YoYoNews

YoYo Related News From Around The World

  • Home
    • All Posts
  • Learn To YoYo
  • Video
  • Interviews
  • Clubs & Events
  • YoYo Spotlight
  • YoYo Guides
  • Contact
    • About Us
    • Advertising

Archives for December 20, 2013

Danny Severance (1992 – 2013)

December 20, 2013 By Steve Brown

Danny Severance

I’m incredibly sad to announce that on Thursday, December 19th, yoyo player Danny Severance took his own life. Danny was only 21 years old, and the brother of Tyler Severance

Danny was a kind soul, and a brilliant troublemaker. He had more creativity than he ever knew what to do with, and when he chose to channel it into his yoyoing the results were stunning. With little more than a shrug, Danny would throw off tricks that put World Champions to shame. He was always quick to share whatever he had, and I never met anyone who didn’t love him. Hugs flowed freely when he was around. No matter what his state of mind, if he saw that someone needed…he gave. He was a natural giver, and in the end he gave us all so much that he didn’t keep enough for himself. Killing yourself was a stupid thing to do, Danny, and we’d hate you for it if we didn’t all love you so damn much.

“I got to know Danny Severance through the East Coast contest scene in the mid 00’s, and though we were too far apart in age to be really close, we got along well. I got to pretend to be his guardian one year when he was too young to sign up for the Peanut Fest contest. I signed his name Daniel K. Worthington Severance III, esq. or something and referred to him that way thereafter. He borrowed one of my No Jives for most of ECC in 2008, and it was insane to see what he could do with it. Danny was one of the most naturally gifted yo-yoers of his era, and the closest thing I’ve ever seen to a true yo-yo prodigy. His style was at once completely natural and completely inimitable, and he was at ease on a stock Freehand as he was on an unresponsive metal. Watching him play was like what I assume it was like to hear Robert Johnson play the blues in person – NO ONE else could do it the same.

He never seemed to care much about the direction yo-yoing took, but he definitely helped to influence it. Danny had a casual and direct personality that could make some feel uncomfortable, but which also cut straight through bullshit. He gave long hugs hello and goodbye, had a memorable laugh and an omnipresent smirk. Danny was a character, but also just a good, genuine dude, and in him we have lost one of the players who helped to define his generation. Much love to all who traded tricks or shared a laugh with him.”

– Ed Haponik (Werrd)

“Yoyo club at Mitchell’s was every Friday from 4:00 to 5. Which meant, of course, that Danny and Tyler wouldn’t leave until 9 pm, when the store closed. They would be dropped off by their mom with their backpacks and weekend bags to be picked up by their dad. They would yo-yo, of course, but they’d also sit on the floor and eat pizza or 5 guys and make a mess on our sales floor. They drove me nuts, and I loved every minute of it. Hanging with those boys was like being with your family. And, now it feels like they are family. And I miss those times. And I miss those boys. Danny is gone, and Tyler is in Arizona, but both Danny and Tyler will always be in my heart.”

– Joe Mitchell (YoYoRadio)

“Danny was an incredibly fun and charismatic person.  I have many great memories hanging out with him. Thanks for the many laughs and inspiration from your yoyoing Danny.  I hope you’re in a better place.”

– Yuuki Spencer

“Danny was an incredible human being. I wish that I had been as close with him in the last couple of years as I was growing up. He was such a strong influence on me, and I admired him for so many of his traits, and I will never forget him as he will continue to influence me for the rest of my own life.

I am honored to have known Danny.”

– Andrew Bergen

“One night when we were hanging out at Mitchell’s he said “how cool would it be to make stickers? If I could make stickers I’d just make them all day, just make the sh!t out if some stickers.” He was right, he put that idea in my head and it’s all I do now. I don’t know if I would have gone down that road if I wasn’t there that night. I love you brother and I’ll miss you.”

– Tom Uleau

“Danny was great friend. Some of my greatest memories were shared with him. He inspired me as a player and and as an artist. I am forever grateful for the time I got to share with him and deeply saddened that there wasn’t more. Love you dude.”

– Luke Hildebrand

“The last time we spoke was through text message on October 27th. I hadn’t seen or talked to Danny in over a year; I was watching old Studio Session videos and was (still) amazed at his natural ability with a yoyo. Every move was fluid and complex. Danny and I hung out a lot during those Sessions, so sitting at my desk in Texas watching these videos was also nostalgic. I sent him a quick text out of the blue telling him how “absolutely insane” his yo-yoing was and that I hoped he was doing well. He replied, “Aww man, thanks hella. Dude you’ve always been that to me. So hearing that from you is crazy.” I’m grateful I was able to tell him that and completely humbled he held my own works to such high regard. Those Sessions with Danny will always be highlights of a period in my life and it hurts so much we’ll never have new memories to reflect on when we’re old. ”

– Miguel Correa

Danny’s viewing will be at:

Hicks Funeral Home
103 West Stockton St
Elkton, MD 21921
Saturday, Dec 28th at 10 AM

Several people are coordinating crash space for any players who wish to attend…please email us and we’ll put you in touch with them.

We wish you had known how much you were loved. So long, Danny.

Danny Severance

No matter what your problems, please know that suicide is not the answer. If you, or anyone you know, are contemplating suicide please seek professional help immediately. You can contact the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 1-800-273-8255, any time, day or night. Please.

Filed Under: Goodbyes Tagged With: Danny Severance, featured

2013 Winter Freestyle Contest – Top 1A Contenders

December 20, 2013 By Steve Brown

The 2013 Winter Freestyle Contest and Polish Nationals is tomorrow in Krakow, Poland and we’ve got a look at the top contenders for the 1A Division.

Tomas Bubak (C3YoYoDesign)

Just last month, Tomas announced his departure from Duncan Crew to join the C3YoYoDesign team, shortly after taking 3rd Place in the Czech National YoYo Contest. Tomas is one of the brightest stars of the European scene, and is always a contender for Top 3 in any event he wants to win.

Petr Kavka (CLYW)

Petr is the 2013 Czech National Champion, and easily the top contender for this year’s WFC 1A Division. But for all his talent, Petr is just as susceptible to nerves as anyone else, and at this level of play it only takes one mistake to knock yourself out of First Place.

Ben Conde (YoYoJam)

Ben Conde is a wild card for this event…while not usually one of the top competitive players in 1A, he’s a much better 1A player than many people realize. His trick construction is extremely well regarded among top-name players, but his natural tendency towards absurdly difficult banger tricks makes him a hit-or-miss in a contest setting.

Jan Hlinka (Turning Point)

With a strong 4th Place finish in the Open division at the 2013 Czech Nationals, Slovakian player Jan Hlinka is definitely a top contender this year. While other competitors might benefit by coming from larger scenes, the smaller scene in Slovakia and less exposure for Jan leaves him with a lot of room to roll in and surprise everyone. And while swagger will get you noticed, more than a few judges have crowned champions on skill + surprise.

Grzegorz “Plamek” Wójcik (C3YoYoDesign)

With a solid 2nd Place finish at the 2013 European YoYo Championships, Plamek is not only a lead contender for the title but he’s also got the home-field advantage. While venue may not help much in yoyoing, being able to represent your country at a major event IN your country definitely boosts the confidence…and since Plamek already has the skill, that extra boost of confidence may be just what he needs to take home the gold.

Adrian Koniecki (YoYoJam)

With only an 11th Place finish at this year’s European YoYo Championships, Adrian Koniecki is an unlikely name on our list…but his play shows a ton of promise, and watching his freestyle you can see that he’s just on the edge of being a serious threat for the Top 3. He lost his nerve with a major mistake in the first minute of his finals routine at EYYC, but if he can keep it together and learn to recover quicker, we could easily see Adrian in the Top 3 at WFC.

Marcin Drzewiecki (YoYoFactory)

Last year’s Polish National Champion Marcin Drzewiecki has kept a low profile this year, but it’s hard to deny his skill. Without recent contest standings to guess from, it’s hard to say what kind of a contender Marcin is going to be tomorrow. But with piles of talent, a home town crowd, and last year’s Polish National title under his belt, he’s got everything he needs to take home another win.

Marcin Fresel

Marcin Fresel only took 17th Place at the 2013 European YoYo Championships, but watching the video above it’s hard to understand why. One of the most unique players in Poland, Marcin has a style all his own and trick construction that has tons of potential. If Marcin can speed things up a bit and get those points in, he stands a good chance at Top Five.

Michał Zakrzewski (YoYoFactory)

With a strong 6th Place finish at EYYC and a 1st Place win at the 2012 WFC, Michał Zakrzewski is one of the strongest contenders for the Top 3.

Kentaro Kimura (Turning Point)

It’s REALLY hard to know what Kentaro is going to do! Competitively, his focus is primarily on 3A but he is such an effortlessly amazing 1A player that he can show up, completely unprepared, and land in the Top Five easily. Kentaro walked away from EYYC with 4th Place in the 1A Open division and rumor has it that he only decided to compete at the last minute and hadn’t prepared at all. No idea if that’s true, but Kentaro has the chops to pull if off and everyone else better bring their A-game.

Filed Under: Contests, Players Tagged With: 2013, Adrian Koniecki, Ben Conde, c3yoyodesign, clyw, featured, Grzegorz Wójcik, Jan Hlinka, kentaro kimura, marcin drzewiecki, Marcin Fresel, michal zakrzewski, Petr Kavka, plamek, tomas bubak, turning point, wfc, yoyofactory, YoYoJam

Alex Hattori on SoCalJapan

December 20, 2013 By Steve Brown

National YoYo Champion Alex Hattori got himself another nice bit of press, with a feature on SoCal Japan.

SoCal Japan is a weekly local community news program focusing on news in the Japanese and Japanese-American community in Los Angeles. You can watch it locally in Los Angeles on Channel 18.2, SAT 8pm and TUE 7pm. You can also watch episodes online on their YouTube Channel.

Alex has a great feature on the show, and his piece starts at the 7:15 mark. Congrats, Alex!

Filed Under: General News, Video Tagged With: alex hattori, socaljapan, video, YoYoJam

Luke Hallgarten – Clubs

December 20, 2013 By Steve Brown

Juggler Luke Hallgarten put together a great club juggling video…really fluid style, nice tricks, and with great filming and editing by Piers van Looy.

Filed Under: Skill Toys, Video Tagged With: juggling, luke hallgarten, piers van looy, video

The Kengarden – Gon’ Fishin’

December 20, 2013 By Steve Brown

Best kendama video of the year, hands down.

Featuring Jake Wiens, Kristin Olinyk, Ky Zizan, Matt Rice, Alex Smith, and Brendan Craig.

Filed Under: Kendama, Video Tagged With: Alex Smith, Brendan Craig, jake wiens, kengarden, Kristin Olinyk, ky zizan, matt rice

Augie Fash – Cutting Room

December 20, 2013 By Steve Brown

Former National YoYo Champion Augie Fash has been working on a new video for a while, but couldn’t quite get it to come together. But the tricks were just too damn good to scrap it, so instead of a full-length we get an EP.

One of the hallmarks of Augie’s play has always been a degree of thoughtfulness that is sometimes hidden under his tremendous speed. With this video Augie slows it down a little, and we get a better look at how beautiful his tricks are when he isn’t showing us ten of them at once.

Yoyo used is his signature model from C3YoYoDesign, the Electric Flash. (It’s electric. Boogie woogie woogie.)

Filed Under: Video Tagged With: augie fash, c3yoyodesign, electric flash, video

Follow Us

Recent Posts

  • Scales Open Vol. 3 Results & Video
  • Goodbye Collin
  • Duncan Toys Presents: Javier Augusto X Sebastian Lavin
  • First Look – CLYW BOY
  • SFTUTS: Keiran Cooper “Derek Jeter Was An eBoy”

Archives

Recent Posts

  • Scales Open Vol. 3 Results & Video February 19, 2020
  • Goodbye Collin January 25, 2020
  • Duncan Toys Presents: Javier Augusto X Sebastian Lavin January 8, 2020
  • First Look – CLYW BOY December 16, 2019
  • SFTUTS: Keiran Cooper “Derek Jeter Was An eBoy” December 3, 2019
  • Colin Beckford – Biennium December 3, 2019
  • Polo Garbkamol – Trick Dump November 1, 2019
  • Bryan Jardin – What’s Your Setup? October 21, 2019

Follow Us

Posts By Date

December 2013
M T W T F S S
« Nov   Jan »
 1
2345678
9101112131415
16171819202122
23242526272829
3031  

Tags

1A 4a 5A 5a may 2013 2014 c3yoyodesign cabin tutorial charles haycock clyw contest counterweight Czech Republic drew tetz duncan toys eyyc featured freehand gentry stein Harrison Lee japan kendama offstring one drop recess results Russia tyler severance video Werrd world yoyo champion world yoyo contest yoyo yoyo contest yoyo contest results yoyodrop yoyo drop yoyoexpert yoyofactory yoyofficer YoYoJam yoyorecreation yoyo tricks yoyo tutorial yoyo video

Search YoYoNews.com

All content copyright YoYoNews.com, 2016. All rights reserved.