About Augie Fash
Augie Fash — full name Alexander Fash — is an American professional yo-yo competitor and designer from Chico, California. He began playing in the 5th grade after discovering a Klutz yo-yo kit, and was competing at the US National Contest by 1999. He won his first freestyle competition at the California State Contest in 2003 and became the 2004 US National 1A Champion the following year — the title he is most widely associated with. He is also a six-time California State Champion and five-time regional champion, with consistent top-five placings in both 1A and 5A across US Nationals throughout the mid-2000s.
Fash’s technical style — characterized by dense, high-speed string hits, off-plane layers, whips, and aerial elements — made him one of the most imitated American players of his era. He spent several years on YoYoFactory’s team, releasing his first signature model, the Boss, in 2009, followed by the Catalyst in 2011. In 2007, while touring with Brothers Grim sideshows on the Vans Warped Tour and Ozzfest circuit, Fash cemented his reputation for showmanship when a high-flying aerial counterweight trick sent his yo-yo lodging into the chandelier of the WYYC 5A finals venue — now one of the most-recounted moments in contest history. That same year he received the Mark Sitton Sportsmanship Award at the US National YoYo Contest.
After a brief period on C3 Yo-Yo Design’s team — during which he designed the Electric Flash, his first throw he had direct hands-on input developing — Fash transitioned into the industry side of the sport, joining Duncan Toys in 2014 as Sales & Marketing Coordinator and later leading Duncan Crew USA. He has performed in ten countries and made media appearances on ABC, ESPN, Comedy Central, and NPR. In 2023, a decade after the Electric Flash, Fash collaborated with Luftverk founder Jeffrey Pang on the Exos, a 50-unit titanium release documenting a multi-day California road trip via unique Polaroid photographs. Profits from the Exos are seeding OKYOYO, Fash’s forthcoming independent brand.
In Their Own Words
Q: How did it all start?
“I started playing yoyo in the 5th grade. I randomly found a Klutz yoyo and book kit… I’d walk out to every recess with my shorts stuffed full of every yoyo I owned.”
Q: When did you start getting really good?
“It actually took me an awfully long time to start getting good. I started getting noticeably good around the summer of 2003.”
Q: What are your preferred yo-yo qualities?
“I tend to prefer heavy yoyos (they slow me down) with minimalist design and clean contours.”
