During a competition freestyle, the player usually has a couple extra yoyos, just incase the one he is using knots up. From what I have noticed, the extra yoyos, and the one he is using, are all the same. So, now to the question.
Do they have to be the same?
Could I start with a Rockefeller, and have a shutter and a protostar, etc. as my back ups? Thanks!
Also, who can compete in the US Nationals? Do you have to compete in other contests first?
Thanks again everybody!
You can use whatever yoyos you please. No need to have them all be the same although most people do for comfort and having a consistent play because of using the same yoyos.
Anyone from the United States can compete at nationals. If you compete in regional competitions and place high you can get a seed into finals but not necessary.
Not true. You must qualify from a regional for US Nationals.
Well, you could, however, it may feel a little odd changing from a main throw to a completely different shape, like changing a genesis to a echo 2. It would be a little awkward to land tricks you worked with the genesis and you then change to the echo, the shape is very different and would be kinda odd in your freestyle
How do you qualify from a regional? Is it like the top ten or something like that?
Usually the top person from the regional gets a seed. I believe the 2nd and 3rd place get a spot too, but I could be wrong. It doesn’t go down as far as the top ten.
I really thought that anyone could compete at nationals…I thought they just had to go through prelims.
Nathan knows the inside scoop on the contest scene as far as rules etc. He’s involved in many of them as a judge and organizer.
I know, I wasn’t contesting that I was right since I was wrong. I just thought it was a contest where anyone could compete as long as they were from the US. What fun is going to a contest when you can’t even compete.
I believe it’s the top 5
To meet other throwers, of course.
Top finisher from within the region gets the seed to the (3 minute) finals. 2-5 in the region and top 5 overall (which may overlap) are qualified to the (1 minute) semi-finals.
Ive been to a few contests, and I have more fun when I don’t “compete” (in quotes because when I “competed” in 2005, it was in sports ladder in a small local contest). When I went to Worlds in 2010, I had an amaaazing time, and even if I was good enough to compete, I’d rather not - who needs all the performance anxiety?
But yeah it does seem kinda unfair that you need regional seeding… What if you live in Alaska? Not everywhere in the US has regionals, I suspect. There should be 30-second prelims open to anyone born in the US.
The regional map does cover every state and there is a petition system in place for people who didn’t qualify from a regional. 2014 marks the 8th year qualifying has been required and I think it has worked out very well.
What(where) are the different regions?
Thats a really stupid last line. Videos on YouTube get thousands of views of the contest, its fun to see it in person. You can meet with friends that you haven’t met in ages, meet the pros, buy yoyos from booths and try them out, get food and drinks,buy accessories, etc. That just got me mad for some reason.
If course going to a competition for fun and hanging out is cool but a bunch of people also go to compete. Nationals is one of the biggest contests in the US and I would’ve thought that anyone would be able to compete. Plus hundreds of yoyoers go there and only a small handful get to compete. Not really fun in that for te people who go to contests to compete.
Oh, so much fun. So very much fun.
I went to nationals and had a blast! If I was allowed to compete I totally would have!