Today we have the great @edhaponik !!!
Wonderful interview I hope you all get a chance to read, with some great facts I never knew about the Eiffel Tower!!!
As well as some touching moments that I feel we can all relate to in how the hobby brings us together.
What got you into throwing, how did you find the hobby?
I played around with yo-yos as a kid, and would always buy Duncan Midnight Specials because I thought they looked cool. And those are pretty hard to learn on, so I pretty much sucked. Then during the late 90’s boom, I was working as a camp counselor and every kid seemed to have a Yomega Fireball, so I got one of those. I learned a bunch of tricks to keep up with them, but kind of set it down when the boom died down. Then a few years later I fell back into it HARD after seeing Doc Pop, and I’ve played literally every day since May 2005.
If you could only have one yo-yo for the rest of your life what would it be?
No Jive 3-in-1 for sure. I think I have about 100 of that one model. I’ve got one tattooed on my arm. I’ve had a signature edition of it. I love wooden fixed-axle yo-yos and would be totally good just throwing a No Jive forever.
What trick are you working on currently and what is your all time favorite trick?
All-time favorite trick is probably just Shoot the Moon. Classic, carefree, and just aesthetically beautiful to me. A perfect trick. Plus, you can always finish with a Lunar Landing! In terms of what I’m working on, it’s less about tricks lately and more about how ideas go together - especially fixed axle stall tricks and all of the technical variations and flips between them. I’m also always interested in the line between what a trick is or isn’t. How you restart a yo-yo can be a trick. How you put the slipknot on. How you catch or throw the yo-yo. A session, a day, or even your whole life can feel like one trick.
What’s the most meaningful yoyo you have in your collection?
I wouldn’t say any of my yo-yos are really meaningful in and of themselves, but I have many, MANY yo-yos which were either given to me by friends or which I associate with them. The further I get from some of those experiences, the more amazing it is to pick those yo-yos up, throw them, and remember those people - especially the ones no longer with us.
What’s kind of things are you into outside of yo-yos?
I have a lot of other pastimes. I play a lot of music (mainly electric and upright bass and ukulele). I’m in a local band and play at jazz jams. I also love yoga and I’ve studied/practiced martial arts (mainly aikido and iaido) for decades. I skateboard and surf any chance I get. All that besides being a husband, dad, and middle school teacher of course.
What’s your favorite restaurants and order?
Pizza night is always my fave. I’m vegetarian and love peppers, onions, and mushrooms, but my fam usually just goes for cheese. There’s also a local place that does a killer General Tso’s Cauliflower which is divine.
Favorite movie or TV show?
Top 5 are prob Empire Strikes Back, L.A. Story, Seven Samurai, Search For Animal Chin (Do skate videos count? They do for me.), and Endgame.
If there was one song that you say fits your mood and personality perfectly, what it be?
Oof… that’s tough. I’d like to go with Thelonious Monk’s Round Midnight because it’s so dark, interesting, and just hauntingly beautiful. But if I’m being honest, my vibe is probably more Israel Kamakawiwo’ole’s Hawaii 78 (even though I’m the haoliest haole that ever haoled).
What’s your best yo-yo memory?
I have so many I could write a book. I’ve definitely written a bunch of long blog posts lol. One which always sticks out was after BAC one year going to Benders in San Francisco with a bunch of friends. Spencer Berry, Doc, Escolar, Steve Brown, Gabe Lozano, Gary Longoria, Steve Buffel, Boxthor, BoJack, Seth P, Nathan Crissey, Sebby… And we were just sitting outside on this cool May night doing dumb picture tricks, having snap-start Bey-Blade battles with yo-yo halves, joking about other even older times. And it wasn’t anything special, but you know those times where you’re experiencing something, and you can feel in real time how much it’s going to mean to you later? It’s just this frozen moment that I come back to a lot and feel really thankful.
What’s your yoyo bad habit?
It’s probably more of a “me” habit than just a “yo-yo” habit, but I would say it’s probably just exploring the same territory over and over again. It’s so easy to just keep doing what you’re good at and what you get positive reinforcement for. I can get pretty comfortable in my little domain, and can be hesitant to push outside of it.
As an artist, how do you feel throwing allows you to express yourself?
A yo-yo trick is just like a song, sonata, story, martial arts kata, skateboard trick… LIFE. They have a clear beginning and end with sections of complexity, tension, and resolution in the middle. I like watching a trick resolve in real time, and then poof - it’s gone. The trick only exists in that moment as you’re throwing and experiencing it and even if you go back and repeat it, it’s changed. The context is different. It’s a very immediate and ephemeral art which is what I love most about it. I relate to modes of expression which concern themselves with NOW.
If you never found yo-yo what would you be doing instead?
All of the pastimes I enjoy pretty much serve the same basic creative drive. So I think I would have found other things to explore in that vein, and I probably would have spent a lot more time playing music. But what I wouldn’t have found anywhere else is the community. I think what really makes yo-yoing so special is the group of people who tend to stick with it. It draws in really unique personalities who are - for the most part - so accepting of each other. Some of my most significant and lasting friendships have come through our common appreciation for this weird little toy.
How has the community changed from what it used to be, and where do you think it will end up?
The way we learn tricks is SO different. When I was first learning it was all trick books, which were often kinda indecipherable. Then later you could learn through diagrams online - Ken’s World On a String and Sector_Y. And eventually video tutorials took hold. Now with technology and social media, we have the capacity and motivation to jump over huge sections of what would previously have been called “fundamentals” in order to get to things we see as bangers or viral tricks. It’s not really better or worse - just something to get past. In the old days we had to move through the fundamentals to get to our own creative ideas. Now we have to move through whatever’s trendy and ubiquitous to do the same. The idea is to get to a place where you can explore your own ideas. I don’t make predictions about where yo-yoiing is headed because I never underestimate the creative power of some random kid with a yo-yo. I expect to have my mind blown. Repeatedly, and for as long as I pay attention.
Advice/ words of wisdom to new players?
Wisdom, I don’t know… To me yo-yo is a way of observing yourself. Just pay attention. Pay attention to how you address it and how you react to it. To how it feels to be a beginner in one way or a master in another. To where you find success and where you find frustration. And just kind of ride that wave, because you’ll observe yourself changing - in terms of skill for sure, but also in terms of how you feel about it. Yo-yoing is awesome and so easy to stick with. It goes anywhere. Doesn’t require anything of you. People find it engaging - especially kids (and also cats). Just be patient and don’t hang too much on it. Try to hold on to your “beginner’s mind” rather than racing to feel like an expert. Honestly though, you’re gonna do what you do and that’s great. I wrote a little booklet awhile ago called “66 Rules For Yo-Yo Players” and the most important one was to ignore my rules and write your own.
What you want to tell the world?
The Eiffel Tower is 15cm taller in summer than in winter. (I mean the real one not the yo-yo one.)
Thanks again @edhaponik - appreciate all the laughs in our chat!!!