The Alternative Freestyles are a player favorite…people who didn’t make finals, or just have a style that doesn’t lend itself to contest play, get up on stage for a few minutes of pressure-free play to show off their latest and greatest. We’ve got video of all the Alternative Freestyles from the 2016 US National YoYo Contest…check out a few of the judges favorites along with their comments, and then head over to YouTube to watch all the rest!
Judges Pick – Keiran Cooper
To me, Keiran embodies all of the qualities that makes a great yoyoer “great”. In this freestyle, you can see from the combination of his speed, comfort, and trick complexity how naturally talented Keiran is. I loved watching his perfected speed and laceration combos mixed with his own jaw dropping original tricks. Keiran dropped dope tricks throughout the whole freestyle which made it really something special to watch. Keiran definitely has some of the best tricks in the game and had me screaming the entire time ❤ – Andrew Maider
Judges Pick – Shane Lubecker
Shane is the pick because his tricks are big, unique, and really can pump the crowd up. He looks dope, but not like he’s taking it too seriously, and when he landed those bangers so effortlessly it sent a chill down my spine. Some tricks of Shane’s may have not done so hot in competition, but he unleashed them in full glory on the alternative stage, and the crowd reaction showed how dope them tricks really are. Judges Pick-Ky Zizan: Kieran Cooper My favorite routine from that night was definitely Keiran’s. A perfect blend of pace and trick content. Can’t wait to see what he does next. – Michael Kurti
Shane is one of my favorite yo-yoers. The room at Nats was full of people not paying attention, talking and hanging out, generally being a typical mess of scattered yo-yoers… until Shane stepped up. He slayed a freestyle that made everyone stop what they were doing and sit down and start watching, and he was bar none the best performance on that stage that evening. – Sebastian Brock