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IYYF Announces New Guidelines For National Contests

March 21, 2019 By Steve Brown

IYYF International YoYo Federation

The IYYF announced additional guidelines today for all National contests worldwide. Worth checking out, if you’re a competitor or organizer!

National Contest Seeding Additional Guidelines 2019

In the interest of continuing to guarantee fairness for all National Contests that are recognized by the IYYF as officially seeding to the World Yo-Yo Contest, we have some new rules that we are putting in place. These rules are effective immediately, and should pose no issues for contest organizers while also helping to maintain a clearer standard of excellence for all existing events.

1. All National Yo-Yo Contests recognized by the IYYF and seeding players to Multi-National or World events must adhere to whatever IYYF rules and guidelines are in-place at the time of the event. To accommodate events of different sizes, contest organizers may request a variance to specific rules by contacting the IYYF Board of Directors for approval.

2. National Yo-Yo Contest results may not be combined with any other event results to determine what players are seeded and eligible to compete at the World Yo-Yo Contest. Countries may combine results from multiple events for their internal titles and prizes, but only the stand-alone results from the single, recognized National Contest, run to IYYF standards, may be used to determine seeding eligibility.

3. If evidence is presented to the IYYF to indicate any issues with the accuracy of scores, either intentional or by accident, it will trigger an audit whereby an IYYF representative must oversee scoring at the event in question in order to maintain recognized seeding status. If the audit is refused, the contest will no longer be recognized as an official National event, and winners will no longer be seeded to Multi-National or World contests until the National event in question has been brought back into compliance.

We hope these new policies will help allay any fears that players might have about the validity of event results, and welcome any feedback from contest organizers to continue making sure that their events are held to IYYF standards.

Filed Under: Contests, General News Tagged With: guidelines, international yoyo federation, iyyf, national yoyo contest, rules

IYYF Announces Changes To World YoYo Contest

September 19, 2018 By Steve Brown

IYYF International YoYo Federation

The International YoYo Federation announced some organizational changes to the way the World YoYo Contest will be handled moving forward. At this year’s IYYF meeting in Shanghai, and after discussion from board members, a few key changes were agreed upon to help streamline the organizing process.

Here’s the official statement from the IYYF:

WYYC2020 will be held in Budapest, Hungary.
WYYC2021 will be in Japan.

IYYF is proud to introduce the host countries of the 2020 & 2021 World Yo-Yo Contests. WYYC2020 will be held in Budapest, Hungary, and WYYC2021 will be held in Japan.
Further details will be announced when they have been confirmed. Keep your eye on www.iyyf.org for news.

WYYC Proposal Process Change

We have had many discussions among the IYYF board on how to decide the location and team for running WYYC. Each year there are many exciting location options, yet at the same time there are many challenges and difficulties that come with running the contest in a different place every time.
Learning from our experiences over the course of the past five years organizing WYYC, we decided to reevaluate our situation and have, as a result, revised our decision plan.

Here are some changes about how the WYYC location will be chosen in the future.

1. We will no longer be bound to the three-year cycle of Americas, Europe and Asia.
2. We are no longer accepting proposal documents for new locations in the same way that we have in the past.
3. If you are interested in running WYYC in your country, please contact us so we can discuss the possibilities; we will also ask serious applicants to join the current WYYC organizing team as a core member.

This way, the IYYF team can better share its knowledge, resources, and get to know new members through working together with them. New members will be able to learn more from current organizers and work alongside them to help run WYYC. Essentially, instead of asking other people to struggle and come up with ideas by themselves, we have decided to welcome more people so we can diversify our team and work closely together for future contests. In the long run, we hope to better ensure stability, consistency, and increase the quality of the event year to year.

Thank you, as always, for your participation in the World Yo-Yo Contest. None of this would be possible without your involvement and support. We look forward to being able to bring WYYC to even more places around the globe, and we hope you’ll join us on that journey!

There has already been some confusion over some of these points, so let’s go through them for some clarification.

We will no longer be bound to the three-year cycle of Americas, Europe and Asia.

This does not mean the contest will no longer travel! This just means that it will no longer be forced to follow a strict pattern of movement. The IYYF’s Executive Board is currently the core organizing team for the World YoYo Contest, and all three Executive Board Members (Ondra Sedivy, Hironori Mii, and Steve Brown [me!]) are constantly looking for new locations & venues for the World YoYo Contest. Breaking the cycle means that instead of trying to force the contest to fit into a certain region in a certain year, the IYYF can take advantage of any opportunities that arise to hold the contest in the best area with the best support for that year. This may mean that regions will double up in the future (two years back to back in Asia, but different countries) or it may mean that the IYYF simply changes the order to best use it’s resources (Americas – Asia – Europe), but what it definitely means is the contest is still moving, and the IYYF now has a little more freedom to make sure that the best possible option is utilized for that year.

We are no longer accepting proposal documents for new locations in the same way that we have in the past.

World YoYo Contest proposals in the past have assumed that the contest would be run entirely by a local team, with some logistical support from the IYYF, and the results have been mixed. External teams have done some great work and with oversight from the IYYF there has been some degree of consistency, but for an event as important as the World YoYo Contest, a higher degree of consistency must be maintained from one year to the next. And not just at the event itself, but also in the lead-up to the event, with registration deadlines, sponsorship proposals, ticket sales, etc. Moving the organization of the contest to a new group each year essentially means starting over each year for a lot of these things, and for the continuity of the contest it’s easier for one core organizing team to manage the main aspects of the event each year, regardless of location. But fresh ideas and new people are essential to the growth not just of the event but also of the IYYF, which brings us to….

If you are interested in running WYYC in your country, please contact us so we can discuss the possibilities; we will also ask serious applicants to join the current WYYC organizing team as a core member.

Instead of people saying “Hey, my team can run Worlds, here’s our proposal” the new protocol will be to vet applicants based on their standing in the community and experience in event organizing, and then bring them into the organizing team for the upcoming World YoYo Contest. This will allow them to work side-by-side with experienced contest organizers and learn all the detail and procedures that need to be addressed for the World YoYo Contest, which will in turn make sure they have all the skills and perspective needed in order to take the lead on organizing the event in their home country. For example, the 2019 World YoYo Contest will be held again in Cleveland, Ohio and organized by Steve Brown and the 2020 World YoYo Contest will be held in Budapest, Hungary and organized by Vilmos Zoltan Kiss. In order to add continuity to the proceedings, Vilmos has joined the Cleveland organizing team to make sure that he has all the information and knowledge he needs in order to run a great event in Hungary, and the core team from the Cleveland event will also be assisting with the event in Hungary. After that, the core teams from both Cleveland and Budapest will assist with the 2021 World YoYo Contest in Japan.

Moving forward this will not only guarantee a higher degree of consistency for each event, but will also bring in more organizers with new skills and perspectives that can help grow the IYYF and the World YoYo Contest.

tl;dr – Worlds is gonna continue getting better, and keep moving around the world. All good. 

Filed Under: Contests, Featured, General News Tagged With: international yoyo federation, iyyf, world yoyo contest, yoyo contest

IYYF Extends Deadline for WYYC 2018 Proposals

December 2, 2015 By Steve Brown

IYYF International YoYo Federation

The International YoYo Federation has extended the deadline for proposals to host the 2018 World YoYo Contest. The 2018 World YoYo Contest will be held in Asia.

There are several inquiries for running WYYC2018 in Asia, however, many of them are not fully ready for putting their proposals yet. Therefore IYYF extended the deadline to Feb. 1, 2016 from originally Dec. 1, 2015.

If you are interested in running WYYC2018 in your country, please send your proposal to iyyf@iyyf.org by Feb. 1, 2016.

Filed Under: Contests, General News Tagged With: 2018, international yoyo federation, iyyf, world yoyo contest, wyyc

2016 World YoYo Contest Announced In Cleveland, Ohio

August 23, 2015 By YoYoNews

2016 World YoYo Contest Cleveland Ohio

The 2016 World YoYo Contest location has officially been announced, and it’s Cleveland, Ohio! National YoYo Master and YoYoNews editor Steve Brown will be the lead organizer for the event, with support from the Cleveland Sports Commission, International YoYo Federation, and US National YoYo League.

Cleveland was ranked one of the Top Ten best food cities in the United States by TIME Magazine and Jetsetter, and has been called one of the best cities to visit in 2015 by Travel + Leisure, the LA Times, Fodor’s Travel, and Forbes.

Recently, more than $16.7 billion of public and private investment has been pumped into Downtown Cleveland, including nearly $3 billion of visitor-related infrastructure development. Cleveland currently sees more than 16 million tourist visitors annually.

The event will take place in downtown Cleveland, within walking distance of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and some of the very best restaurants the city has to offer including Michael Symon’s Lola and Jonathan Sawyer’s Greenhouse Tavern. The official venue will be announced soon.

For more information, please sign up for the email list at the official contest website Worlds16.com.

 

Filed Under: Contests Tagged With: 2016 world yoyo contest, cleveland, cleveland sports commission, featured, international yoyo federation, national yoyo league, ohio, world yoyo contest

Change in WYYC 15 Seeding from Multi-National Contests

October 29, 2014 By Steve Brown

IYYF International YoYo Federation

The International YoYo Federation has issued a new ruling on how Multi-National events will seed to the 2015 World YoYo Contest as well as all future World YoYo Contests. This does affect the upcoming Las Vegas Open!

Previously for WYYC14 Champions were seeded to the FINALS of the World Yo-Yo Contest.

Starting with World Yo-Yo Contest 2015 the Top 3 will instead be seeded to the SEMI-FINAL of WYYC15.

EYYC (Poland), AP (Singapore), Las Vegas Open (United States) and Latin America (Mexico) are the qualifying Multi-National Contests for WYYC15.

Not only EYYC, AP and Pan-America, but in the near future, we see a strong possibility of other regions being able to host their own MNC. Therefore, in order to accommodate all MNCs to be seeded to the World Contest, IYYF has decided to seed the MNC winners to the semi-finals instead. Furthermore, we value the quality of skill and performance of the top placing winners of MNCs and have decided to seed the top 3 from each division of all MNCs.

Filed Under: Contests Tagged With: international yoyo federation, iyyf, rules, yoyo contest

2014 World YoYo Contest Logo Unveiled

May 7, 2014 By Steve Brown

2014 World YoYo Contest Logo

 

The organizers have released the new logo for the 2014 World YoYo Contest, and it looks great! Designed by Matěj Polák, a freelance designer in Prague, the new logo is a great step forward for the next chapter in the World YoYo Contest’s history.

The 2014 World YoYo Contest will be the first World event held under the guidance of the International YoYo Federation, and the first time the contest has been held outside of the United States since the 1932 event in London.

The 2014 World YoYo Contest will be held August 7th, 8th, & 9th in Prague, Czech Republic. Check WorldYoYoContest.com for more details.

Filed Under: Contests Tagged With: featured, international yoyo federation, world yoyo contest

EYYC 2014 – Freestyle Rules Posted

February 3, 2014 By Steve Brown

The official freestyle rules for the 2014 European YoYo Championship have been posted! These are the official freestyle rules as dictated by the newly minted International YoYo Federation, and it’s a safe bet to say that this is the new standard for all major yoyo contests in the coming year. Full rules are cut-and-pasted below…sound off below in the comments section with your thoughts. ALL yoyo competitors should take the time to familiarize themselves with these rules…the standards for yoyo competition are changing, and as always it’s your job to make sure that you know how to squeeze every possible point out of your time on stage.

—

Rules

Freestyles will be graded on three criteria: Technical Execution (T.Ex), Technical Evaluation (T.Ev) and Performance Evaluation (P.Ev).

Judges are assigned into two groups:

  • A Group: Technical Execution (T.Ex)
  • B Group: Technical Evaluation (T.Ev) and Performance Evaluation (P.Ev)

EYYC14 Score Evaulation

Technical Execution (T.Ex) – 60%

clickers

Each judge uses two clickers, one each for positive and negative points. These are added together for the final T.Ex score, which is 60% of the total possible score.

Judge takes only succession, difficulty, risk and variation of each trick performed.

Originality, amplitude, long-sleep, continuity, uniqueness, style, choreography are NOT subject to be scored here.

Definition of divisions

  • 1A: Freestyle with one string trick yo-yo
    (Moves are based on touch and mount between yo-yo and string)
  • 2A: Freestyle with two looping yo-yos
    (Moves are based on making circles with yo-yo trajectory)
  •  3A: Freestyle with two string trick yo-yos
    (Moves are based on touch and mount among two yo-yos and two strings)
  •  4A: Freestyle with yo-yo(s) which string is not attached
    (Moves are based on tricks which are possible because the yo-yo is not attached to the string)
  •  5A: Freestyle with yo-yo(s) which has counter-weight on the other side of string
    (Moves are based on tricks which are possible because the yo-yo has counter-weight)

Positive Points

When the contestant performs advanced level trick elements, points will be given for each element.

All points are given per trick element.

Here are some examples of trick elements in each division.

1A Division:

  • Mount (Trapeze)
  • Hop (Eli Hop)
  • Laceration (Hook)
  • Release Catch (Suicide Catch)
  • Whip Catch (Iron Whip, Slack Trapeze)
  • All other appropriate moves for 1A Division that come with a certain difficulty.

2A Division:

  • Looping (Loop, Hop)
  • Moon (Reach for the Moon, Planet Hop)
  • Wrap (Loop Wrap, Sleep Wrap)
  • Tangler
  • Around the World
  • All other appropriate moves for 2A Division that come with a certain difficulty.

3A Division:

  • Rolls (Velvet Rolls)
  • Kink (Kink Fu)
  • Trapeze (2-Hand Trapeze)
  • Assisted
  • KoroKoro
  • All other appropriate moves for 3A Division that come with a certain difficulty.

4A Division:

  • Whip (Over Whip, Open Whip)
  • Recapture
  • Boingy Boingy
  • Toss
  • Orbit (Around the Arm, Orbit the Leg)
  • All other appropriate moves for 4A Division that come with a certain difficulty.

5A Division:

  • Direction Change (Shoulder Pop)
  • 360
  • Propeller
  • Bee-sting
  • Aerial (Meltdown Jump)
  • All other appropriate moves for 5A Division that come with a certain difficulty.

Tricks such as Gerbil and Rancid Milk are seen as a group of trick elements not as a trick and each trick element is scored individually.

Generally, the same trick elements performed in a freestyle will not be scored the second time. However, high risk repeating trick such as Suicide combo, or same trick elements in a different trick combo can be scored the second time with some reduction of base points given for the trick element.

Negative Points

Any trick miss and control miss is subject to deduction.

Negative 1:

Trapeze miss, control miss, catch miss, corkscrew in looping.

All deductions are counted per yo-yo. If the contestant has a mistake in each hand (with two yo-yos), the contestant will receive two negative points.

Yo-Yo stop, or yo-yo change will be counted in Major Deduction stated below.

Technical Evaluation (T.Ev) – 20%

Judges (Group B) evaluate four categories from 0 to 10 points, total 40 points, then they will be halved to make the 20% of the final score. They will not be normalized between judges. Entire three minute performing time is subject to evaluation.

evaulation scale

The table above is a basic grading guide.

The following are the four categories to be scored as Technical Evaluation.

1. Cleanliness (CLN)

(Control of Yo-Yo/String, Line of String, Trajectory of Yo-Yo, Smooth landings and flowing transitions)

Are the tricks executed in a clean, fluid and controlled manner?
Do the transitions into and between trick elements demonstrate mastery and control of the yo-yo style?
Does the yo-yo land and exit the string cleanly?
Is each trick well-practiced to the level of mastery?
Were tricks maneuvered smoothly?
Were the tricks refined to be seen?

# It is not about how smooth the routine is, nor the number of mistakes. It is simply how good the control of yo-yo and string is.

2. Variation (VAR)

(Different techniques within the style of play, Variety of trick styles):

Does the routine have a well-balanced mix of trick styles?
(The player should not keep showing the same kinds of tricks too long.)
Was each trick style mastered well at a sufficient level?

3.Rareness (RAR)

(Uniqueness, Originality, Creativity, Newness, Unusualness of tricks)

Does the player demonstrate an original or unique, unusual tricks, moves, or elements from all other contestants in the current contest scene?

Does the player have unique, original, creative tricks, style, or trick elements?
(The player should not fill the routine with common, ordinary tricks, moves.)
Did the player perform any new, unusual, creative tricks, elements?

# It does not require that those tricks are made by the player, nor never seen at all.

Same with all other criteria, doing simple picture tricks (like Tower or Rock the Baby) or looping in 1A do not earn any points here. (Need to be sufficiently difficult. Need to be within the division’s realm.)

4. Execution (EXE)

(Success Rate of Tricks, Succession, Less mistakes, Completion)

How few are the mistakes?
Is the routine performed as planned?

# It is not about the mastery or perfection of each trick. It is about the completion of all tricks. If the entire routine went well without any mistakes, it will have a full score. Even if the tricks are smooth and well-practiced, if the player has many mistakes, it will be low. Also it does not require any difficulty or risk to be seen as full score. It is evaluated as perceived by the judges.

Performance Evaluation(P.Ev) – 20%

Judges (Group B) evaluate four categories from 0 to 10 points, total 40 points, then they will be halved to make the 20% of the final score. They will not be normalized among judges. Generally, the entire three minute performing time is subject to evaluation. However, even before and after the three minutes, any inappropriate action or devaluation will be counted for the categories.

evaulation scale

The table above is a basic grading guide.

The following are the four categories to be scored as Performance Evaluation.

1. Music Use (MSC)

Choreography, Hitting Music Cues, Rhythm/Beat, Imagery/Atmosphere:
(Necessity of Music, Music Timing)

Does the music seem to fit the freestyle theme?
Are the tricks timed to match the beat of the music?
Is there any cueing or choreographic points?
Are body moves and tricks matched with the music?

2.Body Control (BDY)

Stage Manners, Posture, Stage Professionalism, Attitude:
(stage presence/composure, Moves of body)

Does the player demonstrate a mature professional presence before, during and after the freestyle?
Does the player demonstrate total control of all aspects of the performance?
Is the contestant aware that he/she is on stage and being seen?
Are body moves well refined?
Does the contestant appear to be confident/professional?
Was the show appropriate to be seen by a general audience?

# Sticking tongue out, tilting head when making a mistake, or making a bitter face in hard time, and ignoring the audience unintentionally are all considered to be bad examples for this category.

3.Space Use (SPC)

Largeness, Amplitude/Focus, Size of Yo-Yo Moves, Stage Use:
(Size of expression, moves, performance, Effective use of stage and space, and/or focusing on/into a subject effectively)

Does the contestant use the stage and space effectively?
Is the trick performed big and easy-to-see?
Were the small moves or subtle actions focused to gather the audience’s attention?

4.Showmanship (SHW)

Theme/Story, Enjoyment, Entertainment, Overall Impression of Show:

Was the performance staged and constructed in a manner to add to the interest level of the freestyle?
How entertaining was the freestyle presentation?
Does the freestyle have a story or theme?
Is there any effective usage of an outfit?
Is it a performance to attract and entertain the audience?

# Interesting or Entertainment Value that comes from pure amazing yo-yo skill will not be counted here. Added work toward making the freestyle interesting (Showmanship) on top of the yo-yo tricks and skills is required here.

tev-pev3

Major Deductions (MD)

These deductions will be subtracted after all the scores above are summed.

Yo-Yo stop (restart), Yo-Yo discard (change), Yo-Yo detach (string cut) and dangerous play will be subject of this deduction.

Yo-Yo Stop (Restart) – Minus 1

Any stop of yo-yo spin with string unwound will be subject. Even if the yo-yo does not stop completely, if you need to help the yo-yo to regain its spin with your hand or string, it will be considered as a yo-yo stop. However, contestant can hand-wind yo-yo with half-wound string or add more spin to the yo-yo spinning fast enough to be able to wind by itself without this deduction. Any intentional or planned yo-yo stop will be seen as a yo-yo stop with the deduction. After the yo-yo stops and the contestant adds the spin to the yo-yo then fails to wind and it stops again, it will be counted as another yo-yo stop to be deducted.

Yo-Yo Discard (Change) – Minus 3

Any yo-yo discard will be subject. Leap of 4A and 5A yo-yos, or any yo-yo change or stop using the yo-yo will be counted. Even if the contestant comes back to the yo-yo to reuse it, if the contestant uses another yo-yo once, the yo-yo discarded will be counted. Any intentional or planned yo-yo change will be counted as a yo-yo discard. However, if the discard happens after the yo-yo stops in one instance, only the discard will be counted and not a yo-yo stop. However, if the contestant tries to restart before the yo-yo change, both a stop and a discard will be counted. If you want to show both tricks with 1 and 2 yo-yos in 4A or 5A without any deductions, you need to show 1 yo-yo tricks first, then add another yo-yo to show 2 yo-yo tricks.

When the Performance Ends

If the contestant cannot make the yo-yo come back to the hand fully wound and ready to throw, both a stop and a discard will be counted as a discard (minus 3). The string can have knots or be jammed, yet it needs to be fully wound to avoid the deduction.

The contestant is expected to complete the routine before the music ends. If the music ends while tricks are still being performed, the contestant should stop the trick and wind the yo-yo. (However, the moves required to get out from the shape to wind will be allowed if the yo-yo is still spinning.)

After the music stops, if the contestant fails to wind the yo-yo due to a yo-yo stop, it will be counted as a discard. Also at the moment the music stops, if the yo-yo is not spinning and requires a restart it will be counted as a discard.

If the contestant does not have a yo-yo in their hand ready to throw, for example: a yo-yo is in their pocket, on the floor, in the hat, or string detached from the finger like after Rocket, all will be seen as a discard.

All Performance End Deductions will be the same, even if the contestant decides to end their routine before the music ends.

Yo-Yo Detach (String Cut) – Minus 5

Any dangerous play or any play that can cause any damage needs to be avoided at all cost. Therefore, judges will be very strict to those actions even if it is unintentional.

Yo-Yo coming apart, string cut, or string detach for 1A, 2A, 3A, 5A (yo-yo and weight both) will be counted as a Yo-Yo Detach (Minus 5). Any intentional string cut like “Break the String” trick will be the same. However, unscrewing by hand to fix the string while the yo-yo is not spinning will be allowed without the deduction. Changing yo-yo(s) after a String Cut will be counted as only a Yo-Yo Detach (Minus 5), not both penalties at the same time (Minus 8).

Flying Off – Disqualified

Including 4A and 5A, if any yo-yo jumps into the audience area behind the judges’ table will be subject to disqualification. This will be discussed after the routine is over.

A Yo-Yo jumping into the audience with enough speed, height or dangerous trajectory will be subject. Even if the yo-yo bounces on the stage once, it will be seen as the same. A Yo-Yo rolling off from the stage will be allowed without disqualification.

All those deductions are per yo-yo/string. If two yo-yos are tangled in one incident and need to be changed, it will be 6 point deductions (3 point x 2 yo-yos).

At the same time, any mistake or loss of control is counted as a deduction in Technical Execution, separately from Major Deductions.

deduction table

Final Score

Final Championship Freestyle Score = sum of points for

Technical Execution (60.00-points maximum) plus

Technical Evaluation (20.00-points maximum) plus

Performance Evaluation (20.00-points maximum) minus

Major deductions.

Technical Execution will be normalized (to eliminate the unevenness among judges and let them have the same portion to contribute to the score). All other scores will not be normalized.

Depending on the judges’ availability and skill, the counter(s) of Major Deductions can be different by contest or division.

One Minute Criteria (Prelim)

The final score will be the sum of these four categories.

Technical Execution (60.00-points maximum) plus

Technical Evaluation (20.0-points maximum) plus

Performance Evaluation (20.0-points maximum) minus

Major deductions.

Technical Evaluation (T.Ev) 20%

  1. Cleanliness (CLN)
  2. Execution (EXE)

Performance Evaluation (P.Ev) 20%

  1. Music Use (MSC)
  2. Body Control (BDY)

Scoring Distribution

scoring distribution

In The Case Of A Tie:

Judges will determine the winner with the descending order of T.Ex, T.Ev, and P.Ev. If after comparing all three numbers and there is still a tie, the judges will call it as a tie or suggest a better solution.

The judges’ decision is final.

All contestants are expected to read and understand the entire rules above.

 

Filed Under: Contests Tagged With: 2014, european yoyo championship, eyyc, featured, freestyle rules, international yoyo federation, iyyf

BREAKING NEWS: World YoYo Contest Merges With IYYF

February 8, 2013 By Steve Brown

IYYF International YoYo FederationHere is the official statement from the International YoYo Federation:

We are proud to announce that the World Yo-Yo Contest and the newly formed International Yo-Yo Federation (IYYF) are going to merge into one organization, with the IYYF taking over the running of the World Yo-Yo Contest.

IYYF is a nonprofit organization that unites national associations and is designed to become the governing body for yo-yoing as a sport. Starting in 2014 the IYYF will be responsible for hosting the World Yo-Yo Contest. After 14 years as chairman of the contest, Gregory Cohen is passing the torch to the IYYF so that, together with national yo-yo associations, the IYYF will host the WYYC in countries around the world. The planned schedule for the next four years is:

* 2013 United States of America (Orlando, Florida)

* 2014 Czech Republic (Prague)

* 2015 Japan (Tokyo)

* 2016 United States of America

The exact locations and dates of these events will be announced when they become available.

We will do our best to help the yo-yo community grow, support contests and national associations around the world and much more. You can find more information at http://iyyf.org and at http://worldyoyocontest.com

Ondrej Sedivy (CYA), Hironori Mii (JYYF), Rafael Matsunaga (ABI), Thad Winzenz (NYYL), Gregory Cohen (WYYC)

 

I spoke with Greg Cohen, who has been running the World YoYo Contest since 2000. “There have been a lot of discussions, and this has taken a long time. I’m not going to lie, it hasn’t been a fun or easy transition.” says Cohen. “But I’m supporting this move because I think it’s best for the community, and for the event. I’m excited to see the World YoYo Contest in Prague in 2014…handing it off to the Czech crew is going to be a huge moment for me at Worlds 2013 in Orlando.”

Rafael Matsunaga, president and founder of the Brazilian YoYo Association, says “I’m quite relieved we never got to a split and I’m grateful Greg approached us to talk, even if it took an unfriendly and aggressive move from IYYF to make him realize we were willing to sacrifice continuity in order to promote change.”

The World YoYo Contest has been under-fire for several years now due to the general stagnation of the event. But while plenty of people agree that it was time for the contest to evolve and change hands, others disagreed about how the change started happening.

“Personally I’m stoked to see the formation of the IYYF as both a player and sponsor of many events including the World Yo-Yo Contest,” said Brandon Jackson, National Sales & Marketing Coordinator for Duncan Toys. “Many players have expressed their dissatisfaction with the current state of the World Yo-Yo Contest and this was especially true during the 2012 event as rumors began to fly of a competing world championship to be held in Prague. The rumors created both confusion and excitement amongst players, but the consensus was that of excitement and hope of a bigger, better world championship to be held in a new location. It’s very exciting to see an uprising, especially in the yo-yo community. But it’s even more exciting to see these two organizations come together for the betterment of competition yo-yo play.”

Seth Peterson, Communications and Team Manager for YoYoFactory was a bit more reserved. “It’s interesting to hear this finally come together. It’s cool that Greg’s part of it…surprising, but good. Greg has been instrumental in a lot of different aspects of the community for a very long time. He’s been a figurehead for a lot of people in their growth in the yoyo community, and I’m glad to see that his accomplishments and gifts aren’t being thrown to the wayside by the IYYF. I think last years “Worlds13” announcement came as a surprise to a lot of people, including people who were involved in the goal of moving the contest. I don’t think the way it was presented was to anyone’s benefit, but I’m glad that its been resolved in a way that is clearly moving the event forward. It was hard for me to see the way that Greg was being treated, in spite of my own hopes of moving the contest. I have a lot of respect for Greg and what he’s done, even if we didn’t always agree on aspects of the event.”

There’s certainly still a lot of work to be done, and lots more detail that we’re waiting to see before anyone can really determine if this move will help the event. But I’ve been assured that the IYYF will be an open and transparent organization, with elected board members and representatives from all countries with national organizations given room to speak and contribute.

We’ll continue reporting on this as more information becomes available but in the meantime we offer our congratulations to the IYYF and all involved in this huge step forward for the World YoYo Contest and hopefully all other major contests worldwide.

Filed Under: Contests Tagged With: featured, greg cohen, hironori mii, international yoyo federation, iyyf, ondrej sedivy, rafael matsunaga, thad winzenz, world yoyo contest, wyyc

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