AYYA President of the Board
John “Pookie-YO” Stangle - 634 Echo Lake Way, Santa Rosa, California
95401
(707) 542-YOYO - E-mail: yotopia@yotopia.com URL: www.YOTOPIA.com -
President 1/97 to 12/97 - Board 1/96 to 12/98
The mission of AYYA is to provide a venue for players and collectors to come together in fellowship and to engage in the promotion of yo-yo playing as an art form and a sport, for both amateur and professional players. It is also to render assistance to fellow yo-yo players and collectors; to provide an accessible source of information about yo-yo people and events; to conduct as many competitions as possible across the nation; and to establish uniform standards for running AYYA sanctioned competitions for all levels of skill from the novice to the professional.
The AYYA newsletter is published twice a year, in September before the Annual Chico Meeting and in December following the Annual Chico Meeting for 1997. We will be starting three editions each year for 1999 starting in May and continue with the September and December editions. There are updates and AYYA Announcements that appear in the YO-YO Times which is published four times a year. Other information about the AYYA can be found on their web site at AYYA.pd.net.
Ballots mailed: 232
Ballots received: 93
Item #1 "Should the AYYA allow the use of Transaxle YO-YO's (non-fixed axle) for all divisions in sanctioned competitions?"
These are the highlights of the History and Collector Committee meeting.
1. Currently the only other member on the committee is Chris Cook and if others would like to join the more the merrier.
2. The "Duncan collection" has been moved from Tucson to Chico. Forty boxes were picked up by Bob and he is dedicating more store space to the display and will be going through the boxes in Jan. 98. Hopefully new light will be shed on history as they go through the boxes. Kudos to Bob Malowney and all of his hard work as museum curator.
3. Chris Cook is working on an article of the history of the Duncan Flat top yo-yo for publication in AYYA newsletter or Yo-yo times.
4. I am tracking yo-yo auction prices on eBay the webs largest auction site and have submitted an article on eBay to Yo-yo times. eBay is a collectors heaven. At any one time 30 to 50 yo-yos are up for auction at eBay.
Go to http://cayman.ebay2.com/aw/ eBay and search the word yo-yo for the current yo-yo auctions. A few examples of yo-yos up for auction this week, Gorham Sterling, Space Jam, Battlestar Galactica, Dan Dee potato chips wood ad, Duncan Wheels in original box, Cracker Jack, Dick Tracey, Two Goody Filipino twirlers, Felix the cat and watch, etc........
5. I am working on an article on the perfect gift for the yo-yo enthusiast that has everything. Will probably submit it to yo-yo times.
6. Check out the center fold ad this month in some DC comic books It's an ad for JNCO shoes but features Josiah Baldivino with what looks like a Yomega. Ad shows four string tricks.
Bearings. All kinds of claims and misinformation are flying around. ABEC 3, ABEC 7, this out spins this and that, open, shielded, sealed and even plastic.
What really matters? #1, How long does it spin? #2, How well does it respond? #3, How long will it last?
#1. I personally don’t think that the difference in spin time between an ABEC 3 and 7 would be over a second or two. They are both quality bearings, just the allowed tolerance is different and a yo-yo doesn’t spin as fast as say, a dentist’s drill, or carry a load of weight like skates, where the tolerances get important. What is much more important in determining how long a bearing will spin is the type and amount of lubrication that is used and whether it is sealed or not. Want to know how the hotshots get yo-yos to spin over 3 minutes? They take ALL of the lubrication out of the bearing. Lubrication does three things in a ball bearing. It protects the bearing from rust, protects it from wear, and makes it respond better (by that I mean, it helps the yo-yo come back to you when you jerk on the string.) So it is a trade off. How long of a spin do you need? The SBII or similar metal ball-bearing yo-yo or the Tiger Shark will spin 4 times longer than a standard yo-yo. That means if you have a 15 second spinner with a Duncan, you can get a minute with one of the spin kings. Do you know a trick that takes a minute to do? What do you need with another 10 seconds of spin? Actually, the Tornado, Bumble Bee, or any of Yomega’s ball-bearing yo-yos have more than enough spin to do any trick that anyone has come up with yet. Any ball-bearing that I have seen in any yo-yo does a great job as far a spin time goes, even the ones with a plastic case.
#2. The response (how well a yo-yo returns or loops) depends not only on the design of the inside face of the yo-yo (starburst, bevel, disk, wood, “Brake Pads”) but a great deal on the bearing itself. There are two cylinders in a ball-bearing, one larger in diameter than the other, with ball-bearings between them (in shielded or sealed bearings you can’t see the balls.) The inside cylinder goes on the central shaft (or bolt) of the yo-yo and is usually clamped between matching cylinders milled into the metal parts you find on either side of the bearing in the yo-yo. This freezes the inside cylinder of the bearing and essentially makes that part of the bearing, one with the rest of the yo-yo. The outside cylinder of the bearing does not touch anything but the ball-bearings and the yo-yo string (exceptions to come) which allows the yo-yo to spin free of any friction contact except the ball-bearings and the surrounding air. Now the exceptions. When a bearing is sealed, the seal touches both cylinders. The seal is usually made of Teflon so as to minimize the friction. The other thing that touches both cylinders is the lubrication in the bearing. When there is a load on the bearing (in the case of a yo-yo this means the yo-yo is hanging on the string), the outside cylinder doesn’t move. However, when the load is taken off the bearing (as in when the string is jerked up, or in a loop when the yo-yo bounces back at you when it reaches the end of the string), the lubrication and/or the seal that is making contact with both cylinders will cause the outside cylinder to spin, pulling the string with it and start the yo-yo winding back up the string. The heavier the lubrication, the better response you get …BUT.. also a slower spin. Light oil, Brain Oil (Radio Shack carries Teflon impregnated oil in a pen dispenser) or even Vaseline Lip Therapy is fine for most tricks but If you want really good looping characteristics, load the bearing up with heavy grease (put it on both sides of the bearing). I’ve seen some people load so much grease on the bearing that the yo-yo would grab when doing string tricks….but it looped good. So, my recommendation is, do lube your bearings. How much and with what depends on the yo-yo and what you want to do with it. A word of caution, if you use a Bumble Bee don’t get anything on the brake pads. It will ruin them.
#3. Another reason to keep your bearings lubricated is that they will remain rust free and last much longer.
It took 26 years as a U.S. Navy flight officer and several more years working his way up the corporate ladder as a Pentagon contractor for Dick Stohr to realize what he really wanted to do with his life: play with yo-yos.
His wife worried he'd gone daft. To be honest, Stohr had some doubts, too, and even today, when the 58-year-old Springfield resident shows up somewhere wearing his trademark shirt, hat and jacket -- all imprinted "That Yo-Yo Guy" -- people gawk in disbelief.
But once Stohr explains how he successfully merged his technical background with his boyhood hobby, and now makes his living doing yo-yo gigs at area schools, people have this reaction: What fun!
"I love it," Stohr said last week between engagements at Hayfield Elementary School in Fairfax County and St. Agnes Catholic School in Arlington. "This is by far the best day job anybody could think of. I go to a school, teach something the kids ordinarily wouldn't get -- and it's rather showy, so it gets their attention -- and then I leave. The kids are always inquisitive, so I get a real kick out of it."
Stohr gave up his defense job last April to devote himself full time to marketing Spintastics yo-yos, a domestic brand made of a resilient plastic called Lexan. In fliers distributed to elementary and middle schools throughout the mid-Atlantic region -- with an emphasis on the Washington area -- Stohr offers a full-day instructional program on yo-yo tricks, paired with an introduction to physics concepts such as gyroscopic stability, aerodynamic drag and horizontal and vertical planes of spin.
The blend of physical education and science is popular with some teachers. "From the feedback I've heard from kids, it was very successful," said Maureen Saale, physical education teacher at St. Agnes, where Stohr gave a demonstration last week. "It's something different, especially since it's wintertime and they're inside a lot."
At Hayfield, "the kids were talking about it all day long," said instructor Kathy Lloyd. "Our PTA thought it would be a good program. The kids are interested in yo-yos, and we thought if they knew how to use them safely, we could incorporate them into school activities."
Cecilia E. Ford has a 72-member yo-yo club going at Randle Highlands Elementary School in Southeast Washington, and she credits Stohr for interesting her students in an unlikely inner-city sport.
"This introduces them not just to the skill of yo-yoing but it builds their self-confidence," she said. "The self-esteem of most children today is very low, so anything they can do individually is very important."
In a promotional technique reminiscent of the 1930s and '40s, when Duncan Yo-Yo demonstrators fanned out across the country to stoke a yo-yo frenzy, Stohr's strategy is simple: Schools can either pay him $500 for an all-day program that incorporates hands-on, yo-yo instruction and safety tips with a science lesson, or they can get the program for free if they agree to sell Spintastics yo-yos for five days afterward.
The toys cost $5 each, and schools can tack on a little more if they want, as a fund-raiser. "I've been going crazy selling yo-yos all week," Saale said. "We've been overwhelmed." Asked to explain the toy's popularity, she offered: "The kids have been very successful with it, so they feel they've accomplished something."
"It's wonderful for coordination," agreed George Towery, principal of Cameron Elementary in Fairfax, which began a yo-yo club years ago.
Yo-yos, whose origins are variously placed in ancient China or Greece, were introduced in this country in 1929. After decades of up-and-down interest, the toys are now in a rebound: sales of U.S.-made yo-yos topped 15 million last year, although far below the 1963 record of 33 million.
Yo-yoing is "a great activity for kids," said Jennifer Baybrook, 17, of St. Albans, Vt., the U.S. national champion. Like Stohr, Baybrook makes school appearances, which she said teach children about overcoming obstacles.
As Stohr demonstrates time-tested, yo-yo tricks, he weaves in contemporary concerns, telling students that to succeed, they need to focus and practice. "You need a clear mind -- no drugs," he tells them.
He also hammers home a safety lesson, warning them that yo-yos must be used responsibly. Hayfield fourth-grader Sarah Hughes, 9, said she liked the science part of Stohr's program. "He taught me some new words," she said, "and why things spin."
Josh McDonald, 10, enjoyed that Stohr could make the yo-yo land in his pants pocket -- a trick Josh has tried to duplicate, without success.
And Teddy Payne, 11, said all his friends could talk about was how good Stohr is with his yo-yo. "He said that's the only thing he does," noted Teddy. "That's pretty cool."
© Copyright 1998 The Washington Post Company
We are all involved in yo-yos in some way. For some, it is a hobby. For some, it is an item of collection. For some, it’s a job. Some of us are adults, with kids of our own. Some are kids, hoping to be adults, and world champions. The point is that we all have our own focus, and sometimes we can get so focused that we forget the things that are important.
I want to tell you a story. Yo-yo manufacturers receives lots of letters, like all toys manufacturers do. If you sell yo-yos in some way, you probably get letters too. They are usually from kids. Sometimes it is a question. Sometimes a suggestion (sometimes even a GOOD one!). Sometimes it is a perceived or even a real problem they are having with their yo-yo.
Spintastics received such a letter in Texas from a young man in San Francisco, California. Now, if you have kids or if you are one, you know that it takes some effort for them to spend their own free time writing a letter! Dale Oliver, President of Spintastics, happened to come across the letter, and since it was from his town, he said he’d handle it…maybe he’d even go there. “WHAT? Go there?” The issue was dropped.
A knock came to the door and a man answered. “Yes?” he said. “Hi, is your son home?” the stranger asked. “Yes….why? Who are you?” the father asked, wondering what business this man had with his young son. Dale handed the man the boy’s letter. “I’m here to fix his yo-yo. I’m the yo-yo repairman.” The father, of course, couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Recognizing the letter that his son had so diligently written, he promptly invited Dale in and called to his son. During the next 15 minutes that Dale spent with the family, the father could hardly contain himself. “I can’t believe this! Sir, you’ve made my son’s day. Gee, you’ve made MY day. Most companies don’t even answer letters. This is unbelievable.” Needless to say, the boy got a lesson in yo-yo maintenance and probably quite an impressive yo-yo demonstration as well.
Moral of the story: When you find yourself to be too focused …. switch gears. Do something unexpected. Do something out of the ordinary for someone else. We all have a wonderful tool to use to do so…our yo-yo!
“Is the terminator Technic considered a Transaxle or fixed axle for tournament purposes? Thank You in advance for any answer great or small. YO, Java”
The quick answer to the question is "fixed".
Now let me help you understand why. A fixed axle yo-yo is one where the
axle is fixed to and spins with the yo-yo inside of a loop of string.
A Transaxle is one where the string is around something which stays
still with the string and some piece of the yo-yo spins inside of that
piece. That piece could be a plastic insert, or the outer race of a ball
bearing, or a wood axle that has been modified to spin around the metal
shaft.
This means that a Terminator Technic can be modified to become a
Transaxle,
but it is manufactured as a fixed axle yo-yo.
The manufacturer or the model of yo-yo are not the determining factor.
What makes the distinction is where the friction occurs when the yo-yo
is spinning. Friction is either between the string and an axle spinning
with the yo-yo, (fixed) or the friction is between two parts of the
yo-yo, one stays with the string and the other spins with the yo-yo,
(Transaxle).
Hope this gives you a better understanding, if it is still confusing
please ask more questions.
"Thank you for your quick response to my question. However, after
reading your response I believe my yo-yo is a Transaxle. This is
because the string is looped around the wooden axle which in turn is set
on a metal axle joining the two sides of the yo-yo after
examining the yo-yo carefully I also noticed that the wooden axle moves
with the string instead of the string around it this would
make the yo-yo a Transaxle right? I am asking again because when I
purchased this yo-yo it was described as a fixed axle design I
bought it in order to someday compete in tournaments; however if this
yo-yo is not eligible in tournaments i shall have to replace
it with one that is.
Once again thank you for your quick response and I hope you can totally
clear up my doubts to as what kind of yo-yo I have."
Again the Terminator Technic was designed and is manufactured to be a
FIXED axle yo-yo. If yours has not been modified it will be a fixed
axle yo-yo. A simple test will prove one way or the other; loop the
string around the wood axle one or two additional times, the yo-yo
should now NOT sleep. The Technic is designed to squeeze the wood axle
between the plastic yo-yo half’s and not let the wood spin on the metal
shaft. With the string double or triple looped around the wood axle and
the yo-yo half’s screwed tight the yo-yo will not sleep. If it can
sleep something is wrong and you need to replace the wood axle or it has
been modified.
Hope this helps, if not let me know specific details of what happened
when you tested your yo-yo.
"Thank you. That is the exact answer to my question. The explanation you have provided here leaves me without any doubt as too what kind of yo-yo mine is. : )"
Terry: What is your official title?
John: I’m President of the Board of the American Yo-Yo Association, also known as AYYA, and 1997 Advanced Division World Yo-Yo Champion.
Terry: When did you start yo-yoing?
John: I started in December 1993.
Terry: How many tricks can you do?
John: I don’t really know but if someone asked me I could probably do about 100.
Terry: How many yo-yos do you have?
John: About 250. 20 of them were made before 1960.
Terry: Do you have a favorite kind of yo-yo?
John: I like the Technic made by Spintastics and the Silver Bullet 2 made by Tom Kuhn who is a dentist in San Francisco.
Terry: What trick do you think is the hardest to do?
John: The hardest tricks for me to do are the Rock the Baby in the Eiffel Tower, and Shoot the Moon.
Terry: What do you have to do in a competition?
John: I have to do tricks like Brain Twister, Man on the Trapeze, Split the Atom, Loop the Loop, and Shoot the Moon.
Terry: How much do yo-yos usually cost?
John: Yo-yos range from $3.00 to $100.00 for the Silver Bullet 2A.
Hello Yo-Yo enthusiasts! Isn’t it great how the popularity of the yo-yo has taken flight again? You can make everyone aware of this fun trend by wearing AYYA logo apparel.
The AYYA Store can be shopped online by going to www.AYYA.pd.net/store or by picking up the phone and calling 1-888-SAY-YOYO (729-9696) This is a toll-free call. Simply leave your name and phone number for a call back or include your address to receive a free catalogue and ordering information.
The AYYA logo is applied to the products using a unique sculpturing system, coupled with stone washing, resulting in a subtle tone-on-tone coloration with incredible character. The extraordinary look is permanent in construction and timeless in appeal.
Everything from a suede baseball style jacket for $129.95 to T-shirts for $15.95 are available for your selection. And soon to come are full color embroidered baseball hats and denim shirts. VISA, MasterCard and American Express cards are accepted for your convenience (regular mail and phone orders only please!).
So come on guys and gals! Check out the online store or make that phone call to order AYYA logo apparel for yourself or as a great gift item! Christmas is right around the corner. Not only will you help keep the soaring popularity of the state of YO going, but you will help support The AYYA, as 10% of each sale is donated to your American YO-YO Association.
Go to: http://ayya.pd.net/store or call 1-888-SAY-YOYO (729-9696) or.....
The AYYA has just received their second batch of AYYA Membership Patches. The Artwork is the same but the patch now has a fine white boarder around the outside edge.
Anyone interested in additional patches can send a $5.00 check or money order made out to the “AYYA” (includes shipping and handling) to: AYYA, c/o John Stangle, 634 Echo Lake Way, Santa Rosa, CA. 95401. Please include a note with your shipping address and the quantity of patches you would like. These patches can only be shipped to active members of the AYYA.
Collectors Note by: John Stangle -- AYYA President
What’s Next Manufacturing accidentally released some of the painted Tom Kuhn No-Jive’s and Duncan Tournaments (What’s Next makes the wood Tournaments for the Duncan Toy Company) missing the accent Air Brush Stripe. As this was an error and has been corrected we now consider these stripe-less models to be somewhat collectable.
AYYA Web Site www.AYYA.pd.net by: John Stangle
The AYYA Web site is up and running. Fredd Culbertson is the AYYA Web Master and is doing a great job keeping everything up to date. If you are an active member of the AYYA and would like to have your e-mail or YO-YO Web Page URL listed please e-mail your request to Fredd at fredd@sonic.net. Your request will be reviewed and if approved will be posted soon after. If you have any questions about the policy’s and procedures for the AYYA Web Site click on the link for Policy’s and Procedures on our home page for more information.
The YO-YO craze is on! We can tell as the normal monthly membership was about 4-5 a month and now it is much more. The AYYA now has 524 Life Time Members as of the middle of August 1998. Below are some of the Stats of the membership packages that were processed this year.
Memberships for March 1998
6 Renewals for Three Years
1 New Member for Three Years
20 Renewals
11 New Members
2 New Associate Members
1 Renewal for 2 years
Package #2 for March
20 Renewals
5 3-Year Renewals
3 New Memberships
1 Associate Membership
Package #3 for March
7 Renewals
2 New Memberships
4 Patches Sold
Memberships for May 1998
18 New Members
18 Renewals
1 Associate
3 - 3 Year Renewals
1 Family Renewal + 2 New Family Members
Memberships for June 1998
1 each 3 year New Active Member
5 each Renewals
7 each New Active Members
3 each Associate Members
3 each Family Renewal
Memberships for August 1998
10 Associate $3.00 members
24 Active Members
8 Renewals
We thank everyone for their support! If you are one of the
“Inactive-Members” please submit your dues as soon as possible so that
you can be included in the upcoming elections, newsletter and other
mailings. If you are an Associate Member and would like to upgrade your
membership send your dues to: AYYA, 627- 163rd Street South, Spanaway,
WA 98387 or call John Stangle at (707) 542-YOYO {9696}. YO!
The AYYA gets calls every week from Toy Stores, Television Stations, Event Promoters and many others looking for Professional YO-YO Demonstrators. To respond to the request we review the AYYA Roster for members that have listed themselves as “Pro” and pass on their information. If you have been paid for doing demonstrations and would like to revise your membership status please contact John Stangle at (707) 542-YOYO {9696} or e-mail him at yotopia@yotopia.com so that change can be made to the roster.
Anyone that has had a problem with their subscriptions to the YO-YO Times when paid for through their AYYA Membership dues should contact the YO-YO Times directly. YO-YO Times has been making some changes to their software that tracks new subscriptions via AYYA memberships. If you have been missed or your expiration date is incorrect please contact the YO-YO Times and they will make any justified corrections at (703) 715-6187. On behalf of the YO-YO Times thank you to the members that elected to include their subscription with their AYYA Membership Dues.
Star Sales Inc. (Independence, MO) teamed with BMT MFG. (Kansas City, MO) this past spring to introduce the latest in high performance, aluminum yo-yo's. They are the Cyclone and Monarch, each individually marketed with their own unique features.
The Cyclone is an imperial style yo-yo with a ball bearing Transaxle design. This yo-yo boasts of having the largest ball bearing in the industry, allowing for a speedy return. Plus, the extra balanced rim weight allows for longer sleep time. The Monarch was the first aluminum butterfly yo-yo to hit the market. This precision machined butterfly allows performers to land string tricks with greater ease. The butterfly also features the same large, ball bearing Transaxle as it's sister yo-yo, the Cyclone.
We have also just introduced a yo-yo display stand, which holds 20 yo-yo's and plan to release a new line of plastic, ball bearing yo-yo's in the coming weeks. Look for all of these fine products at your favorite yo-yo retailer. You may also contact Star Sales Inc. direct at (816) 373-8523 or Email BAGREGO@AOL.COM.
Yomega will be spending One Million Dollars on an advertising campaign that will start approximately August 20th through September. They will be advertising the Yomega Brain, Fireball and Raider. These ads will air coast to coast on the Nickelodeon, Fox and Cartoon Networks.
Yomega expects the national television exposure, combined with kids heading back to school, will create a Yomega YO-YO Boom and greater brand awareness.
In order to meet demand and guard against unlawful copies, Yomega Corp. has formed a strategic alliance with Bandai American who will distribute a parallel line of Yomega’s high performance YO-YOs in mass market channels only.
The new Bandai line will be manufactured in China exclusively for Yomega Corp. and will include the Yomega X-Brain and Yomega Firestorm. Bandai America is putting Five Million Dollars into promotions that will include television commercials, radio spots and mall demonstrations in major cities across the country.
The classic line of Yomega High Performance YO-YO’s, including the Brain, Fireball, Raider, Power Spin, Metallic Missile, Wing Force and Panther YO-YOs will continue to be manufactured in the U.S. by Yomega Corp. These items will be distributed exclusively by Yomega Corp. to its specialty retail customers throughout the United States.
If you have never met Mike Caffery you are missing out. Not only is Mike a great person to hang out with but one of the nicest Marketing Representatives in the industry. He is also one of the best players I have seen with a Duncan Butterfly right out of the package (but with a new string)!
I inquired about the new Duncan Key chains that are being distributed by Basic Fun.Mike said; "Duncan has Teamed up with Basic Fun to produce key chain versions of its Imperial and Butterfly Yo-Yos." Mike told me, "I just tried the Butterfly Yo-Yo Prototype, and it was great!" “I like it even better than the key-chain Imperial." The Butterfly is not ready to ship but should be in the next few months.
I also asked about interest in other country’s and around the world. Mike told me (he is great for these type of quotes); "The world is going crazy for Duncan Yo-Yos." Duncan has been doing much more sales in foreign countries than it ever has in the past. The Duncan YO-YO showed itself in Israel in 1995 and was a huge success, Australia in 1996, Japan in 1997, America in '97 and '98, and Europe is beginning to explode, most notably United Kingdom, and Germany, Austria, Switzerland. Duncan is sure Around The World!
I also asked Mike how sales has been compared to years past. Mike said; "Duncan is selling more yo-yos now in the US than we have at any time since 1962, and that does not take into account our global expansion." He indicated that YO-YO sales this year alone have far exceeded any of their expectations. The Worlds most famous toy has again hit in the US and is sure to be a big success this 1998 Christmas Season.
I asked Mike why he thinks Duncan has been so successful with all the other YO-YO Manufacturers that have emerged. Besides the Duncan name being recognized he indicated; "Duncan's success is largely due to our aggressive TV commercial/s which we have run heavily every Spring since 1995. Our copy written school program has also enjoyed tremendous success, where we teach physics to kids between the grades of 5 and 8 using Duncan Butterflies. An entire generation has once again learned that nothing beats the play value of a Duncan Yo-Yo."
Mike also told me that he does keep an eye on the competitions and competitors around the US and; "I consider Jennifer Baybrook, Alex Garcia and the other talented Hawaiians to be the best ambassadors our sport has ever seen. I have met many of them, and they are terrific people too!" See, like I said at the beginning Mike is always there to pat people on the back and just have fun.
We have tried to list all the results we had information on. As there are more and more contests going on I am sure we have missed something. If you have any event results that were not listed please send to the AYYA President John Stangle via e-mail at yotopia@yotopia.com so that they can be included in the December 1998 AYYA Newsletter.
1992, Montreal Canada
Championship Division
The 1997 Desert Classic held on July 4th was a huge success and boost for the state of Yo. A total of 97 contestants signed in to give it their best shot. And let me tell you they ALL gave it their best!
Championship Division
This event was a great success. Most of the best players from around the World attended. This event was held in conjunction with the International Jugglers World Championships/Annual event. Dale Oliver was the judge and John "Pookie-YO" Stangle did the announcing. It was held in a huge white tent right outside the Gym at Robert Morris College on August 5th 1997 at 1:00 P.M.
PRO/AM Grand Championship Division
This was the first Bay Area YO-YO championships hosted by the South Bay Sleepers Yo-Yo Club. The contest was judged by Dale Oliver. Special guests included Cliff Coleman and Captain Yo both who gave a great show. The highlight of the day was the Pro-Am division, the pros were competing for a $1,000 top prize.
Novice Jr.
This contest was titled the 1998 California Cup YO-YO Competition. It was held on Saturday, June 13th, in Valencia, CA. The contest was sponsored and conducted by The Kite Ranch. Other sponsors were BC Yo-Yos & Black Mamba Yo-Yos.
California Cup Division
This was held on Saturday August 1st from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM. The event was sanctioned by the AYYA using the 1998 AYYA Tricks and Rules. The Judge was John Stangle the AYYA President. Talbots Toyland gave out some of the best prizes I have seen in a long time to all (YES ALL) the competitors. Prizes included Tom Kuhn YO-YO's for First Place, Black Mamba Five Star's for Second Place and Spintastics for Third Place. They also awarded each of the remaining contestants gift certificates for their store. Very generous and much appreciated by all that were in attendance. I would expect that Talbots will continue with the State of YO and hold more events. The event was at the Talbots Toyland at 445 South B Street, San Mateo, Ca 94401 (650) 342-0126
Beginner Division - 8 years and under
Between the rain and wind competitors from all over the Western US attended and found the State of YO. Mr. Bill deBoisblanc (3 time World YO-YO Champion) was the official judge and had lots of fun demonstrating his skills between divisions. Congratulations to everyone that competed and to the winners. Also thank you to the community for making this event another success.
Total Competitors: 44
Audience Attendance: 200
Weather: Rainy and Windy with brief sunlight
Sanctioned: AYYA)
Location: Santa Rosa, CA
Sponsors: YO-topia, Montgomery Village Shopping Center & Busy Minds Toy
Store.
Beginner Division
8 years and younger w/Double Loop
This contest was titled the 1998 the First Annual Southeastern Massachusetts Regional Yo-Yo Competition. It was held on Saturday, May 16th 1998 Swansea, MA. at the Venus de Milo in Swansea, MA. The contest was sponsored by Yomega Corporation and conducted by Funz-A-Poppin'! Toys in Swansea, MA. Over 100 people were in attendance!
MASTERS
The Spring Yo-Yo Contest was run in Minneapolis, MN on May 16th 1998 at the Air Traffic Juggling Academy. It was organized by Air Traffic and judged by Dale Oliver. The event used similar to AYYA trick and rules.
Expert (contestants 6)
Here are the results of our YO-YO Competition held in Wichita KS.
Sponsored and supported by:
Puff Away, Empire, Funs A Poppin Whistlers Restaurant, VT Trophy, Team
High Performance, Cadillac Motel, St Pauls Church, Econo Lodge and
Bonnetts Welding.
Novice 15 and under:
This event was held in Primmadonna, Nevada on July 14, 1998 at the Whiskey Pete’s Showroom. One of the biggest contests we have seen in the US and we are sure to see more. Congratulations to all the winners and everyone for their participation.
Recreational Division - possible 50 points + loops for ties
One Handed Division - 150 Points Possible
Two Handed Grand Master - 150 Points Possible
The event was heavily sponsored by Team Yomega, Bandai, Hyper YO and HPK Marketing; Spintastics Skill Toys was also a sponsor. The judges were; Cliff Coleman, Linda Sengpiel, Dick Stohr, Dale Oliver, Dale Myrberg, Arne Dixon and Dennis McBride. There were lots of teams from all around the US and Japan. Each team had the same colored team shirts on and everyone certainly found the State of YO! The Next World's will be in Honolulu Hawaii; See YO there!
BERKELY, California
David Capurro, Matthew Kirkendall, and Cynthia "kiki" Petit are forming
a Yo-Yo Club called the Spin Doctors in Berkeley, Ca. The club will
meet every Saturday after 4pm at Sproul Plaza, on the UC Berkeley Campus
end of Telegraph Ave in Berkeley, Ca. Email or Call David Capurro
yoyopro@rawbw.com 510-451-8017 for more information.
DAVIS, California
This club meets at the Davis Senior High School almost every Wednesday
during the school year. Time is from 3:00pm - 4:00pm in the Drama Room
and on and off during the summer. Contact Qasim Shah, President of the
club at naqvi@dcn.davis.ca.us
LONG BEACH, California
The Los Alamitos YO-YO Club meets in the Long Beach area every Friday at
lunch. For more information e-mail renford@aol.com
PALO ALTO, California
We meet the 2nd and 4th Saturday of each month at the Ventura activities
center in Palo Alto. We have been averaging about 20-25 kids each
time. I was also hoping that you could come down and check us out! For
more information contact Dave Bazan at (650) 906-8377 or e-mail him at
HulaGirll@aol.com
SACRAMENTO, California
The name of this club is the Wizards of YO! Cool Name. They meet in
the Sacramento area. For more information call David Harris at (916)
363- 2650
SAN FRANCISCO & SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, California
Dale Oliver ("YO-PRO") lives in this area and is interested in starting
a YO-YO Club. For more information contact Dale at yopro@aol.com
SANTA ROSA, California
The Willie Birds Flyers YO-YO Club meets the first Saturday of each
month at 1:00pm. They meet at the Willie Bird's Restaurant 1150 Santa
Rosa Avenue. For more information contact yotopia@yotopia.com.
LOS ANGELES, California
We are currently forming the Southern California Yo-Yo Club which would
meet once a month, probably on Saturdays. If you would like to help with
the club or are interested in attending any meetings, contact Jason
Tracy. Phone:(805) 245-1320 Email: yoyo@frazmtn.com
TALLAHASSEE, Florida
This is a club coordinated by Infinite Illusions. They have regularly
scheduled clinics and contests. For more information you can call (904)
385-6463 or e-mail infinite@pd.net Greg Cohen
MONTICELLO, Illinois
Graduate School of Library and Information Science at the University of
Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The GSLIS YO-YO Club was formed with 5
Yo-Yos and a dream on July 16, 1995 at Allerton Park in Monticello,
Illinois. The GSLIS YO-YO Club is open to any library science student
interested in the theory and practice of yo-yoing. Prospective members
do not need to know how to yo-yo. All that is needed is the desire to
learn.
PROSPECT HEIGHTS, Illinois
Barry North's YO-YO Club meets the first and third Tuesdays each month
from 7:30 - 9:00pm at the Prospect Park Park District. Call Barry at
(847) 392-0884 for more information.
SPRINGFIELD, Massachusetts
This is a new club just forming. There will be both YO-YOing and
Juggling when this club meets. For more information contact Shawn Fumo
at (413) 732-9008 or send him e-mail at shawn.fumo@the-spa.com Shawn
Fumo
SWANSEA, Massachusetts
Funz-A-Poppin'! toy store sponsors a weekly yo-yo school. It is held
every Saturday from 2:00-3:00 p.m. at the White Church in Swansea.
There is no admission fee or registration required. Our goal is to
enhance the awareness and interest in yoing as a sport by teaching those
who attend any and all tricks they want to learn. When we first began
we had yo-yo professional Chris Ciosek leading the class each week.
Since his yo-yo is really taking him around the world, we have developed
a strong core of about 25 kids who share advanced skills with each other
and teach beginning skills to newcomers. For more information contact
Lisa at (508) 675-5511 or send her e-mail at funzpop@cntn.net
Funz-A-Poppin'!
RENO, NV
Northern Nevada Yo-Yo Club meets every 3rd Saturday of the month. They
don't have a permanent meeting place yet but hope to have one soon. For
information contact David Keele at: keele@scs.unr.edu or phone:
702.677.1625. or Chuck Short at: clsyoyo@concentric.net
Dallas/Ft. Worth
Val Krantz has relocated to Grapevine, Texas and would like to start a
yo-yo club in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area. Any interested yo-yoers,
wanna-be yo-yoers and collectors should contact her at (817) 318-SPIN
(7746) or email at VALERIEYO@aol.com.
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah
This is the New "ClubYO" and they have their own web page at
http://www.clubyo.com. Anyone that is interested should visit their web
site link above or call them at (801) 908-0763.
SPRINGFIELD, Virginia
YO-YO Share, Show and Practice meets the third Wednesday of each month
from 7 to 9:00pm in the Fellowship Hall of Grace Presbyterian Church at
Grace and Bath Streets. For more information you can call (703)
451-3439 or e-mail yoyoguy@erols.com Dick Stohr
GIG HARBOR, Washington
This is the Puget Sound YO-YO Club. Chris Arena has information about
this club and future meetings. Write at 14117 57th Avenue N.W., Gig
Harbor, Washington 98332. You can call Chris at (206) 851-5753 or
e-mail apl@accessone.com Chris Arena
Washington, D.C.
Yo-Yo Share, Show and Practice meets the third Wednesday of each month
from 7 to 9 PM in the fellowship hall of Grace Presbyterian Church at
Grace and Bath Streets, Springfield, VA. Contact Dick Stohr for
information (703) 451-3439.
VICTORIA B.C. Canada
We meet every 2 weeks, on Monday nights at 7:30PM. Everyone is welcome!
And please e-mail me if you have an interest and you're in our area. We
meet at Various locations. We hope to hear from you.
rdavies@pacificcoast.net or phone at 250-472-1442.
NOTE DATE CHANGE!!! Unfortunately, this contest will be open to Japanese residence only as this is the first one and there are just too many other things to consider. We expect this will change for future events. Secondly, the number of entrants will be limited for each category, I'm not sure the exact number but around 50 for Two-Hand, 50 for Freestyle and so on. The contest will be one day only from about 9:00am~4:00pm.. For more information contact Jon Daily via e-mail at jandn@tkc.att.ne.jp.
October 3rd 1998 - 5th Annual National YO-YO Championships - Chico, CA.
Saturday October 3rd is the schedule for the Fifth Annual National YO-YO Championships held by Bird in Hand in Chico, California. This is considered the largest YO-YO Competition in the United States and is well attended by players from all over the world.
Chico is also the home of the National YO-YO Museum and has just expanded their displays thanks to the Duncan Family. For more information and Tricks and Rules contact Bob Malowney at his Bird in Hand store at (916) 893-0545. You can also check out the new National YO-YO Museum web site at http://www.nationalyoyo.org
November 14th 1998 - Tallahassee, Florida
The event will be at the Foreign Legion Hall in Tallahassee, on Lake Ella Drive, just of North Monroe. Admission : There is a $2.00 admission to enter the Novice and Advanced Divisions. There is a $5.00 admission to enter the Masters and Freestyle divisions. How to get there: By plane : Fly to the Tallahassee Airport and get a cab to Lake Ella. If there is enough interest there will be a shuttle to and from the Airport. For more information contact Gregory Cohen via e-mail at greg@pd.net or visit their web page at http://www.pd.net/seregional
Singapore is again another country caught up in the virus of the State of YO. The unfortunate situation is that the kids are shoplifting the little toys faster than the stores can get them on the shelf. The Straits Times reported that about 60 percent of juvenile offenses in the first half of the year were shoplifting cases, and yo-yo theft accounted for many of these cases during May and April per the available crime statistics. The youngest of the 40 yo-yo snatchers nabbed was 10 years old.
There have been several Professional YO-YO Demonstrators and Marketing Firms that have visited the Country and started a real comeback and craze with the YO-YO. With the Internet being a real source of information we here in the US can get reports on what is going on with a few simple touches of the keyboard. A yo-yo in Singapore costs about 12 dollars (seven US dollars) to buy.
There was some cooperation with the parents of some of the nabbed kids and some of the parents tried to blame the kids friends. Many of the problems have been seen at the internationally know store of Toys ‘R Us in Singapore.
While at the World Championships in Primm. NV members of the AYYA were given a clip on badge holder that displayed their membership card. If members did not have their a special name card was filled out and inserted in the badge holder.
At the 1998 National YO-YO Championships we will again had badge holders for members. Please remember to bring your membership card (we know you always have your card in your wallet ?) so that we can show our presence at the event.
Thanks again for your support in the past and we look forward to an even better year in 1999.
In June of 1995, a 50 year old California guy named Bob Kennedy was first re-introduced to the yo-yo, while pursuing a small piece of the puzzle that would ultimately become SoCô¿ôL ... Sonoma County ONLINE. The rest, some might say, is yo-yo, and Internet history.
His original pursuit had nothing to do with yo-yos. It did have everything to do with successfully pursuing a new career, becoming a publisher on the World Wide Web, and it did have everything to do with following a pattern of 'learned behavior' SoCô¿ôL Bob likes to call 'The Triangle of Success.'
The "Triangle of Success" is not a seminar, though Bob has conducted several using that title. Rather, it is a visual conception of a simple notion that it is possible for any human, to more successfully achieve their objectives in every area of their life, if they concentrate on setting goals and taking action steps toward their achievement with a positive attitude toward themselves and other people. Not a complicated notion, though it can become complicated in action.
Sort of remind you of the Yo-Yo?
It didn't to SoCô¿ôL Bob either, at least not at first. He hadn't thought of the yo-yo for probably 40 years. The connection was made when he set out to do a 'Success Interview" with Tommy Smothers, a famous resident of Sonoma County. He didn't get the interview, but was referred instead to John Stangle, someone we all know affectionately as "Pookie-Yo," the 1997 Advanced Division World Champion, and current President of the AYYA.
"Pookie" had so much Enthusiasm ... that it was impossible for me to resist. Why would I ?"
One of the most important principles of success, one of the most important actions, one of the most important attitudes is Enthusiasm. "Pookie" had it, and SoCô¿ôL Bob was most anxious to participate in any way that he could.
In the process, Bob created his YO-YO Web Pages on the Internet. No one he knew, no Internet search tool, could find any other, except for Yo Yo Ma, the cellist, and a 'computer freak' in Berkeley who listed yo-yo as his third favorite hobby. It was also in that process, that SoCô¿ôL started his first controversy, attracted his largest audience, except for, at the time, O.J. Simpson, and forever, it would seem, became an integral, if controversial part of the yo-yo community. (Bob has made a web page about this topic at: http://www.socool.com/yo-yo.html)
That original YO-YO page ... Just Say Yô¿ô !!! ... has grown ... from 5 visits a day, which was a big number, to a present time average of 400 new visits a day ... roughly calculated Just Say Yô¿ô !!! gets a new visitor every 4 minutes, but it's still growing ô¿ô Along with it the World Wide Web has grown. The AYYA has several pages. 'Pookie-Yo” does too. Where once, it was impossible to find anything online about the yo-yo, Yo- Hoo, a Worldwide Search Tool and a play on words with the World Wide Web's Number One Visited Page, at this writing contained 275 links... to Web Sites .. each of which contains multiple pages. Yo-Yo manufacturers, yo-yo players, yo-yo history, yo-yo tricks, yo-yo events, yo-yo clubs, yo-yo news, yo-yo pictures, animation’s, videos and sounds, are well represented.
My, has the "State of Yo" grown?
And so have the people in it, SoCô¿ôL Bob would say. Not only are there many new yo-yo tricks, many new yo-yo players, many new yo-yo manufacturer's, etc. etc. etc., but there are many new people, young and old, being introduced to the continued achievement of objectives. And, a large part of that achievement is being expressed on the INTERNET, over and over and over again.
"The State of Yo" will continue to grow, regardless, in many ways, of anything you or I or anyone of us do. There are too many people, too motivated by enthusiasm for The World's Most Famous Toy for it to stop again, just yet. The growth in sales and numbers of players has had it's ups and downs in the past, but this particular period has not seen a peak to its growth. Too many people have the ability to communicate with one another about these pleasures to stop this growth just yet.
In the current State of Yo it is impossible to list all the names of all the people who are currently pursuing a "demonstrably successful" 'marketing' plan to increase the number of participants ... geometrically. If there are currently 1,000 great yo-yo players in the United States and 'Around The World,' there will be 2,000 .. and then 3, and 5 and 10,000 and more. A steadily growing number of people are busily organizing and performing yo-yo demonstrations, yo-yo training, yo-yo shows and events. In the past, this formula has 'worked' successfully to create new yo-yo enthusiasts of all ages.
In the past, however, it was never so possible for them to communicate with one another, and that, says SoCô¿ôL Bob will make the critical difference. In the last week or so, what felt like yo-yo central, SoCô¿ôL Bob talked on a mobile phone with one yo-yo promoter, leaving a successful and well attended event, while talking to another who's event consisted of an audience of one. Another, by email and chat and ICQ, and others from Taiwan to Australia. Another from Singapore supplied pictures and written commentary, while busily learning how to do Real Video and sound on the INTERNET. Instead of wondering, for example, where Dale Oliver was and what he was up to, Dale Oliver 'fans' and 'students' and 'friends' were able to watch his progress, almost live on the INTERNET, and simultaneously watch and participate in the progress of others.
The 2nd Western Regional Yo-Yo Championships were captured on film and then posted on the web. The 3rd Western Regional, the 1996 and 1997 US Nationals, and many, many more are captured on the Web. One Just Say Yô¿ô Visitor even sent pictures of the 2nd Annual Japanese National Yo-Yo Championships, which were posted within 72 hours of the event, and the Dale Oliver trip to Singapore was accompanied by a running commentary, Day One, Day Five, Day Eight and more, as well as real video of the YOPRO@aol.com and his many students and fans attending these events. This year, at the US Nationals in Chico California, there will be many people in the audience, including hopefully SoCô¿ôL Bob, who would be more than capable of picturing and posting their own view of the event, and you can be sure, at least some of them will.
As important, more important perhaps, than even the yo-yo and/or any particular skill, is the importance of how yo-yo enthusiasts of all types are now capable of communicating with one another. These are important considerations that will add to the growth of the sport, because yo-yo players are also busy learning more and more about communications, about sportsmanship, about the Internet, and about becoming better friends. They're also learning that it isn't always easy, and it doesn't always work, but then ... that's what it's about ..
Being SoCô¿ôL in The State of Yo, and at home and at work and at school and on the Internet, is about doing yo'er best, to achieve yo'er objectives. Just Say Yô¿ô, at least the SoCô¿ôL version, is about taking pleasure and participating in yo'er own successes, as well as the successes of others.
Just Say Yô¿ô !!!
One of my goals as AYYA President has been to find a way to bring more benefits to the active members of the AYYA. Many members have expressed concern of the time separation between the December ’97 and September ’98 and the following years issues of the AYYA Newsletter.
This current timing was the original plan when the AYYA was formed. It worked well at the beginning but as the industry grows so must we. There are so many contest, product improvements, new products, changing marketing plans, contests, clubs and web pages with much more happening each month I can’t keep it straight myself.
The AYYA Board of Directors has voted to add a third issue of the newsletter each year. Currently we are planning on May 1999 to be the start. Issues in 1999 would then be May, September and December. One of the things the Newsletter staff could use is input on articles and information on what is going on in your area. Please send all correspondence to the return address on this newsletter. We are hoping to offer commercial advertising in the May 1999 issue so if you are interested in purchasing space contact John Stangle at (707) 542-YOYO {9696}. Thanks and YO!
It was a beautiful, sunny, low humidity day in Lexington, Kentucky. I had just finished up my Saturday morning routine at the food distributor that employs me as their sales manager and was heading home to grab a fast sandwich and then prepare to go to Zany Brainy for a one hour yo-yo workshop as a part of their “Weekend Yo-Yo Extravaganza”. Driving home my mind wandered back to the mid-fifties when my association with the yo-yo began.
Like many of the kids in 1955 I had purchased a Duncan Tournament yo-yo and “The Art of Yo-Yo Playing” Genuine Duncan Trick Book and was well on my way to becoming a world champion. The demonstrators were in town and I was fortunate enough to get my yo-yo carved and participate and win patches in two contests. I kept practicing during the winter and managed to tie for first in the Lexington Yo-Yo Championship contest the next summer. Unfortunately my yo-yo went haywire on my twenty-first loop the loop and I finished seventh in the loop off. Boy, I sure wanted to win one of those trophies! Oh well - Hello baseball and girls.
My yo-yo’s stayed with me through high school and college; not often used, but a source of pleasure and fond memories that occasionally provided solitary enjoyment with just the sound of the string humming and the slap of the yo-yo hitting the hand. I would practice loop the loops. Guess I wanted to be ready for the next loop off.
Time flew by. Marriage, kids, good times, bad times; all the regular ups and downs of life. But through it all the yo-yo’s were always there. I would buy a new yo-yo about every five years just to see what was out there. Seems as if the Duncan Yo-Yo was all I could find. The butterfly yo-yo’s seem to be the heaviest and gave the longest spin. It also made the string on string tricks easier to do and I managed to get consistent on being able to land the Trapeze on a regular basis, even though I only got the yo-yo’s out a couple of times each year.
While on vacation in 1995, my wife and I were driving in central New Hampshire in awe of the unbelievable color of the New England October foliage. We were driving into Vermont just so we could say we had been there. We weren’t particularly impressed until we came into the little town of Queechee. There was a huge ravine there and the view that was afforded from the highway bridge was quite impressive. Not exactly the Grand Canyon, but certainly worth the short walk to the bridge. Famished from the long walk (1/4 mile) we ate in a cute retro 50’s diner and were ready to head back to our time-share at Lake Winapeesaukee when my wife saw the huge barn-like structure that had a sign that proclaimed, “The Largest Antique Mall in Central Vermont”. Uh-oh! I couldn’t come up with any excuse not to grant her request to go shopping since the color of the leaves was the only thing happening at the time, so away we went to see the antiques.
I never was much of a shopper. It always seemed I knew exactly what I needed, went to the appropriate store, bought it and left. Understanding the female perspective of “shopping” - just going to look at stuff, picking it up, looking at it, throwing it back down ( mess up those perfect displays of merchandise), maybe buying something and probably taking it back - was a mystery to me, and I figured this was going be just another female shopping experience. I had never been in a large, professional antique mall before and I was amazed at the number of people shopping and the number of clerks waiting on them. Maybe there was something to this antique mall thing. The displays of old stuff seemed to draw me to them and the memories of my youth filled my brain. There were more locked glass display stands than I had ever seen in under one roof and many of them contained old toys, many of which I had had as a child. Wait! Was that a yo-yo I saw. It was!
The sterling silver yo-yo was like a mirror reflecting my open-mouthed image back at me. I had to have it. Quickly I went to the main check out desk and asked the clerks how to unlock the case with the silver yo-yo. They calmed me down and explained how the system worked. I had to give them the case number and then they would get the key, and I needed to go back to the case and someone would be with me soon. It seemed like forever until someone finally came and opened the case. The yo-yo had a price tag of $54.00, but it was Tiffany, sterling silver over wood. I really didn’t care if the owner would come down on the price or not, but in my best display of male deal-making I requested that they call the booth owner and see if they would take any less. Ten percent off seemed to be the going thing as far a price reduction and that’s what I got. I told the clerk to hold the yo-yo while I shopped the rest of the antique mall. I found three more old yo-yo’s after a two hour search. We paid the bill and walked out of the antique mail, me with my yo-yo’s and my wife empty-handed. I could see the look of fear in her eyes that I had discovered an experience that would turn me into a shopper and spender. She was right; I was hooked!
Darn! Here I was daydreaming and I had to be at Zany Brainy at 2:00. I looked around my home office and the 700 plus yo-yo’s, string packs, trick books, patches and yo-yo memorabilia I had collected since that fateful day at Queechee in 1995. Who would have thought I would be selling collectible yo-yo’s on Internet auction sites and even have the privilege of selling logo apparel on the AYYA in order to support my yo-yo collecting habit. I had even become serious about becoming a good player and just two weeks earlier had learned Split the Atom. What a rush when you learn a new advanced trick! I picked out the yo-yo’s to use at the demo. I really wanted to use my Tiger Shark, but since no Spintastics models were stocked by the store I had to leave it behind.
What a week it had been. Zany Brainy had arranged for two of the local TV stations to do promo’s on the Yo-Yo Weekend Extravaganza and I was going to do them! One was live and the other taped and I had the butterflies - in my stomach, not the yo-yo’s. The live performance went by like a blur. It was a cutesy afternoon show that normally had people talking about health issues or how to make a suitcase you find at the Goodwill store a beautiful treasure - yuch! The set didn’t give me enough room to perform properly so I did only front mount and picture tricks. We chatted a little about collecting and they did the obligatory promo announcement. Maybe two minutes for the whole thing to happen. As I watched the tape at home that evening I was surprised how smoothly the segment went and how I actually seemed cool, calm and collected, although I wasn’t. Next was the taped interview which was going to be done at Zany Brainy. The local personality, “Cruiser”, was professional and he and his camera man must have done about twenty minutes of tape for the segment. I was just hoping it might show me doing one trick. I asked when the segment was going to be shown and was told the next night on the 11:00 P.M. news. The segment was great! Good interview with kids, pictures of all the products and “The Yo-ist” (my yo-yo name) was featured with some appropriate remarks and about three of the many tricks I had done for the camera.
I arrived at Zany Brainy just in time to get warmed up for the workshop. As a member of the AYYA, John Stangle had recommended me when Zany Brainy called looking for a yo-yo pro for the Grand Opening of their Lexington store. That was my first paying yo-yo job. Thanks John! Just before the workshop started, a woman with her daughter asked me if I would mind helping Ericka (her daughter) pick out a yo-yo after the workshop. Of course I said “no problem”. The workshop started off smoothly and there were about twenty-five kids and parents in attendance. Frankly my timing was off and many of the tricks went a little rough, but the audience didn’t really notice since there were no advanced players there. Dale Oliver, Bill deBoisblanc or any other yo-yo master would have been bored to tears. I made sure to mention that the current National Yo-Yo Champ was Jennifer Baybrook and you could see Erika get more excited about yo-yoing when she heard that fact. I finished the workshop with some fancy tricks and ended with one I call “Instrument Landing” that all the kids seem to enjoy.
Erika and her mother stayed behind as the rest of crowd headed to the yo-yo counter. They asked about all the various yo-yo’s and finally decided on my first recommendation which was the Klutz Book and Rocket Yo-Yo. Erika took a while to finally decide on the red Rocket yo-yo. While she stood there holding the book her mother said, “Go ahead and ask him Erika”. Erika said, “ May I have your autograph”. I fumbled around and found my pen and attempted to look like this was an everyday occurrence as I wrote “To Erika - Good Yoing!” and signed “Bill Mahan, The Yo-ist”. Ericka then asked for a hug and declared “you are my yo-yo hero”. WOW! This was better than winning any loop off! What a responsibility!
The AYYA will be holding one annual Board Meeting in Chico, CA this year. The meeting will be on October 2nd 1998 starting at 3:00 PM at the Round Table Pizza located at 964 Mangrove, Chico, CA 95926.
This is the same location for the meeting we had last year. Lots of parking and good Pizza. The meeting is open to anyone that wishes to attend. Look forward to seeing you there.
Don’t forget that the AYYA will be celebrating their fifth birthday this year in Chico. We are planning a Birthday Cake for the Dinner after the contest. YO!
If Yo-Yoing is to ascend to the status of a sport, the various disciplines need to be clearly delineated and competitions organized to recognize the different skills associated with each. One obvious way to start this process would be to recognize separate champions for the Freestyle and compulsory competitions. Look at other sport such as skiing where they crown World Champions in slalom. downhill, giant slalom and various combinations plus all the Freestyle events such as aerials, moguls and ballet.
I have never heard any complaints of two many skiing world champions or snow boarding champions for that matter. The various yo-yoing skills required for each of the different categories are clearly different and should be recognized as such. A combined World Champion could also be bestowed on whomever scores the highest total in the various disciplines.
For starters, I would suggest the following "World Champion" categories:
One yo-yo Technical Skills
One yo-yo Freestyle
Two yo-yo Technical Skills
Two yo-yo Freestyle
All competitors would be eligible to compete in any or all categories. It makes little or no sense to me to crown a "one yo-yo world champion" if all of the two yo-yo competitors are excluded. The technical skills competitions could be restricted to fixed axle yo-yos while any yo-yo could be used for the Freestyle.
The current system of qualifying for the Freestyle portion of a contest based on partial scores on certain compulsory is totally illogical. Furthermore, the scores after the compulsories have been almost meaningless for years at the World Championships and more recently at the Nationals in Chico. The small range of the compulsory scores when added to the greatly varying Freestyle scores results in these compulsory scores having little or no bearing on the final placing. It is conceivable one could go perfect on the compulsories and wind up in fifteenth place in the final standings! Why not recognize the technical skills separately from the Freestyle? The current system of combining apples and oranges is not working and is unfair?
If Johnny Moseley had had to qualify for the Moguls based on his Downhill placing, I doubt that he would be the World and Olympic champion in his discipline. It is time to recognize technical skills and Freestyle skills separately.
I realize that this format would require at least a two-day competition or maybe three. However, I would think that most people that come across country, or from other parts of the world for that matter, for a competition would prefer to stay for a few days and hang out with the players and collectors. A formal world records competition could also be held for various categories to be determined by the contest organizer to spice things up. Maybe it's time to have our own convention in conjunction with one of the major competitions.
Also I think the yo-yo world definitely needs more major competitions. Currently the Nationals in Chico and the Worlds are the only two major competitions. With the Worlds breaking away from the IJA convention next year, maybe a U.S. Yo-Yo Open or an International Yo-Yo Championship should be initiated at the IJA to augment the two existing majors. The IJA convention is a great event and one that many yo-yo players will continue to attend. If we can add a fourth "major" we could have a Grand Slam like tennis and golf. Strike now while the irons hot.
The opinions expressed above are those of the author and are not intended to be those of the AYYA.
The National Yo-Yo Championship held annually in Chico, California is
not only a fun, friendly yo-yo competition, but behind the scenes there
is a fury of trading amongst collectors. Trading goes on the day before
the tournament, during the banquet and also throughout the championship
meet. You will not find any booths or stalls just informal trading
among yo-yo
enthusiasts.
Trading is a great way to improve a yo-yo collection without spending
money. It is also a nice way to meet other members of the yo-yo
community. This serves to make the whole nationals experience a fun,
social competition. Last year at Chico, I personally traded for over 65
items. Literally hundreds of items were traded at the banquet and
during the competition day.
What should you bring to trade? Certainly bring duplicates of any collectible yo-yos that you have. String packs, trick books, old award patches and trophies, and advertising literature also interest various collectors. Consider bringing in regional variations of yo-yos, as they may not be available in all areas of the country. Even if the yo-yo is relatively new it may still have some trading value. Don’t overlook those foreign yo-yos and string packs! Yo-yos from Canada and Japan traded well during last year’s nationals.
Chico is also a great place to get autographs of the “who’s who” in the yo-yo world. Current and past national and world champions will be there, and are usually happy to autograph your yo-yos and memorabilia.
I encourage all collectors whether planning on competing or not, to come to Nationals. I will be at Chico with hundreds of items for trade and I hope to see you there!
Greetings! I can assure you that your Board of Directors has been busy this year serving the AYYA. With the age of technology, emails are transmitted almost daily among board members. I can’t help but believe that this ease of identifying, discussing and voting on issues has allowed the AYYA board to accomplish more in the last year than they could have in the “olden days” of written letters, telephone and conference calls!
While the periodic AYYA newsletters have given you a look at various issues under discussion, here is a recap of the issues voted on during the past year and the voting results. I have indicated who voted which way, except in the case of a unanimous vote. As some board members are up for re-election, it may help you in your voting process to see the opinions of current board members on the various issues.
(Board Members: President John Stangle, Chuck Short, Bill deBoisblanc, James Johnson, Dick Stohr, Lucky Meisenheimer, Paul Buethe)
1. To remove the link to the Web Bulletin Board from the AYYA page.
This was in response to what some believed to be inappropriate conversation on the board. Vote: 2-Yes (John/Jim) 5 No
2. To add a disclaimer to the AYYA page for the email list. Vote: 7-Yes 0-No
3. To add a disclaimer to the AYYA page for links to other pages. Vote: 7-Yes 0-No
Again, these issues relate to the idea that the AYYA cannot be held responsible or in any way identified with the content of these sites.
4. To have the members of the AYYA vote on the Transaxle issue. That is, whether or not Transaxles should be allowed in AYYA sanctioned competitions. Vote: 7-Yes 0-No
5. Should the AYYA pursue selling jackets containing the AYYA logo. Vote: 7-Yes 0-No
6. Should the AYYA receive 10% of all merchandise sales listed in the AYYA newsletter from the AYYA store? Vote: 7-Yes 0-No
7. To accept the wording of the Transaxle issue vote before being put out to the membership. Vote: 7-Yes 0-No
8. Whether there should be web site guidelines. These guidelines became the predecessor to the Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) listed on the AYYA page. Vote: 7-Yes 0-No
9. Vote on the request from Dave Schulte of Minneapolis to AYYA sanction the 1998 Midwest Regional Contest in Feb 1998. Vote: 7-Yes 0-No
10. To accept the member vote on the Transaxle issue via email. Vote: 0-Yes 7-No
11. To accept member vote on the Transaxle issue if postmarked by the due date. Vote: 3-Yes (Dick/Jim/Paul) 4-No
12. To approve the licensing agreement for AYYA merchandise by the supplier. Vote: 7-Yes 0-No
13. To approve the formal SOP for the AYYA web site. Vote: 7-Yes 0-No
14. Vote for the 1998 President of the AYYA. 7-John Stangle 0-Others
PAUL BEUTHE DID NOT VOTE ON ANY ISSUES BEYOND THIS POINT BECAUSE HE IS NOT ON-LINE AND HAS BEEN OUT OF THE COUNTRY MUCH OF THE TIME HE HAS BEEN ON THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS..
15. Vote on the request to AYYA sanction the Spinners Classic on July 19, 1998. Vote: 6-Yes 0-No
16. Include new merchandise items for sale. This was to open the agreement to allow other articles for sale in the AYYA store without voting on each one. Vote: 6-Yes 0-No
17. Vote on the request to AYYA sanction the South Bay contest on May 9, 1998. Vote: 6-Yes 0-No
18. To approve the revised 1998 Rules and Tricks. Vote: 5-Yes 1-No (John)
19. Should the AYYA Board ask Playmaxx to cease and desist advertising Hans Van Dan Elzen as a “world champion?” Vote: 5-Yes 1-No (Lucky)
20. Vote to approve the letter written by President John Stangle to Playmaxx with regard to the above issue. Vote: 4-Yes (John/Dick/Bill/Chuck) 0-No
21. Vote on the request from John Stangle to AYYA sanction the 1998 California State Championships in May. Vote: 6-Yes 0-No
22. Vote to position Bill DeBoisblanc as head of the sanctioning committee so that the entire board would not have to vote on each contest. Vote: 5-Yes 0-No (Lucky and Paul did not vote.)
23. Vote to order 500 AYYA member patches. Vote: 6-Yes 0-No
24. Vote to hire an attorney to review and make recommendations regarding the AYYA organizational status….i.e. non-profit. Vote: 6-Yes 0-No
25. To accept the award/skill patches as designed by Paul Buethe. Vote: Design #1 – 1-Yes 2-No 0-Other
26. To accept the award/skill patches as designed by Dale Oliver. Vote: Design #2 – 6 Yes #1 – 0, #3 – 0
27. To dissolve the Corporate membership committee (Alan Nagao).Vote: 4-Yes 2-No (Chuck/Jim)
28. To add a third AYYA newsletter each year. 5-Yes 1-No (Jim)
29. To hire a lawyer recommended by board member Lucky Meisenheimer for the issue identified in Vote #24. Vote: 5-Yes 0-No (Chuck and Paul did not vote.)
30. To perform a new Transaxle vote by the membership. Relates to the belief that the wording on the first such vote may have been confusing to the general membership and, therefore, inaccurate to the feelings of the membership. Vote: 5-Yes 0-No (Chuck and Paul did not vote.)
There you have it. As you can see, the AYYA board has been busy! Be assured that much discussion occurs before these issues are even brought up to vote. And remember, the AYYA is for the members, and the AYYA Board is there to serve you. If you have any issues or ideas, please feel free to contact any one of them!
Yos Forever, Val Krantz
Item #1 - Revision to current Bylaws
The below revisions/additions to the current AYYA Bylaws is hereby submitted to the Active General Membership of the AYYA for acceptance. Please indicate your acceptance or objections on the enclosed ballot.
1998 AYYA Bylaws Ratification Article II – Paragraph 1 Classes of membership
Add wording after the AYYA: “with the following annual dues:”
Article II –
Paragraph 8 Expulsion from membership
add after, these Bylaws, “or is not meeting the Mission Statement,”
Article II –
Paragraph 13 Notification of Reclassification of Membership
add after sent to members “at the address on file in the records of the
association, as maintained by the Secretary, Treasurer and/or President”
Article III –
Paragraph 1 Place and Time of Annual Meeting
add after Yo-Yo Competition “in Chico, California each year”
Article III –
Paragraph 3 Notice
add after sent by “the Secretary”
Article III –
Paragraph 4 Quorum
change One-third to “One-quarter” and change ten percent to “five
percent”
Article IV –
Paragraph 2 Method of voting
add after member in attendance. “Corporate members shall designate,
prior to any meeting at which they will be voting, who their authorized
representative will be with the Secretary.”
Article V –
Paragraph 3 Board of Directors Annual Meeting
add after Yo-Yo Competition “in Chico, California in the month of
October”
Article V –
Paragraph 11 Special meetings of the Board of Directors
add “The President of the Board has the authority to call any special
meeting of the Board of Directors.”
add after by telephone. “Meetings can also take place via e-mail and
actions can be agreed upon once a final summary of the vote is sent to
all the Board Members via e-mail.”
Article VI –
Paragraph 6 Compensation of officers
change general membership to “Board of Directors”
Article VI
add “Paragraph 8 Reimbursement of the Board of Directors expenses
Any member of the Board of Directors may be reimbursed for expenses upon
submission of an expense reimbursement to the Board for approval. Upon
approval that expense reimbursement should be sent to the Treasurer for
payment.”
Article VI –
Paragraph 1 Officers
add “Paragraph 1.1 Secretary
The Secretary is responsible to maintain hard copies of all vote summaries, take notes at Association Meetings, mailing of notices to general membership and any other duties assigned by the Board of Directors.”
Add “Paragraph 1.2 Treasurer
The Treasurer is responsible for all funds for membership, dues, sale of patches and other AYYA sale items and/or donations. The Treasurer will process membership applications and deposit payments (dues) in the AYYA General Fund keeping a running record of all transactions. The Treasurer will also provide an annual financial statement to the President for use at the Annual Meeting and any other statements that may be requested by the Board of Directors. The Treasurer will also complete and file any applicable Federal, State or local tax documents with the proper authorities after being reviewed and approved by the Board of Directors.”
Article XIII –
Change of Members Address
change wording after sent to “AYYA, 627 - 163rd Street South, Spanaway,
WA 98387.”
Add “Article Inspection of AYYA Records
The General Membership may inspect the records of the AYYA upon
reasonable notice submitted to the Board of Directors. Records will be
available for inspection at 627 - 163rd Street South, Spanaway, WA
98387.”
Add “Article XVII Dissolution of the AYYA
Membership will not entitle members to any ownership in the assets of
the AYYA and that, upon dissolution, the assets of the AYYA will be
transferred to an entity with similar purposes or as nearly similar as
possible, as determined by the final Board of Directors.”
In the December 1997 issue of the AYYA Newsletter a Ballot for vote of the Active General Membership was issued to vote on allowing Transaxle style YO-YO’s in AYYA Sanctioned competitions.
The results are posted in this newsletter. The result of the vote was very close. 42 members voted to allow Transaxles and 50 members voted to disallow Transaxles in AYYA Sanctioned competitions. This was the best turn out of votes on any issue submitted to the General Membership and we thank you for your participation.
Several of the Board members had concern with the final wording of the Ballot. A generic wording of the Ballot had been submitted to the Board for approval but the final wording was slightly different (my fault). The main concern was not allowing Transaxles in Freestyle portions of Sanctioned Contests. The majority of the Board did approve the final wording but after much discussion.
Where are we now that the vote has passed to disallow Transaxles in AYYA Sanctioned Competitions? Well, we are in the same spot we were when we first voted on the same issue in September 1994.
Where is the YO-YO Industry? The YO-YO industry is concentrating on Transaxles. All the new companies that are emerging are making Transaxles as their only style. Almost all the current manufacturers seem to be releasing new Transaxle models every month. The majority of sales in Retail Toy Stores are for Transaxles. Transaxles are hot and are a major reason that YO-YOing has regenerated much of the new interest in the 90’s.
The AYYA receives many request from Toy Stores, Retailers, YO-YO Clubs or YO-YO enthusiasts about how to hold a YO-YO contest. They are Faxed or e-mailed a copy of the 1998 AYYA Tricks and Rules. When a follow up call is placed to see what else the AYYA can do and to offer sanctioning of the contest the first problem is the disallowing of Transaxles.
One Toy Store said, “95% of our sales are Transaxles and not allowing them in our competition would be a negative not a positive for the kids in our area. The kids want, own and use Transaxles as their YO-YO of choice and not allowing them to use them in a contest eliminates their desire to participate.” As you can guess we were not able to sanction this contest. This is the same story over and over.
The AYYA Mission Statement says, “to conduct as many competitions as possible across the nation; and to establish uniform standards for running AYYA sanctioned competitions for all levels of skill from the novice to the professional.” Currently we can not sanction the World or National competitions. That is a real loss of creditability for the AYYA. If our rules deny event promoters from getting sanctioning we are not meeting the mission statement.
Because the AYYA Board has questioned the final wording of the Ballot in December, because the vote in December was so close, because of the inability to sanction the majority of contests held each year and because the Industry is passing the AYYA right by we are submitting this issue to the General Membership for re-vote.
Thank you ahead of time for your serious consideration of this new vote and good luck to the AYYA in their continued setting of Industry Standards.
I would like to start by introducing myself and letting you know that I am very excited to have the honor of being considered by the membership for a position on the AYYA Board of Directors.
I began yo-yoing nearly four years ago in the winter of 1994. Using a Hummingbird yo-yo I had purchased years before I learned several tricks and steadily progressed in skill until entering my first contest in 1995. Now, four years and many contests later, I have held the California State Championship and the One-Handed World Champion titles, and recently fared well at the World Championships held in Primm, NV.
In only a few short years, I have been afforded the opportunity to performing many far-off countries including Germany, Japan, and Switzerland, where I was given the chance to yo-yo for and meet one of the presidents of Switzerland. (The phrase "one of" would indicate the existence of multiple presidents of Switzerland, of which I met one.)
I am 17 now, and at the time I take office, if elected, I will be 18. I see myself as being able to provide a positive addition to the AYYA board, with the ability to add much-needed youth to the board.
Thank you for your consideration and happy voting!
YO all! I live in Michigan and am a student at Kalamazoo College. I've only been yo-yoing for about two and a half years, but in that time I've managed to become a member of Team High Performance, win 4th in the free-style at the 1997 World Championships; win the 1998 Michigan State Yo-yo Championship. I am an excellent candidate for a board position as I am in constant contact with the yo-yo community. Almost daily I visit the Yo-yo chat room where I keep up-to-date on all the latest news, issues, and controversies in the yo-yo world. I really want to help the AYYA expand as the current yo-yo boom takes the world by storm!
Thanx and YO! Nicholas VanDerSchie
I would like to submit myself for consideration as a board member of the AYYA.
I have been a yo-yo player and performer in the Chicago area for many years, and I believe that with the help of the AYYA, I could make yo-yoing as popular an activity here in the Midwest as it seems to be in the west coast area. In the past I have worked in public event promotions and I would like to bring some of that experience to the AYYA.
My goal would be to create more AYYA sanctioned tournaments in the Midwest, as well as to seek funding for these events from new sponsors. For the most part, sponsorship for yo-yo tournaments has come from the various yo-yo manufacturers, of which there are relatively few. I think it would be a good idea to approach other manufacturers who would like to expose themselves to our audience for sponsorship (for example soft drinks, snack food or sports apparel companies). One advantage to seeking sponsorship from outside of the industry also helps avoid the appearance of favoring any particular yo-yo manufacturer, while still allowing them to participate in sponsorship, though perhaps to a smaller degree.
What I would do as a board member is to plan tournament activities, and then seek sponsorship by way of proposals that would first be submitted for approval by the AYYA board. Some sponsorship opportunities could include logo placement (such as banners placed at the tournament and/or on tournament web site), print advertising (on tournament fliers and/or booklets), product sampling (which could be attractive if the tournament is associated with a larger public event), even possibly the opportunity to sponsor the tournament title, as is done in other sports events.
Funds generated by sponsorship would be used to not only pay for the tournament activities, as well as trophies or other prizes, but also go toward making the AYYA into a more powerful organization, with perhaps someday even the possibility of establishing a yo-yo scholarship!
I understand that this may be uncharted area for the AYYA, but I am willing to look into whatever needs to be done, and then taking the steps to make it happen.
Your candidate, Charlie Windstorm
My first involvement with the yo-yo started in the 1960s and, after being away from it for a long time, returned to the State of YO about 5 years ago. I hold workshops and demos in the Greater Vancouver area and was involved in the first major contest to be held locally in many years. I also have a strong Internet presence with my world wide web site called "Bob's Land O'Yo". My training includes coaching as well as a lot of inspiration from Harvey Lowe. I look forward to the opportunity to serve on the AYYA Board of Directors.
It has been a pleasure and a lot of fun to serve on the Board of Directors for the past year and a half. I have enjoyed working with the
other Board members as we dealt with the difficult issues of an organization during a growth mode. Most of all I have been blest to meet so may of you and get to know you in the State of YO.
My personal progress during this time has been most rewarding; I placed 6th out of 21 in the Advanced division at the 97 Worlds in Pittsburgh, 4th out of 26 in the Rec division at the 97 Nationals in Chico, at the 98 Worlds in Primm. I was a judge for the compulsory tricks and shadow judge for the Freestyle to qualify to judge future Freestyle events at the top levels of competition. Word has spread around the Mid-Atlantic states that there is an outstanding instructor that presents a school program that teaches kids how to yo- yo safely and responsibility, and includes explanations of science which meet Standards of Learning objectives. I auditioned for and was approved by the Arts Council of Fairfax County Virginia as a school assembly provider within their Creative Arts Program. I have helped organize and run/judged over a dozen contests in Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and Virginia, including the annual Greater DC Open.
I have also entertained or given demonstrations at many birthday parties, Cub Scout meetings, civic events, trade shows, picnics, libraries, youth camps, and toy stores. I won an award from the American Association of University Women for a TV show that I did for the local Cable Channel on a kids program. Plus I have been the focal point for the AYYA on the East Coast. I think that most of the new members from this area are from applications that I passed out at my events.
I have attended all of the scheduled meetings of the Board and will be at Chico this year. I have been very active in the business of the Board, participating in e-mail discussions of the issues and tracking the e-mail votes for all Board members. Many hours were committed to the Board activities, they were not all easy but they were a labor of love.
I have listed these accomplishments to give you the feeling that I am truly committed to the promotion of the State of YO. That I feel strongly about the positive influence that the AYYA is having on our hobby/sport. I am very privileged to have been a part of it so far, and I have put my name in nomination for reelection because I would like to continue for the next two years. There is much to be done and I am convinced that I can make a positive contribution. If you are in Chico October 3rd please say HI to "That Yo-Yo Guy."
As I look back at the changes that have taken place in the yo-yo community over the last two years, I look back fondly on my experiences serving the AYYA board, and certainly hope I am allowed to continue to serve, and to follow through on the foundational work we have begun.
My goals in running for the board were to find ways of honoring those who contributed to the rich history of the yo-yo, as well as helping to set the stage for the yo-yo to continue on into the new millennium, as a fun hobby, an art form and as a sport I look forward to seeing how the yo-yo evolves in the year two thousand and beyond, and look forward to serving the AYYA in any capacity.
I am very optimistic that the yo-yo can continue as a tool for having good old basic fun, and I am amazed how the yo-yo has found a significant importance on the Internet, and I have had a great deal of fun dealing in both "worlds" over the last two years.
Steve Brown was born very young, to two people bearing the same last name. He was raised darn near everywhere from Florida to Louisiana to the Carolinas. He studied live theater for the better part of 8 years, and has since melded that experience with his yo-yo, spin top, paddle ball and juggling skills to provide quality entertainment for any audience.
He began yo-yoing in 1995, and has remained a fixture of the yo-yo community since then with his brave feats of recklessness and daring innovations in the Freestyle genre. He is currently a professional demonstrator, having finally shaken off the shackles of the dreaded day-job. Living in Tallahassee, he travels to trade shows, contests, parties, clubs, and the occasional bar mitzvah showing off his skills to anyone who can't run away before he locks the doors. Steve is a Pisces who enjoys walks on the beach, chocolate mousse, and Vincent Price movies. He is happily married to the most patient woman in the world.
If elected, Steve promises to do the best he can to promote the sport of yo-yoing, and to use his influence to provide the AYYA and it's members with the full benefits of his expertise and contacts. He also promises no new taxes, no homework, and to eventually put an end to humidity.
Yes, it's true. SoCô¿ôL Bob, Bob Kennedy, would like to submit his name in nomination to the AYYA Board of Directors.
It is not possible, will not be possible, should not be desirable for every Director to be a great yo-yo player. SoCô¿ôL Bob is not.
It is not possible, will not be possible, should not be desirable for every Director to be a yo-yo manufacturer, a yo-yo demonstrator, a yo-yo teacher, a yo-yo promoter, a yo-yo contestant or judge.
But, it is possible for every yo-yo director to demonstrate the maximum interest in the good of the State of Yo, which ultimately must come down to the good of it's people. SoCô¿ôL Bob has done that with his publishing of Just Say Yô¿ô, with his posting of pictures of significant yo-yo events, with his encouragement of others to do more of the same. That State of Yo will enjoy it's most significant growth when it promotes, not only yo-yos, but the significance of other things ... including sportsmanship and personal growth, family and community, and yes, even spiritual values as varied and as simple as the growing ability of each of it's members to become better friends.
If you would like to see these kinds of activities and values pursued to their fullest ... SoCô¿ôL Bob may be yo'er man.
SoCô¿ôL Bob, Bob Kennedy, for Board of Directors of the AYYA.
As a current member of the AYYA Board my interest has been preserving the history of the yo-yo. My personal collection consists of well over 2000 different items of yo-yo memorabilia. As a collector I have written and continue to write articles for the AYYA newsletter as well as other collecting magazines on the hobby. In 1995 I produced the “Lucky’s Yo-Yo Size and Shape Guide for collectors which continues to be distributed to all new AYYA members. I have recently completed a book on Yo-Yo collecting titled “Lucky’s Collectors guide to 20th Century Yo-Yos” that is scheduled for release this October. The yo-yo has a rich history that should not be forgotten. If re-elected I would continue to represent the collecting interests of our membership.
I would be very interested in a position on the AYYA Board of Directors for the following reasons.
1/ I feel strongly that all regions of the AYYA should have a representative to serve on the board of Directors. and be able to represent them in a honest and fair manner.
2/ I would like to see the AYYA become a strong and enduring force in the YOYO world of today, with all the advances being made today in the world, the AYYA hopefully can and should be a leader.
3/ If elected to the Board, I would be more then willing to travel to any event in my region of the NORTH EAST to Represent the AYYA at no charge, whether or not a large or small event, I feel STRONGLY that every one has to donate there time and experience, if the AYYA is to grow.
4/ I have been involved in the yoyo world for over a period of 10 years, and during this time I have seen it grow from just a few people having fun, to a very competitive group enjoying the ability to YO. and I personally feel that the fixed axle and Transaxle yoyo can not and should not be divided, I strongly feel that it should be a persons right to be able to choose what yoyo they want to use and not dictate what can be or not be used, each competition should have the freedom of having an open event as far as choice of yoyo. I feel if the AYYA is to sanction a contest it should be based on the level of difficulty and on the quality of Judging.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Robert Baybrook From the North East Region
During my first term on the AYYA board I served as chairman of the Tricks and Rules committee for 1998. In this capacity, I was responsible for revising the tricks and rules for this years competitions and presenting them to the rest of the Board for comments and eventual adoption. Although the two major yo-yo competitions have yet to seek sanctioning of the AYYA, we did sanction about six other contests so far in 1998 throughout the US.
My goal, if re-elected, is to work towards a more flexible sanctioning policy so the AYYA can be recognized at the major competitions as "The" sanctioning body of these special events. I will also seek to convince the powers to be in the sport to separate the Freestyle and Technical compulsory competitions. I think we need more World Champions that represent the unique skills of the various disciplines. The current state of affairs where you qualify for the Freestyle based on completing a few compulsory tricks would be like requiring the downhill skiers at the Olympics to qualify by running the moguls ala John Mosely.
I look forward to serving the AYYA for another two years. Thanks for your support.
We look forward to receiving your current dues or renewals for the 1999 season. Please look at the mailing label at the top of this page. You will see a set of numbers above your name. The first numbers indicate what year you joined and the second numbers indicate when your dues are paid through.
Examples:
’96 - ’98 Indicates that you joined the AYYA in 1996 and your dues are
paid through December 31st 1998. You are considered an Active Life
Member thus you are receiving this December AYYA Newsletter. If you are
an Active Member you will also find enclosed in this Newsletter a card
stock ballot for the current issues being voted on by the General
Membership.
‘97A Indicates that you joined the AYYA in 1997 as an Associate Life Member. This level of membership was started in 1997 for the purpose of introducing interested YO-YO Enthusiast to the AYYA for the fee of only $3.00. You will have already received your membership package with Lifetime Membership Card, AYYA Members Patch and other items included with membership packages. To upgrade your membership to an Active Membership level you must pay the difference in dues as shown on the AYYA Membership Application included with this Newsletter.
’96 - ’99 (or higher) Indicates that you joined the AYYA in 1996 and have paid your dues through December 31st of 1999. You are considered an Active Life Member thus you will receive all of the 1999 AYYA Newsletters. You will also receive a card stock ballot in this issue of for the current Issues being voted on by the Active Membership.
To pay your dues please send a check or money order (in US Dollars please) to the return address on this newsletter. Be sure to include any address changes and your e-mail address so that we can update the AYYA roster. If you are not sure what dues are due please refer to the AYYA Membership Application included in this Newsletter.
The AYYA is now offering a three (3) year pre-paid membership for Active Life Membership including three (3) years of the YO-YO Times for only $54.00. This discount for pre-paying reflects the discount offered by the YO-YO Times for multiple year subscriptions.
Dues for the 1999 Season are due December 31st 1998. If we do not receive your dues by January 30th 1999 we will reclassify your membership to an In-Active Life Membership. We will also send you a reminder post card on or about January 30th 1999 indicating your dues as past due and reclassification of your membership level.
Once again, thank you for your continued support of the American YO-YO Association and we look forward to meeting each one of you at a future event.
YOurs in YO!
John Stangle - AYYA President