Network, and on BYUtv in the US, the premise is based on a popular television show which originated in Norway. The idea is remarkable: Take ten kids ‒ five boys and five girls ‒ who represent the best in their sport. Bring them together and watch as they compete in each other’s sport, eventually revealing who is the all-around champion. Each week, nine champs compete in one unfamiliar sport, which is coached by the champion and a well-known guest athlete. In the case of the equestrian show, Fenella is a show jumper from Calgary and Jessica was the athlete/mentor.
Jessica Phoenix said, “It was a great experience meeting these kids and seeing how much they could progress in such a short amount of time. Marble Media did a superb job of producing the series and I’m proud to be a part of it. As a mother of two, I think it’s so important to have these amazing family shows to watch together as a family, and this is one that we look forward to watching every week!”
All-Round Champion airs on TVOkids Wednesdays and Thursdays at 5pm. One can catch the full weekly episode Sundays at 6pm. Catch up on all past episodes online or on the TVOkids YouTube Channel.
For our Canadian readers, click here to watch Episode 3A & 3B with Jessica Phoenix. For our US readers, episodes are available here.
All photos by Roar Publishing.