Hey Yoyoexpert! I mostly don’t post, but I am very active on the forums. I’m here because I need all of your help. I am a senior in High school and in order to pass, I have to do a senior project. Naturally, I chose to do something involved with yoyos because it is a very bog passion of mine. The project consists of two major parts: the written part and the physical product. For the physical product, I was going to create my own yoyo. i’m still working out the kinks such as how I will get it machined and someone to mentor me on working with metal. Hopefully I could contact Rebel yoyos because I heard they were based in my state.
Anyways, I am here to gather info for use in the written portion. My thesis revolves around documenting how the community (you guys) affects the physical design of a yoyo. I have already decided to talk about the 1996-7 era where transaxles and fixed axles were causing arguments within the community. It would be awesome if I could get interviews from some of the more grown up members here in this forum. Anyone can recite history off of old web pages, it’s much more meaningful if I can include the different opinions and ideas from people who were actually there. I remember reading some old posts from Steve Brown when he was my age about the uselessness of trans-axles. Any kind of help about this topic would come such a long way into making my project a success. Since pro yoyoing is at its peak right now, there is more opinions and styles changing the sport than ever before. Even now, I’m seeing a growth of wide yoyo designs.
I’m gonna stop rambling before I get annoying, so If you think you can help me, please don’t hesitate to send me a PM. The more opinions from the era of fixed axles, the better. Also, if you have any knowledge in yoyo design, I could really use your help. 
Amyways, thanks, I know I won’t be let down 