Raise a hand for fun at high-five champs
The high-five is an enduring triumphant gesture used to punctuate everything from great moments in sport to everyday small joys.
As others worldwide dare not high-five because of Covid-19, O¯ tautahi Christchurch is poised to stage the high-five world championships.
The contest is the dream of one man. A man who believes life’s great moments need to be punctuated with more than a mediocre handshake and who decided to invent a world championship event to prove it.
‘‘There’s a lot of joy and a real art to a great high-five,’’ said Morgan Williams, event promoter and hand-slapping enthusiast.
‘‘We have three main criteria judges will be looking for. There’s a real performance aspect to it.’’
The event will be held at Welles Street, the central city pub on Welles St, today from 4pm to 7pm.
It is free to enter and Williams said enthusiasm was ‘‘key’’. More than just a fleeting physical connection, a successful high-five must show you are ‘‘feeling it in your soul’’ and ideally should be ‘‘announced on your face’’.
‘‘The origins of the high-five are pretty speculative and mostly revolve around a couple of sportspeople, but even if someone does a high-five ironically it’s still a thing,’’ Williams said.
Palm-slapping contenders must satisfy the three S’s – style, symmetry and sound – to win judges’ approval and potentially end the evening holding aloft the high-five-themed trophy in victory.
Contestants will begin at opposite ends of the ‘‘high-five strip’’ and perform an ‘‘entertaining routine’’ towards the zero marker in the middle of the pitch to music of their choice.
A slow-motion camera placed in the centre will reveal entrants’ moment of impact and a microphone will capture the decibel reading.
‘‘The louder the slap, the louder the score,’’ Williams said.
He imagined the event as ‘‘something like WWE but with high-fives’’.
‘‘With the Covid-19 situation the event was in a bit of danger for a bit there, but our hands are the cleanest they’ve ever been. I will also have hand sanitiser on site,’’ Williams said.
The event will be livestreamed, with live commentary by Jeff Clark from the Court Jesters.
Williams is eager for more people to sign up. He hoped the champs would go well enough for him to high-five someone at the end of the night.
‘‘I’m just trying to bring something new to Christchurch, something completely different. It should be a bit of fun.’’