Former Golden Jaguar Internationals Kayode McKinnon and Vurlon Mills have been confirmed as judges for the first ever virtual ‘Skill Thrill Freestyle Football Festival’, which is scheduled to commence this month.
This is according to Collis Gifth, Executive Director of The Right Start Foundation, the entity that will coordinate the inaugural championships.
According to Gifth, McKinnon and Mills have confirmed their participation after invitations were initially extended to the duo from the entity which is based in the Mining Town of Linden.
Gifth elaborated, “This is the first time that an official freestyle competition is being held in Guyana and it is very important that we have a well rounded panel of judges hence the reason we have engaged persons from a broad cross section, including civil society, the GFF and the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports.”
He added that the coordinating committee is aiming to acquire the services of five more individuals to serve as tournament judges, adding that McKinnon and Mills will bring a wealth of experience and credibility to the maiden edition.
“We are looking to have at least seven judges for the competition and I am extremely happy and honored to have these two football stars a part of the team. I am confident that their passion, knowledge and experience will be of colossal value, credence and professionalism to the judging panel and by extension to the competition.”
According to Gifth, the participation of McKinnon and Mills highlights their eagerness to contribute to the development of the local football landscape, adding that other individuals of similar repute are currently being considered to serve in an identical capacity.
“I am also overwhelmed at the first word responses we’ve received from both McKinnon and Mills. It gives me the sense that they are always ready to contribute and play their part in football development. Both Mills and McKinnon played international football for Guyana and are now Technical Development Officers and coaches in their respective capacities. The other judges will be confirmed shortly even as we are in dialogue with the World Freestyle Football Association for their support and guidance.”
He said that the coordinating committee and the judging panel will conduct a virtual briefing session prior to the start of the event, to formulate and implement a universal judging criterion.
“All judges will participate in a special virtual freestyle briefing ahead of the competition to have a common of the judging criteria. For the competition participants are expected to record a video no more than three minutes long, introducing themselves and doing their freestyle set. They are then expected to fill out the online registration form, upload their video and submit.”
The event will open to individuals as young as 16 years old, who are residing in Guyana. Each participant, following registration, must submit a video no longer than three minutes in duration displaying their freestyle ability. Edited videos will not be accepted by the judging committee which will be identified prior to the start of the event.
The 10 best freestylers will advance to the second round which will be in person. The grand finale will also be contested during the second round. Winner of the event will pocket $100,000 and a trophy, with the runner-up pocketing $50,000 and the corresponding accolade. The other participants who made the final 10, will pocket $10,000 each.
Participants will be judged on four categories. They are Creativity & Versatility, Trick Execution, Acrobatics and Musicality. Potential competitors can visit the Skill Thrill Freestyle Facebook page or other social media sites for link to the registration.
