Today I’m proud to present Miri Kim!!!
What got you into throwing, how did you find the hobby?
I started yo-yoing in 2015 when I was five years old. My dad bought yo-yos for me and my brother. At first, I wasn’t very interested because it was difficult to learn tricks. It took me six months just to learn the basic bind. However, having successfully mastered some tricks and achieved good results in contests, I started to get more interested in yo-yoing.
What is your goal in 2025 for yourself? Yo-yo or not!
My goal is to advance to the 1A final at worlds. Also, since I made many mistakes due to nervousness on stage last year, I want to perform better this year.
If you could only have one yo-yo for the rest of your life what would it be?
I would probably choose the Miracle 2025. It’s my signature yo-yo, and it has the best specs for landing my tricks.
What trick are you working on currently?
I am practicing my routine repeatedly for the World yoyo contest. I want to reduce mistakes by practicing that routine for a long time.
What’s the trick that gives you the hardest time?
I think the 4.0, and 4.5 hooks are most difficult to land. And those hooks are the hardest tricks to nail successfully on the stage. Also, the horizontal tricks are hard to do.
What’s the most meaningful or favorite throw you have?
The most meaningful yo-yo is the Black Original Miracle that I used when I won the Women’s Freestyle at the 2023 World Yo-Yo Contest.
What’s your worst habit with yo-yos?
My worst habit is feeling excessively nervous on stage. Unlike during practice, I get really nervous when I’m on stage, which makes it hard to carry out my tricks.
What’s kind of things are you into outside of yo-yos?
I like reading, writing, drawing, and taking photos. I love reading Greek and Roman classics and epic poems. Also, I enjoy writing short stories, and drawing in the style of Renaissance era paintings, especially, Raphael Santi’s masterpieces.
**What song best fits your personality?
I think fast-paced music with climax suits me the best.
Favorite restaurant and order?
My favorite is italian restaurant. I like Margherita Pizza, Bolognese and Vongole pasta, and Lasagna. I love italian desserts such as Schiacciata alla fiorentina(florentine sweet cake), Panforte, Millefoglie.
Favorite movie and or Book?
My favorite movies are the ‘Life is beautiful’ and ‘The Prestige’.
My favorite books are ‘The Iliad’, ‘The Odyssey’, the tragedies by greek playwrights and ‘Night Flight’. I also like reading some books about Renaissance art, as drawing is my favorite hobby.
What does yo-yo’ing mean to you?
To me, yo-yoing is like climbing stairs, taking one step at a time in order. In yo-yoing you can’t achieve all in an instant. I believe that diligence is the key in this process. There are no leaps in yo-yoing. What matters is consistency.
What’s your favorite memory from your time in the hobby?
The greatest memory I have is when I made it to the 1A final last year at the World yoyo contest. It was one of my biggest goals I had in yo-yoing. I didn’t expect that I could pass the prelims because I changed my yo-yo at the beginning.
What’s your biggest accomplishment yo-yo or not?
I think the biggest accomplishment that I made is two times women’s freestyle titles in a row.
How has the community changed since you started? Where do you want it to go?
It seems that more people are promoting themselves through online communities rather than offline ones. Since the pandemic, the number of people sharing their yo-yo tricks and performances on social media platforms like Instagram has increased, so has the number of people watching that content and becoming more interested in yo-yoing.
If you never picked up a yo-yo - what would things look like now?
If I hadn’t got into yo-yoing, I probably would have dreamed of becoming a painter. However, I might not have been very special at it. Being a painter is a dream many people have, so becoming successful in that field would have been much more difficult.
Advice/ words of wisdom to new players?
Yo-yoing requires a lot of practice. If you don’t put efforts, it will be difficult to achieve success. I think talent is not that important. The more you overcome your limits, the higher you’ll reach. And be confident on stage!