Virtual Competitions: The Underrated Way to Get Started

Virtual competitions tend to be a bit underrated and sometimes even seen as less legit, but they are actually a fantastic opportunity for new competitors, those on limited budgets, as well as those that aren’t able to travel. Even though you’re not face to face, you still get part of the competition experience, scores, feedback and the opportunity to compete and see how you match up against others.

Why choose the screen over stage? The logistics are just easier and more assessable. Besides the fact that you can compete from anywhere, they tend to be more affordable with lower entry fees (typically a third to half the cost of live events), no photo/video packages and no need for logging and travel expenses.

Also you can “rinse and repeat” as many times – as long as you meet the submission deadline. In a live competition there are no do overs unless it’s an issue that’s “environmental” or the fault of the competition.

On of the best parts (in our opinion) is that in addition to being able to film from the comfort of your home or local studio, it also means that you can do your performance in front of your entire support system and have that live cheering and love. 

Virtual competitions also (almost always) mean that you can watch online. Not all live competitions offer streaming options and finding videos after the fact can be hard as not all competitions post and most that do only post the winners which means that you have to search to see if individual competitors posted their videos which could be across platforms (YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and TikTok).

Virtual competitions are happening on the National and Worlds level across different disciplines and movement styles, so you aren’t necessarily sacrificing “visibility”, prizes or advancement opportunities. 

If you’re new to competition, starting with virtual is a great, low commitment way to dip your competitive toe in the water.