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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Where the other divisions may have been thin or disappointing, 1A proved once again that it’s the single most competitive division in the United States. From the very first contestant on stage, it was clear that this was THE division to watch and easily had the highest level of play not just of the contest, but of the entire US contest series for 2013. Some players lost out to their nerves, but everyone who was on stage was a contender and should be damn proud of playing at that level.
It’s hard to put too much commentary to this division…it really was an “any given day” scenario. Looking at the scores gives you an idea just how tight the field was this year. Less than a point between 1st and 2nd, less than a point between 2nd and 3rd; 4th and 5th place were out in the wilderness there with a noticeable point drop, but then the rest of the field was neck-in-neck with an incredibly tight point grouping from 6th to 11th place. It’s not surprising that, upon walking away from the judges table and fielding the usual barrage of “Who won?” questions from people, the judges had nothing but shrugs.
Duncan Toys filmed the event and did a pretty good job in spite of problems with overheating cameras. But thanks to them, we have stellar footage of the Top Three, along with alternate angles and a great slo-mo edit shot with a GoPro Black.
It was a hell of a year for 1A…instead of listening to us pick it apart, watch these routines and start learning these tricks. Time to start practicing for 2014.
2013 US National YoYo Contest – 1A Division
1st Place – Gentry Stein (YoYoFactory)
Gentry Stein – GoPro Alternate Angle
Gentry Stein – Slow Mo Edit
2nd Place – Anthony Rojas (RecRev)
Anthony Rojas – GoPro Alternate Angle
Anthony Rojas – Slow Mo Edit
3rd Place – Zach Gormley (CLYW)
Zach Gormley – GoPro Alternate Angle
Zach Gormley – Slow Mo Edit