Had a very interesting experience today, one of which I have not experienced much of the like if ever.
I was outside a shopping mall with some friends, and I had a SuperYo Renegade with me. For those that may not know, the renegade is one of the true staples of yoyoing. It bridged the gap into more modern yoyoing and its a throw that truly revolutionized the way we throw today. I had my gade with me and was throwing some older tricks and concepts. Those that know me well, know that I very much do not like much of the “modern yoyoing” that comes about, so I often spend my time working on using concepts from the 00-02 era with responsive yoyos like the renegade, as it feels very meditative and earthly for me.
Anyways, I was throwing a bit, and I noticed an elderly man walk up and watch for a bit. This guy looked to quite old, and walked with a cane. He watched for a bit and then asked me what kind of string I was using. I was using standard poly and told him what it was. He then did something quite surprising. He tossed his cane down on the ground and pulled out a Tom Kuhn SB2. I was not expecting that! He actually had a very worn out leather tom kuhn yoyo holster on him and a very much used tom kuhn sb2 with a short cotton string. The sb2 was pretty much the first mass produced machined aluminum yoyos. Very much not a modern design as it was not wing shaped, and quite responsive, but a true classic and a beckoning into the era that brought about such yoyos as the renegade.
He proceeded to start doing some old school split the atom type tricks with loop dismounts (if you have never thrown responsive, catching a yoyo after a loop dismount is one of the most rewarding and giddy things you can ever feel). As this is happening, another guy walks over, Younger college age guy, and he watches us yoyoing for a bit, then speaks up asking if I happened to know a “Jamie Kennedy”. I was surprised by this. Jamie is a good friend of mine and a super awesome and creative player. This guy then mentions that he too also yoyos and does it between his breaks from work at the nearby lunch truck. He was taught by Jamie and is a “modern” yoyoer using modern and current yoyos, etc, and he too joined in our little conversation.
As the three of us talked, I came to a realization of just how special that little meeting there way. You have three completely different generations in terms of yoyoing. “Old” old school, that beckoned into “old school” that beckoned into “new school” and while the three generations have very different equipment and for the most part, very different sort of tricks, we all related so well to each other, sharing tricks, stories, having a laugh. It was super awesome to see.
This lasted a bit until we all had to go our separate ways, but I am super happy I got to experience that. It was super cool to see all 3 generations as one, and all brought together from the simple love of the toy we throw.
Fun stuff ya know.
awrrroof!
Haru