2016 National Futures YoYo Contest Results

Jack Margetts, 13, of Chico, performs for the judges as kids compete Saturday, Oct. 1, 2016, in the National Futures Yo-Yo Contest at City Plaza in Chico, California. (Dan Reidel — Enterprise-Record)
The first National Futures YoYo Contest was held last weekend in Chico, California, the home of the National YoYo Museum. It was a great turnout for a first year contest, with local champs on-hand to judge the event and cheer on the next generation of champions. Check out results below, click here to download a .pdf with full scoring breakdowns, and head over to www.chicoer.com for a great write-up of the event.
Finals
10 and Under – Finals
- James CERUSSI – Davis, CA
- Jeremiah BAZAN – Meridian, ID
- Titus PITTENGER – Chico, CA
- Will WALTER – Napa, CA
- Rowan BROOKS – Chico, CA
11-12 Years old – Finals
- Hunter FEUERSTEIN – Chandler, AZ
- Christian LEE – Buffalo, NY
- Alfonso CHAVEZ – Chico, CA
- Laird FOWLE – San Ramon, CA
13-14 Years old – Finals
- Ryan CVIJANOVICH – Chandler, AZ
- Chris Godsey – Auburn, CA
- Jack MARGETTS – Chico, CA
- Christian KENNEDY – Placentia, CA
- Josh GOTTHEIL – San Jose, CA
15-16 Years old – Finals
- Daniel BELLO – Chico, CA
- Alex VANDERWYST – Meridian, ID
- Robin STRICKLEN – Davis, CA
17-18 Years old – Finals
- Marc ZUNO – Ontario, CA
- Andrew CONTRERAS – Chico, CA
Prelims
10 and Under – Prelim
- James CERUSSI – Davis CA
- Titus PITTENGER – Chico CA
- Jeremiah BAZAN – Merdian ID
- Rowan BROOKS – Chico CA
- Will WALTER – Napa CA
11-12 Years old – Prelim
- Hunter FEUERSTEIN – Chandler AZ
- Christian LEE – Buffalo NY
- Alfonso CHAVEZ – Chico CA
- Laird FOWLE – San Ramon CA
13-14 Years old – Prelim
- Chris GODSEY – Auburn CA
- Ryan CVIJANOVICH – Chandler AZ
- Christian KENNEDY – Placentia CA
- Jack MARGETTS – Chico CA
- Josh GOTTHEIL – San Jose CA
- Joshua KENDRA – San Jose CA
- David GONZALEZ – Santa Rosa CA
- Lukas GRO – Boise ID
- Max GIRARD – Murphys CA
- Ian WATANABE – Galt CA
- Zach MARTIN – Rocklin CA
- Adrien NARANJO – Corpus Christi TX
15-16 Years old – Prelim
- Alex VANDERWYST – Meridian ID
- Daniel BELLO – Chico CA
- Robin STRICKLIN – Davis CA
17-18 Years old – Prelim
- Marc ZUNO – Ontario CA
- Andrew CONTRERAS – Chico CA
YoYoFactory Presents: Chico Tour / Week 1
Just before the 2013 US National YoYo Contest, YoYoFactory sent a team through Chico to demo a local schools and drum up interest for the big event. Here’s a tour video they put together from that week of promotions!
2013 National YoYo Museum Awards
Each year at the National YoYo Contest, the National YoYo Museum gives out several additional awards during the course of the event. These awards recognize outstanding individuals for their contributions to many different aspects of the art and sport of yoyo play. This year’s winners:
Best Girl Player
Stephanie Haight
Best Junior Player
Angelo Aguirre
Most Inspirational Player
Ky Zizan (Werrd)
National Achievement Award
Steve Brown (YoYoNews.com)
Industry Excellence Award
Ernest Kaiser (General-Yo)
National League Merit Award
Brian Cabildo (Glasseye)
Mark Sitton Sportsmanship Award
Patrick Borgerding (YoYoFactory)
Trick Innovator Of The Year
Zach Gormley (CLYW)
Three Minutes From The Cup – Top 5A Contenders

Nationals is coming up fast…the best players in the United States will descend on Chico, California for their moment on stage to compete for the title of US National YoYo Champion. All this week we’ll be featuring our top picks for each division!
5A (Counterweight) Division
Tyler Severance – 2x National Champion
Defending US National 5A Champion Tyler Severance showed up with one of the best 5A routines of all time at this years World YoYo Contest, and he is definitely at the top of the game. Severance has shown in recent years that he’s getting steadier and steadier on stage…where in the past you could see his pacing start to slip towards the end of his routines, now he stays steady and true until the end. Tyler is first in line for the cup this year, and everyone else is going to have a hard fight ahead of them to take his title.
Miguel Correa- 4x National Champion
Miguel Correa sat out most of the 2013 contest season to re-focus on work and family, but his level of play is so high that it might not make a difference. All it takes for Miggy to win is for him to wake up feeling good…with him in the mix, everyone better bring their A-game. That said, his teammate Tyler Severance is his #1 competition…we know where Tyler’s play is, but Miggy is coming in with some mystery around him which should make for an exciting head-to-head between these two reigning champs.
Sebastian Brock
Sebastian Brock is one of the best 5A players that no one ever talks about. Sebby has said himself that he doesn’t have as much confidence in his 5A play as he does in his 1A routines; but he seems to be the only one with that opinion. His counterweight tricks are clean, inventive, and stand out from the field in a way that crowds like and judges can follow. As the 2010 National Champion in the 1A division, Sebby is in a good position to be one of the incredibly few people to win a national title in different divisions.
Jacob Elliot
Relatively new on the scene, Jacob Elliot made a lot of noise at Worlds with his incredibly fast and seemingly out-of-control style in the 5A finals. His freestyle had people flinching at the back of the room, waiting for a yoyo to shoot off the stage. But it never did, and the question for Nationals is: will his speed help him rack up the points to win, or will he outplay the judges’ clickers?
Chase Baxter
Chase Baxter is an up-and-coming talent who is quickly becoming a fan favorite. He’s got an easy-going style on stage that makes him easy to score, but his consistency just isn’t there yet. If he has a good day in the park, Chase could go clean and hit Top 5…but he’s a wildcard and it’s hard to tell what he can do.
Shane Lubecker
Shane is another up-and-coming player who made a strong showing at Worlds in the counterweight division. His trick density isn’t quite there yet, but he’s got some really original stuff and when he’s on his game, his trick construction and pacing are really nice. Judges score what they can follow, and Shane is good at playing to the judges. He’s a contender for sure, but he’s going to have to go cleaner than he managed at Worlds if he wants a shot at Top 5.
US Nationals tomorrow!
The 2012 US National Yo-yo Contest will be held tomorrow, October 6th, in Chico, California!
Players are already arriving in the city and many international guests will be there as well! The official site has the preliminary freestyle order and there will be a live stream as well!
Will last year’s winners (Harold Owens, Joseph Harris, Hank Freeman, Bryan Figueroa, and Samm Scott) be able to hold their titles? We’ll find out tomorrow! Stay tuned!