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YoYo Related News From Around The World

Alex Hattori in OneRepublic “Wherever I Go” Video

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OneRepublic Wherever I Go Alex Hattori

Three-time National YoYo Champion Alex Hattori appears in the new OneRepublic music video for their single, “Wherever I Go”. The video was released just yesterday and already has over 100,000 views, which is pretty good! Alex appears in the video with actor Kenneth Choi (Sons of Anarchy, Captain America: The First Avenger), and it was directed by Grammy winner Joseph Kahn. Alex appears at the 2:40 mark.

Fun fact: this was shot during mid-term exams, so Alex flew to LA, shot the video, and was home the next morning for a test. Highest of fives, Alex!

2015 US National YoYo Contest – Winner Video

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2015 US National YoYo Contest

We’ve got the video of the winners from the 2015 US National YoYo Contest! All the rest of the contestants will be uploading soon…subscribe to YoYoNews on YouTube to catch them all.

1A Division

1st Place – Gentry Stein

2nd Place – Andrew Maider

3rd Place – Nate Dailey

4th Place – Michael Kurti

5th Place – Evan Nagao

2A Division

1st Place – Grant Johnson

2nd Place – Connor Scholten

3rd Place – Tyler Hsieh

3A Division

1st Place – Alex Hattori

2nd Place – Elliot Ogawa

3rd Place – Donald Hodgkinson

4A Division

1st Place – Philip White

2nd Place – Michael Nakamura

3rd Place – Zac Rubino

5A Division

1st Place – Jake Elliott

2nd Place – John Wolfe

3rd Place – Chase Baxter

Interview – 2014 US National YoYo Champions

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How would you define “technical yo-yoing”?
How would you define “technical yo-yoing”?
How would you define “technical yo-yoing”?

2014 US National YoYo Contest

The 2014 US National YoYo Contest was the high-point of this years US contest season, with a 1A Division that was absolutely stacked with top notch talent and had some of the best 1A freestyles we’ve seen all year! YoYoNews correspondent Matt McDade tracked down most of our new US National Champions for a Q&A.

(Editors Note: The 2014 5A National Champion, Tyler Severance, couldn’t be reached for the last two weeks. So instead of his answers, we’ll be giving you lyrics from his favorite song: “Wrecking Ball” by Miley Cyrus.)

Did you expect to win?

Zach Gormley (1A): I certainly felt that it was possible to take first, however, knew the competition would be fierce. The day of it all just comes down to who hits their freestyle the cleanest. While many other competitors this year made mistakes, it appears that I made the fewest.

Joseph Harris (2A): Yes, without a doubt, I expected to take 1st place. Unless I had a major screw-up in my freestyle, I had little doubt about defending my title. Rumor was, Party Rick (aka Pat Mitchell) was not competing, so I had nothing to worry about…he makes me worry. Like. A LOT. P-Mitch is so gee-whiz good!

Alex Hattori (3A): I always go to a competition to have fun and to do my best. I never bring any expectations. There are many great yoyoers, and anything can happen.

Zac Rubino (4A): No, there are so many good players that could have won. Going into a contest, I don’t think in my head, “I am going to win this contest.” I just have the mindset that I want to hit my routine and put on a good show for the audience.

Tyler Severance (5A): We kissed, I fell under your spell. A love no one could deny.

 

What was your practice schedule like?

Zach Gormley: Typically, I try to get in around an hour to two of practice each day, starting a month before the contest. This doesn’t need to be all just freestyle-practice, though. Much of my time is spent perfecting my tricks or finding ways to hit them more consistently for when I’m on stage.

Joseph Harris: Non-existent. I selected a freestyle song a week before the competition. I did a true “freestyle” on stage, meaning what the audience live at Chico, and watching online, saw was the first time I did a full run of my freestyle performance.

Alex Hattori: I didn’t really have a set practice schedule because I’ve been extremely busy with my rigorous high school curriculum, which includes marching band and robotics.

Zac Rubino: At home, I practiced 2-3 hours a day, and for those hours, I only practiced my freestyle. The way I went  about it was to practice 30 min-1 hour at a time, a few times though out the day.

Tyler Severance: Don’t you ever say I just walked away, I will always want you.

 

What were some goals that you hoped to accomplish with your freestyle?

Zach Gormley:  I had two goals for this freestyle. I wanted to improve my performance, as well as have a really dominant tech score. While I achieved the latter, my performance wasn’t where I wanted it to be. I think the mistakes I spent time correcting took up time I could have been looking at the crowd, yoyoing to the music, etc.

Joesph Harris: Have fun, and go clean. I would have ended my routine early if I felt like I did not have fun or go clean. 2 minutes in, I felt comfortable that I had accomplished both goals.

Alex Hattori: I really just hoped to show my best tricks and put on my best performance.

Zac Rubino: For this freestyle, my goal was to win a National or World title.

Tyler Severance: I came in like a wrecking ball. I never hit so hard in love.

 

In your opinion, what separated your freestyle from others that were presented on stage?

Zach Gormley: Lately, many yoyoers have caught on to trends that I’ve set in the past, so it can be hard to adjust my style or stay unique. Sometimes, I’m not too sure about what it is that sets me apart, but whatever it is seems to be working. I always try to do something different and bring new ideas to the table!

Joseph Harris: Swag. And the clothing line helped. It was hot that day, so the tank top my cousin gave me while we were celebrating his marriage in Vegas freed up some arm space. So, I could move around with ease and not feel so sluggish on stage. If you watched the others, you could tell that my wraps separated my freestyle from everyone else.

Alex Hattori: I think all of us 3A players are unique in our own way. Whether it’s bringing through some mind-boggling double Double or Nothing combo or by incorporating bangers, I think we all stand out from each other.

Zac Rubino: I think what sets me apart from other competitors is my tricks. I try to make tricks that are hard, flashy, and score high. My favorite type of trick is a “banger”. I love snags, regens, grinds, and just about anything that looks cool. I know my performance evaluation scores are my weakness, so I try to make up for that with big, risky tricks.

Tyler Severance: I never meant to start a war. I just wanted you to let me in. And instead of using force I guess I should’ve let you win.

 

What yoyo did you use in your freestyle?

Zach Gormley: I chose to use the Arctic Circle 2 in the Northern Lights colorway. Gotta represent CLYW! Best of the best.

Joseph Harris: My signature series yoyo, the YoYoJam Unleashed, which has been used to win back-to-back Nationals titles.

Alex Hattori: Duncan Barracudas, one red and one blue, with Dif-e-Yo Konkave bearings.

Zac Rubino: The yoyo that I used in my freestyle was the Duncan Skyhawk.

Tyler Severance: Buy Miley Cyrus – Bangerz on Amazon

Aside from yourself, who else would you have liked to see win?

Zach Gormley: Anthony Rojas has consistently placed top 3, and I would have loved to see him take the Nationals title. Gentry’s freestyle was top notch as always, and he definitely could have taken the title as well. It was also cool seeing Andrew Maider and Michael Kurti really step their game up.

Joseph Harris: Of the people not competing this year, I would have liked Ian Lawson, Patrick Mitchell, and Grant Johnson. For those that did compete, I would have loved it if Josh Yee won.

Alex Hattori: I would have liked to see the person who brought their best game take first. To tell you the truth, I really enjoy watching all 3A players.

Zac Rubino: The other person that I would have liked to see take first place is Ian Johnson. Ian is a good friend, and an amazing yoyo player.

Tyler Severance: All I wanted was to break your walls. All you ever did was wreck me.

 

What title do you plan on snagging next?

Zach Gormley: 44Clash and Las Vegas Open are right around the corner, and I’d love to win one of those! Potentially, even both would be cool! Next year, I have my eyes set on Worlds in Tokyo, but I’ll cross that bridge when it comes.

Joseph Harris: Chronologically, the next title would be the Las Vegas Open in Vegas which seeds the winners into semi-finals for Tokyo Worlds 2015. The big competition goal for me is to be World Champion before I retire from competing in two-handed.

Alex Hattori: I don’t usually plan my life according to upcoming competitions. Instead, I work on improving my technique or creating new tricks after I’m done with Nationals. Then, as time rolls along, I see if I’m able to attend any more competitions based on my school academic schedule.

Zac Rubino: The next contest I am looking to win is the 2015 World Yoyo Contest. When I started competing, there were 4 contests that I really wanted to win, which were Cal States, BAC, Nationals, and Worlds. This year, I won all of those contests except for Worlds. That is the last contest on my list, and the one I want to win the most.

Tyler Severance: Yeah, I just closed my eyes and swung. Left me crashing in a blazing fall.

 

What other non-contest related yoyo endeavors do you have planned for the near future?

Zach Gormley: Outside of competitions, I’d love to work on some new videos. Charles and I have been tossing around the idea of potentially getting me up to Canada to work on some Cabin Tutorials. While it is likely, nothing is set in stone yet.

Joseph Harris: The main non-contest related endeavor for me is to get yoyos mainstream! In my eyes, it starts with grassroots efforts, such as the two new yoyo clubs I am helping run here in the San Francisco Bay Area. New yoyoers, like hundreds to thousands of them, is the first step to making yoyos and the yoyo community more popular.

There will always be the next Gentry Stein, Zach Gormley, Anthony Rojas, Ahmad Karisma, Harrison Lee, Tessa Piccillo, Takeshi Matsuura’s of the yoyo world. My goal, as it has been since I was booted off America’s Got Talent Season 4, is to get the next generation of yoyoers to experience more positive exposure OUTSIDE of the yoyo community than the current yoyoers! Don’t YOU want yoyos to be mainstream???

Alex Hattori: Well, I’m always actively volunteering in my community with yoyoing, whether it’s teaching, or performing for charitable causes. I perform at schools, fundraisers, libraries, convalescent homes, and all sorts of charity events.

Zac Rubino: Besides contests, I have been filming a lot of videos with the Duncan crew. Be on the look out for those videos coming soon! Other than that, I don’t know what the up-coming year has in store for me.

Tyler Severance: All you ever did was wreck me. Yeah, you, you wreck me. Yeah, you, you wreck me.

2014 West Coast YoYo Championship Results – Anthony Rojas Wins!

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2014 West Coast YoYo Championship

Results are in for the Duncan Toys 2014 West Coast YoYo Championship at Downtown Disney, and Anthony Rojas wins the 1A Division! Yoshi Mikamoto beat out National Champion Patrick Mitchell for the 2A division win, and reigning National Champion Alex Hattori took home top honors in 3A, sending him back to Nationals to defend his title. National Champion Ian Johnson took the 4A (Offstring) Division by a HUGE margin, and 4x Philippines National Champion Bryan Jardin just narrowly beat out former World Champion Tyler Severance to take home top honors in the 5A (Counterweight) Division! The level of talent at this event was absolutely tremendous!

The Duncan Toys 2014 West Coast YoYo Championship at Downtown Disney serves as the National YoYo League seeding even for the South West Region, so the first place winners in all divisions will be seeded directly to finals at the 2014 US National YoYo Contest, to be held next month in Chico, California. Congrats to all the winners!

1A Division

Place Name (First Last) Locale Tech Eval 1 Eval 2 Eval 3 Eval 4 Deducts Final Score
1 Anthony ROJAS Riverside, CA 65.00 8.00 7.00 8.33 4.00 1.00 91.33
2 Michael NAKAMURA Los Angeles, CA 55.28 6.00 6.67 6.00 3.17 0.00 77.12
3 Paolo BUENO Carlsbad, CA 52.02 7.33 7.00 6.67 3.17 0.00 76.19
4 Paul KERBEL Naucalpan, MEX 49.00 7.50 6.33 8.00 3.83 0.00 74.67
5 Evan NAGAO Honolulu, HI 49.53 6.67 5.33 8.00 2.83 1.00 71.36
6 Clint ARMSTRONG Sedona, AZ 48.45 6.33 6.00 6.00 3.00 0.00 69.79
7 Ty GOLDMAN Long Beach, CA 48.21 5.67 6.33 5.67 2.83 0.00 68.71
8 Keiran COOPER Oxnard, CA 41.38 4.83 5.67 6.33 2.83 1.00 60.05
9 Wilson VAN GUNDY Piedmont, CA 41.93 4.67 6.00 4.67 2.50 0.00 59.76
10 Tyler SEVERANCE Chandler, AZ 41.90 5.83 4.67 6.67 2.67 3.00 58.73
11 Matthew LOEUN Riverside, CA 42.16 5.00 4.33 5.33 2.33 1.00 58.16
12 Sebastian BROCK Alachua, FL 35.47 6.67 6.17 6.33 2.83 0.00 57.47
13 James REED Long Beach, CA 39.50 5.00 4.33 5.33 2.33 2.00 54.50
14 Isaac SAMS Buckhannon, WV 34.81 5.00 5.67 6.33 2.83 1.00 53.65
15 Sergio LICONA Ticoman La Purisima, MEX 30.45 3.67 3.67 4.67 2.17 1.00 43.62
16 Ryan GEE La Palma, CA 28.02 3.33 5.67 4.33 1.83 0.00 43.18
17 Paul DANG Springfield, OR 31.58 4.33 4.00 5.00 2.17 5.00 42.08
18 Samad PATEL Moreno Valley, CA 21.09 3.33 2.67 3.67 1.83 0.00 32.59
19 Jake RIMMER Whittier, CA 18.70 3.33 2.67 3.67 1.50 1.00 28.87
20 Matthew WEYMER Camarillo, CA 15.71 2.33 3.33 2.67 1.50 1.00 24.54

2A Division

Place Name (First Last) Locale Tech Eval 1 Eval 2 Eval 3 Eval 4 Deducts Final Score
1 Yoshi MIKAMOTO Lomita, CA 62.49 6.67 8.33 7.33 4.00 0.00 88.82
2 Patrick MITCHELL Chandler, AZ 58.44 6.67 6.00 7.33 3.83 2.00 80.27
3 Tyler HSIEH Rancho Cucamonga, CA 48.69 6.33 7.33 6.67 3.50 0.00 72.52
4 Ben MCPHEE Chandler, AZ 26.55 5.33 5.33 5.00 2.83 5.00 40.05
5 Cedric EUSANTOS Los Angeles, CA 22.17 3.00 2.33 3.33 1.67 5.00 27.51

3A Division

Place Name (First Last) Locale Tech Eval 1 Eval 2 Eval 3 Eval 4 Deducts Final Score
1 Alex HATTORI Torrance, CA 65.00 6.00 8.00 7.00 3.67 0.00 89.67
2 Elliot OGAWA San Marcos, CA 47.80 4.33 4.33 5.33 2.50 0.00 64.30
3 Patrick BORGERDING Redondo Beach, CA 40.88 5.67 4.67 7.33 3.00 0.00 61.54
4 Zachary LYTLE Pittsburg, CA 18.31 4.00 3.33 4.00 1.67 1.00 30.31
5 Newman BECKER Hamlin, TX 12.77 2.67 2.00 2.67 1.33 3.00 18.43

4A Division

Place Name (First Last) Locale Tech Eval 1 Eval 2 Eval 3 Eval 4 Deducts Final Score
1 Ian JOHNSON Los Angeles, CA 65.00 6.33 7.67 7.33 3.83 0.00 90.17
2 Michael NAKAMURA Los Angeles, CA 52.40 5.33 6.00 6.33 3.17 4.00 69.23
3 Zac RUBINO Chico, CA 47.45 5.33 5.67 6.00 3.17 3.00 64.61
4 Joey JESSEN Gilbert, AZ 16.62 1.67 2.33 2.33 0.67 4.00 19.62

5A Division

Place Name (First Last) Locale Tech Eval 1 Eval 2 Eval 3 Eval 4 Deducts Final Score
1 Bryan JARDIN Orlando, FL 65.00 7.33 7.00 7.00 3.67 1.00 89.00
2 Tyler SEVERANCE Chandler, AZ 62.39 6.67 6.00 7.33 3.67 0.00 86.06
3 Ryan GEE La Palma, CA 34.07 5.67 5.33 4.67 2.33 0.00 52.07
4 Alex HATTORI Torrance, CA 32.75 5.00 5.00 5.33 2.50 3.00 47.59
5 Blaine SHELTON Ramona, CA 28.12 4.67 4.67 5.33 2.50 0.00 45.29
6 Will HAHN Citrus Heights, CA 27.17 3.67 4.33 4.67 2.17 1.00 41.00
7 Michael NAKAMURA Los Angeles, CA 23.79 5.00 4.33 4.00 2.17 0.00 39.29
8 Joey JESSEN Gilbert, AZ 5.65 1.33 1.00 1.33 0.67 5.00 4.98

1A Amateur Division

Place Name (First Last) Locale Tech Eval 1 Eval 2 Eval 3 Eval 4 Deducts Final Score
1 Daniel KIM Vallejo, CA 61.75 4.00 5.67 4.33 2.50 0.00 78.25
2 Ross HARRISON Redondo Beach, CA 48.19 4.00 5.33 4.67 2.33 0.00 64.53
3 Hayden BRICKMAN Burlingame, CA 50.67 4.00 4.00 3.67 2.17 0.00 64.51
4 Jonathan EDWARDS La Mirada, CA 46.61 4.33 5.00 4.67 2.50 0.00 63.11
5 Anacleto HERNANDEZ Zacatecas, MEX 38.75 2.67 3.67 3.67 1.83 0.00 50.58
6 Nicholas ARREDONDO Los Angeles, CA 34.56 2.67 3.67 3.33 1.83 1.00 45.06
7 Lance LYNN El Cajon, CA 19.55 1.33 2.00 2.00 1.33 0.00 26.22
8 Bryan RAMIREZ Lynwood, CA 15.74 2.00 2.33 2.33 1.17 0.00 23.57
9 Angel Ernesto FERNANDEZ Mexico City, MEX 16.27 2.33 2.67 2.67 1.33 3.00 22.27
10 Elijah ORTENCIO Whittier, CA 16.01 1.33 1.67 2.00 1.00 1.00 21.01
11 Kristelle CHATAGNEAU Cypress, CA 10.41 2.67 2.00 1.33 1.17 0.00 17.58
12 Matthew BRECHEEN Laguna Niguel, CA 11.26 1.67 1.33 1.33 1.00 1.00 15.59

1A Division Prelims

Place Name (First Last) Locale Tech Eval 1 Eval 2 Eval 3 Eval 4 Deducts Final Score
1 Paul KERBEL Naucalpan, MEX 61.92 5.33 6.33 6.67 3.33 0.00 83.59
2 Sebastian BROCK Alachua, FL 54.38 5.00 7.00 6.00 3.00 0.00 75.38
3 Paolo BUENO Carlsbad, CA 52.33 4.33 5.67 5.33 2.67 0.00 70.33
4 Tyler SEVERANCE Chandler, AZ 47.61 5.00 5.33 6.33 2.67 0.00 66.94
5 Keiran COOPER Oxnard, CA 46.06 4.67 6.67 4.67 2.67 0.00 64.72
6 Clint ARMSTRONG Sedona, AZ 45.34 4.67 6.33 5.33 2.67 0.00 64.34
7 Ty GOLDMAN Long Beach, CA 44.22 4.33 5.67 4.00 2.33 0.00 60.55
8 Evan NAGAO Honolulu, HI 41.10 4.67 4.33 6.00 2.67 0.00 58.77
9 Matthew LOEUN Riverside, CA 43.92 4.00 4.67 3.67 1.83 0.00 58.09
10 Michael NAKAMURA Los Angeles, CA 39.89 5.33 4.67 4.00 2.00 0.00 55.89
11 Paul DANG Springfield, OR 35.02 3.33 5.67 5.00 2.17 0.00 51.18
12 Wilson VAN GUNDY Piedmont, CA 36.88 3.33 4.00 4.33 2.17 1.00 49.72
13 Sergio LICONA Ticoman La Purisima, MEX 33.79 4.33 4.00 4.33 2.00 0.00 48.45
14 James REED Long Beach, CA 33.87 4.00 4.00 4.00 2.00 0.00 47.87
15 Isaac SAMS Buckhannon, WV 29.79 3.67 3.67 6.33 1.83 1.00 44.29
16 Samad PATEL Moreno Valley, CA 34.13 3.67 3.33 3.67 1.67 4.00 42.46
17 Jake RIMMER Whittier, CA 31.14 3.33 3.67 3.00 1.33 1.00 41.47
18 Matthew WEYMER Camarillo, CA 27.99 3.00 5.00 3.67 1.67 0.00 41.32
19 Ryan GEE La Palma, CA 26.29 3.67 3.67 5.33 2.00 0.00 40.96
20 Ryan LAGROU La Mirada, CA 29.97 3.33 3.00 2.67 1.33 0.00 40.30
21 Chase EDWARDS La Mirada, CA 30.05 1.67 3.67 3.33 1.33 0.00 40.05
22 Dale TUBAT Temecula, CA 26.57 3.00 3.33 4.67 1.83 0.00 39.40
23 Cody RISLUND Payson, AZ 26.72 2.67 3.33 4.00 1.67 0.00 38.39
24 Aaron BENDICH Berkeley, CA 27.81 2.00 2.67 3.00 1.50 3.00 33.98
25 Orlando ABRAJAN Mexico City, MEX 24.56 3.00 2.67 4.00 1.67 3.00 32.89
26 Will HAHN Citrus Heights, CA 21.65 3.00 3.00 3.00 1.33 0.00 31.98
27 Newman BECKER Hamlin, TX 21.55 2.67 2.67 2.67 1.50 0.00 31.05
28 Daniel LACANIENTA Laguna Hills, CA 23.09 2.00 2.67 3.00 1.17 3.00 28.92
29 McCando KAO West Covina, CA 20.77 1.67 2.33 2.33 1.17 0.00 28.27
30 Jonathan ROA Los Angeles, CA 18.32 2.33 3.33 3.00 1.17 0.00 28.15
31 Joey JESSEN Gilbert, AZ 20.38 1.67 2.00 2.33 1.00 0.00 27.38
32 Cory HENDON Tempe, AZ 19.26 2.33 3.33 3.67 1.50 3.00 27.09
33 Blaine SHELTON Ramona, CA 18.72 2.33 2.33 3.00 1.33 1.00 26.72
34 James PRATT Somis, CA 17.56 2.33 2.67 2.67 1.17 1.00 25.39
35 Jonathan WILLIAMS El Segundo, CA 19.89 2.00 2.67 2.33 1.33 3.00 25.22
36 Alec CECENA San Marcos, CA 16.23 2.00 2.00 2.33 1.00 1.00 22.57
37 Christian NOLASCO Rancho Cordova, CA 12.37 3.00 2.67 3.00 1.33 0.00 22.37
38 Steven MARTINEZ Payson, AZ 11.45 3.00 2.00 3.33 1.17 4.00 16.95
39 Jeremy GERMITA Lancaster, CA 8.11 0.33 1.00 1.33 0.67 1.00 10.44
40 Christian CANCINO Los Angeles, CA 5.85 1.67 0.67 1.67 0.50 6.00 4.35
41 Lucas MADISON Irvine, CA 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

Alex Hattori on SoCalJapan

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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!

Alex Hattori on Queen Latifah Show

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2013 National YoYo Champion Alex Hattori wowed over a million viewers with his fantastic appearance on The Queen Latifah Show yesterday. We’ve got a short clip from his appearance above, and it looks like Alex was in top-form for his appearance. Congratulations to Alex and YoYoJam…this is a great bit of press!

Alex Hattori on ABC News

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Yoyos really are just everywhere in the news lately! Alex Hattori picked up a ton of press for his win at the 2013 US National YoYo Contest, including an article in the LA Times and this spot on his local ABC affiliate station. Fair warning, this spot has all the same stupid puns we’ve come to expect from lazy American TV stations. The worst offender in this one? “These yoyos can cost some serious dough-dough!”

(Thanks to Rewind for the tip!)

YoYo News – Alex Hattori

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2013 National 3A Champion Alex Hattori got a great write-up in the Los Angeles Times…that’s a HUGE bit of press for a really deserving player. Excerpt below!

He doesn’t have to put a spin on what he does. Alex Hattori’s hobby does that automatically.

At the age of 15, the Torrance youth has become the yo-yo king.

He has his own sponsor, his own trading cards and his own line of yo-yos — the “C-Force” and the “Collid3r” — which the YoYoJam Co. sells for $57 and $107.

And now, after stiff competition at the yo-yo nationals in the Northern California town of Chico, he has been crowned the top double yo-yo player in the nation.

“I yo-yo everywhere I go. At the supermarket. In the classroom. When my mom is talking to me,” he said.

Alex picked up his first yo-yo four years ago when a group of his middle school friends sneaked some on campus and were playing with them at lunchtime.

Since then, his own yo-yo career has had its ups and downs — although for the most part it’s been on a steady ascent.

By the time he was 12, his skills earned him the title of America’s junior national yo-yo champion. In 2011 he won several regional yo-yo contests and had his name inscribed on a permanent trophy that honors this country’s “most inspirational player” in the sport.

[button color=”light” link=”http://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-yo-yo-champ-20131023,0,7225940.story” target=”http://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-yo-yo-champ-20131023,0,7225940.story#axzz2iaHxMpO3″]Click here for the full article and exclusive video at LATimes.com[/button]

2013 US National YoYo Contest – 3A Analysis

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2013 US National YoYo Contest – 3A Analysis

The 2013 US National YoYo Contest wrapped up this past weekend, and YoYoNews is looking back at each division and bringing you post-contest analysis.

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The 3A division at this years National YoYo Contest had plenty of talent, and many of the competitors seemed to be fairly evenly matched, at least for the day. But with the exception of Alex Hattori, every single player in the field had some kind of mistake in the first 0:30 of their routine and plenty more after. The result of this is that it becomes impossible to build up the kind of tension that we saw in the 1A Division, where nearly every player had a flawless routine. There was tension, but of a different kind…we all expected to give a trophy not to the best player of the day, but just to the one with the least blunders.

Fan favorite Eric Tranton came in off a solid showing at Worlds with one of the best routine ending bangers in the divisions history, but had so many tangles and missed string hits in the first minute of his routine that there was no way he could come back from it. That he still took 4th is a testament to just how good he really is, as well as how much everyone else in the division was missing. Defending champion Patrick Borgerding had some major problems almost immediately into his routine, rendering the first full minute of his routine mostly an exercise in watching a seasoned player try to recover their nerve once they realize they’ve lost the event but still have two minutes to go. The structure of Patrick’s routine is mostly banger-banger-banger, without much in the way of filler and not as many transitions as other players. If you looked away for a moment, it was easy to miss the flubs and look up just in time to catch him doing something amazing. That he stayed in the Top Three is partially a testament to the point value of his audacious tricks, and partially a reminder that the judges often score defending champions more favorably based on expectation.

Elliot Ogawa, former protégé to Patrick Borgerding, scooped up 2nd Place and bested his own mentor in spite of a tangle that resulted in a double restart and ate up a full 0:20 of his routine. That Elliot took 2nd Place with a routine so plagued with errors is indicative of how rough the entire division went…the best players had tons of problems, and the lesser players didn’t have the tricks to muscle through even a weak routine from the top contenders.

Alex Hattori was the shining star of the division though, and while it would be easy and cynical to say he was simply the “best of the worst” on a bad day for the division, the truth is that even if Ogawa, Borgerding, and Tranton were at the top of their game, Alex would have taken them. His routine was not only 95% flawless, but Alex comes from the Hank Freeman school of 3A…mount right in to your tricks, and waste no time getting to the next ones. The result was an entertaining freestyle with strong pacing and a ton of technical difficulty, resulting in a well-deserved win for Alex Hattori.

2013 US National YoYo Contest – 3A Division

1st Place – Alex Hattori

2nd Place – Elliot Ogawa

3rd Place – Patrick Borgerding

Three Minutes From The Cup | Top 3A Contenders

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Three Minutes From The Cup

The 3A division has come a long way, considering it was born in the Holiday Inn parking lot at the US National YoYo Contest. With each passing year, this style gets faster and smoother, with players going further and further out on a limb to harness the best aspects of 1A play and make them exponentially more incredible by doing them two at a time. Here are our picks for the top contenders the 3A division.

3A Division

Patrick Borgerding – Defending National Champion

Patrick blew minds at Worlds with his crazy horizontal 3A tricks, and a routine packed with an incredible number of bangers. Any dozen of his tricks could have been the grand finale of someone else’s routine, and Patrick just keeps ’em coming. His only weakness are his transitions…his tricks have a lot of set-up and can sometimes be slow to get out of. With so much talent nipping at his heels, Patrick has his work cut out for him, but he’s definitely the leading contender.

Alex Hattori

Alex Hattori is just about due for a break-through. With a solid 4th Place finish at this years World YoYo Contest and plenty of other Top 5 and Top 10 finishes over the past few years, Alex Hattori is ready for his time at the top. His Worlds routine was top notch, and an impressive finish in a field of amazing talent…but it was still a 4th Place finish to Patrick Borgerding’s 2nd Place. Will this be Alex’s year?

Eric Tranton

Eric Tranton stomping out that last amazing stall/regen trick of his routine (seriously, watch the end of his routine before you even finish this sentence) was one of the absolute highlights of the 3A Division at this years World YoYo Contest. Everyone in the room was on their feet, and every single other competitor felt a sink in the pit of their stomach as the saw the bar being raised for routine-ending bangers. If Eric can pull off at Nationals what he did a Worlds but go a little cleaner, he could walk away with his first National title.

Elliot Ogawa

Elliot has a lot of talent, but faltered heavily in his Worlds prelim and didn’t make it through to finals. He’s an up-and-coming talent with a lot of promise, but he’s got a lot of work ahead of him if he’s going to knock off players with smoother, more polished routines. But on any given Saturday, it’s just a matter of who hits it and who doesn’t….and we think that if he goes clean, Elliot could have his shot at the cup.

Ian Smith

With a 5th Place finish at the Bay Area Classic (one of the toughest contests in the country) and a 3rd Place finish at California States, Ian Smith is starting to make a name for himself in the 3A Division. His play isn’t as polished as some of the rest of the competitors, but he’s got the skills to make Top 5 on a good day.

Ryan Lai

Ryan Lai is a legend in the 3A player community, and one of the earliest competitive 3A players. His play is polished and smooth, but not on the cutting edge of difficulty. But never underestimate the power of someone who can hit everything they go for, and with his stage experience Ryan isn’t going to be as spooked on stage as younger players may be. With smooth style and high skill, Ryan is definitely a contender for the cup.

2013 Bill Lebowitz Classic (Southwest Regional) Results

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The final regional competition of the 2013 United States National Yo-Yo Contest qualification process finished up on Saturday and we have the full results. The contest was a great success with an improvement in the judging and an increased attendance from the previous year. We will update the 2013 Semi-Finals for the National Contest, check here.

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On to the results,

5A

In 5A, National Champion Tyler Severance took the seed and looks to defend his title in the next three weeks. Paolo Bueno, 1A juggernaut, who is heavily influenced by Tyler in 5A, took second and closed the gap from the last contests he has competed against Tyler. Finally, Shannon Jackson of Arizona, loved by many and a consistent name in 5A, qualified for Nationals and took the third place honors.

  1. Tyler Severance
  2. Paolo Bueno
  3. Shannon Jackson
  4. Michael Nakamura
  5. Dylan Benharris
  6. Ryan Gee
  7. Ryan Ayes
  8. Newman Becker

Bold indicates seeded to semi-finals at the 2013 National YoYo Contest. Full results:

2013 BLC 5A

4A

4A saw World Champion Michael Nakamura easily take top the spot despite a few (wind-aided) errors. Up and coming youngest Julian Grunauer took home second place with an extremely clean first half of his routine; with more and more experience, look for Julian to finish stronger with a clean second half in contests in the future. Finally, Stephanie Haight took home the third spot home and bolsters YoYoJams 4A roster and more young talent.

  1. Michael Nakamura 
  2. Julian Grunauer 
  3. Stephanie Haight
  4. Ty Goldman
  5. Yusuke Moriki 
  6. Ryan Ayers
  7. Newman Becker

Bold indicates seeded to semi-finals at the 2013 National YoYo Contest. Full results:

2013 BLC 4A

3A

3A pitted #2 and #4 from last month’s 2013 World YoYo Contest against each other and Alex Hattori won this time around with a great routine. Continuing his trend of ultra clean routines, Alex has put together 5 minutes of near flawless yo-yoing and has had a strong 2013 after a rough 2012. Look for Alex to be a huge contender going into the 2013 US National YoYo Contest. Patrick Borgerding had a relatively clean routine sans an extremely long switch out after an ugly knot. Yoshi Mikamoto edged out Newman Becker for third place. Newman has been steadily improving his 3A and looks stronger and stronger each year.

  1. Alex Hattori
  2. Patrick Borgerding
  3. Yoshi Mikamoto
  4. Newman Becker 

Bold indicates seeded to semi-finals at the 2013 National YoYo Contest. Full results:

2013 BLC 3A

2A

National Champion Patrick Mitchell won despite an exploded yo-yo and a restart–testimony to his skill and he looks poised to defend his title this year. 2A veteran Yoshi Mikamoto took second honors and nearly edged out the National Champion. Finally, Yususke Moriki took home third place–everyone’s favorite jokester and always entertaining 2A player.

  1. Patrick Mitchell
  2. Yoshi Mikamoto
  3. Yusuke Moriki
  4. John Huber
  5. Path Yath

Bold indicates seeded to semi-finals at the 2013 National YoYo Contest. Full results: 

2013 BLC 2A

1A Rookie

This year saw the addition of the rookie 1A division, a trend that many contests are now adopting, which was a good opportunity for the  next generation to get on center stage. It is always awesome to see how fast everyone is improving and growing!

  1. Ryan Lagrou
  2. Lucas Madison
  3. James Martin
  4. McCando Kao
  5. Jose Pineda
  6. Spencer Rawnsley
  7. Daniel Walling
  8. Elijah Ortencio

Full results: 

2013 BLC 1A ROOKIE

1A

Anthony Rojas. Look out. He is a clean three minutes from being the US representative at the 2014 World YoYo Contest in Prague next year. A beautiful display of control and innovation with a hint of artistry and even a bit of swagger (brush your shoulder…). Anthony is a definitely the biggest crowd favorite in the US–last year at the National Contest when Anthony switched out there was an audible sigh of sadness from the crowd. In second, 4A Champion Michael Nakamura proved he should be considered a threat on all fronts. He has improved drastically even since Worlds and will make a run at qualifying again for the finals after his finaling at Worlds. Finally, Paolo Bueno took home third with yet another extremely innovative routine with his (becoming) trademark 3D tricks. He continues to improve and will certainly be a threat for the 2014 World title after a very strong year this year.

  1. Anthony Rojas
  2. Michael Nakamura
  3. Paolo Bueno
  4. Paul Dang
  5. Wilson Van Gundy
  6. Eric Koloski
  7. Ty Goldman
  8. Keiran Cooper
  9. David Ung
  10. Clint Armstrong
  11. Yusuke Moriki
  12. Dylan Benharris
  13. Tyler Goldenberg
  14. John Huber
  15. Ryan Gee
  16. Matt Leoun
  17. Paul Yath

Bold indicates seeded to semi-finals at the 2013 National Yo-Yo Contest. Full results: 

2013 BLC 1A

 

Anthony Rojas

Michael Nakamura

Paolo Bueno

Thank you for a great event and see you next year!

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