Okay, so I’ve been hearing a lot about how people get free yoyos at contests and saying that it’s a lot of fun but how do you actually get the free yoyos?
Does someone nice give you a free yoyo or a company or something?
A couple of other questions:
What else happens at a contest besides going on stage and watching other people?
What is X division?
Are sponsored players allowed to take yoyos on stage that aren’t from their companies?
Do you just come along if you want to spectate?
Thanks ;D
Yoyos are often given as prizes to players who win or place high in the contest. Most people who get yoyos at contests either buy them from retailers or manufacturers who sponsor the contest and set up tables there, or they buy/trade for them secondhand from other players.
Contests are a good place to meet other players, exchange tricks, try out new yoyos, etc., as well as see some of the most skilled players in the area perform. They are a social event for a lot of the players who attend.
X division is 2A-5A. Many smaller contests do not have enough non-1A competitors to have five separate divisions, so they have a 1A division and an X division. For example, if you compete in offstring, you may be competing directly against freehand players, 2A players, and/or 3A players.
What sponsored players use is generally between the player and the company. Most players do use their sponsor’s yoyos unless they are competing in a division their sponsor does not make yoyos for (such as 2A or offstring for some companies). I don’t think all sponsors require it, but it is generally good form for the sponsor and the player to support each other.
Most people who attend contests are just there as spectators. The social aspects and getting to watch the performances make it worthwhile to go whether or not you want to compete.
So are spectators allowed to trade yoyos, exchange tricks, meet other players etc. or not? and do they have to stay sitting or is it quite free? Thanks ;D
It’s a free for all.
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7037/6952970479_aaa38818fb_c.jpg
Cal State 2012 overview by MBsShots, on Flickr
Thank you! I actually saw your video with your comment on Google+ which led me to post this topic.
Your welcome I’m happy to help!
Another question has just popped up in my head: what does AP stand for and what is it?
P.S. Thanks for all the help so far
AP is usually one of two things in yoyoing. One, it’s a common abbreviation for the Asia Pacific YoYo Championships, which is one of the major international contests. The other thing it stands for is artistic performance.
Artistic performance is a division at Worlds where performers are judged based on the artistic merits of their performance rather than just their skill at yoyoing. Performances do have to demonstrate proficiency at yoyoing, but beyond that the focus is on putting on an entertaining show. They tend to be more geared toward general audiences than yoyoers and are the type of thing you would see from a professional performer like John Higby (who has won the AP division at Worlds).
Several of the Worlds AP routines are on YouTube, so you can get an idea of the types of things people do for AP by watching those. Some performances focus more on yoyoing itself (like Justin Weber, who does routines based developing and using tricks thematically, or Rei Iwakura, who experiments a lot with unusual styles or props). Some are more focused on choreography or narrative (Tomiyuki Watanabe is an example of a choreography-focused AP player).
AP is not a very common competition division outside of Worlds, though you may occasionally see guest demonstrators perform an AP-like routine at a contest.
If you see a freestyle that is labeled AP and looks like a normal freestyle and not an artistic performance freestyle, it’s probably from Asia Pacifics.
Okay, another question: how many people usually compete in 1a and other styles, how many people usually spectate and how many people usually go to preform (all styles). Thanks
a bunch when you say 1a almost everyone does it. This is the most common people do and it’s the toughest to do for freestyles. On another hand other styles like 5a are not as popular but do not be deceived 5a is tough competition as well because it is popular for bored 1a people who want to do something different. With 2a 3a and 4a aren’t as common especially on the 2a that isn’t very common. For spectators usually a yoyoer brings 2 to 3 spectators with them so if you have 60 participants you get a general idea. For people performing all styles it’s almost never usually people sign up for 2 things (like 1a freestyle and trick ladder)