When Rye High School senior Mike Kamer learned that AIG was sponsoring an international video contest for rugby players, showcasing how they are improving safety at their rugby club — and that the grand prize was $20,000 — he went right to work.
By Melanie Cane
When Rye High School senior Mike Kamer learned that AIG was sponsoring an international video contest for rugby players, showcasing how they are improving safety at their rugby club — and that the grand prize was $20,000 — he went right to work. He, his father Evan, and his brother Cameron, a sophomore, who cofounded The Rye Rugby Club last year, brainstormed ways to address the required contest elements. These included: “What does your club do to promote safety?” and “What would you do to improve safety if you won the award?” Mike figured that the judges, members of the legendary New Zealand All Blacks rugby club, would also be looking for humor and creativity.
The Kamer brothers wrote a script, which their teammates acted out. Mike, whose hobby is video making, filmed them over four days and then spent a month editing before submitting the video at the end of October. He was not expecting to win the competition, as this was his first major video project and “there were so many really good entries from other teams and we were just a few high school kids.”
So, when Mike got the news that their video is one of the six finalists chosen by AIG’s judging panel in the first stage of the competition, he was, “Shocked and surprised and very excited!” He is also “thankful for all the players who helped film, act and come up with ideas.” Each of the six winners receives $5,000 worth of safety equipment or training for their club.
Now it is up to the public to vote for the grand prizewinner. To see all six videos and to cast your vote, go to the AIG Rugby Safety Awards website, www.AIG.com/ SafeRugby. You are allowed to vote once a day through November 25.
