What got you into throwing, how did you find the hobby?
I think it was during the winter of 04, when a couple of my friends picked up a couple YYF F.A.S.T 201’s after their tour came through Chicago. After playing with one of their’s at recess, I went home and asked my parents to take me to a KB toys to pick up one of my own. I’ve pretty much been yoyoing ever since.
What is your goal in the next year for yourself personal or professional?
I’d really like to make it out more yoyo contests this year. I’ve been pretty disconnected from the wider yoyo community for quite a while now, and I’d like to meet all the new players that have gotten into this community since I’ve been gone.
If you could only have one yo-yo for the rest of your life what would it be?
This is a tough question to answer, it changes all the time. If I had to pick one right now it’d be the mowl Infiltrate Ti. We haven’t released this one yet, but it’s been the yoyo that I pick up every time I want to play for the past year or so.
What trick are you working on currently?
I’m mostly just revisiting older tricks I never finished and figuring out ways to make them feel a bit more modern. That and all the Corocoro tangler variations.
What’s the trick that gives you the hardest time?
Corocoro tangler. I cannot get this trick consistent.
What’s your favorite trick of all time?
All of Daniel Kim’s tricks.
What’s the most meaningful throw you have?
There are 2. The first one would be my Pink Werrd Irony. It was the yoyo I used to make my first worlds finals back in 2011. The second one would be the Unknown x Unparalleled Ignition. Bryan Figueroa is one of my closest friends, and it was super cool finally being able to do a collab with him.
What’s your worst habit with yo-yos?
Not taking out my knots and just changing yoyos.
What’s kind of things are you into outside of yo-yos?
I’m really big into movies. I watch an embarrassing amount of them every year.
What fictional character best fits who you are?
Uhh, I have no idea… Maybe like Uncle Chan from Jackie Chan Adventures.
Favorite restaurant and order?
Ghareeb Nawaz. Chicken Qurma w/ Garlic Naan & side order of Basmati Rice.
Favorite movie and or book?
Favorite movie of all time has to be Reservoir Dogs by Tarantino. I could give a Ted Talk on that movie.
Favorite book is Revolutionary Suicide by Huey P. Newton
If you could wake up tomorrow and magically have the skills from one player who and what would it be?
Daniel Kim. He is the best yoyoer in the world, and it’s not particularly close. His flow is incredible.
What’s your favorite memory from your time in the hobby ?
I’ve been in this hobby for so long that It’s quite hard to pick just one. If I really had to it’d be going to my first 44Clash in 2014. That is a contest I wish every player had the chance to experience.
How has the community changed since you started? Where do you want it to go?
How has the community changed since you started? Where do you want it to go?
It would take forever for me to go into how the community has changed over the past 2 decades, and it would make me sound like a crochety old man. So I’ll just focus on where i’d like the community to grow from here.
I think that there has been a really large influx of younger players in the past couple of years thanks to TikTok/Social Media, and I would really like for our community to focus on helping those kids transition into becoming competitors or more “serious” yoyoers. We always want to see/need newer faces in our competitive scene, otherwise our hobby is going to fade away.
If you never picked up a yo-yo – what would life look like now?
If I never picked up yoyoing, I think my life would be much more boring. I wouldn’t have met some of my closest friends, and would have never gotten the chance to travel all over the world. I probably would have spent all the time grinding away at yoyoing playing League of Legends.
Advice/ words of wisdom to new players?
Learn the fundamentals. It’s boring and looks kinda lame, but learning the basics of yoyoing before you move into more advanced tricks will make learning advanced tricks much easier. It’ll also make your presentation look 1000x better.
*Whats you want to tell the world?
Thanks for being a part of my life for the past 20 years. It’s been an amazing experience being a part of this community and I’m grateful for being accepted by it, but more importantly Daniel Kim is the best yoyoer in the world.
Player Profiles is a series of articles/interviews dedicated to spotlighting the vibrant and diverse community of yo-yo enthusiasts. Each article delves into the unique stories of players from different backgrounds, showcasing their journeys, skills, and contributions to the yo-yo world. The series aims to highlight the passion and creativity that drive these individuals, offering readers an inside look at their personal experiences, favorite tricks, and the impact yo-yoing has had on their lives. Whether they’re seasoned competitors or inspiring newcomers, these profiles celebrate the people who make the yo-yo community so dynamic and inclusive.
What got you into throwing? How did you find the hobby?
Like any other kid in the 60s & 70s, I played the yo-yo a little bit, maybe a little more obsessive than the average kid. In medical school, I found a yo-yo and trick book, and to kill time between classes, I started practicing. I learned all the tricks in the book. That was the start.
If you could only have one yo-yo for the rest of your life what would it be?
If it had to be a fixed axle, it would be a Tom Kuhn 3-in-1, No Jive. If it was nonresponsive, then the one I would go with is the Shutter.
What trick are you working on currently and what is your all-time favorite trick?
I am getting better at two-handed looping. However, I could be more consistent. My favorite trick is rock the baby out the window. It’s a crowd-pleaser just because of the name.
What’s the most meaningful yo-yo you have in your collection?
That would be an original Flores yo-yo from 1928. I’ve always said you’re only a Jedi yo-yo collector if you own a Flores yo-yo.
What kind of things are you into outside of yo-yos?
I still compete in open water swims and do a 2-kilometer lake swim daily each morning. I also play for the Orlando underwater hockey team. We were the 2024 Florida state champions this year. I also like doing short films, and I’ve had a couple in the last few years at film festivals that have picked up a few awards.
What are your favorite restaurants and order?
I would go with the one that has had the most yo-yo premiums over the years: McDonald’s. My favorite order would be a Big Mac and small fries with two BBQ sauces. My cardiologist tells me that that is no longer my favorite order.
What is your favorite movie or TV show?
My favorite movie is The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly. My favorite TV show is Game of Thrones (with the exception, of course, of the last season of the show.)
If there is one song that you say fits your mood and personality perfectly what would it be?
Any song by Weird Al Yankovic
What is your best yo-yo memory?
I have many, but there are two that stand out. The first time I was in Tallahassee, sometime in the 90s, I was hanging out after a yo-yo competition. Steve Brown had just recently attached either a ball or maybe it was a dice at the time to the end of the string. He said, “Guys, check this out,” and he threw a simple aerial. Everybody’s jaw dropped to the ground. We saw 5A for the first time, and the rest is history. The second memory was when I was hanging out with Mark McBride in a hotel room, and he said let me show you a trick I invented. On the third try he hit it. “I call it velvet rolls,” and 3A was invented.
What is your bad yo-yo habit?
Absolutely not arranging to have enough yo-yo throwing time.
What’s the most expensive or rare yo-yo you have?
That is a tricky question to answer as I have several one-of-a-kind prototypes. I also have many yo-yos that we refer to as “majors” in the collecting world. A major is a yo-yo that has sold at some point in time for over $1000 at auction. Some of my favorite rare yo-yos are a Candy swirl Flores, a Duncan white wooden prototype Coke yo-yo (Duncan only made six and rejected the color), a Dale Evans yo-yo (only 10 or 12 were made), Tom Kuhn reverse Flying camel, an original Yomega yo-yo, a wood Jack Russell yo-yo signed by Jack, okay I’ll stop there I could list 40 more.
If you never found yo-yo what would you be doing instead?
I would be making movies, preferably zombie-related or horror. It’s still on my bucket list.
How is the yo-yo community change from what it used to be and where do you think it will end up?
I was at the first modern national championships in 1993 Chico, CA. I have seen the yo-yo evolve from a contest to a legitimate sport. Yo-yo competitions will end up being in the Olympics someday. If break dancing and skateboarding can make it into the Olympics, the yo-yo should also be a part.
Advice / words of wisdom to new players?
Practice, and then practice more until your fingers bleed. That is the only way to become a yo-yo champion.
What do you want to tell the world?
That’s an easy one; the answer is, “You can never have too many yo-yos!”
Player Profiles is a series of articles/interviews dedicated to spotlighting the vibrant and diverse community of yo-yo enthusiasts. Each article delves into the unique stories of players from different backgrounds, showcasing their journeys, skills, and contributions to the yo-yo world. The series aims to highlight the passion and creativity that drive these individuals, offering readers an inside look at their personal experiences, favorite tricks, and the impact yo-yoing has had on their lives. Whether they’re seasoned competitors or inspiring newcomers, these profiles celebrate the people who make the yo-yo community so dynamic and inclusive.
What got you into throwing, how did you find the hobby?
I had a yoyo or two in the 90s, but it was really just a toy for me back then. Around 2003 I found the skill toy Astrojax through their commercial and got into that. Through Astrojax I discovered that there were more advanced yoyos, competitions, etc. I consider 2005 my true start to modern yoyoing and my grandma discovered the kite shop in Redondo Beach, CA that sold yoyos (the store isn’t around anymore). I met other yoyoers there and bought a YoyoJam Dark Magic and Aquarius that year.
What is your goal in the next year for yourself personal or professional?
I feel like I’m in the process of trying to clearly define some goals…
Professionally, working in more freelance graphic design work into my schedule is something that’s been on my mind for a while.
Personally, I’d like to learn more on guitar and piano. After the last World Yoyo Contest in Osaka, I started using Duolingo casually to learn some Japanese, so I’ll probably continue that too.
If you could only have one yo-yo for the rest of your life what would it be?
Well currently, it’s my signature CLYW model, the Dune. It’s a difficult question though because experiencing other kinds of yoyos is part of the fun, and can inspire different kinds of play. Only using one would be kind of boring to be honest!
What trick are you working on currently?
I relearned Rancid Milk recently since people are into it at the moment. I’ve also been doing more 5A in general too.
What’s the trick that gives you the hardest time?
Unlocking cow wraps in 2A (and many other 2A tricks) just hasn’t clicked for me yet. Making up nicely flowing tricks in 3A is pretty tough too. That said, I think more people should get into those styles.
What’s your favorite yo-yo of all time?
So that I don’t say the Dune again, I’m going to change the question to what I think the most influential or important yoyos of all time are.
At least up to what I’d say the new school, metal-yoyo-centric era is. Maybe a top five would be something like: Butterfly, Raider/Fireball, Freehand 1/Zero, Dark Magic, and 888. I could see arguments made for other yoyos though. Would be curious to know other’s top five, or what the new school top five would be…
What’s the most meaningful throw you have?
Any yoyos that I received or bought from friends, or yoyos I’ve contributed design/artwork to. Always nice supporting friend’s work or collaborating with others to help with their vision.
I also have a Shinobu Konmoto modded yoyo that I won from 44Clash 2011. A reminder of that win, but also just a nerdy, deep-cut grail.
What’s your worst habit with yo-yos?
Right now I need to clean up some yoyos from the floor of my room. It’s overflow from my organized storage, and they’ve just been kind of living there…on the ground. Need to address this soon lol
What kind of things are you into outside of yo-yos?
Too many things, but a lot of my interests are based around creative outlets. Design, art, photography, music/concerts, other skill toys, etc.
What fictional character best fits who you are?
There’s probably a few reasons for this, but I honestly can’t think of anyone. At least based on how I’m interpreting this question.
I think I’m usually more inspired by stories, concepts, and feelings around a fictional piece, rather than relating personally and specifically to the characters within. If anyone thinks I remind them of a certain character though, let me know lol
Favorite restaurant and order?
Too difficult to name one, but I appreciate having been introduced to good ramen restaurants by friends in the yoyo community.
Maybe this just sounds good in this moment, but a bowl of phở tái or bún thịt nướng chả giò are other favorites of mine.
Favorite movie and or book?
For movies, this question plagued me for a long time, but I feel more comfortable giving an answer thanks to recently logging films I’ve seen in the app Letterboxd. While this may change, my current “Letterboxd top four” films are: The Matrix, A.I. Artificial Intelligence, La Haine, and Persona.
If you could wake up tomorrow and magically have the skills from one
player who and what would it be? Having Shinji’s 2A skills would be insane.
What’s your favorite memory from your time in the hobby?
Traveling with friends is one of my favorite parts to yoyoing, and where some of my favorite memories come from. It’s kind of surreal sometimes when you wake up in places like Reykjavik or Tokyo and think, oh yeah, I’m here because of yoyos! Even when the destination is less exotic and yoyoers are just together for days taking over a hotel, it’s a special vibe.
How has the community changed since you started? Where do you want it to go? Change has happened in many ways since people, technology, social media, and other factors have evolved or came into play over time. Competitions, yoyo design, how we share tricks and communicate, have all changed, but it’s something I expect.
I’d like to see long form clip videos a little more often, and I hope that events and competitions with alternative judging systems can continue to be organized.
If you never picked up a yo-yo – what would life look like now?
If I deleted all of my friends and experiences via yoyoing, my life would probably look pretty different socially, and I may not have traveled to a lot of places too. It’s kind of hard to imagine because there’s so many little threads in my life that lead into yoyoing somehow. I’d probably just be into another skill toy and all of my other hobbies even more.
Advice/ words of wisdom to new players?
Just yoyo how you want to and enjoy it first and foremost. The different approaches to yoyoing are part of what makes it cool. It can be a toy, a more involved hobby, a sport, or a performance art. You can be a collector, designer, make videos, or maybe you just like to hang out in the community (online, in person, or both). It may evolve over time for you, but don’t feel like there’s only one way to participate.
What do you want to tell the world?
“Ask the river: ‘Do you feel useful, given that all you do is to keep flowing in the same direction?
’ And the the river will answer: ‘I’m not trying to be useful, I’m trying to be a river.’”
Player Profiles is a series of articles/interviews dedicated to spotlighting the vibrant and diverse community of yo-yo enthusiasts. Each article delves into the unique stories of players from different backgrounds, showcasing their journeys, skills, and contributions to the yo-yo world. The series aims to highlight the passion and creativity that drive these individuals, offering readers an inside look at their personal experiences, favorite tricks, and the impact yo-yoing has had on their lives. Whether they’re seasoned competitors or inspiring newcomers, these profiles celebrate the people who make the yo-yo community so dynamic and inclusive.
What got you into throwing, how did you find the hobby?
My dad! I grew up a 90s kid and this was a bond we shared since I was a child. I stopped and picked it back up around 2005 when I saw a video of Hiroyuki Suzuki and continued to play until about 2010 when I took a break due to school and sports.
I then got into a motorcycle accident in August of 2022 and yoyo became my mental therapy while I learned to walk again. It then evolved into meeting my best friends at the Mile High YoYo Club and traveling the country for contest season with my sponsor Enso YoYos.
If you could only have one yo-yo for the rest of your life what would it be?
Enso Bapehidora with Anti yo heart side effects 💚💙 This is the first yoyo I’ve ever been involved with helping in the design process and it means the world to me.
What trick are you working on currently and what is your all time favorite trick?
Random Tech Combos I stumble across have been what I’m working on the most. I want to get more flow in my tricks rather than just pure whips and hooks
My favorite tricks to do are 3.5 hooks and variations of the tower construction trick by Jack Path ( huge inspiration of mine)
What’s the most meaningful yoyo you have in your collection?
My Enso YoYo Metatron Cube which was a gift for joining Team Enso. This one sits in a special glass case in my living room.
What’s kind of things are you into outside of yo-yos?
I enjoy competition shooting, hiking, magic the gathering and just being outdoors in the Colorado mountains in general.
What’s your favorite restaurants and order?
Raising Canes, Box combo with double toast, butter on both sides, no slaw and a big side of fries.
Favorite movie or TV show?
Breaking Bad or Demon Slayer, depends on the mood.
If there was one song that you say fits your mood and personality perfectly, what it be?
Let’s go by Stuck in the sound
What’s your best yo-yo memory?
Getting the invite to join Team Enso on Christmas day. I was with my family and it turned into a big celebration that day, joining a yoyo team was always a dream of mine ever since I was a little kid.
What’s your yoyo bad habit?
I do double beefhook WAY too often lol
If you could wake up tomorrow and have any skill set from another player what would it be?
I’d really enjoy having some of the zontal combos the Meta players such as Justin Dauer are able to pull off. It blows my mind
What’s the most expensive or rare yoyo you have?
I have around 20 Anti yo Bapezillas of all kinds, Each one holds a very special place in my heart along with an OG Levi painted peak by CLYW.
If you never found yo-yo what would you be doing instead?
Yoyo is my mental therapy after a bad motorcycle accident so I’d be very lost without it. Can’t even think of doing anything else other than throwing with friends every other weekend for club or going to all the contest during contest season. Either way, It’s been keeping me sane ever since!
How has the community changed from what it used to be, and where do you think it will end up?
The community continues to grow and is a incredibly warm and welcoming place. It’s fun watching the sport progress from string hits for clicks to where we are now. We went from rail combos to 360⁰ laceration towers and more. When I started yoyo a 4.5 hook was out of the question, now, they hit 5.5 hooks mid routine. The tricks are becoming much more physically demanding and The sport is evolving quickly. This next generation of players is really pushing the boundaries of what we thought possible for yoyo tricks. I’m excited to see where we are in a few more years if we continue to progress at this rate.
Advice/ words of wisdom to new players?
Have fun, yoyo for you and do what makes you happy. We all have our own style and reason for throwing and I think that’s part of what makes yoyo so unique. I also find alot of my tricks by messing up other tricks and stumbling into something neat accidentally which is something new players should not be shy to try.
What you want to tell the world?
Just how grateful I am to Team Enso, Mile High YoYo Club and the rest of the community for such a warm welcome over the past year and a half. Joining the yoyo community has been a life changing experience and I will forever cherish the connections I’ve made because of it.
Player Profiles is a series of articles/interviews dedicated to spotlighting the vibrant and diverse community of yo-yo enthusiasts. Each article delves into the unique stories of players from different backgrounds, showcasing their journeys, skills, and contributions to the yo-yo world. The series aims to highlight the passion and creativity that drive these individuals, offering readers an inside look at their personal experiences, favorite tricks, and the impact yo-yoing has had on their lives. Whether they’re seasoned competitors or inspiring newcomers, these profiles celebrate the people who make the yo-yo community so dynamic and inclusive.
What got you into throwing, how did you find the hobby?
On my 21st birthday, I took a trip from my home town (near Nashville) to Olympia, WA. My trip was planned around a meeting with a record label in Olympia, but I stopped by the Space Needle while I was in Seattle and picked up a souvenir yo-yo from their gift shop. It was a wooden yo-yo with green paint and a logo of the Space Needle. When I flew back to Nashville a week later, I bumped into a guy that was opening a yo-yo store in a nearby mall. I’d only had a yo-yo for a week, but he offered me a job as a salesman at his kiosk. This was in 1999, a few months before a big yo-yo boom swept the country. I basically got paid to learn how to yo-yo, it was great!
How did you come about creating your own yo-yo’s?
I had a chance to work with YoYoJam for a bit and released a few yo-yos (The Bolt, The Super Scientist, etc) with them. It was awesome, but I always wanted to have more control of the designs I made. Back then, manufacturing seemed impossible hard and expensive, so I never tried it out, even though I wanted to. Years later, I chatted with the folks at One Drop in Oregon about making a mini-yo-yo called the Executive and I’ve been hooked on designing yo-yos ever since. It’s gotten so much easier to work with a factory than it used to be, which is rad. I ain’t making a huge profit on my yo-yo business, but it does enable me to make a few yo-yos that I’m really proud of. My goal is to make yo-yos that I like, so running a yo-yo company is really just a way to make that happen. If I break even, I’m happy.
If you could only have one yo-yo for the rest of your life what would it be?
At the moment, that would be the DIY. That’s why I call it the Desert Island Yo-Yo, if I got stuck with that one yo-yo for the rest of my life, I’d be okay.
What trick are you working on currently and what is your all time favorite trick?
I’m working on DNAs and binds. I’d love to nail DNAs more consistently and have a wider array of tricks to do with them. As far as binds, I wish I had flashier binds that I could hit more consistently. It’s a bit of a bummer when you land an amazing trick on film, then end it with a lame bind… but it’s also a bummer when you nail the trick but miss the flashy bind. I’d love to confidently end a trick with a bind that’s just as cool as the trick was. As far as favorite tricks, I’m a sucker for gyroscopic flops and I love seeing people’s variations on a flop.
What’s the most meaningful yoyo you have in your collection?
I’m a sucker for weird yo-yos, like copper plated yo-yos or yo-yos manufactured with holes in them, so that’s what I geek out the most on. But the most meaningful yo-yo in my collection is my MarkMont Classic. That yo-yo was the inspiration for the Icarus and the DIY. My MarkMont Classic is also silver plated, which was part of a rare run, and it looks as cool as it plays. I cherish that yo-yo.
What’s kind of things are you into outside of yo-yos?
I like making comics and music when I’m not yo-yoing. I have a few albums on Bandcamp and I’ve self published a dozen comics. I even made a comic about yo-yos. I’m also really excited about some internet technology. I don’t care about NFTs or AI, but I really geek out on stuff that makes the web more open. Things like WordPress and ActivityPub, I love that stuff.
What’s your favorite restaurants and order?
I love southern comfort food (catfish, ribs, cornbread, etc) and I love chinese food. Mission Chinese and United Dumpling are two of my favorite local restaurants. They both specialize in that tingly sezchuan spice that I love so much. Tingly Noodle Lamb is my favorite thing to order at a sezchuan style restaurant.
Favorite movie or TV show?
Mystery Men is probably my favorite movie of all time. The Good Place might be my favorite TV show.
If there was one song that you say fits your mood and personality perfectly, what it be?
I dunno… “Creep” by Radiohead?
What’s your best yo-yo memory?
I really liked the early days of trick circles at yo-yo events with Mark Montgomery. These were inspired by hip hop culture where folks would form in a circle and people would take turns freestyle rapping. In the trick circles, we’d encourage folks to step in the center and do some entertaining tricks. It wasn’t a battle, and you didn’t have to be as good as the person ahead of you was, it was about sharing positivity with folks and encouraging players to focus on good-looking tricks, rather than pure technicality. An easy trick can still look great if done with style. Those circles (from US Nats circa 2004) eventually turned into the trick battles that take place late night at the World Yo-Yo Contest. Again focusing on forming a circle and doing tricks that emphasize personal style and keeping the crowd entertained.
What’s your yoyo bad habit?
I’m bad at yo-yo maintenance. When a bearing goes bad, I throw it away. I admire the folks who remove the bearing shields and maintain their bearings, but I never could get the hang of it.
As an artist, how do you feel throwing allows you to express yourself?
I’ve always been able to find a way to express myself with whatever I’m doing. Whether it’s making music, making comics, writing scripts, or yo-yoing. So I don’t think of yo-yoing as any different than a paint brush or a musical instrument. The only big difference is how much easier it is to carry around a yo-yo all the time.
If you never found yo-yo what would you be doing instead?
Making music probably. That was my goal in the first place and what lead me to yo-yoing. I always joked that if a guitar was as easy to carry around as a yo-yo is, everything in my life would be different.
Advice/ words of wisdom to new players?
No matter how late you got into the yo-yo game, there’s always room for innovation. It may feel like all the cool tricks have been discovered, but there’s always more waiting to be found.
What you want to tell the world?
Have fun.
Player Profiles is a series of articles/interviews dedicated to spotlighting the vibrant and diverse community of yo-yo enthusiasts. Each article delves into the unique stories of players from different backgrounds, showcasing their journeys, skills, and contributions to the yo-yo world. The series aims to highlight the passion and creativity that drive these individuals, offering readers an inside look at their personal experiences, favorite tricks, and the impact yo-yoing has had on their lives. Whether they’re seasoned competitors or inspiring newcomers, these profiles celebrate the people who make the yo-yo community so dynamic and inclusive.
