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What gear did you use and did you have any special set up?

I used a miracle 25 with nsk bearing and izuru 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 hit a trick i was super excited to hit, fake knot to tower

If you could have done one thing differently what would that have been?

Prepare my mental game better

What’s your favorite memory from PNWR?

Probably after the contest, I hung out with tons of friends after the hotel and some of went out and went shopping after

What advice do you have for people looking to compete for the first time?

Just do it for fun! Its scary but we all start somewhere

What will you take away to prepare you for your next competition?

Trying to just have fun on stage than worrying about results

Bobparty · April 15, 2025, 8:59pm

Matt Szeto

What did your preparation for this event look like?

For this contest I picked the song and made the routine about 2 weeks out. Once I have the routine fully constructed, I record it. Recording it shows me what it’ll likely look like from the audience’s POV. I’ll watch the video back and make changes accordingly. Leading up to the contest I’ll run through the routine maybe like 3 times a day. If I notice there’s a part of the routine giving me trouble, I’ll practice the tricks in that part specifically or replace the tricks with something easier for me.

What gear did you use and did you have any special set up?

I used a pair of my signature edition Loop 720s by Yoyofactory. This was my first time using them on stage which was exciting. I use 1 red 1 blue spacer in each of them, with a dry bearing. My string is kitty basic white cut to ~69 CM.

Was there a specific trick or element you were most proud to pull off on stage? Or a favorite part of our performance/routine?

This one trick, which is a hop pullover wrap to reverse tangler, I had never hit on stage before and learned recently. It feels really satisfying to execute and there’s some risk of being tangled, so I’d say that is the trick I was most proud to pull off for this contest.

If you could have done one thing differently what would that have been?

I of course wish I could have done my freestyle better, but it could’ve been worse, so I can’t complain.

What’s your favorite memory from PNWR?

Winning this year was cool. I also have great memories exploring Seattle and now Portland.

What advice do you have for people looking to compete for the first time?

Practice hard, but have fun on stage. The community is very supportive and people will cheer for you. I’d also say don’t have an expectation for how you place, but have a goal for yourself on how clean you want to go. How well you perform is up to you, how well you place isn’t entirely in your control. If you aren’t satisfied with your routine afterwards, don’t be discouraged and use it as motivation to practice more.

What will you take away to prepare you for your next competition?

As shown by the scoresheet my performance evals are the lowest of the top 3. This is something that I have been and I’ll continue trying to work on. My goal is to put on an entertaining routine that makes people want to learn 2A!

Bobparty · April 15, 2025, 9:02pm

James Heder

What did your preparation for this event look like?

I would generally start off practice by warming up on a small yoyo for about an hour. Then I usually do 5-6 runs of my 3-minute routine, and then do around 10 runs of my qualifier freestyles. Over time I build consistency with the routines!

What gear did you use and did you have any special set up?

At this contest I used a prototype yoyo, Original Throw Fat string, Yoyofriends pink response pads, and a high quality concave bearing!

Was there a specific trick or element you were most proud to pull off on stage? Or a favorite part of our performance/routine?

The trick I was most proud of pulling off at this comp was the one-arm brent stole, at timestamp 2:06 of the freestyle!

If you could have done one thing differently what would that have been?

I probably would have spent more time on my qualifier routine.

What’s your favorite memory from PNWR?

My favorite memory from PNWR was going out for ramen with friends. This is such a great contest for meeting up with players from all over!

What advice do you have for people looking to compete for the first time?

My advice to people who are competing for the first time is to not worry about your routine too much, enjoy the audience interaction, and have fun on stage!

What will you take away to prepare you for your next competition?

Competing shouldn’t be something that’s stressful, it should be enjoyable and fulfilling.

Bobparty · April 16, 2025, 4:47pm

Chandler Steele

What did your preparation for this event look like?

For PNWR this year I spent a good 2-3 months grinding my final routine. I reworked spots in the routine where I saw too many mistakes too often, and really tried to focus a lot more on my music cues. I try to emulate the pressure I will feel on stage, and attempt to get the routine consistent in that head space. When I got to a point of consistency in almost each run, I felt confident in the performance.

What gear did you use and did you have any special set up?

I used an Unprld prototype! I used Original Throw normal string (yellow), NSK bearing, and Hollywood Modern pads (white shore 50)

Was there a specific trick or element you were most proud to pull off on stage? Or a favorite part of our performance/routine?

One of the best tricks was the middle of the routine, I hit a very difficult tower trick and cued it very well to the song. It was a crucial part of the performance, and I believe hitting it added a lot to the performance. The very last trick in my freestyle really helped tie it all together as well.

What’s your favorite memory from PNWR?

My favorite memory from PNWR is always getting to see friends, old and new, getting to see people we only see a few times a year and just catching up with them is one of the best parts of any contest.

What advice do you have for people looking to compete for the first time?

My advice to players who want to compete for their first time is just do tricks that you personally enjoy, use music that you vibe to, and try developing a style all your own before worrying about learning the hardest tricks you can.

Bobparty · April 16, 2025, 4:48pm

Connor Sheehan

What did your preparation for this event look like?

I started prepping for this contest back in January, I found the finals song pretty quickly and it was just a matter of creating a freestyle out of it. Along the way I adjusted the freestyle to see what was and wasn’t working, and that mainly involved making it easier for me. Practice was mainly just grinding it until it became second nature, and although the run on stage wasn’t very clean I’m proud of how fluent the freestyle ended up feeling for me.

What gear did you use and did you have any special set up?

I used the UNPRLD Devotion, which is the signature yoyo of Nick DeValpine, Hollywood Modern pads, and Sochi fat 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 hit the final horizontal neck trick which was definitely my riskiest trick, so I’m pretty proud of that, but hopefully next time I hit a more well-rounded set of tricks haha. There’s a sequence from a tower whip that I end in an eli hop that is really cool, I got it to match up to the beat as well which I’m really stoked on.

If you could have done one thing differently what would that have been?

In hindsight I think I would’ve lengthened my string a bit. It in a way gives me more breathing room, but otherwise I’m really happy with my practice and mindset going into the contest.

What’s your favorite memory from PNWR?

My favorite PNWR memory this year was running to get Voodoo donuts with some friends at like 1 in the morning. It was a horrible caloric decision but I would do it every time.

What advice do you have for people looking to compete for the first time?

I think the most important part about competing for the first time is overcompensating for the nerves you might feel on stage. No matter how confident you are or how easy your tricks may be to you, the adrenaline from stepping on stage is insurmountable. Make sure to take deep breaths and if you lose track of yourself on stage take a second to reset.

What will you take away to prepare you for your next competition?

For the next contest I’m going to try and be more efficient with my trick selection and give myself as many opportunities to be comfortable during the routine as possible. You can’t build a house on suspicious foundation!

Bobparty · April 17, 2025, 5:20pm

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.

Bobparty · April 17, 2025, 5:21pm

Stephen Madden

What did your preparation for this event look like?

For this contest I was lacking to prepare when I should’ve weeks prior. My prelim’s tricks were planned a month before and my music was only prepared the week before the contest. I didn’t practice a whole lot. Maybe around an hour or two a week. My final was practiced maybe around 8 times in total before so my routine.

While I didn’t practice a whole ton I do make sure I’m ready to go on to stage by going to the bathroom/washing my hands a few minutes before and usually for the 5 minutes before I go up I’m taking slow and deep breaths in and out. Going up on stage in the mindset to have fun and satisfied with however the outcome may be helps as well.

What gear did you use and did you have any special set up?

For this contest, I used a highly competitive powerhouse of a bimetal prototype that yoyofriends will be releasing later this year. I use OT Fat string and just the bearing that comes with the yoyofriends’ yo-yos.

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 would want to say that in both of my performances my horizontal is what I’m most proud of. Especially my slack triangle trick I always do.

If you could have done one thing differently what would that have been?

Definitely prepare more and yo-yo more in general for sure. I’m really trying to learn tricks off YouTube right now it’s a ton of fun to explore and expand your trickset.

What’s your favorite memory from PNWR?

It’s always going to be seeing my friends succeed on stage especially my teammates.

What advice do you have for people looking to compete for the first time?

Have fun and use this first time to showcase your tricks as best you can. Have fun on the stage first. Worry about placement second.

What will you take away to prepare you for your next competition?

My trick sets are outdated and do not score. I will have to learn tricks I don’t want to learn to succeed at the next contest.

Bobparty · April 17, 2025, 5:22pm

Dylan Sabedra

What did your preparation for this event look like?

My preparation for PNWR focused more on prelims than finals, as I knew it would be difficult to make it to the finals in this contest. I didn’t perform my first 3min as cleanly as I had hoped. Ever since Worlds and NY States, I’ve felt something was off with my yo-yoing. So I worked on a complete new trickset. I took an unprofessional approach by attempting tricks that were new and unfamiliar to me. That said, I’m really proud of my execution and technical performance—those categories have always been a major challenge throughout my yo-yo career. I’ll come back stronger and better than ever.

What gear did you use and did you have any special set up?

Yoyo: Yoyoreceation Upheaval Expansion

String: Original Throw fat

Bearing: NSK YYR DS

Was there a specific trick or element you were most proud to pull off on stage? Or a favorite part of our performance/routine?

My behind-the-back horizontal combo felt great to land. Even though I missed a couple of elements, I’m still proud of it.

If you could have done one thing differently what would that have been?

Practiced on my final more and did tricks that I was comfortable with!

What’s your favorite memory from PNWR?

When I did the tongue catch. in prelims, the crowd went wild—ahahah it was awesome

What advice do you have for people looking to compete for the first time?

Don’t over-practice your routines—stick to tricks you’re comfortable with. Don’t stress too much, and just focus on having fun.

What will you take away to prepare you for your next competition?

Practice consistently and work on horizontal throughout the time!

Bobparty · April 17, 2025, 5:24pm

Daniel Kim

What did your preparation for this event look like?

Since this freestyle was a chill one-throw of the tricks I’ve been doing recently, I didn’t really practice too much. I’d run the full freestyle around once a day for a couple weeks, but during random yoyo breaks would do the same tricks anyways for fun.

What gear did you use and did you have any special set up?

I used the UNPRLD Distortion, my latest signature yoyo! For string/bearing/pad I used Original Throw Izuru blend (white), OT bearing, and OT white pad.

Was there a specific trick or element you were most proud to pull off on stage? Or a favorite part of our performance/routine?

Honestly I’m just glad it went smoothly enough that the freestyle could remain a one-throw. I was also surprised to land both suicides since those were pure RNG and I’d never hit them in practice.

If you could have done one thing differently what would that have been?

I typically watch all the freestyles going before me, but this time I tried not doing so, since some other competitors do this to focus. I think I should have watched them anyway since there’s too many exciting moments I wouldn’t want to miss next time.

What’s your favorite memory from PNWR?

This year was so good I couldn’t pick just one. I really enjoyed touring One Drop, catching up with the friends I haven’t seen in forever, and all the post-contest madness like the 1am donut run and collectively struggling with the double-gt ninja vanish (shoutout Cade).

What advice do you have for people looking to compete for the first time?

Focus on having fun and not take things too seriously! Enjoy the stage, the crowd, and your own freestyle, and prioritize not getting stressed! I personally feel much less stress if I practice consistently over a long period of time, rather than cramming tons of runs into a short span.

What will you take away to prepare you for your next competition?

I really want to do a higher energy freestyle next, so I’ll be intentional about practicing and try putting on a good show!

Bobparty · April 18, 2025, 6:47pm

Proud to present Betty Gallegos today - Enjoy!!!