British man becomes first non-Canadian Rock Paper Scissors world champ

TORONTO (CUP) -- Bob Cooper's fist trembled as he waited for the cue from the referee. His dark sunglasses shielded his eyes from his opponent's intense stare as he considered one of the most important decisions of his life: rock, paper or scissors?

Weeks of extensive training, hundreds of qualifying rounds both in the UK and Canada, and at least half-a-dozen Steamwhistle beers culminated in this moment, the final round of the Rock Paper Scissors World Championships in Toronto. And with a final throw of his fist, Cooper became the 2006 RPS World Champ, winning the $7,000 first-place prize.

The fifth-annual tournament attracted over 500 competitors to the Steamwhistle Brewery in Toronto on November 11. Athletes vying for the coveted title came from the U.S., Norway, New Zealand, Australia, Wales, England and Ireland to compete.

"I went through extensive training, read strategy guides, and studied the 27 possible RPS gambits before competing," said Cooper, a 28-year-old sales manager from London. He declined to comment further on his strategy, as he intends to defend his title next year.

Graham Walker, tournament organizer and co-author of the “Official Rock Paper Scissors Strategy Guide”, hopes that RPS's increasing popularity will make the world a better place.

“RPS is not about major decisions like Iraq or something silly like that,” he explained. “It is about those small unresolved disputes in life, like front seat of the car or two kids and only one chocolate bar. What we're trying to do with this society is make the world a slightly better place by promoting the use of RPS instead of bickering or fighting.”

The event was hosted by the World RPS Society, an organization that has evolved out of the governing body founded in England in the mid-1800s. The organization was moved to Canada in 1918 after its members found that post-First World War Britain had become “far too dangerous a place to make a suitable home country for a game of conflict resolution,” says the group's website. The members chose Canada because they felt it was a “safe, hospitable, and utterly inoffensive nation.”

Doan Lam, coach of the Norwegian team, explained that his team analyzed international playing styles, as well as their own tendencies in preparation of the competition. “You have to know yourself to beat your opponent,” he said.

However, top Norwegian player Geir Arne Brevik stated that it was not strategy that got to him to the World Championships. “It was just a coincidence . . . and here I am.”

The tournament was sternly refereed by “the cream of the crop” organizers announced as they swore in the referees during the opening ceremony. The referees pledged to “maintain the utmost respect for the game of RPS, control the player effectively with courtesy without sacrificing firmness, and live up to the credo of the ideal official who notices everything but is seldom noticed themselves,” among other things.

Despite the strict refereeing guidelines, at least one competitor felt that he was unfairly disqualified. Andre (Frankie Thirteen) Bennett of Philadelphia claimed that the ref who disqualified him favoured his Canadian opponent.

Referee Ben Coli dismissed the criticism. “No RPS referee would ever allow personal preferences to affect his professional standards,” he said. “My colleagues here tonight are the best of the best and hold respect of the game far above petty patriotism. Bennett is obviously just unhappy with the outcome of his performance.”

If there was any Canadian bias, it didn't affect the outcome of the tournament.