AYYA NEWS
Minutes of the AYYA Annual
Meeting - October 1, 1994
Ten members were present, not a quorum.
Voting on changes will be done by mail.
Transaxles, Report:
The Mail-in vote was 80% for a separate
division for transaxle Yo-Yos. Therefore the new AYYA policy is as
follows. If three or more people turn up at a competition wanting to use
transaxles, the contest organizer should set up a separate division for
them. Tranaxles are not allowed for competing in the regular divisions
except in the following circumstances: The Freestyle division is open to
any type Yo-Yo including transaxles. It is acceptable to allow players with
a transaxle Yo-Yo to play in the fixed axle division if everyone in that
division agrees; if there is even one objection, no transaxle may be used
in that division.
Board Members:
The Board had not put into place (as of September,
1994) a mail-in nomination process that would have allowed membership
participation for the '94-'95 election. Therefore, the board chose the
following action as a way of maintaining continuity and encouraging
membership participation. On the enclosed membership response sheet, you
are asked to vote for four of the seven current board members. The four
persons receiving the most votes will serve for two more years; the
remaining three will serve one more year. This will assure that there will
always be some Board Members that have served the previous year. The
September 1995 AYYA Newsletter will contain a nomination request, so any
and all members will have an opportunity to be elected to the Bosrd of
Directors. Members should submit any nominations for board members at least
two weeks prior to the next annual meeting (Oct. 7, 1995).
AYYA Newsletter:
The board voted to commit to the publication of
two AYYA newsletters a year. The first in September to prepare the
membership for the October annual meetings agenda and the second in
December to report what transpired at the meeting. Members also receive
the four Yo-Yo Times newsletters. We, of course, welcome news items,
editorials, jokes and brags for publication. As the organization grows, the
task of compiling this newsletter will be by standing committee. Any
interested communication enthusiasts listening?
Sponsorships:
To date we have no corporate sponsors. Steve Speegle
said he is still willing to pursue this. Any member is welcome to work
toward attracting sponsors. Sponsors can use contributions as tax
deductions either as advertising (their name on all AYYA publications) or
as gifts to a non-profit organization engaged in the promotion of an
amateur sport.
Treasurers Report: AYYA.
Submitted by Mark Brataas, Treasurer
New Tricks:
Two regeneration tricks, warp drive and time warp,
have been added to the suggested championship level trick list.
Regeneration tricks are important in the building good freestyle routines.
Also the question came up about including locally popular tricks in a
competition. If a competition is strictly local, tricks known locally are
acceptable. If, however the contest is a regional one, locally popular
tricks should not be used in the general divisions, so that all contestants
can compete with the same advantage. The AYYA recognizes that individual
competition organizers want flexibility in conducting their contests. The
AYYA rules are guidelines to help in standardizing Yo-Yo contests across
the nation. Anyone who wants help on how to hold a competition or to get
their competition advertised should contact the AYYA. Dale Oliver in the
prosses of making a video, showing the contest tricks and judging
procedures, that will soon be available to contest organizers on request
from the AYYA.
Bylaw Issues:
Following are suggested changes to the AYYA Bylaws
submitted by members. Members are asked to vote on these changes, by
number, on the enclosed members response sheet. In lieu of discussion on
these proposed changes, I have included some comments, noted in italics.
- Membership: Article 2, #6&7. The original membership fee could
be higher than the annual dues; also add wording to the effect that if a
member fails to send in dues there would be a reinstatement fee. [There
could be an unanticipated negative effect from this change. As for all
professional/interest associations, joining and maintaining membership
should be an easy, single step process. As to late renewals; all
memberships are set up to expire on Oct. 31st. If a renewal is tardy, the
dues still only run to the following Oct]
- Directors: Article 5, #3. Change the number of elected directors
from no less than seven to no less than five or more than
fifteen. [There is already a provision for changing the number of Board
Members when it is deemed necessary. (Article 5, #3.)]
- Quorum: Article 5, #8. Change the quorum for the Board of
Directors needed to transact business from the greater of 3 or 1/3 of the
total number of directors to 2/3, since it is easy to communicate by
telephone.
- Voting by Directors: Article 5, #9. Change by removing the word
"present" wherever it appears, Due to phones and faxes, a majority vote
should always be possible. [This would eliminate the idea of a working
quorum [#4] and require that nothing could be done without having all Board
Members in communication by phone or present. One director not being
available would stop any action from being taken, which is impractical.]
- Compensation of Officers: Article 6, # 6. Change from
"determined by the Board of Directors" to determined by the general
membership.
- Board Member Liability: Article 6. Add a #8; A statement of
Board Members' limited liability and/or a statement of possible blanket
liability coverage.
- Employees: Article 7. Add; Board Members may not hold AYYA paid jobs.
- Changes to Bylaws: Article 12, #2. Change; from "presented to
the Chairman" to may be presented to any Board Member.
- Changes to Bylaws: Article 12 #3. Remove the last twelve words
of the section, "together with a concise statement of why the change(s)
should be made". [Please, N0. Any change to the bylaws of any organization
are normally put out during a general meeting followed by a general
discussion of the pros and cons for the change. Since our membership is
scattered all over the U.S. and very few can be at the general meeting,
such discussion is not possible and voting has to be done by mail.
Therefore, stating a rationale for a change is necessary to replace that
missing discussion]
CONTEST NEWS
The Florida State/SE Regional
This contest was held November 6th in
Tallahassee. Winners were:
Adult Division. Junior Division
1. Lewis Christie Billy McCluskey
2. Rex Taylor Joshua Becky
3. Tommy Williams Matthew Hall
Contact Greg Cohen (904) 385-6463 for Info on next years competition.
Utah State Championship
The Utah State Championships were held Dec. 17th at Trolley Square in
Salt Lake City. Sponsors were Trolley Square, Air Apparent Kites and
Hummingbird Yo-Yos. Winners were:
Novice Divisions;
11 and under 12 to 16 yrs.
1st - Nick Sells Patrick Anderson
2nd-Thomas Jensen Gavin Ryan
3rd-Nick Granato Brian Hall
4th-John Jensen Devin Browning
17 and over
1st - Larry Furse 2nd- Marc Passey
3rd- David Franklin 4th- Nancy Kuhn
Advanced Divisions:
11 and under 12 to 16 yrs.
1st - David Nybo Scott Nybo
2nd-Ian Furse Gretel Wenzel
3rd Cory Levitt
17 and over
1st -Dallas Browning 2nd-Matt Passey
3rd-Zack Jones 4th-Troy Wenzel
Grand Champion - Scott Nybo
Arizona State/SE Regional
The Arizona State/SE Regional is tentatively set for March 25, 1995.
Contact Don Duncan for information at (602) 322-0100
Nevada State/Las Vegas Pro/Am
The Nevada State/Las Vegas Pro/Am will be held at the Showboat Hotel
on Friday, Jan. 6th. Contact Bob Baab at (702) 399-3217.
IJA International Pro/Am Contest
This event is set for 1 PM, July 20th at the
Hacienda Hotel in Las Vegas. This should be the biggest and the best Pro/Am
ever held. The jugglers convention actually begins on July 16th; if you've
never been to one of these events, don't miss this one! Workshops are held
all week long including classes on diabolos, tops, devil sticks, rope
tricks, whip snapping, and a multitude of other skills as well as beginning
and advanced Yo-Yoing. If you've gone to a one day Yo-Yo event and left
feeling like there just wasn't enough time to talk to everyone and to learn
new tricks, this is for you! Call Bob Mahler at (413) 367-9235 for $47 a
night rates. Call Dale Oliver (206) 367-9187 for contest info.
THE 5/3 POINT SYSTEM
There have been questions as to why the recommended point system was
changed from 10/5 (ten points awarded for completion of a trick on the
first try, five points if done on the second try) to 5/3. The change was
made to reduce the incidence of ties and to address the following scenario.
Using the 10/5 system, if a contestant missed a trick on both tries, the
contestant lost 10 points. If another contestant missed two different
tricks on the first try but successfully completed them on the second try,
they also lost 10 points which resulted in a tie. Since each individual
trick in the competition is important as a building block to the next level
of play, it is deemed slightly better to complete all tricks than to
totally miss one. Using the 5/3 point system, the contestant that totally
misses a trick looses 5 points while the contestant that misses two tricks
on the first try and completes them on the second try looses a total of
only 4 points. There is no tie with the 5/3 system and the contestant that
has successfully completed more tricks wins.
TECHNICAL TIPS
By Dale Oliver
This section is included to answer questions or report on new developments.
If you have questions, send them in and I'll try to answer them for you or
find someone who can. The question for this issue is, "How long should the
Yo-Yo string be?" There is a definitive answer to this (often debated)
issue. Stand with the Yo-Yo string tied to your finger, your elbow at your
side and your forearm from elbow to hand parallel to the floor. If your
Yo-Yo is touching the floor, your string is too long. Why? This is the
position your arm should be in after you have thrown a spinner. If you have
to stop your hand higher than this to keep the Yo-Yo from hitting the
floor, you've shortened your stroke and haven't achieved maximum power. If
you do use a full stroke and have to lift your hand before the Yo-Yo
reaches the end of the string, you run the risk of pulling the Yo-Yo up out
of the spin and make the spinner more difficult to do consistently with
maximum power. This optimum length can be obtained by stretching the string
once, resting the Yo-Yo on the floor and cutting the string at your
diaphragm (or solar plexus). By the time the knot, loop and slip knot is
tied and placed on the finger, the string should be the proper length. I
get a lot of static from this one. "I can't use the string that short.",
"It doesn't work that way for me.", "I don't like the way it feels.". Take
a break. Anytime you change the way you've been doing anything it is going
to feel different and usually uncomfortable at first. The answer to this
question is based in physics. Success will be attained with greater ease if
you follow the recommendation. However, one can be successful even while
breaking the rules. Robert Litton, for example, was one of those quite
excellent players that insisted on using a string that seemed to come up to
his nose. But, for us mere mortals, why push the river. Make it easy on
yourself and use the correct string length from the beginning.
Yo-Yo Ratings by Dale Oliver
What's your favorite Yo-Yo? There is no "One Yo-Yo fits all occasions.".
How you rate your favorite Yo-Yo can be very subjective so if you want to
know how I rate your favorite, let me know and I'll be as objective as I
know how and give you reasons for the rating.
This issues Yo-Yo, the Hummingbird, in all standard configuration models.
Its best feature is its' looping control. You'll see a lot of top notch
players using them for 2-handed tricks. When doing string tricks it seldom
grabs but its' spin duration is a bit below average and it is one of the
hungriest string eaters on the market. Rating on a scale of 10,
Overall, a strong 5.
For looping, a 9
YO'ER FORUM
Got something you'd like to tell the Yo-Yo world about or something you'd
like to see discussed? Write it in to the AYYA's Yo'er Forum. If it stays
in good taste, I'll print it.
5
p
1993
Spokane, WA
Adam Stoneman
I was Yoing one day
going the world around,
when I looked at hand
but no Yo could be found.
A dead burnt string
lay limp from my finger
while up in the air
my Yo-Yo did linger.
When like a meteor
my yo came down,
My startled look
turned into a frown.
Away the pieces of Yo-Yo flew
and they went far, I'm telling you!
Across the street I quickly ran.
Luckily it didn't hit my neighbor's van!
None of the pieces could I see,
til my spectating neighbors aided me.
I'm sad 'cuz my Yo-Yo lies broke in my pocket.
But, at least it went higher than Dale Oliver's rocket.
!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!
!!!!!! !!!!!!! !!!!!!
!!! !!!!! !!!
! !!! !
!!
!
FREESTYLE REPORT
There were five Freestyle competitions this year. Winners were Jon Gates,
Bill de Boisblanc, Chris Cook, Paul Buthe and Dale Myrberg. The best
performance (Highest Score) of the year was turned in by Dale Myrberg. He
is the man to beat! You can take your shot at him July 20th in Las Vegas.
See you there. Come see the best or maybe be the best.
Yo-Yo Hall of Fame
I am still looking for some input about the famous Yo-Yoers. I did contact
Joe Radubans' daughter and she promised to help put together a bio on him.
I'm still looking for children of Gus Somara (Did he have any?) and Pedro
Flores. If you have any information like this please let me know.
THE AYYA STORE
Since the AYYA store has a limited selection at this time, there is a list
of Yo-Yo products included in this issue offered by Bob Malowney from the
Bird in Hand store in Chico, CA.. Chico is the home of the U.S. National
Yo-Yo competition and Bob is a great Yo-Yo enthusiast and buisnessman. This
is an offering direct from Bob. Send your orders directly to him. There is
no AYYA discount on these products.
COLLECTORS CORNER
For the next few issues of the AYYA News the Collectors Corner will be in
two parts. Lucky Meisenheimer will continue to write articles on particular
selected subjects of interest to our readers, like the one on string packs
and the Yo-Yo time line included in this issue. The second part will be
lists of Yo-Yos that have been manufactured since the 1930's. The first
list from last issue , Duncan Yo-Yos, has been revised by helpful members
and is included in this issue as well as a list of ROYAL Yo-Yos. I am
soliciting everyone's help with this endeavor. Is the list complete and
accurate? Please let us know. Can you give feedback on what you think each
of the listed Yo-Yos is worth? What have you paid for them? How much would
you pay for them if they were offered to you? What have you sold them for?
Several people have lamented the lack of any kind of collectors guide, so
if all of us cooperate on this, we'll have a guide that we can all use.
Hey! Did you folks out there hear about the Duncan Yo-Yo collection that
the Franklin Mint was going to put out? First they were, and then they
weren't. They did! At least they've started. I received my first model in
November, a beautiful recreation of the Duncan Litening, slightly larger
than life and it actually works! At $30 per, they look like a deal. I
believe there will be twelve Yo-Yos to be offered in this series. Call
1-800-The Mint and please tell them you heard about it in the AYYA News.
Don't give up. When I first called, the operator didn't know what I was
talking about and had to look it up.
ROYAL Yo-Yo List:
Wood unless otherwise stated.
M E R R Y
C H R I S T M A S
AND
H A P P Y
N E W
Y E A R !
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