Okay, I don’t compete, but I’ve been wondering about something. It seems standard that backup yo-yos are placed on the stage floor, near the judges. I found National contest rules which state:
No assistants are allowed on stage while a competitor is performing. All extra yo-yos that are to be used by a competitor shall be ready to use and must be brought on stage, before their freestyle starts on a tray supplied by the Contest. Yo-yos that leave the stage during a freestyle shall not be returned to the stage and no others shall be accepted by the competitor from the audience or an assistant. If a competitor uses a yo-yo in violation of this rule, the judges will not award any points for Technical Execution or Performance Style while that yo-yo is in play, but shall deduct points for any mistakes, loss of control restarts, yo-yo replacements, etc.
So my questions are:
Based on the statement above, it seems acceptable to remove a backup from your pocket or somewhere on your person to use, as long as it came on stage on the tray before the freestyle. So is it okay to carry the backups on stage on the tray, place the tray in front of the judges, put the backups in your pocket, and then start your freestyle?
What am I missing…is there a reason I don’t see other means of getting a back-up yo-yo?
It just seems to me that the time it takes a player to notice a problem with the yo-yo, walk to the edge of the stage, bend down, grab the backup, get it around their finger, return to their place on the stage and then try to catch up with the performance…is not a good look, distracting to the audience, and extra time is lost in the performance. There must be a better way. I must be missing something here. Help me understand this… Conflicting rule perhaps? Just hard to believe players would rather do that bending down business to switch out.
Very true. But based on the rules, you can put it in your pocket and not be disqualified right? Okay, let’s not use a pocket… maybe a holder, holster, pouch or something a bit more visible to the judges. The rules are specific, but they don’t say you can’t do it. I just wonder why people want to bend down and waste all that time. If I did compete, I’d put it in my pocket, and they can pat frisk me on the way off stage lol. Thanks for responding.
The point of the tray is just for time. Prior to trays people would often spend a minute or two setting up all their backups before their freestyle started. You can keep your backups in your pocket if you want to.
I’ve always found that keeping yo-yos on the edge of the stage with the fingerloop open facilitates a quicker change if required. Keeping the yo-yo in your pocket involves digging it out of your pocket and finding the finger loop which is easier said than done when you’re under time pressure and the adrenaline is flowing.
Ive wondered about this before as well. I mean if the judges want them on a tray ok whatever but what would constitute a rule breaking yoyo? If I wanted to start with a positron and end with a butterfly why couldnt i do that?
I see. Sounds like my presumption that the throw on your person is easier to switch out, is not so true in practice for those who do it. I’m just a spectator and always wonder when someone messes up…“Geez, the messup wouldn’t look so bad if there was an easier way to get the backup than walking forward and bending down.” But, I guess whatever works best for the player is the way to go. I’m glad to know it is allowed though…thanks for responding. I thought I was missing something. I never see someone take the backup from a pocket or a holder.
not that any one would do that since it would only be to their disadvantage. You will not be scored for tricks you do that do not fall in to the style of your contest.
Correction, not a rule breaking yoyo, a rule breaking trick. and it isn’t even breaking the rules, you just don’t get awarded points for looping in a 1A contest. so Nathan is right, there is no rule break yoyo.
Thanks for the posted video. Looks like an old one too. Is it me, or absent the fact that it took him several seconds to realize the depth of the problem, and the throwing of the yo-yo, the switch out itself looked so much better from a spectator point of view than if he walked up and bent over to pick it up off the ground. Good post.
