Eyes were transfixed, feet were tapping and hearts pumped as SHOKK - the Youth Activity People - recently held their first national multiplayer dance mat tournament.
Teams from the across the UK came together on Saturday 19th July to compete in the first event of its kind in this country.
The event showcased some of Britain’s most talented youngsters as well as giving those new to the craze a chance to see why this particular activity is taking the UK by storm.
Teams of young people aged 8-16 years from schools, leisure centres and projects competed all day, broken up by showcase demos from some of Europe’s leading dance mat players.
Winners on the day were from Howden Clough Girls School and Batley Leisure Centre, nicknamed 'The Principle of Rhythm' and 'The Batley Butterflies' respectively.
The tournament took place at Huddersfield Town’s ground breaking indoor leisure facility ‘The Zone’. Opened earlier this year by Minister for Sport Gerry Sutcliffe, it boasts a state of the art SHOKK gym, dance studio, play centre and two of the largest third generation Astro pitches in the country.
Kieran Murphy, marketing director of SHOKK, commented: "The interest in our multiplayer system has been phenomenal but it was fantastic to actually see all the young people at the event enjoying themselves.
"At the end of the day the tournament was put together for their benefit rather than to just showcase the product to the industry. Considering that girls aged 12-15 years have traditionally been a difficult group to target, SHOKK have really been making an impact with this demographic.
"The aim of the event was to further raise the profile of dance mats as a form of physical activity and to provide youngsters with an opportunity to showcase their talent in a competitive environment. Interest in the tournament has proved so popular that we are planning to hold another larger event before the October Half term.”
The market leading wireless multiplayer system supplied by SHOKK allows up to 32 players at one time, meaning multiple teams could compete against each other at such an event. The system is available in a convenient mobile format for purchase and hire.
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