Champions of Vocational Skills

As the world prepares for the 2018 Winter Olympic Games in Korea, some competitors flex their skills in other fields. Not everyone is a superstar of winter athletics like downhill skiing, speedskating, or ice hockey. Very few of us are top contestants at math, spelling, trivia, hacking, or other games of the mind. Most people never will be featured on any globally-televised singing, talent, or beauty shows either.

Yet we all have our own skill sets. To be great at anything is a reward in itself.

By broadening the criteria, we get all sorts of weird championships. Did you know there is an Air Sex World Championship where people compete to simulate the best fake sexual experience? There was a World Sauna Championship in Scandinavia, but they cancelled it after people started dying of heart attacks. Toe wrestling, bog snorkeling, stone skipping, mobile phone throwing, and various championship eating competitions are some other fun ones. For this post, I’ll focus on occupational competitions.

Yes, it really is a thing, but we're not going there this time. Creative Commons via Flickr by Jeannette.

Many people around the world make their livings in job fields that can be considered vocational. For some, like a young lady waitressing to pay her way through college, the jobs may be stepping stones to other careers. For others, like an auto detailer who opens up his own business, they are lifelong occupations.

Some strive to be ‘the best that they can be’ in their occupations.

Valet Olympics

The top valets must be great at packing a trunk with luggage, driving through crowded lots, and fitting a car in a tight spot. Here is some footage of a regional training for the valet championships.

World Bartender Championships

We all know a great bartender. The best ones can pour an amazing drink and their unique add a flash of style. Many bartenders double as psychiatrists, though those skills are not as flashy as the tricks these ones play. Here are some highlights from the 2017 TGIF World Bartender Championships.

Hairdressing Championships

Yes, I’ll show them to you in a minute, but first you must see this! It’s a video of the 1968 World Hairdressing Championships, which is only one minute long. The next video show the OMC Hair World Championship from a recent year in Frankfurt. Notice the changes: from black & white to color and from live human subjects to dummies. If they can put a Steemit logo in there, count me in.

Sheep Shearing

Wool is a big industry worldwide and the stuff doesn’t grow on trees. It grows on sheep and they need haircuts, too. Sheep shearing is a valuable skill in many rural areas. I have seen these live several times. Here is footage from the Rural Games in New Zealand during the shearing competition.

Best Bagger

Let’s not forget the all-important skill of packing groceries into a bag. It’s like playing Tetris, except that baggers must also consider what items are fragile, hot, cold, and heavy, packing accordingly. This has become even more challenging in the era of reusable bags, which often come in different sizes. Here is a video of the final round at the Best Bagger competition that is sponsored by the National Grocers Association in the U.S. each year.

I’m a Lumberjack and I’m Okay

You get extra credit for identifying the above reference, but I’ll spoil it by including a video of the Monty Python song as well (2nd video link below). If you’ve never seen a lumberjack show, you’re missing one of life’s great pleasures. But you can make it up by watching this entertaining video of the 2016 Lumberjack World Championship in Hayward, Wisconsin. Axes, chainsaws, log-rolling, scaling a pole, and more: it’s all in here. Yes, there are lumberjills in this one also!

Training for Great Careers

Organizations WorldSkills promote training and partnerships for young people in technical and vocational careers. Here’s a brief overview of the 2015 WorldSkills competition in Brazil. It’s like a vocational Olympics.

With so many jobs disappearing in today’s economy, here’s hoping that the governments, school systems, and training programs look to the future to prepare people for great careers.

Let’s quit on a high note. I wasn’t going to include talent shows, but this guy from Malawi is a good comedian and did quite well on this top British show. Considering he gave up a career in computer programming to tell jokes, comedy can be a serious occupation also!

Encore!

Just one more and I promise it's the last video. How about a final dose of magic? After all, there must be a small handful of jobs in the world for professional magicians. It's not at the top of most lists, but I'm fairly sure there are more jobs for musicians than for astronomers and poets.

Sources:
Parking for Gold: https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2018/01/parking-for-gold/549407/

World Sauna Championships: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Sauna_Championships

Best Bagger: http://www.nationalgrocers.org/special-programs/best-bagger

Olympics of Skills, Abu Dhabi: http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/education/singapore-bags-two-golds-at-olympics-of-skills

Floral Design Championships: http://www.flowerweb.com/en/topic/Floral-design-Championships

Weirdest World Championships: http://www.neatorama.com/2012/10/03/10-of-Weirdest-World-Championships-Around/

Top image: Public domain from Pixabay.