Yoyoing in the mainstream goes in cycles. We must be about due for another boom…could this be the catalyst?
Yeah, I guess your right. The media looks around for any news it can get its grimy hands on and twists the story so it sounds more appealing. Then they lose interest, and move on to the next “big thing.”
However, Gentry is already at 366,000 views and counting rapidly. Pretty sure Janos wasn’t that viral in two and a half days.
He was slightly more viral than Gentry. Getting shared by a person with more than 3 million followers might have helped the view count along with yahoo making an article bout it
I saw a thread about MTV’s interview with Gentry, and decided to see if he had made a splash anywhere else. I found that his performance is gaining ground in the news. He may even be feature in Ellen and Good morning America. Here are some links to several articles about the new champ.
http://www.chicoer.com/breakingnews/ci_26315708/chicoan-wins-world-yo-yo-contest-prague
Do you think that this exposure can grow into a new boom? Or could it just serve as fuel to the never ending news cycle?
The latter. This isn’t going to make yoyoing much if any more popular then it is now. Everyone who sees it may be “cool, that’s pretty beat” but will forget about or and move on to something new in a week or two.
This is just how it works, I highly doubt this will cause the next yoyo boom
The decent thing about this whole thing is that we don’t need a “yoyo boom”. Of course, we want yoyoing to grow, but at a more steady pace. It’s been fairly steady for a few years now. It’s growing, in some respects, mainly because of the internet and YouTube. It’s like, now, you don’t need throwers in your area to stay interested. The community just needs to keep growing and keeping kids interested. That means not bashing people for asking why they can’t get their bearing out and why their yoyo won’t return to their hand…
Just be helpful and open to questions and people will stay.
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From the fansided reporter
"So yeah, I’m insanely jealous of Gentry Stein and his insane yo-yo moves. I wish I could make a yo-yo do that. I would have so many friends then. Everyone would dig me at the playground. People would bring me candy and stuff, trying to win my favor. Little girls would pass me notes asking if we could go steady.
Eventually I would begin to abuse my power, forcing people to steal cigarettes for me and then laughing and throwing the cigarettes away. Finally, sick of my arrogance, all my yo-yo friends would leave me and I would be alone again.
But at least I would have my memories of being a yo-yo God, my stomach filled with Skittles, my soul bursting with joy."
why is this guy saying?
Pretty cool this is getting so much attention, but its kinda annoying that they act like the U.S won it all, when we just won 2 divisions. Its okay though because news channels will always have some sort of major bias 
It may cause a very temporary increase of interest in yoyoing, but not many will stay on. It’s a skill-toy; only those with real perseverance, determination and discipline will continue on strong and reap the rewards yoyoing.
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Can we all take a minute to cry about how disgraceful the youtube comments are on the video of Gentry’s performance. It’s literally everything that a yoyoer hates to hear from an audience. (“but can you walk the dog/rock the baby/blahblahblah,” “I bet he’s a virgin,” “what a waste of time,” ect.)
Are they incapable of appreciating the difficulty and artistic aspect of yoyoing?
/rant
I should really stop feeding the trolls
That is thoroughly disappointing. People will say hateful things about people who excel in their skills. They do not consider others and will post on YouTube absolutely any obscene thing that springs to mind. I hope Gentry is not disheartened by them.
Keep on spinning Gentry - you are a true champion.
Did Janos have 555,000 views in 3 days?
they are talking about Gentry on Elliot in the morning…a huge DC radio morning show. been talking about it for almost 10 mins now.
just called in and talked to them…clarified alot for them…pretty awesome!!!
At least whenever gentry is being interviewed he clarifies modern yoyoing its just that people don’t choose to listen, I like Phillip DeFranco a lot and his show but I was pretty P.O.'d about how he explained yoyoing in modern day
Hm, There’s one thing that kinda irks me about the interview:
“Do older people come up to you and share their yo-yo stories from way back when?”
[i]Definitely. I ran into this dude and his wife, talking about being yo-yo champions in the ’70s with “rock the baby.” That’s cool they have that story, and so many people have that same story: “I was a yo-yo champion in the ’60s, and I did ‘walk the dog,’” but that’s what’s killing the image.
What I’m thinking now is, if we can continue to push this video when it’s going viral — and to get as many people as possible to see what it’s becoming — we can talk about that instead of how their grandpa was good at something.[/i]
I don’t agree with that. History and development of yoyos should always be remembered. In 40 years Gentry’s tricks today might be the equivalent of that. I don’t think he realizes that back then they probably thought Rock the Baby and Walk the Dog were the apex of yoyo tricks. I can see it now,
“My Red Halo is what got me the world’s title back in '14!”
“Uhg, okay grandpa…”
Mind if you reveal to us some of the things you clarified for them?
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Wow YOUTUBE commented on his video. I don’t like what it said, but still, youtubes youtube page commented on the video. That’s pretty big.
Never take youtube comments seriously. Ever.
It’s just rabble, every last one of them. That’s why they eat down garbage like Pew Die Pie and other youtube personalities.
I think its a great thing. I originally started throwing after seeing Mickey’s 2005 freestyle, so anything that helps bring more people to the hobby is a good thing.
I feel that Gentry is a very marketable fellow. Young handsome bloke, lots of confidence, great stage presence, flashy routine… I can imagine this could go on to get more views than Janos’s in time.
No such thing as bad publicity!
Nah i agree with him. A lot of tricks define the last decade of yoyoing, yet like 2 define the 50+ years before that. I feel like the variety and options these days have put an end to the individual trick stuff. I don’t even know the names of most tricks i’ve learned, just because who could remember hundreds of trick names. The sport’s changed, and i’m glad to see him real talking a bit.