Never underestimate a "former champion"?

General Yo-Yo
1

Hey there everyone!

It’s been a while since I last was active here, lots of stuff going on, changing jobs, moving, etc. so I really haven’t had as much time to be “active” in the yoyo world like I had been, but I do still yoyo on the daily!

I always have numerous interesting encounters involving yoyos simply because I’m someone who yoyos constantly wherever I go, and my main travels take me into busy cities where a lot of people get to see me throw.

I live in the Venice beach area at this time and I was out taking some personal time and throwing while wandering about, and a man stopped to watch me. This gentleman looked to be in his 60s and was walking with a cane. After watching me for some time he asked me "can you do "- oh here it comes, the notorious walk the dog question. “The three leaf clover?”

Well that was unexpected. I explained I couldn’t do it on the MMN I was using but could on a different yoyo. I explained how unresponsive yoyos worked and why certain tricks wouldn’t work on such throws but could be done on more “standard” loop based yoyos.

Well let’s see you try on this! He said as he took out an imperial shaped very worn pained wooden yoyo from his pocket.
Wow so cool! I gave this painted red yoyo a few loops (which I’m no master of by the way) and then did the 3 leaf clover he inquired of with some sloppiness.

The man clapped and proceeded to tell me that he was a Duncan champion back in the day. He showed me what he could do on his yoyo and I was quite impressed! He did a split the atom with ease and looped out into some inside and outside loops, skin the cat, shoot the moon, trapeze, all with great ease and agility that made what would be considered “basic” tricks today look very very skillful and clean.

I learned that his name was Andy and he still enjoys throwing from time to time. Apparently he knew a bit about modern yoyoing and had even tried a yoyojam yoyo about ten years ago, but to him, modern yoyoing just doesn’t feel like “real” yoyoing to him. Interesting to meet someone who is very relaxed and at ease with throwing this classic style, and probably using the same old wooden yoyo that he used as a young one.

Parting ways, I definitely wanted to get a classic wooden yoyo for myself to throw around a bit. Was a lot of fun!

17 Likes
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Great story! Thanks for sharing.

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It’s easy to forget that responsive play is what most folks still associate with yoyos. I probably wouldn’t have stayed interested in yoyos so long without the development of modern bearing yoyos, but I still enjoy throwing the tricks I learned a long time ago, and I’m still working on some of them!

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love it!

brought me back to when i met the old demonstrator larry sayco years ago!

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great story.
About modern yoyoing not like a real yoyo, I think the old champion has a point, it not as simple anymore.

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Great story, thanks for sharing.

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Indeed, excellent story, enjoyed reading it.

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Usagi you have the best yoyoing encounters this sounds awesome!

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Amazing story, thanks for sharing!

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Being in my 60’s I fondly remember how much fun I had with my Butterfly. I wasn’t very good at it but I had fun. Great story!!

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Great Story. I was just thinking this morning about how after a month of yoyoing I was already able to do the tricks the old Duncan Demonstrators use to do. But then I tried those same tricks on a fixed axle Butterfly and realized how incredibly hard they were.

I have come to really dislike playing with fixed axle yoyos. I know there are people who love it, but it’s just not for me. But because it’s so difficult and so frustrating I can respect the guys who do use fixed axle yoyos. Those old Duncan demonstrators had some skills.

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Those guys were pretty hardcore.
I would suggest going back and forth between fixed and unresponsive because you will really be surprised at how much it improves both styles of play.

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[quote=“GregB,post:11,topic:79930”]
If you can do what’s in that pic, and all the other 2a stuff they did after only a month of practice, then you are a true prodigy!

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No, I mean stuff like Brain Twister, Split the atom, atomic bomb/barrel rolls and so on. That the stuff I remember the old Duncan demonstrators doing.

Heck, try just doing a rock the baby with a fixed axle standard Duncan Butterfly and you’d be amazed how hard it is.

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Barrel rolls on a fixed is no joke.

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pR63scm3g-w

I just had to show off this one  ;D

But those Duncan guys would have me beat by far, especially the 2a stuff.

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I was just messing with you! :wink:

Nicely done! Someone

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18

Very cool story.

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Sweet story. Thanks for sharing! I need to get a wooden fixed axle soon. Lost my old rainbow wooden laminate years ago

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It is a very cool story but let’s be honest, nearly everyone’s grandfather was a “Duncan Champion” or some variation of that. I think most of us have heard that line many times before from passersby.

I don’t mean to diminish your story but the part about the “not real yoyoing” really drives me crazy. What is “real yoyoing”? I started throwing when unresponsive yoyos weren’t even a thing so I think I can say this… it’s all “real”! Jesus, old people need to quit being so close-minded. haha Sorry, it’s early and I’m tired.