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.
What got you into throwing, how did you find the hobby?
Someone should almost do a survey amongst yoyoers and see how many of us started because of a “school yoyo boom.” I’d actually love to see the numbers on that, because it was the catalyst for SO many throwers I know, including myself. I’m excited to keep reading these interviews just to see everyone’s answer to this question. Anyway, in 6th grade, one of my friends brought a YoYoFactory Velocity to school, and everyone thought it was absolutely NUTS how long a yoyo could spin. It totally shattered everyone’s idea of what they thought a yoyo was. Before you know it, multiple people had yoyos, and because none of us were very good/really knew any tricks, we had competitions amongst ourselves to see who could throw the longest sleeper. I started with a red Butterfly and Imperial (so yeah, I wasn’t doing so hot in the sleeper competitions :sweat_smile:), and eventually begged my parents to get me a Dark Magic, which was my first “real” yoyo. Around that time, I found YoYoExpert and the forums, joined in May 2009 and became pretty instantly hooked on pretty much every aspect of the hobby. It’s absolutely wild to think that (as of this interview) I’ve been on the forums for 15 years of the 27 I’ve been alive lol – that’s over half of my life! I was super off and on with throwing during high school and college and got back into it during COVID, like so many others did too. I’ve been back into it pretty deep since 2020, with no plans of stopping anytime soon!
If you could only have one yo-yo for the rest of your life what would it be?
Well, Bobparty said I couldn’t say Klondike :skull: But it’s definitely the Klondike, sorry :kissing_closed_eyes:
It’s been my favorite yoyo by quite a bit for well over a year now, and no other yoyo I’ve used or owned has had anything even remotely close to that kind of staying power.
What trick are you working on currently and what is your all time favorite trick?
Recently I’ve been going back to learn & really refine some tricks that I feel like I’ve neglected/for one reason or another just straight up never learned. Reverse Brent stole and Beefhook were two of these types of tricks – and they’re definitely not hard or anything, but I just wasn’t wasn’t able to hit them consistently for whatever reason. But now I’m happy to report that I’m hitting both of them super consistently after taking the time to really grind them out (and some help from friends). All time favorite trick is wayyy too hard of a question, cause it seems like Hunter and Justin are always posting the craziest trick you’ve ever seen a few times a week on Instagram. I will say though that the one yoyo video that I always go back to is “I Punched Boxthor in the Catch 22” by Guy Wright – that video has my favorite tricks ever and I grew up watching it over and over. One of my biggest goals in yoyoing is one day learning that entire video so I can do a side by side remake of it. I’ll definitely never podium or win a contest, but I feel like learning that entire video that is a realistically achievable goal for me even though it will DEFINITELY take some work.
What’s the most meaningful yoyo you have in your collection?
Unfortunately when you have well over 200 yoyos in your collection it’s a nearly impossible task to pick just one! I do have a few… (1) My first “nice/boutique” yoyo, a General Yo Hatrick I purchased directly from Ernie at the 2009 National YoYo Contest. My best friend and I both purchased one at the same time, and I have such awesome memories at that contest. I had just started yoyoing that year and it was incredible heading up Chico with my family and friends and being at the contest – every time I see that yoyo I think about those memories and get super nostalgic. (2) The YYF Butter my now fiancée got me as a gift on our second anniversary. I had JUST gotten back into yoyoing during COVID after not really yoyoing a bunch in the latter part of high school and throughout college, and that’s definitely the yoyo that ignited the love for it all over again. I was so impressed how good yoyos had gotten after not trying any new ones for a few years, and I’m pretty sure it was also the first bimetal I’ve ever tried. (3) A completely mint and flawless 28 Stories CLYW Peak I am beyond lucky to own. I’ve dreamed of owning this exact yoyo since I was a kid, it was and still is an absolute grail for me. And this particular one has a great story! This exact one was hand picked by Chris Mikulin (owner of CLYW) and gifted to Ben Baker (RIP), well known Peak curator and author of the incredible and important “Complete History of the CLYW Peak” thread on YoYoNation, as a prime example of a 28s Peak. And I absolutely believe it – this thing is absolutely stunning and is probably the best example of 28 Stories I’ve ever seen.
What’s kind of things are you into outside of yo-yos?
Despite my deep obsession with yoyoing, it actually isn’t even my main hobby! I’ve been playing drums since I was 3 years old, teaching drums professionally since I was 15, went to school to study jazz drums and graduated with a degree in music from UCI in 2020 – so you could definitely say music and playing the drums is my “main thing.” I’m in a jazz fusion band with some cats I went to college with, and right now we’re working on recording our debut album which will hopefully be out in early 2025. I’m also super into audio engineering (recording and mixing music) and producing, and have been doing that since I was in high school. I also enjoy film photography, GREAT food, cocktails and spending time with my fiancee and cat. Being an adult can be kind of a bummer sometimes though because I may or may not have a whole lot of time for any of my hobbies depending on how busy I am with work. I’ve been a Realtor for the past few years and sometimes it’s slow but sometimes I’m going hard nonstop and pulling 10+ hour days, which doesn’t leave a lot of room for music or yoyoing.
What’s your favorite restaurants and order?
This is kinda sad because I definitely do like going to nice restaurants and ordering nice things and all… but to me NOTHING compares to or hits like a great double bacon cheeseburger or my favorite pizza (I switch back and forth between Hawaiian and Supreme). I have two favorite burger places (besides In-N-Out obviously) – NexxBurger in Orange, CA and Golden Bull in Bakersfield, CA. I feel like my favorite pizza place changes every few years, but in this moment in time, it’s Sgt. Pepperoni’s. If you’re ever in Orange County, CA and want pizza, just go there and thank me later. I’m also a sucker for Korean BBQ, good street tacos, and anything my fiancée makes, since her main hobby is cooking.
Favorite movie or TV show?
My favorite movies are Synecdoche New York and Interstellar, but they absolutely WRECK me and I think about them for way too long afterwards, so I try not to watch them too often lol… all my favorite movies are on my Letterboxd, let’s definitely follow each other if you’re a yoyoer with good taste in film!
In terms of TV shows, my favorite dramas in no particular order are The Sopranos, The Wire, Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul, Mad Men, and LOST. My favorite comedies are Curb Your Enthusiasm, Seinfeld and literally anything Nathan Fielder is involved in.
What’s a character that you feel best represents who you are “in real life”?
Larry David on Curb is actually my entire personality
If there was one song that you say fits your mood and personality perfectly, what it be?
Oh man… as a musician this is by far the hardest question of the bunch for me. It totally depends on what mood I’m in, but I think overall “All I Need” by Jacob Collier, one of my all time favorite artists, would be a good pick. I think it’s a very feel good, happy, bouncy track that leaves me smiling every time I hear it. It’s the same type of energy I try and bring to every interaction and just the musical equivalent of the mood I try to be in every day. “Beat the Same” by Joey Dosik and “Because I’m Me” by The Avalanches also deserve an honorable mention, but I gotta stop now otherwise this is gonna get so long Bobparty is gonna regret asking this question.
What’s your best yo-yo memory?
There’s definitely a few and they all mostly revolve around contests: my first contest (BLC 2009), 2009 Nats and 2024 Worlds stick out as being the most special to me for different reasons. Since we’re just coming off of 2024 Worlds, I definitely have some recency bias towards that, so it’s hard not to lean towards that being the overall best. But man, it was BEYOND cool finally meeting people I’ve known for years online, watching Stargazing Night in person, seeing both heroes and friends compete on the biggest stage in the hobby, trying an insane amount of yoyos, and in general just be at my first World YoYo Contest (and my fiancee was along too, which was nice!). But also just being apart of DXL (probably the biggest yoyo club in the US) has allowed me to make some fantastic yoyo related memories every single month.
What’s your yoyo bad habit?
Just like National Champion Justin Dauer, I too put the string at the base of my finger – but hearing that he did too made me feel a hell of a lot better about doing it. But the real bad habit used to be EXCESSIVELY buying yoyos – there was a period for a couple years, like 2021-2022, where I was pretty much buying literally ANY new release. Glad I don’t do that anymore lol
If you could wake up tomorrow and have any skill set from another player what would it be?
Guy Wright for sure – IMO to this day there isn’t a yoyoer who comes close to matching the amount of flow he has. He isn’t a tech yoyoer, the tricks aren’t overly complex, but his trick set has been so obviously refined and just LOOKS good. Him and Jensen Kimmitt were HUGE influences for me growing up, and it’s kinda weird because all the younger throwers I talk to consider those tricks “old school” now. But hey man, still miles ahead of what I can do today. And also like… I definitely wouldn’t complain if I woke up and threw like Mir or Hajime :joy:
What’s the most expensive or rare yoyo you have?
Off the top of my head, the previously mentioned 28 Stories CLYW Peak and a One Drop Citizen are probably my only quadruple digit yoyos. Other than that, over the years I’ve been blessed to have acquired some pretty rare early CLYW stuff. And because General Yo was the first boutique brand I got into as a kid, I have some pretty insane stuff from them as well, like a couple OG Torrents and a USA Edition Hatrick. Besides that, a few rare prototypes, including the clear Klondike prototype Steve Brown graciously sold me, which has been my daily driver yoyo since I got it last year.
If you never found yo-yo what would you be doing instead?
I’d naturally just pour more time into my other hobbies (music/drums/recording/music production in case you skimmed and missed the hobby question) and trying to be the best I can possibly be at those. I’d probably try and pick up another instrument like bass or keys, since lugging those around to gigs is a hell of a lot easier than drums.
How has the community changed from what it used to be, and where do you think it will end up?
If you’ve been around for awhile, and go to any meetup or contest nowadays you’ll definitely notice younger throwers are getting REALLY good REALLY fast – it’s actually kind of scary. I think a lot of this probably has to do with there being way, way more resources and content available online/on social media in terms of trick tutorials, compared to what was out there when I was a kid. We used to have to learn our tricks from Andre on YouTube in 240p because there simply wasn’t a whole lot else out there besides that. Now there’s like 10 different YouTube channels you can go to that will explain a trick in multiple different ways, using multiple different camera angles, in slo-mo and it’s all filmed in 4k. And another major change I’ve seen is the rise of social media and the effect it’s had on throwers. It seems like it has made it so where these kids feel like “If I can’t neck stole it’s over for me,” so there’s this kind of peer pressure that just really wasn’t there before. But I gotta say… it is both extremely impressive and incredibly humbling to watch some 8 year old who has been throwing for maybe a year absolutely blow away anything you’ve ever done with a yoyo. And I guess another thing I don’t think I’ve seen mentioned yet is that you used to see a lot more focus on collecting, even at contests. So many people would lug massive cases full of yoyos to contests to show off/let others try/trade and you just don’t see a whole lot of that anymore. When contests started getting more and more competitive, there was a big shift from the yoyos themselves to the tricks, which I think is a really good thing, because the better you get, the more you realize that yoyos are certainly cool, but the tricks are cooler.
Advice/ words of wisdom to new players?
Buy less yoyos, learn more tricks. Trust me.
Also if you’re a younger new player, and you were like me, you might care a lot about what people think of you, or that they’ll judge you for putting time into or having an unconventional hobby. I promise you, caring about what other people think of you is something that fades away the older you become, so you might as well stop caring now. I wish I put less emphasis on what other people thought of me and more emphasis on having fun because that’s what I wanted to do.
What you want to tell the world?
That I’m probably just as surprised that BobParty asked me to do one of these interviews as you (the reader) are. :joy: I genuinely feel so honored to be included amongst some of my good friends and long time personal heroes. In comparison to other hobbies, (modern) yoyoing is still relatively young, so these interviews are an incredible way to capture and preserve the history of the hobby from the perspective of those who were around near its relative beginnings. I can’t wait to keep reading all of these myself and soak up as much as I can from them, and maybe someone will get something out of something I’ve said, whether it’s now or 25 years from now. But anyway, I’ve met so many truly amazing people in this hobby and we have such an awesome community that I’m so proud to be apart of and spread the love for. If you ever see me at a meetup or contest, definitely please come say hello because meeting the awesome people of this community is my favorite thing
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.
