Matthew Poon
What did your preparation for this event look like?
For this contest, I tried practicing as much as possible while balancing work and other adult’s responsibilities. I think on average 30mins to 1hour per day for the last 3 weeks prior to the event. My practice involves going through the routine, practicing the difficult tricks, and making adjustments to make the routine easier to land.
What gear did you use and did you have any special set up?
I use a new hybrid yoyo from Caribou Lodge and XXXXXXXXXXXX (More details coming soon… ). For bearing and string, I use the Yoyorecreation DS bearing and white normal Kitty String.
Was there a specific trick or element you were most proud to pull off on stage? Or a favorite part of our performance/routine?
I was pretty proud to pull off the neck laceration -| 1.0 2.0 -| 2.5 hook in prelim, which helped me qualified for finals.
For finals, it felt great to finally land the behind the back plastic whip towards the end of my routine as I have not landed that on stage for the last 2 years!
If you could have done one thing differently what would that have been?
Practice more…
In an ideal world, I definitely should practice more! I felt ready when I can hit 90% of my routine consistently.
Another important part of my preparation is to be in a good headspace prior or during the event, I found long walks with music and having good food to be helpful when I am feeling anxious from the contest (or life in general).
What’s your favorite memory from PNWR?
Battling David Ung at the Caribou Lodge YoYo Battle in a dive bar at Portland while Michael Federico is Emceeing.
What advice do you have for people looking to compete for the first time?
Try not to put too much pressure on yourself. If you are having fun, that’s all that matters.
What will you take away to prepare you for your next competition?
That I need to start doing horizontal behind the back under the leg Eli hops 
In all seriousness, it’s always good to see how other yoyo players approach their routine and I always find inspiration from each freestyle. My approach for competition has always been treating it less of a competition but more of an opportunity to showcase my style and to present to the audience something new or different.