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 have to 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.
“I think what is truly remarkable is that in two days Jessica shared her passion and love for horses. She gave these kids confidence that they could achieve their goals by following her solid instruction. I could not be more proud of Jessica and this show. ” ~ Veronica Low
Produced by the award-winning TV production company Marble Media and aired in Canada on TVO and Knowledge Network , and BYUtv in the US, the premise is based on a popular TV show which originated in Norway. “The idea is pretty awesome,” said Veronica Low of The Roar Group of Companies and who helped facilitate Olympic eventer Jessica Phoenix’s involvement in the equestrian segment. “Take ten kids ‒ five boys and five girls ‒ who represent the BEST in their sport. Bring them together and 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 athlete. In the case of the equestrian show, Fenella [Murphy] is a show jumper from Calgary and Jessica was the athlete/mentor.” Fenella’s coach in Alberta is Ashleigh Charity; while in Ontario, she continued riding and training at a local riding school, Raynham Stables, with eventer Lindsay Mahon.
Meet Fenella here:
The show chose 10 athletes from across North America; five from Canada and five from the USA. The show was filmed last June through August and the equestrian episodes (3A&B) were filmed in early July at Angelstone International in Erin, ON, with Keean White on-site as an advisor. “The schooling horses came from a nearby schooling barn, with the owner also serving as an advisor, as well as senior riders from the school,” explained Low. “OE [Ontario Equestrian] helped Marble Media source the location as well as the schooling barn and also served as a technical advisor to the shoot. They also advised on the riding apparel and Tipperary helmets which came from Greenhawk.”
Jessica’s daughter Jordan watches her mom in action. (Veronica Low photo)
She added, “Unlike all other episodes, it’s important to note that we wrapped each day before well before 3:00 p.m. to make sure that both the schoolies and student riders had a chance to rest. The actual filming was like filming a class of students in a riding school.”
The show airs in Canada on TVOKids. Each episode is in two parts, Wednesdays and Thursdays at 5:00 p.m., and the full episode airs on Sundays at 6:00 p.m. You can watch the show online on TVOkids.com, including Episode 3 which has already aired, here.
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