A while back I posted this on my Facebook page, and after lots of requests, I am posting it here now on this forum for you guys to read. It’s a note I wrote about one of my best friends, Ben Conde, and the rest is for your eyes to read.
- John
Ben Conde: Giving the Offstring Game Hope
I don’t know why I have developed a lengthy post like the following, but I can tell you that I feel qualified enough to describe the substantial change this past year in the 4a/Offstring game, something that I personally haven’t been able to pull of myself and neither has anyone else. It is something that I have been waiting for the past four years.
The yo-yo community has been waiting for a change in this style of the sport, because much like 1A in 2006, the concept of Offstring, which was originally very open style, breath-taking, risky tricks, has been replaced by what in reality are 1A tricks with the yo-yo not attached to the string. Seldom will you see an offstring freestyle in competition where at least one minute of the routine is not dedicated to the same boings, Sen-Poppins, and string hit tricks that were compulsory tricks at the World Yo-yo Contest in 2005. I fall guilty of this. If you’re an avid offstring player, you know what I’m talking about. The yo-yo no longer leaves the string in offstring freestyles, and that is terribly sad. The concept of “point-whoring” has slipped into the style of offstring, a style that used to not even call for much technical tricks in order to win competitions. I came into competition world starting in 2003, where I first witnessed offstring at the 2003 World Yo-yo Contest. Watching Eiji Okuyama take this new division by storm inspired me to take my next big step in yo-yoing and try to learn this style of yo-yoing. The offstring whips and his signature series regeneration made me wonder what other mind-blowing tricks could be made using an offstring yo-yo. I hadn’t felt that inspired to yo-yo since I first watched Andrew Conde on Bill Cosby’s Kids Say the Darndest Things on television when I was just four years old. It was because of Andrew I even picked up a yo-yo. And in 2003, it was because of Eiji Okuyama that I picked up my first Yoyojam Aquarius offstring yo-yo.
The offstring “game” consisted of lots of whips all the way through 2005. Many of the Japanese, including Tsubasa Onishi, perhaps the best offstring player to ever live, were finding new ways to let the yo-yo leave the string, make a grind or hit whatever body part and catch it back in a whip. Tsubasa also introduced the idea of using your body as more of a true performing mechanism as well besides an element of offstring tricks. 2006 was the year of one-hand open regenerations, like Eiji’s regeneration. Taiki Nishimura was world champion that year, and rightfully, because he outdid Tsubasa at his own game of just putting on a damn good show.
2007 is when it all started to change. So many people were figuring out how to do whips and regens that technical tricks became more prevalent in freestyles. I, personally, found that my freestyles, which consisted of lots of one hand regens, couldn’t compete with most offstring freestyles because I wasn’t doing enough boings or string releases or rolling combos. So I revamped my style and luckily stayed in the game of offstring. But some people completely fell off because the balance of the tricks was too much of a change in their style to handle. So the offstring game lost a few great names. 2009 was the true sign that the game had changed. Rei Iwakura, the defending World Champion, made one mistake in his offstring finals routine, but otherwise had an amazing performance. But he got triumphed by Naoto Okada, who only did two offstring whips. His freestyle consisted of boings, sen poppins, string releases, and other close knit technical tricks. The yo-yo honestly didn’t really leave the string, and the overall reaction of Naoto winning was that of surprise. But he had won because he got so many easy points and because he danced around the stage. Naoto typically has a broadway-type theme to his freestyles with the signature bow tie, and rather flamboyant bodily movements. But I also respect the dude, because he is one of Japan’s best offstring players, and he’s been at it for years. He is also one of the best performers out there. But no, it 2009 I saw a change in offstring that made me much less motivated to create new ideas and expand ideas of open styled offstring tricks because it still wasn’t enough to break the technical empire that stored itself in this style of yo-yoing. That was, until Ben Conde brought it all back with his 2011 Worlds offstring finals freestyle.
Ben’s offstring style of yo-yoing is different than anyone else’s in yo-yoing because it is his high risk “bangers” that get him to place high in competition. He takes risks that no one else dares to take, with new open handed regens and the use of the thumb grind, something the offstring community hasn’t utilized since 2006. Ben also has a performance style that is not hyper and over-energetic, like most yo-yo players are today. He walks around stage with a look of no fear, just drive that he’s gonna get work done. And he for sure as hell does that.
Ben first really really made his name in the yo-yo community with his 2010 worlds freestyle, where he changed his whole physical presence. He put a flat brim on his head which was once bare, some Nike Jordans on his feet instead of going barefoot, and of course, the money throw. His freestyle left people begging for more from him. They wanted more surprises, and he gave them what they wanted in 2011 at Worlds.
The best way to describe Ben’s freestyle is the following:
BANGER, Smile, BANGER, tech…waitBANGER!, moneythrow, BANGER
Yeah, I’m not gonna describe the tricks in depth, because if you have gotten this far in this post, you actually know what I’m talking about and you already have seen the freestyle and you know what I’m talking about. Ben’s freestyle brought tears to my eyes. Finally someone made people jump out of their seats for an offstring player once again. No one has made the halls of the Rosen Plaza roar like he did this past year. Finally someone totally threw away technical tricks and pulled out the bangers, telling the world that they are never going away, no matter how hard the change in offstring tries to. Most importantly, finally someone gave the offstring community some motivation to step their game up. Ben doesn’t know the impact he made that night on the offstring game. He showed offstring players that we need to step our game up, and change the motto from “take risks, go fast,” to “take risks, go bang.” I personally feel much more motivated now to do offstring than I ever have for the past four years, and I owe it to him, one of my best friends. Thanks man, I needed it, Worlds needed it, and most of all, the offstring game needed it.
Most of the yo-yo community knows about Ben now, whether you are an offstring player or not, because of his most recent Worlds performance. Ben has been yo-yoing his whole life, and is one of my best friends. We have both been working with each other and pushing each other for the past nine years of our friendship. It is because of him and his family that I am where I am in yo-yoing today. His brother Andrew once again is the reason I picked up a yo-yo in the first place. And his mother helped my mother with figuring out the schedule of big yo-yo contests. I love this kid so much not only because of our friendship, but because of how he sees the world. He doesn’t ask for anything, and works day in and day out to get everything in his life. He is independent, but understands the importance of connection and relationships and has grown up as a person that everyone loves. Everyone loves Ben Conde, it’s a fact. His 4.0 GPA from high school also helps reinforce the fact that he works hard. Ben just goes hard in life and does it for reasons of passion and happiness. And for that, I tip my hat to you sir.
This is something I have been writing ever since worlds happened, and every second was more than worth it. I just want you all to know of an event that has truly influenced my yo-yo life.
Peace to my party people,
- John Narum